Issued by: Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Forum will be chaired by Media Minister, Stephanie Peacock MP, and bring together representatives from TV industry and audience groups

- Move comes as DCMS publishes new research showing some households risk being excluded from shift towards online TV consumption

The government is to scrutinise the future of linear TV broadcasting, as new research published today shows that some viewers could be excluded from the general shift towards online viewership.

Senior representatives from Ofcom, TV broadcasters, infrastructure operators and organisations representing audiences will form a new working group, convened by Media Minister Stephanie Peacock MP. It will consider how all viewers, including older people and those without internet connectivity on their TV, can continue to access world-class British content as consumer habits continue to change.

The group will consult with key stakeholders on how changing viewing habits and the rise in audiences watching shows over the internet will impact the future of TV broadcasting. It will have a particular focus on the pressure this puts on delivering traditional broadcast television in a cost effective way.

The core aims of the group will be to ensure that no one is left behind amid a shift towards online viewing, and to establish a sustainable television ecosystem that works for both audiences and the industry. The forum is due to meet quarterly, starting later this month.

Gill Hind, COO and director of TV at Enders Analysis, Richard Lindsay-Davies, CEO of trade body Digital TV Group, and DCMS College of Experts academic Catherine Johnson will chair three smaller working groups supporting the forum, representing the TV sector, infrastructure and audience groups. These groups will meet separately to gather evidence and drive forward policy development ahead of the larger forum discussions.

Media Minister Stephanie Peacock said:

"Streaming has revolutionised the television industry. Viewers have never had more choice over what to watch and how to access content.

"As the shift towards streaming and watching live broadcasting online continues, it is vital that no one is left behind. I want to ensure that as many people as possible can watch TV in a way that suits them.

"This new forum, bringing together the major players in the TV industry and audience groups, will help deliver a long-term plan that ensures everyone in society can access world-class British content in the decades to come."

As part of this work, the department is today publishing the findings of a research report (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/future-of-tv-distribution) commissioned in September 2023, led by Exeter University and a group of independent researchers. The project looked at the UK’s current television delivery and consumption trends, examining how they are likely to change in the coming decade, if no government intervention is taken.

Based on current trends, the report predicts that 95% of households will have the capacity to watch TV over the internet by 2040. However 5% of households, or 1.5 million people, will still rely on traditional linear broadcasting by the same year, without intervention.

This ‘unconnected’ group tends to be significantly older, have a lower socioeconomic status and live in rural communities. The cost of broadband and lack of digital skills are factors in preventing households from adopting Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) or programmes delivered via the internet.

ENDS

Notes to editors:

• The forum’s Terms of Reference have been published today. (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/future-of-tv-distribution-stakeholder-forum-terms-of-reference)

• Summaries of forum meetings will be published on gov.uk following each session.

• Digital terrestrial television (DTT) is legislated to continue until at least 2034.

• The public service broadcasters (PSBs) are legally required to run a broadcast TV service on DTT and offer it for carriage on other platforms.

Forum Membership

TV Sector

• Gill Hind, Chair

• Ofcom

• BBC

• Channel 4

• Commercial On-Demand and Broadcasting Association (COBA)

• Everyone TV

• ITV

• Local TV Network

• Paramount

• S4C

• Sky

• STV

• Tech UK

Infrastructure

• Richard Lindsay-Davies, Chair

• DSIT

• Ofcom

• Arqiva

• BBC

• BT

• Comux

• EDGIO

• Everyone TV

• Independent Networks Cooperative Association (INCA)

• ITV

• Mobile UK

• SES

• Sky

• Tech UK

• VM02

Audiences

• Prof Catherine Johnson, Chair

• Ofcom

• Channel 4

• Digital Poverty Alliance

• Prof Steven Barnett, University of Westminster

• Rural Services Network

• Silver Voices

• Voice of the Listener and Viewer

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