RNS Number : 8333M
Office of Communications
19 September 2019
19 September 2019
Assessment of the relationship between BritBox and the BBC's Public Service activities
Ofcom has published final conclusions on the relationship between BritBox - a proposed new streaming service from ITV and the BBC - and the BBC's publicly-funded (or 'Public Service') activities.
As required under the Charter and Agreement, we have assessed whether the BBC's involvement in Britbox represents a 'material change' to its commercial activities. Having carefully considered the evidence and industry feedback to our consultation, we have decided that:
· there is not a significant risk that the BBC's involvement in BritBox may, as a result of the relationship with the BBC's Public Service activities, distort the market or create an unfair competitive advantage;
· the BBC's involvement in BritBox does not, therefore, give rise to a material change to its commercial activities.
Ofcom already has measures in place to regulate the boundary between the BBC's public-service and commercial activities, which will address most concerns raised during our consultation. In addition, we will closely monitor the BBC's plans and involvement with the new venture, particularly changes to the BBC's programme release policy and any cross-promotion from the BBC. We will step in if we have any concerns as the service develops.
Further details can be found on the Ofcom website: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/consultations-and-statements/category-3/britbox-materiality-assessment
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