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New BBC chairman says ‘fight is on’ for future of public service broadcasters

04 Nov 2024 3 minute read
General view of BBC Broadcasting House James Manning/PA Wire

New BBC chairman Dr Samir Shah is expected to say “the fight is on” for the future of homegrown programming produced by the corporation as well as ITV, Channel 4, and Channel 5.

In his first major speech as chairman, Dr Shah will say public service broadcasting is a “very British success story”, when he speaks to a gathering of TV industry figures and decision makers at Leeds Conservatoire on Tuesday.

The Indian-born TV and radio executive, who has worked in broadcasting for more than 40 years, is expected to launch a passionate defence of the industry amid the rise of digital streaming, celebrating the economic, social and cultural benefits of the sector.

But he will warn: “Action is needed now to future-proof public service broadcasters, otherwise our very British success story will be part of our halcyon past.”

“The fight is on”

Dr Shah, who was appointed as the BBC’s 26th chairman in March this year, is expected to add: “No other country has anything like this. Public service broadcasters lie at the heart of our social and cultural life, and they are worth fighting for.“And, to be frank, the fight is on.”The 72-year-old will suggest three key steps to the Government and Ofcom to protect public service broadcasters (PSBs).

These will be outlined as an overhaul of the regulatory regime to allow “greater agility, flexibility, and pace” so PSBs can reinvent themselves for the future, a call for streaming companies such as Netflix to invest in British creative industries, and a call to enforce the Media Act.

The Media Act was passed earlier this year, with Dr Shah wanting the Government to use it to ensure homegrown broadcasters are prioritised in the digital age.

“Precious asset”

He will add: “British public service broadcasters have, over the years, created something quite wonderful.“We should work together as a sector to future-proof this precious asset and put it at the heart of the growth strategy that is key to the future prosperity of this country.“So I will work with my fellow public service broadcasters to press our legislators and regulators to take action on these fronts. To invert the cliche, let us act fast, so that we don’t repent at leisure.”

Introduced this year, the Media Act gave Channel 4 the ability to produce and monetise more of its own programming, previously it had to commission independent production companies to make its shows as it is a not-for-profit public corporation that relies on advertising revenue for profitability.


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Jeff
Jeff
1 month ago

He needs to reset the political department, big time. Start with QT. Lead on with the BBC lobby journo’s. Several higher up’s need to go as well. When you had an actual expert voicing the concerns of many experts and for supposed balance you stump up the grifter farage on brexit or Leadsom trying to tell Pascal Lammy how it works, BBC political ability really are in dire straights. And now of course they are stuck with two top journalist’s that seems to be in out of their depth in “othering” and afraid to lose passes.

Karl
Karl
1 month ago

Clean up the poltical agendas and invest in good comedy, thats whats missing from the BBC for me. There is no reason on a show like newsnight to have the alternate opinion on everything. Sometimes things like racism have no other side. Pandering to the Tories in the last 14 yr has damaged the BBC badly. That and the daily love of Farage. I don’t know many who fund the failed public serive anymore.

TJ Palmer
TJ Palmer
1 month ago

They should be made to consume their own output.
Let anyone who actually likes that sort of thing fund it via subscription and save the rest of us a fortune.

includemeout
includemeout
1 month ago

Today’s BBC gives you an idea of what the last days of the Roman Empire must have been like. Policymaking consists of deciding which bit of the Empire to give up next so that the core (in this case, the little circle of overpaid mediocrities at the top) can preserve itself for a little while longer. Said mediocrities sit in their crumbling palace, making programmes to please each other and reassuring each other that everything is amazing and will be even amazinger tomorrow, and anyone who doesn’t agree is simply misinformed. The barbarians definitely aren’t at the gates; that’s disinformation,… Read more »

Jeff
Jeff
1 month ago

Robby Gibb still at the beeb? Interesting stuff coming out of Isreal at the moment.

Valleys Lad
Valleys Lad
1 month ago

The truth is while the population of the UK is rising the number of people paying the license fee is in serious decline. Over the past year its gone down by 500,000
Very few students pay the fee as there is no large bulky TV and its hard to prove someone just watching streaming services on their phone or laptop rather than live TV.
As these students mature I can’t see them ever paying, so the current BBC funding system is toast!

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