Ofcom: Guidance on BBC competition impact
April 18, 2023
By Colin Mann
UK broadcast regulator Ofcom is introducing a new requirement and supplementary guidance which it says will help to ensure the BBC communicates more openly and consistently with its competitors about planned changes to its public services.
The new, enforceable requirement applies to any planned changes to the BBC’s public service activities which are likely to be subject to a ‘materiality assessment’ under the operating framework. According to Ofcom, it will ensure that the BBC’s competitors are informed about such plans in advance, so that they have fair opportunity to comment during the process.
Ofcom is also introducing additional guidance setting out its expectations on how the BBC should communicate and engage with stakeholders in relation to such changes. This includes measures to ensure greater transparency and consistency in its dialogue with them.
These are some of a number of changes concerning how Ofcom will regulate the BBC’s impact on competition going forward. All new requirements and guidance, and the reasons for them – including those which respond to concerns raised in our review of BBC Studios – are set out in full in a statement from the regulator.