How about Regulation within tv?

How about regulating tv?

Deregulation has given nothing but trouble, and more crap than every before, we don’t have to go the whole way but we could tighten up many of the section in tv.
Reduced the number of channels and get rid of most of the +1, (as sky boxes and freeview records are coming in more often,)

We could bring the BBC quotes for all In house programmes back to 100% Expect for joint project of course. We could also make ITV in house % increase to around 90%
We could also get rid of half those awful chat and phone with sexy woman to night time.

Why? Would you say the same about magazines? There's hundreds of them available, would you want to limit their number?



And obliterate a large number of companies, in a recession, in one of this country's most successful industries?



Why?

Whilst 623058's suggestions are a bit radical, I do agree with his sentiments. I know it is summer, but the TV schedules are dire. Aside from Neighbours, nothing appeals to me any more. All year round we're bombarded with dancing, skating, singing and sitting in a house or jungle. Not to mention hours and hours of soap operas. Where have all the decent sitcoms gone? And prime-time gameshows? Why are broadcasters only accommodating for one type of TV viewer and not providing a broad range of programmes to suit everyone? I think the explosion of multi-channel TV is at least partly to blame. There are far too many TV channels with not enough decent programming to fill them. Even channels that used to be good, like Comedy Central (ex Paramount Comedy), are just endless repeats of the same episodes of the same shows. It's sad that in 2009 I still have to rely on DVDs of On The Buses and Open All Hours to provide entertainment on a Sunday evening. I really don't think TV is worth the money any more. I'd be much happier with just the five main channels providing some good quality television than the hundreds of channels of dross that we have at present.

/rant

I'm not a fan of regulation of anything... it's a dangerous idea because who should regulate and deside it? We have seen it in the past that there is always one who wants to get more power out of it...

but still TV was better when it was!

The two issues that I'd resolve are

i) that of Pay TV operators owning platforms. In my book that immediately introduces a unsolvable conflict of interest. A minority interest might be justified but as to anything approaching 20% and above shouldn't be permitted. This would result in decent deals across all platforms and not lead to dominance.

ii) making wholly independent the management of EPGs whether on Cable, Satellite, DTT or the Nacent IPTV market, so that preferential allocation accusations could be removed. I'd even perhaps suggest that son of Ofcom should manage these directly.

A possible cause to investigate would be the removal of the restrictions on broadcasters as to who makes their programmes, if they could make certain programmes 'in house' then let them. Allocations to independents have ruined some strands and some would say aided the dumbing down agenda and directly caused compliance issues too.

Radio spectrum is a finite resource, paper is (arguably) not. Quite frankly there's a tremendous amount of worthless junk on DTT the platform with the most restricted bandwidth of all three main delivery platforms. I do agree with the OP's basic sentiments, I don't exactly recall public riots demanding more so called 'choice', when there were only three or four terrestrial channels ?

Although the original post is a bit of rant, I'm sure many people agree that the Digital TV revolution with 100s of channels has resulted in a worse TV industry in the UK

All channels have gone down hill, the main channels are all constantly announcing cut backs and programming that you take for granted is suddenly at risk and is being axed

All digital channels that were around 15 years ago are generally now worse, relying on a limited number of the highest rating shows, or the cheapest shows, rather than providing a varied schedule

Technical standards are also often worse, even on BBC1, there is an increasing amount of sloppy production and presentation

Even though there are 100s of channels, I wouldn't be surprised if there were actually less TV jobs now than 15 years ago

We could probably have survived with the number of channels that are available on Freeview combined with the Sky Premium Channels, and none of the other rubbish.

Now that's saying something considering your quality threshold is obviously quite low.

I agree it seems more channels, more crap - but I also think in some ways we're to blame too. When we had 4 or 5 channels, we'd generally choose something to watch and stick with it. Now we spend half an hour flicking through the channels in search for something, only to give up and go off an do something else.

There are still gems out there though, on the main channels too. People complain it's all "reality" but if you actually take a minute to look what's on the other channels there is usually something. If I hadn't given up Big Brother this year, I'd have never bothered with Psychoville, easily the best series I've seen all year.


I agree with what you say about pay-TV (well, let's face it - Sky!) being a platform operator and channel provider - an obvious conflict of interest. To be fair though I would say that it's only in the premium subscription area where that has become an issue, due to the collapse of Setanta and before that ITV Sport, and also there being no serious competition to Sky Movies. Sky One and the other basic channels are practically on a level playing field with the other basic digital channels now.

Disagree though regarding the EPG - just look at Freeview, where shopping channels, overnight channels and limited hours services get prominence over any new, worthier, channels launched.


OFCOM though have been a poor regulator when it comes to TV as an industry. They've caved in to most of ITV's demands, and they're handling of HD on Freeview is pretty poorly thought out - especially as no current Freeview "HD Ready" TV will be capable of receiving Freeview HD without a new set top box and SD services risk being compromised.

It's as finite as the newsagents shelf is! The number of TV channels is of course finite but we're nowhere near the limit and with technology improving there can be many many more.

The point is that just like TV there's only enough content, audience and advertising to go round all the hundreds of magazines on sale in the UK. That's the thing that limits the number of magazines and it should be the same with TV channels - market forces, not regulation to maintain quality

The TV industry is over-regulated as it is - to suggest even more indicates a complete unwillingness to allow people to make their own choices about what they view.

I accept that the Freeview spectrum is very limited and there are a significant number of channels which I certainly wouldn't watch. I don't wish to deny anyone else the opportunity though, simply to have their choice replaced with my own! Market forces will decide what is popular on DTT and channels should live or die by that yardstick, not as a result of some edict by a government appointment 'moral guardian'.

If sufficient people want to watch 24/7 bingo with premium rate telephone interaction, then who are you, I or anyone else to deny them that opportunity?

DSat, DCab and IPTV have potentially unlimted scope for expansion. If a channel is popular then why regulate against it?

Fair comment, and that's fine as long as the establishment of such services, does not impair the quality of existing services already enjoyed by others.

The rot started over 20 years when the BBC launched daytime TV services, how did they finance those ? By cutting back on some of the once excellent evening programming. Horizon, Panorama, Man Alive, etc.

I caught a bit of a 1986 Horizon programme during a BBC 4 programme about pandemics. I'd forgotten what an excellent, non hysterical, intelligent, and compelling programme it was in the 70s and 80s. Of course today modern media types would refer to its style as 'boring'. Says more about them, and their poor standards, than the programme itself.