‘It’s your
BBC,’ they say. But that will ring hollow unless licence-fee payers are given a say in what happens
Do we still think public service broadcasting matters? For those of us who do, these are worrying times. “The public service broadcasting system is undoubtedly facing an existential threat,” warns the former chair of ITV and much else, Peter Bazalgette.
ITV, he reveals, has not yet decided to reapply for a new public service broadcasting (PSB) licence because it does not know what the terms will be. He and many others await the new broadcasting bill, which, they hope, will ensure that when their services are placed on a digital platform they do not own – such as
Amazon,
Apple,
Samsung, LG, Sky and Virgin – they will be given “prominence” and not charged ridiculous amounts. If not, says Bazalgette, ITV has plenty of non-public service broadcasting options.