ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½
Statement re: ITC report on ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ THREE
"The
ITC's report confirms that the likely impact of ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ THREE on the
television market would be 'manageable' within the industry.
"Even
after the recent downturn, commercial advertising revenues amount
to around £2.9 billion pa, so in fact the ITC's forecast impact
of around £7 million after two to three years is very small
indeed.
"We
note that the report also highlights forecasts that advertising
revenues will soon be growing again, further lessening any impact.
"We
are pleased that the ITC's report also supports our proposals for
ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ THREE. We note their belief that 'there is a strong public service
rationale for offering high-quality, distinctive, UK-produced programmes
to the target audience' and that they 'recognise the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½'s response
to this in, for example, promising more distinctive programming,
with an enhanced news component, which would make the channel a
valuable addition to the PSB suite'.
"Of
course the ITC also warn that a channel without ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ THREE's public
service commitments could have a greater impact. But we have made
those commitments very publicly and we will keep to them. Indeed,
we know that the Governors and the Secretary of State will make
very sure that we do.
"We
believe ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ THREE will also make an important contribution to driving
digital take-up, especially among people who don't want to pay a
subscription, at a time when this is much needed.
"We
welcome the ITC report and its conclusions, and trust that it will
prove useful to the Secretary of State. We hope that she will soon
be able to give us consent to launch the new channel."
Notes
to Editors
The
ITC report has been published on the .
The
ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
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