ITC to review programme supply market

The BBC is to face scrutiny from outside regulators for the first time in a surprise review of the independent production sector.
The culture secretary, Tessa Jowell, has asked the independent television commission to look at the programme supply market amid concerns that broadcasters are abusing their powers over independent producers.
Both the BBC and ITV must commission 25% of their programmes from the independent sector, but the BBC recently revealed it had failed to meet the target for the year ending March 31 2001, partly because producers such as Endemol, which makes hits such as Ground Force and Changing Rooms, had been reclassified as "broadcasters" following a change of ownership.
However, the BBC director general, Greg Dyke, infuriated independent producers earlier this year when he told a Commons committee investigating the upcoming communications bill that the corporation did not exist to "make independents rich".
The chairman of the committee, Lord Puttnam, rose to the bait in his report, calling for a government review of the programme supply market "with a view to determining whether the market is operating in a fair, transparent and non-discriminator manner".
The joint party committee also recommended that OFCOM should monitor the amount of time and money broadcasters allocate to independent productions.
John McVay, the chief executive of Pact, the independent producers' association, said the review was a "recognition of the serious problems holding back the production sector from proper growth and commercial success".
In welcoming the request by Culture Secretary, Tessa Jowell, to undertake an initial review of the Programme Supply Market, Sir Robin Biggam, Chairman of the ITC, said: "We will aim to produce an informed overview of the market, and to identify the main issues and concerns requiring further attention. We hope that the work of this initial review will provide a good foundation for subsequent discussion in Parliament as the Communications Bill goes through and for further consideration by OFCOM."
(GB)