Ofcom


UK broadcast TV viewing sees record drop, says Ofcom

The decline in broadcast TV viewing in the UK accelerated last year, with weekly reach of experiencing its biggest ever annual drop. According to media watchdog Ofcom’s latest Media Nations report, broadcast TV’s weekly reach fell from 83% in 2021 to 79% in 2022, the biggest-ever annual drop. The long-term decline in viewing of broadcast […]

Opinion: How the BBC can lead the way in the post-PSB world of kids’ programming

Joe Godwin, former director of BBC Children’s and current board member of the Children’s Media Foundation, highlights how the UK’s Media Bill is key to championing public service children’s content – and why the BBC must continue to lead the way in a post-PSB landscape. By 2025, if the BBC gets its way, there will […]

UK gov’t to regulate streamers as super-indies face scrutiny

Streamers such as Netflix, Disney+ and Apple TV+ are to be regulated in the UK for the first time, while super-indies are set to face new scrutiny over their ‘independent’ status, following a set of proposals from the UK government. The far-reaching White Paper, released today, promises to deliver a “new golden age of programming” […]

Former BBC & C4 broadcaster Michael Grade to chair Ofcom

Former BBC chairman and Channel 4 CEO Lord Michael Grade has been announced as the UK government’s preferred pick for chair of media regulator Ofcom. Grade was selected from a final shortlist that included former Conservative party deputy chairman Stephen Gilbert and Telegraph Media Group deputy chairman Guy Black. All three represent the Conservatives in UK’s […]

TV’s disability representation in UK to decline as workers leave industry

The number of disabled people working for UK broadcasters is set to fall over the next five years, according to a review commissioned by media regulator Ofcom. The projected decline is being caused by broadcasters’ focus on entry-level recruitment rather than the retention of existing staff, which has led to the cumulative effect of disabled […]

UK’s Ofcom ‘to regulate streamers’ incl Netflix, Amazon & Disney+

UK media regulator Ofcom is set to bring Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ and other streaming services under its regulatory eye, marking a potential watershed moment for the country’s TV industry. The UK culture secretary Oliver Dowden will set out a proposal this week in a whitepaper that would extend Ofcom’s remit to cover on-demand services, according to The Telegraph. The […]

UK media regulator Ofcom to restart search for chair

The UK government is set to restart its process of hiring a new chairman of media regulator Ofcom. The government’s favoured nominee – and personal choice of prime minister Boris Johnson – is former Daily Mail editor Paul Dacre. Reports of Dacre’s proposed appointment first emerged in February, while three other candidates are also being […]

News round-up: Legendary merges int’l & US TV; WarnerMedia signs ‘Impractical Jokers’; Skydance, Impact eye emerging talent; CNN’s Zucker to exit

Legendary merges TV businesses Legendary is consolidating its international and domestic TV businesses under the purview of Nick Albrecht, who has been named as head of Legendary Television. Nick Pepper, who has served as president of Legendary Television for the past three years, will become an executive producer on projects he developed for the company. […]

UK’s BBC, ITV, C4 & C5 ‘unlikely to survive’ without overhaul, says Ofcom

UK broadcasters including the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and ViacomCBS-owned Channel 5 are “unlikely to survive” without an overhaul of media regulation, according to an explosive report from the country’s media body Ofcom. According to its review of public service broadcasting (PSB), UK regulator Ofcom has found that public service content is important to audiences […]

Digital UK’s Jonathan Thompson on the challenges facing new BBC chief Tim Davie

Jonathan Thompson, who leads the development of the UK’s digital terrestrial TV platform Freeview, reflects on the immense challenges facing new BBC chief Tim Davie and explores how he might tackle them. Tim Davie will today be contemplating the end of his first full week as the 17th Director General of the BBC. General consensus […]

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