BBC Trust To Apply Public Value Test to BBC's HD Service

Following a meeting on Thursday, April 26, the BBC Trust announced that it has decided to apply a Public Value Test (PVT) to the BBC Executive's proposal for a permanent high definition (HD) television channel.
The PVT is the most rigorous test reserved for the most important changes to the public services, will begin on Monday May 21.
Documentation, including the BBC Executive's application for approval of the new service, terms of reference for Ofcom's Market Impact Assessment, and a timetable for the process, will be published on May 21.
That week will also see the start of a 28-day consultation period for both the Public Value Assessment by the Trust and the Market Impact Assessment by Ofcom.
The Trust expects its final decision will be published by 21 November.
At its meeting yesterday, the Trust gave permission for the BBC's HD trial to be extended until the end of the PVT process.
The BBC Trust's Public Value Test has three components. The first is a Public Value Assessment, carried out by the Trust. The second is a Market Impact Assessment (MIA), carried out by Ofcom to terms agreed jointly by the Trust and Ofcom. These run concurrently. The third component is the Trust's consideration of both assessments: the Public Value Test, resulting in the Trust's provisional conclusions which it publishes for consultation before reaching its final decision.
The PVT is an evidence-based process including a Market Impact Assessment (MIA) by Ofcom and a Public Value Assessment by the Trust.
The process will normally be completed within six months and it includes two periods of open consultation: one after application by BBC management for a new service; and the second after publication by the Trust of its provisional decision.
(SP)