Asked by: Lord Smith of Finsbury (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the privatisation of Channel 4 on the independent production sector.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Her Majesty’s Government consulted extensively on the future ownership model of Channel 4, and the views and evidence from a wide range of interested parties – including from the independent production sector – has informed the Government’s assessment and wider policy decisions.
The Government recognises that Channel 4 has consistently delivered on its remit in the decades since being established, including supporting the UK’s independent production sector. Forty years on, this sector is now flourishing. Independent production is increasingly less reliant on income from UK public service broadcasters, and will continue to be in demand for the high-quality, differentiated, distinctively British content it produces. In the 10 years between 2008 and 2018, the contribution of public service broadcaster commissions to sector revenue fell from 64% to 42%, due in large part to the growth of international revenue.
Her Majesty’s Government will publish its response to the consultation shortly.
Asked by: Lord Smith of Finsbury (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the fundamental differences between Channel 4 and international streaming services, such as Netflix.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The increasing popularity in the UK of international media and streaming groups means that Channel 4, in common with other public service broadcasters, faces growing competition for audiences, programmes, and talent from new, global groups with greater spending power.
Channel 4 and these global streamers are certainly fundamentally different. But no one can deny that the markets within Channel 4 operates have been radically changed by the arrival of such competitors, and Channel 4 will need different tools to succeed in the future.
Audiences are increasingly likely to consume content on non-linear platforms such as video-on-demand services. Whilst overall daily audio-video viewing is increasing, broadcast TV’s share of total viewing fell from 74% in 2017 to 61% in 2020. At the same time, subscription video-on-demand services’ share of total video more than trebled, increasing from 6% in 2017 to 19% in 2020.
Global players such as Netflix have significant financial and operational resources compared to UK public service broadcasters, and they are driving up content costs and viewer acquisition costs across the sector. This is reflected across a number of genres, including high-end dramas. Channel 4’s commissioning spending is dwarfed by Netflix, and small in the context of broadcasters. Netflix invested £9.2 billion in 2020, which included spending £779 million on original UK productions, over twice as much as Channel 4, which spent £329 million on original programming on its main channel in 2020.
Asked by: Chris Elmore (Labour - Ogmore)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential economic impact of the privatisation of Channel 4.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government consulted extensively on a change of ownership of Channel 4, and the views and evidence gathered from a wide range of stakeholders has informed the Government’s assessment and wider policy-making.
Following this consultation, the Secretary of State has come to a decision that, although Channel 4 as a business is currently performing well, public ownership is holding it back in the face of a rapidly-changing and competitive media landscape. The Secretary of State has consulted with Cabinet colleagues on that decision.
The Government will set out its plan for Channel 4 in a White Paper shortly. The Government will also publish a response to its consultation.
Asked by: Lord Smith of Finsbury (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to safeguard the specific public service duties of Channel 4 in the event of privatisation.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Her Majesty’s Government believes that the need for public service broadcasting remains as strong as ever, and wants to ensure that the UK’s broadcasting system is dynamic and relevant, and that it can continue to meet the needs of audiences in the future.
The Government has been very clear that it wants Channel 4 to remain a public service broadcaster, with obligations and benefits similar to those which all public service broadcasters have – both public and privately-owned – so that it continues to make an important social, economic, and cultural contribution to the UK.
Asked by: Lord Storey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have carried out an impact assessment of the sale of Channel 4.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Her Majesty’s Government consulted extensively on a change of ownership of Channel 4, and the views and evidence gathered from a wide range of interested parties – including from Channel 4 itself – has informed the Government’s assessment and wider policy-making.
Following this consultation, the Secretary of State has come to a decision that, although Channel 4 as a business is currently performing well, public ownership is holding it back in the face of a rapidly-changing and competitive media landscape. The Secretary of State is now consulting with Cabinet colleagues on that decision.
Her Majesty’s Government will set out its plan for Channel 4 in a White Paper shortly. The Government will also publish a rationale for its decision regarding Channel 4’s ownership model.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the economic impact of commissioning by Channel 4.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Her Majesty’s Government consulted extensively on a change of ownership of Channel 4, and the views and evidence gathered from a wide range of interested parties – including from Channel 4 itself – has informed the Government’s assessment and wider policy-making.
Following this consultation, the Secretary of State has come to a decision that, although Channel 4 as a business is currently performing well, public ownership is holding it back in the face of a rapidly-changing and competitive media landscape. The Secretary of State is now consulting with Cabinet colleagues on that decision.
Her Majesty’s Government will set out its plan for Channel 4 in a White Paper shortly. The Government will also publish a rationale for its decision regarding Channel 4’s ownership model.
Asked by: Lord Foster of Bath (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the number of television advertising slots there have been on UK free to view television in the most recent year for which data is available, and (2) of the trend in the number of such advertisements over the previous 10 years.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Ofcom is the independent regulatory body responsible for overseeing the amount and scheduling of adverts on UK licensed broadcast television. It is the responsibility of Ofcom to make any assessment in relation to the number of television advertising slots on UK free to view television or any related trends over the years.
Under section 322 of the Communications Act 2003, Ofcom requires licensed television broadcasters to observe a set limit on the amount of advertising they show. The number of internal advertising slots permitted on public service channels depends on the genre and scheduled duration of the specific programme. The total amount of advertising on ITV 1, Channel 4, Channel 5, S4C and STV must not exceed an average of seven minutes per hour of broadcasting in any one day, or an average of 8 minutes per hour between 6.00 and 11.00 p.m. For other broadcasters, the total amount of advertising in any one day must not exceed an average of nine minutes per hour of broadcasting. This may be increased by a further three minutes per hour devoted to teleshopping spots.
Ofcom’s Code on the Scheduling of Television Advertising (COSTA) sets out the rules with which licensed television broadcasters must comply when displaying adverts. If a broadcaster does not comply with these requirements, they can be found in breach of their licence.
Asked by: Vicky Foxcroft (Labour - Lewisham, Deptford)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to Part One of the National Disability Strategy, published 28 July 2021, what recent steps her Department has taken to work with VisitBritain, VisitEngland and other stakeholders in the tourism sector to promote the importance of accessible tourism in the media and to businesses.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Tourism Recovery Plan, published in June 2021, included the government’s commitment to recruit a new Disability and Access Ambassador for Tourism. Following an open recruitment process in 2021, Ross Calladine (Head of Business Support for VisitEngland), was appointed as the Tourism Ambassador in January 2022. The Ambassador role will drive improvement in tourism accessibility and quality of services in facilities for disabled people in the tourism Industry, and help to ensure businesses are doing all they can to support disabled customers.
The Government introduced new building regulations in January 2021, which made ‘Changing Places’ toilets a requirement in all new hotels as well as other public buildings, such as zoos and theme parks with a capacity of over 2000 people and museums. This is a positive step to promote the importance of accessibility in businesses that serve tourists. The Government invited unitary and district local authorities to opt-in to its £30 million Changing Places Fund to increase the provision of Changing Places toilets in toilet buildings.
VisitEngland has developed a dedicated web portal providing tailored business advice to tourism businesses, including guidance on how to welcome guests with different access needs. It has also ensured that its promotional and marketing activities are inclusive. For example, its Escape the Everyday campaign worked in partnership with Channel 4 to launch the Mission: Accessible series, which showcases accessible places to visit across the UK.
Asked by: Barry Sheerman (Labour (Co-op) - Huddersfield)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what progress her Department has made on the Government consultation on whether to privatise Channel 4; and what her timetable is for announcing a decision on that matter.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government has consulted on the best ownership model to support Channel 4 for years to come. We have received around 60,000 consultation responses, and we are in the process of carefully considering all the views and evidence we have received to inform the government’s policy-making and final decision.
The Government’s response will be published in due course.
Asked by: Peter Bottomley (Conservative - Worthing West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many responses to the Channel 4 consultation have been received as of 16 December 2021; how many have been considered; and whether those responses are affecting the Government's position on the comparative merits of (a) maintaining the present ownership of Channel 4 and (b) alternatives.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government has consulted on the best ownership model to support Channel 4 for years to come. Our public consultation closed on 14 September. We have received around 60,000 responses, and we are carefully considering all the views and evidence we have received to inform the government’s policy-making and final decision.