LONDON – 28 November 2008: John Woodward, CEO of the UK Film Council, today set out a radical vision for public service broadcasting in the broadband world at The Media Festival in Manchester.
Building on options already outlined by Ofcom in his speech about Cultural Convergence, Woodward outlined a vision for a new system that would allow the work of the UK's greatest cultural organisations, as well as new entrants, to be shared via universal broadband with the public giving them unprecedented access to the UK's best culture and art.
He argued that until now there has been a mismatch between what audiences might wish to see and what could be made available but fast broadband delivery changes that.
Speaking earlier today, John Woodward said: "Imagine, for a moment, a world in which it becomes possible to view, on-demand, thousands of hours of material from national and local archives, to watch plays from anywhere in the UK, to call up moving image content about art exhibitions of every size and shape across the UK – all with supporting editorial content and context. And all giving audiences the chance to comment and supply their own context via wikis and blogs.
"Then imagine, this content is actually created by partnerships between arts and cultural organisations working with independent production companies. In other words, you marry the world-class cultural expertise that already exists in public sector brands - like the Tate, the Royal Shakespeare Company et al - with the dynamism of our independent production sector."
Acknowledging universal access to broadband as a prerequisite for the delivery of such public service content, Woodward painted a picture of a world in which children in Llanelli would have access to art in a Liverpool gallery while residents in an Altrincham care home could watch archive material about growing up in Manchester 70 years ago.
Praising the UK as possessing some of the richest cultural and artistic collections and resources in the world, ranging from the BFI National Archive to the Welsh National Opera, Woodward said that the organisations themselves have to play a crucial role in breaking down barriers to promote their content using their established brands, recognisable to consumers.
Woodward said that if a competitive fund for public service content were to be made available, then the BBC and Channel 4 should offer their public service platforms to facilitate distribution.
He raised the idea of a "contestable fund which drives innovation in content – precisely because it sits outside the structures of traditional broadcaster business models." Woodward proposed that in order to receive funding, programme makers would be required to meet simple objective criteria, in order to automatically unlock funding for public service content.
Download the full speech
here.
For press enquiries, contact:
Caroline Nagle/Tara Milne
UK Film Council press office
0207 861 7508 / 0207 861 7901
caroline.nagle@ukfilmcouncil.org.uk /
tara.milne@ukfilmcouncil.org.uk
Notes to Editors
The UK Film Council is the Government-backed strategic agency for film in the UK. We aim to stimulate a successful, vibrant film industry and to promote the widest possible enjoyment and understanding of cinema throughout the UK.
We invest Government grant-in-aid and Lottery money in developing new filmmakers, in funding exciting new British films and in getting a wider choice of films to audiences throughout the UK. We also invest in training, promoting Britain as an international filmmaking location and in raising the profile of British films abroad. We aim to deliver lasting benefits to the industry and the public through:
· creativity - encouraging the development of new talent, skills, and creative and technological innovation in UK film and assisting new and established filmmakers to produce successful and distinctive British films;
· enterprise – supporting the creation and growth of sustainable businesses in the film sector, providing access to finance and helping the UK film industry compete successfully in the domestic and global marketplace;
· imagination - promoting education and an appreciation and enjoyment of cinema by giving UK audiences access to the widest range of UK and international cinema, and by supporting film culture and heritage.
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