Latest news with #mediaReform
The Independent
a day ago
- Business
- The Independent
BBC boss supports ‘reform' to funding of broadcaster
BBC director-general Tim Davie has said he supports 'reform' in the way the corporation is funded. The Government is set to launch the review of the BBC's Charter, looking at how it should be funded, after committing to increasing the licence fee in line with inflation each year until 2027. In April, there was a rise from £169.50 to £174.50 in the household charge, after years in which the licence fee was first frozen and then increased at a slower rate than the BBC expected, leaving the corporation increasingly cash-strapped amid rising inflation. At the Media and Telecoms 2025 and Beyond Conference, from Enders Analysis and Deloitte, in London on Tuesday, Mr Davie said: 'I want to justify the value that we have. I want that protected. 'I think there is reform (needed) in terms of potential (changes to the) licence fee, how progressive it is, and you'll debate the enforcement question.' He added that he does 'not want the same system' in the future, but said: 'I do want universal funding, and I want a proper investigation of begrudging, grinding cuts that we've seen over the last 10 years, which has just not helped.' Mr Davie also told the event, at Convene Sancroft in the St Paul's area, that he is concerned about the people who 'don't care' about the BBC and are 'disengaged', rather than people who criticise the corporation. He said he wants to 'celebrate the fact that people care', as the BBC features heavily on 'front pages' in the UK. Mr Davie also indicated he was positive about the use of artificial intelligence (AI), before saying the BBC has 'very big ambition around the media supply chain' including the 'need for muscular partnerships with the big American technology companies'. Later, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy told the event she is 'determined to find a way forward that works for the creative industry and creators' and technology companies after Sir Elton John and Sir Paul McCartney criticised the Government's AI plans. She added that 'there are no easy solutions, but this Government is determined to work with you to find a solution with transparency and trust as its foundation'. 'We are a Labour Government, and the principle that people must be paid for their work is foundational,' the MP for Wigan added. 'And you have our word that if it doesn't work for the creative industries, it will not work for us. People are at the heart of this industry.' She also promised that the BBC Charter review will be launched 'later this year to support a BBC that is empowered to continue to deliver a vital public service funded in a sustainable way'. Ms Nandy said: 'Later this month, we'll publish a creative industries sector plan to turbo-charge the growth of creative industries right across the UK, to support film and TV clusters from Birmingham to Belfast, to tap into the huge potential of the growth that exists across our country.' She also committed to no 'new taxes' or 'levies', after calls for a levy on streaming companies to protect UK broadcasters, and said the Government wants to 'ensure that we have a regulatory framework that incentivises inward investment, that creates opportunities for businesses, both big and small'. In another session at the same conference, Kevin Lygo, managing director of ITV's media and entertainment division, spoke about the need for 'prominence' for the UK's national broadcasters amid their increased competition with streaming companies. He said: 'I think you have to go back to first principles, because all this discussion is based on the programme itself being worth watching. So I think that's the key for major broadcasters is to never lose sight of making them.' Mr Lygo also appeared to confirm that the hit ITV drama Mr Bates Vs The Post Office, which shone a greater spotlight on the Horizon IT scandal, is starting to become a commercial success, following multiple actors, including Toby Jones, saying that they took a pay cut to be on the show. Mr Lygo said it is 'harder and harder to find the budgets', and admitted that at first, it was difficult to explain a series 'about a computer hitch in the British Post Office' to foreign buyers. 'The UK is in this wonderful position when a show really works in the UK, everybody across the world knows about it and wants a piece of it,' he said. 'So, yes, I'm sure, I don't know exactly (the profit) by the production company, but I'm sure they've got their investment back.'
Arab News
27-05-2025
- General
- Arab News
Arab journalists, lawmakers call for media reform at Dubai summit
DUBAI: Speaking at the Arab Media Summit on Tuesday, prominent Arab journalists and lawmakers — including Emad El-Din Hussein, Paula Yacoubian, and Mohammed Al-Rumaihi — called for urgent media reform to confront growing political fragmentation and foster greater unity across the Arab world. 'Whether we like it or not, the world changed after Oct. 7, 2023,' said Hussein, editor-in-chief of the Egyptian daily Al-Shorouk. 'I am proud to stand with the Arab League, but we are deeply divided.' Hussein spoke during a panel alongside Yacoubian, Lebanese journalist and member of parliament, and Al-Rumaihi, Kuwaiti author and sociology professor. 'For the first time in the Arab world, we're witnessing significant transformation,' said Yacoubian. 'We are beginning to build our own foundation.' While acknowledging developments such as the Syrian Arab Republic's tentative steps toward stabilization, and the formation of a new Lebanese government, the panelists underscored persistent structural challenges across the region. 'The Israeli dream is to divide Syria — so what are Arabs doing in response?' Yacoubian asked, pointing to regional inaction and disunity. Each panelist offered a distinct perspective on the root causes of the Arab world's instability. 'Political Islam and the manipulation of religion remain among the most serious internal conflicts we face,' said Al-Rumaihi. Hussein echoed this sentiment: 'Political Islam is the biggest threat we face today. While many talk about solutions, few are willing to diagnose the real disease.' Despite differing viewpoints, the panelists agreed on one point: media and education must be at the heart of efforts to heal political rifts. 'Arab education is classical,' Al-Rumaihi noted. 'We need to provide an education to give people immunity against anything the media says.' Hussein added: 'Many can't comprehend the evolving language of today's youth. The Arab world remains in the dark, and our leaders are enabling this. Without free media, we cannot survive.'
Zawya
15-05-2025
- Business
- Zawya
UK to allow foreign states to own a 15% stake in newspapers
LONDON: Britain plans to allow state-owned investors to own up to 15% of British newspaper publishers, the government said on Thursday, as part of media reforms that could end long-running uncertainty over ownership of the Telegraph newspaper. The government will also expand its powers to scrutinise media mergers to include news websites and news magazines. "These important, modernising reforms are about protecting media plurality and reflect the changing ways in which people are consuming news," Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said. "We are fully upholding the need to safeguard our news media from foreign state control whilst recognising that news organisations must be able to raise vital funding." The ownership of the Telegraph, one of Britain's best known newspapers, has raised questions about the independence of the media and foreign states buying political influence. The government said "targeted exceptions" allowing certain sovereign wealth funds or pension funds to invest up to 15% in British newspaper and periodicals would help sustain the titles while also limiting any foreign influence in media. Britain's previous Conservative government last year banned foreign state investment in British newspapers, blocking RedBird IMI, run by former CNN boss Jeff Zucker and with the majority of its funding from Abu Dhabi, from owning the Telegraph. Abu Dhabi-backed RedBird IMI took control of the Telegraph titles and the Spectator magazine in 2023 when it helped repay the Barclay family's 1.2 billion pound ($1.6 billion) debt to Lloyds Bank. It put the titles up for sale nearly a year ago. The Spectator was sold to hedge fund founder Paul Marshall in September, but the Telegraph has not found a buyer. The 15% cap would allow Abu Dhabi to retain some ownership of the paper. ($1 = 0.7523 pounds) (Reporting by Sachin Ravikumar; editing by William James)
