UK committee to consider overhaul of broadcasting regulations

A committee appointed by the UK government will consider whether broadcasting regulations need to be remodeled to secure high-quality television for the future.

The committee includes Facebook European executive Nicola Mendelsohn, David Cameron’s former press secretary Gabby Bertin, members of the Conservative party, former BBC chairman Michael Grade and representatives of independent television production companies.

Under the current regulations, all the UK’s public service broadcasters (BBC, ITV, Channel 4, S4C and Channel 5) are obliged to meet certain quotas on the programmes they make in return for subsidies to produce material.

With the rise in popularity of streaming services, there are complaints that the system is no longer useful for the current age and needs revamping.

The government is also looking into the price of BBC TV licenses from 2022 onwards as it seeks to give people “the best value for money”.

The BBC is also awaiting the announcement of a new chairman as job applications are due to close on Wednesday.