Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to help reduce administrative (a) time and (b) cost for local TV operators renewing local TV licences.

On 7 June 2023, the government launched a public consultation on the renewal of local TV licences. Through the consultation, the government put forward various options for renewal of the multiplex licence, and for the renewal or relicensing of the 34 individual local TV services. The consultation document considered, among other things, which options would minimise the administrative burden on local TV operators.

The consultation was open for 12 weeks, and closed on 13 September. A summary of in-scope responses submitted to the consultation and the government’s response will be published in due course.