UKNM: BBC Advertising and digital TV

[Ray Taylor]

So it seems that at long last the BBC may be allowed to accept advertising

on public service channels from other commercial organisations.


The BBC is a well known for making extensive use of its own free airtime to

promote its own commercial services and "joint ventures" including beeb.

According to the FT (inky pinky version) a government panel could allow

advertising for the first time on public service TV. But not, it seems, on

BBC1 or BBC2 whose advertising slots will continue to be reserved for BBC

programmes, magazines, web sites and tee shirts.


Apparently consideration is being given to relaxing the no-ads rule as an

alternative to charging digital TV users an extra �30 on their compulsory

state monopoly subsidy fee (TV licence).


Now I know that criticising the BBC on this list is a bit like taking sweets

away from children, and yes haven't those public-spirited people that have

run Aunty Beeb over the centuries done a wonderful job at raising the

standards of TV in this country, etc, etc, but haven't Sky and OnDigital

just entered into a consumer price war? And isn't this just part of the big

bad world of capitalism?


If Sky and/or On do a reasonable job of it once the industry has settled

down, do we need a BBC TV digital option? Is it fair to impose a �30 tax on

new digital TV subscribers? Does it not go against anti-monopoly principles

to add �30 per customer to the cost of running commercial digital TV and

deduct �30 per customer from the cost of BBC digital?


Yes, of course the BBC will die a death if is not able to adapt to digital,

but then the same is true for Sky and the ITV companies.


This is not the 1930s. Is there any need for further public subsidies in TV

broadcasting given the huge amount of money generated commercially?


The corporation should be broken up. BBC broadcasting, the BBC brand name,

and the organisation's various commercial interests should be open to bid

from commercial TV consortia. Program innovation should continue to be

subsidised and supported by government, possibly including the continuation

of a form of the licence fee, but any funds should be available to any group

of people who can put a good case together for being able to produce

excellent, creative, innovative and commercially viable programming.


Production is already subcontracted, so why not open up the process of

bidding for those contracts, rather than allowing the money to flow through

the old-boys network?


Ray Taylor

NMC/Adplan +44 181 639 0015

The interactive advertising agency

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