Welsh TV viewers short changed, Senedd warns

Hayley Jones 

Welsh viewers are paying the same television licence fee as the rest of the UK but are receiving less investment and representation from broadcasters, a Senedd committee has warned.

In a report on public service broadcasting, the Senedd Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport and International Relations Committee said the supply of media content about Wales remains “inadequate”, raising concerns that Welsh audiences are being short-changed despite contributing equally to the licence fee that funds the BBC.

The committee’s chair, Delyth Jewell, said the situation had implications for democracy and public understanding.

She said: “We remain of the view that the supply of media content for Wales is inadequate.”

She added that the lack of Welsh representation “diminishes Wales on a civic and democratic level, as people cannot see themselves on their screens.”

Knock effect for devolution

The report highlights the knock-on effect for devolution. Although broadcasting is managed by Westminster, the committee said network news often fails to reflect devolved policy, explaining only that a measure applies in England without examining its impact in other parts of the UK.

The report states: “Reflecting the devolved nature of the UK is not simply a case of adding ‘in England’ to a news bulletin, but of re-thinking how political news is presented to reflect the reality of how the UK is governed.”

Concerns were also raised about the governance and funding of the BBC.

Professor Justin Lewis of Cardiff University told members: “What we will really need to see, and this is absolutely crucial, is a set of structures created that puts the decision making about both funding and governance of the BBC at much more of an arm’s length from the Westminster Government than it currently is.”

The committee examined spending on television production in Wales. It noted that the BBC spent £31 million on English-language television content for audiences in Wales in 2024-25, compared with £76 million in Scotland. Rhuanedd Richards of BBC Wales said the broadcaster aimed to increase spending over time.

She said: “We have managed to increase our spend on English-language television last year, and this year I believe we’ll see further growth. And that’s really my aim: if I’ve got a target, it’s year-on-year growth.”

ITV spends 0.8% of budget on Wales

Commercial broadcaster ITV spent around 0.8% of its UK network budget in Wales in 2024. ITV representatives told the committee their commissioning strategy was based on programme ideas rather than geographic targets. One witness said the approach was “to get the best ideas from wherever they come,” adding that it did not have “a target for any individual nation.”

The committee also raised concerns about Ofcom’s presence in Wales. The regulator had around 16 staff based in Wales, compared with 68 in Edinburgh. Members said they found it “hard to justify this low proportion of staff based in Wales, especially given the additional needs in Wales of catering to Welsh language audiences.”

The report highlighted the role of the Welsh-language broadcaster S4C. Its chair, Delyth Evans, said the prominence of the channel on digital platforms would be critical for its future. She said: “Visibility is viability.”

The committee called on the UK Government to take responsibility for improving media content about Wales ahead of the next BBC Royal Charter review.

It noted that the Media Act 2024 gives government powers over public service broadcasting and urged ministers to use them to “drive meaningful improvements in media content for Wales, rather than managing the current state of inadequacy.”