Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to support the BBC in competing with (a) Amazon, (b) Hulu, (c) Netflix and (d) other foreign private streaming services.

The BBC is a world-class broadcaster and a cultural institution producing some of the best television and radio in the world. As the national broadcaster it plays a vital role in the UK, particularly in these challenging times.

The government is committed to ensuring that the BBC and all public service broadcasters adapt to a fast changing market, ensuring they remain at the heart of our world class TV sector. There are several important milestones that will support this in the coming years, including the mid-term review of the Charter that will take place between 2022 and 2024.

Ofcom’s review into Public Service Broadcasting will also play an important role in this work, and we look forward to the outcome of its review in due course. We have asked Ofcom to be bold and ambitious in its thinking.