HC
So, today (no accident it's a fairly quiet news day) a new £60million fund has been set up by the government to 'help' commercial broadcasters to invest and produce UK produced original Childrens programming content.
To quote from BBC News http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-42513685
Whilst an increase in original UK childrens programming is welcome - how it's being done in my view is a utterly shameful, disgraceful decision. To yet again, dip into the licence fee as if it's some sort of general broadcasting slush fund and then hand it out to a profit driven commercial broadcasters is depressing in the extreme.
The BBC is the only national broadcaster, using public money (as it should) in providing original UK childrens programming. But to raid the fee, and hand it to ITV or Channel 4 who over the past few years have abandoned original uk commissioned childrens programming is bizzare.
If the governemnt is so worried that the BBC is the only producer of UK kids content, don't punish the BBC by taking money away from them.
Lean strongly on Ofcom, get them to re-write the PSB requirements for commercial broadcasters, and reactivate the requirement for a certain amount of hours of UK produced Childrens programming per week - and specify which channel, and which time slot they have to shown it.
Or spell it out to them in these terms. Instead of being all obsessed with taking on Netflix and Prime with glossy dramas, reverse those tanks, and try investing in other programming genres instead. Produce a format for Children, which can be easly sold abroad, or dubbed from the UK version. Get it to click right - should be easy to recoup the original investment.
Still not with me? Think of it this way. What has been proposed wouldn't be accepted anywhere else, where the major player is forced to help fund the opposition to beat it. It's like Manchester City being forced by DCMS intervention the day before they play a club at the bottom of the Premier League, to hand over two of their best players 'to help the smaller club out, and to make the match a little fairer'. No fan of sport would stand for that.
Neither should any supporter of public service broadcasting over this.
To quote from BBC News http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-42513685
Quote:
The government is giving broadcasters including Channel 4 and ITV an extra £60m to help them make more home-grown children's programmes.
The money will be targeted at commercial channels to help them compete with BBC children's shows.
Teletubbies creator Anne Wood welcomed the funding, saying programme-makers "desperately need more support". The £60m pot will be spent over three years and will come from the 2010 licence fee settlement.
Culture Secretary Karen Bradley said it would give the children's TV sector "the boost it needs to create innovative content for a wider audience that would otherwise not be made".
The money will be available for programmes shown by commercial public service broadcasters - including ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 - as well as other "free and widely available" channels and streaming services, and potentially other online platforms.
Anne Wood, who leads the Save Kids' Content UK campaign, said she was "deeply grateful" for the move.
The government said the fund would "stimulate greater variety in a market where the BBC is often the dominant buyer and broadcaster" of children's shows.
The money will be targeted at commercial channels to help them compete with BBC children's shows.
Teletubbies creator Anne Wood welcomed the funding, saying programme-makers "desperately need more support". The £60m pot will be spent over three years and will come from the 2010 licence fee settlement.
Culture Secretary Karen Bradley said it would give the children's TV sector "the boost it needs to create innovative content for a wider audience that would otherwise not be made".
The money will be available for programmes shown by commercial public service broadcasters - including ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 - as well as other "free and widely available" channels and streaming services, and potentially other online platforms.
Anne Wood, who leads the Save Kids' Content UK campaign, said she was "deeply grateful" for the move.
The government said the fund would "stimulate greater variety in a market where the BBC is often the dominant buyer and broadcaster" of children's shows.
Whilst an increase in original UK childrens programming is welcome - how it's being done in my view is a utterly shameful, disgraceful decision. To yet again, dip into the licence fee as if it's some sort of general broadcasting slush fund and then hand it out to a profit driven commercial broadcasters is depressing in the extreme.
The BBC is the only national broadcaster, using public money (as it should) in providing original UK childrens programming. But to raid the fee, and hand it to ITV or Channel 4 who over the past few years have abandoned original uk commissioned childrens programming is bizzare.
If the governemnt is so worried that the BBC is the only producer of UK kids content, don't punish the BBC by taking money away from them.
Lean strongly on Ofcom, get them to re-write the PSB requirements for commercial broadcasters, and reactivate the requirement for a certain amount of hours of UK produced Childrens programming per week - and specify which channel, and which time slot they have to shown it.
Or spell it out to them in these terms. Instead of being all obsessed with taking on Netflix and Prime with glossy dramas, reverse those tanks, and try investing in other programming genres instead. Produce a format for Children, which can be easly sold abroad, or dubbed from the UK version. Get it to click right - should be easy to recoup the original investment.
Still not with me? Think of it this way. What has been proposed wouldn't be accepted anywhere else, where the major player is forced to help fund the opposition to beat it. It's like Manchester City being forced by DCMS intervention the day before they play a club at the bottom of the Premier League, to hand over two of their best players 'to help the smaller club out, and to make the match a little fairer'. No fan of sport would stand for that.
Neither should any supporter of public service broadcasting over this.