UK Edition
New BBC regime will allow reduction in public service broadcasting, warns ITV
The BBC will be free to show more unoriginal property and antiques shows under an Ofcom overhaul of the rules that govern its schedules, ITV has warned.
Britain’s biggest commercial broadcaster called on the regulator to tighten its proposals or risk erosion of public service programming. Under-served genres on BBC One such as original comedy and documentaries are also threatened, ITV said.
In a submission to an Ofcom consultation, ITV said the new BBC regulations were likely to fail to meet Government demands for more distinctive schedules. Ministers have signalled they want the BBC's commercial rivals to face less taxpayer-funded direct competition.
ITV’s submission said: “The proposed Ofcom genre obligations could allow scope for the BBC to reduce, not increase, its provision across the full range of public service and under-provided genres.
“The proposals could best be summarised as promises to continue to do what the BBC is currently doing as though there had been no change in the overall focus of the regulatory regime.”
Ofcom is taking over regulation of the BBC from the BBC Trust, which was scrapped earlier this year under a new 11-year Charter agreement with the Government. The media regulator plans to drop hundreds of detailed rules about the type of shows that must be broadcast in favour of broader public service goals.
Some programming quotas will be maintained or strengthened under the proposals, but commercial media companies across television, radio and publishing have protested that the BBC will be able to use its billions in taxpayer funding to dominate their markets.
ITV has long complained about the BBC relying on popular but aging and derivative formats such as Bargain Hunt and Homes Under the Hammer to prop up its daytime schedules.
It said: “In our view, further work is required before the proposals can be reasonably expected to secure greater distinctiveness.
“We completely appreciate that Ofcom does not want to run the BBC, nor would it be appropriate for it to even try to do so.
“However, given that the Director General himself asked, in the run up to the new Charter, for a regulatory system that 'holds our feet firmly to the fire on distinctiveness' we would ask Ofcom to look again.”
ITV’s intervention has been published in the final stages of Ofcom’s consultation. The regulator is due to publish its final regulations in the next few weeks.
The regulator also faces pressure from newspapers, which argue that the BBC’s online empire is a threat to efforts to build businesses in digital publishing.
The News Media Association, which represents publishers including Telegraph Media Group, the publisher of The Daily Telegraph, urged Ofcom to impose stricter rules to require the BBC to link to and credit other outlets on its website.
In its submission, Guardian Media Group, the publisher of the Guardian, highlighted the BBC’s continued expansion into opinion, lifestyle and entertainment publishing online with material such as “a video exploring the benefits of cats in the workplace”.
Guardian Media Group said: “This continuing commissioning policy appears to run counter to the commitment in the BBC’s recent annual plan to focus on investment in “impartial, high-quality, distinctive journalism".
A BBC spokesman said: "Distinctiveness goes to the heart of what the BBC delivers for all our audiences. Anyone who watches BBC One can see it is different from ITV.
"A Charter designed to deliver distinctiveness will fail if its implemented through a licence full of hourly quotas. Indeed Ofcom’s own research shows that audiences see BBC TV content as distinctive because of our broad coverage of events, our quality, and the talent of our presenters."
An Ofcom spokesman said: “The BBC must deliver quality, distinctive programmes for all audiences.
"Ofcom is setting new, tougher requirements and quotas in many areas that have declined before Ofcom became the BBC’s regulator. We will not accept falling standards, and if the corporation falls short we’ll step in for licence fee payers.”