Thank you very much for inviting me to your annual reception. And I first want to recognise the good work that Nicky Morgan has done for our sector in her 6 months as Secretary of State at DCMS. I hope and trust she will continue to take an active interest in media matters in the House of Lords going forward.
I wanted to say a few words this evening about Public Service Broadcasting (PSB). And I urge our sector and parliament not to put the cart before the horse…that is, to have endless debates about funding mechanisms for the BBC before we have reminded ourself why we might want a PSB system. We need a fresh strategic policy framework before we can judge which organisations we want to deliver PSB and in what form. My argument tonight is that PSB may sound like a 20th century concept, perhaps with the odd Reithian cobweb. But in fact it should now be seen as a distinctly 21st century concept, which can meet some of the key challenges we now face.
First, the provision of trusted and reliable news and information amidst the anarchy of the internet age. BBC news and ITN (serving the company I chair), ITV, as well as Channel 4 and Five, offer a plural, gold standard of ethical, sourced news from trained journalists. A democracy cannot function without an informed citizenry.
Second, popular programming with a public purpose: universal, topical and a conduit for our national conversation. National identity and shared values are, for instance, aired and explored in every edition of ITV’s Coronation Street and Emmerdale. But also in the other proliferation of soaps, documentaries and reality shows…programmes with a public purpose made by us, for us and about us.
Third, the Creative Industries now make up about 6% of our national economy, and are growing rapidly. The screen industries account for about a fifth of the sector and the PSB companies, with their investment in talent and hubs in the regions and nations, are a cornerstone of the Creative Industries. It’s really great that other players, such as Sky, Netflix, Apple, now make such distinguished original programming. But to have a core of companies whose actual obligation is to contribute in this way, and not just in the South-East, perfectly plays to today’s important agenda of ‘levelling up’.
Fourth, soft power. We know that where British popular culture goes, trade follows. And in this post-Brexit era, new ambitious trade deals are critical.
Finally, national resilience. Arguably the next world war will be cyber rather than nuclear. In the event of the internet being seriously compromised would we not want some alternative forms of distribution such as DTT? And, while we welcome and applaud foreign investment in our creative industries, would we want to face a national emergency without any British companies, who accept that they’re regulated to act in the national interest?
So that’s why I think PSB is a distinctly 21st century concept, and those should be some of the key considerations as we build a new strategic policy framework. If we agree we want such benefits, then it flows from that that the output of the PSB organisations should be discoverable on the multitude of foreign-owned platforms through which most of us consume our content. Whether it’s an app-driven internet-connected TV, a satellite or cable platform or one of the other aggregators – we need PSB content to be carried, made prominent and to receive fair value for its transmission. This is not much to ask. After that… we can discuss the minutiae of licences, charters and funding mechanisms. Thank you very much.