ITV Takes Aim at the BBC

LONDON: ITV has issued an aggressive response to the government review of the BBC Charter, taking aim at the alleged lack of "distinctiveness" and dependence on "derivative" content.

In a submission to the Culture Select Committee’s inquiry into the government’s ongoing review of the BBC Charter, ITV said that the BBC should not be permitted to acquire content that is already made (or a format that already exists in another territory) where another commercial rival is prepared to buy that content or format. "The BBC should be the buyer of last resort for pre-existing content or formats in the U.K. market," ITV said. "The BBC should not, however, buy ready-made U.S. films or other U.S. content in any circumstances given that the market is perfectly well placed to do this, nor should the BBC run any acquired content or formats on BBC One or Two. There is a far better case for the BBC to be compelled to invest the money it currently spends on acquisitions on original U.K. films."

ITV also said that BBC One in particular has become "less and less distinguishable" from its rivals. "There is a static daytime schedule on BBC One with limited variety and little distinctive output," the statement reads. "This is despite criticism by the BBC Trust in its 2010 service review that the daytime schedule lacked distinctiveness and was too reliant on the same collectibles and house-hunting programs which still dominate the BBC One daytime schedule. It is hard to see the case to spend the license fee on a 42nd series of Bargain Hunt, the 19th series of Homes Under the Hammer, the 16th series of Escape to the Country or the 11th series of Antiques Roadtrip."

The argument is that there is an over-reliance on long-running programs on BBC One, leaving "little space in the schedule for new and more distinctive material."

ITV expressed that its concern in the medium-term is that "as in other competitive markets where the BBC is active, the BBC will increasingly outspend its rivals with highly popular and often derivative and indistinct content which drives viewing share but gradually makes it harder and harder for mainstream rivals to compete."