Ofcom accepts commercial public service broadcasters' proposals on Tier 3 obligations

Section 266 of the Communications Act 2003 requires commercial Public Service Broadcasters, ITV, Channel 4 and Five, to publish annual Tier 3 statements of programme policy setting out the public service remit of each channel and reviewing each channel’s performance.

The Act places responsibility on the broadcasters themselves, rather than Ofcom, to review their programme delivery and to set statements of policy for the coming year.

Ofcom provides guidance on how the self-assessment process should be conducted, and has back-stop powers that can be applied if the process is not effective.

The commercial broadcasters have today published their statements of programme policy.

Ofcom welcomes the efforts made by the broadcasters to provide full and informative reviews of public service output in 2004, and statements of policy for 2005. It concludes that each of the broadcasters' statements met the terms of the guidance note in terms of setting policies for the coming year, although a further shift in balance towards strategy and purposes, and away from lists of programmes to be transmitted, will be desirable in future.

Ofcom also believes that, for the regulator, interest groups and viewers to be satisfied that the system is working, a more self-critical approach to reviews will be needed. The challenge to the broadcasters, therefore, is to devise strategies for effective evaluation of their delivery in 2005, against the policies set in the statements published today.

Section 267 of the Communications Act 2003 requires that where a public service broadcasting channel's Tier 3 statement of programme policy contains a proposal for significant change, the channel must consult Ofcom before preparing the statement and take account of any opinions expressed by Ofcom.

ITV has consulted Ofcom on its proposals for a reduction of children's programming from around 11.5 hours a week, as transmitted in 2004, to at least 8 in future (although the total for 2005 will be higher than this). ITV proposed that religious output should move from 2 hours to 1.

The Ofcom Board and Content Board have concluded that these changes would afford ITV a greater degree of flexibility in the delivery of its public service obligations in line with recommendations made by Ofcom's Review of Public Service Broadcasting.

The Review identified that the provision of public service broadcasting objectives by the public service channels should be “taken together” and that the level of provision remains substantially the same.

Among the factors taken into account by Ofcom was the significant increase over the past five years in children's provision across digital channels, including a very substantial increase in the volume of original UK programming. In religion, the new level of output would be the same as Channels 4 and Five, and around the average level for BBC One and Two in recent years. ITV committed to the maintenance of high quality religious factual programmes, including acts of worship shown in full.

The statements of programme policy are available on the links below:

www.itv.com/uploads/files/1075769676265_0.460169921842249.pdf

www.gm.tv/index.cfm?articleid=13

www.channeltv.co.uk/channel/whatsnew_channel.html

www.channel4.com/about_c4/spp

www.five.tv/businessreview

www.five.tv/programmepolicy

www.scottishtv.co.uk/content/default.asp?page=s5_8

www.grampiantv.co.uk/content/mediaassets/pdf/Grampian%20TV%20Report%2004.05.pdf

www.utvplc.com/televisionstate.asp?sub=au&sublk=cst&fursublk=tele&t=b

Ofcom accepts commercial public service broadcasters' proposals on Tier 3 obligations

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