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ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½
response to Tony Ball, Chief Executive of BSkyB, giving the James
MacTaggart Memorial Lecture 2003
We
are flattered that Tony Ball should be so preoccupied with the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½
but his comments have to be seen in the context of Rupert Murdoch's
long and hostile campaign against the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½.
Thankfully,
for the British public, Mr Murdoch has not been successful in this
campaign.
The
ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ has recently commissioned its own research about how people
value the programmes and services we provide and it gives a very
different picture to Sky's poll.
The
new research, commissioned in July from Taylor Nelson Sofres from
a base of 1,000 people, shows that:
•
86% of people would 'stand up for the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½' – compared to 30%
for Sky
•
82% are very happy or happy with the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ the way it is
•
75% believe the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ is important to British culture
The
ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½'s in-depth, ongoing, monthly tracking of audience attitudes
also shows a different picture with audience approval for the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½
running at a record high this year.
The
ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ wants audiences to feel they are getting good value for 32p
a day from the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½'s eight TV networks, 10 radio networks and 46
national and regional radio stations, plus ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½i and interactive
TV especially compared to over £1 a day for Sky's top subscription
package.
This
speech clearly reflects BSkyB's view that programmes are merely
a commodity to be bought and sold.
The
ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ – and probably the majority of British broadcasters and
producers – believe programmes are about creativity, talent
and broader cultural and social influences.
It
is worth noting that according to the latest figures just 5% of
all UK pay TV revenue is invested in original programming, compared
to 60% of the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½'s income.
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