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Charlie Beckett

June 15th, 2007

A Kangeroo court for public service TV?

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Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

Charlie Beckett

June 15th, 2007

A Kangeroo court for public service TV?

0 comments

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

So Ofcom has slapped tickled Channel 4’s wrist and implied it must sharpen up its act if it wants to get regulatory backing for its public service ‘subsidy’ in future. At the same time all three public service broadcasters – ITV, Channel 4 and BBC are planning Project Kangeroo, a proposal to put all their programmes on one internet site for viewers to download on demand – a kind of internet Freeview. But it will open up the possibility of the BBC charging for top shows like Dr Who after a certain period. It seems to me that in turn opens up the potential for the BBC, with its massive income from taxation, to out-muscle the others in the long run. Public Service TV requires diversity for its future strength. The irony is that by co-operating rather than competing, that diversity may become diluted.

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Charlie Beckett

Posted In: Journalism | Media