BBC

(asked on 19th October 2021) - View Source

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has made with the BBC on the trends in the size and share of its viewership and audiences.


Answered by
Julia Lopez Portrait
Julia Lopez
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
This question was answered on 25th October 2021

The BBC is editorially and operationally independent of the government, and trends relating to audience and viewership are a matter for the BBC.

The BBC’s Royal Charter requires the BBC to represent, reflect and serve audiences, taking into account the needs of diverse communities of all the UK nations and regions. It is for Ofcom as the BBC’s independent regulator to ensure the BBC complies with its Charter duties.

The BBC includes details on audience trends within their Annual Report and Trust Statement.

The Secretary of State and I have had constructive discussions with the BBC leadership, and have made it clear that the BBC needs to ensure it is more accessible, and representative of the people who pay the licence fee.

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