Public Service Broadcasting Contestable Fund : Pilot Phase
Read the full outcome
Detail of outcome
This document is the government’s initial response to the consultation paper Public Service Broadcasting Contestable Fund Consultation published by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.
It covers:
- The background to the contestable fund
- A summary of the responses received, and more detailed analysis of the responses to each question
- A summary of the next steps following this consultation
Original consultation
Consultation description
The UK is home to a thriving broadcasting industry, but there has been a decline in provision of certain key public service genres like children’s TV and religious programming. Beyond television, concerns have also been raised about the BBC’s dominance of certain radio genres such as comedy, documentaries, drama and religious programmes.
A contestable fund of up to £60 million, using competitive forces to ensure the highest quality and the best value for money, could help to address this long-term trend by stimulating the provision and plurality of public service content in targeted areas. Bids for the fund will be assessed against strict value for money criteria.
The government’s white paper, published in May 2016, announced that we would consult on a pilot of a contestable public service content fund. This consultation is now being published, and we are seeking the broadest range of ideas, views and evidence to inform the design of this pilot.
The full consultation document can be seen above. Our preferred method of capturing your responses to the questions set out in this document is via email using contestablefund@culture.gov.uk
Other documents
The government’s white paper, published in May 2016, announced that we would consult on a pilot of a contestable public service content fund. Please see document above.
To request a version of the survey in Welsh, or in alternative formats, or for any other queries please contact: contestablefund@culture.gov.uk