Sunak has promised to “modernise” the BBC and other public service broadcasters, as part of new legislation to “support the creative industries and protect public interest journalism”.
Delivering the King’s Speech at the State Opening of Parliament – the first King’s speech for 70 years – King Charles III announced that the Government will bring forward the Media Bill at the next session.
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Referencing the legislation, the King said: “Legislation will be brought forward to support the creative industries and protect public interest journalism.”
The Bill will “modernise the ‘mission statement’ for public service TV so our public service broadcasters are encouraged to focus on what makes them distinctive – while having the flexibility to serve audiences across the UK with high-quality programmes on a wider range of services.”
The modernisation mission applies to all public service broadcasters, including ITV, STV, Channel 4, S4C and Channel 5.
The Bill will acknowledge that “internet access and streaming services have fundamentally changed how audiences access broadcast content” but that “out public service broadcasters are governed by laws written 20 years ago.”
The Government’s own data shows that TV broadcast viewing is in decline, with it weekly reach falling to 79 per cent last year.
This is a drop from 83 per cent in 2021 – the sharpest fall on record.
The drop in broadcast TV viewing was offset by on-demand viewing, which reached 53 minutes a day in 2023.
The King’s speech, which had crime prevention and law and order at its centre, saw Sunak unveil a swathe of new measures to tackle anti-social behaviour, protect victims and take a tougher approach to crime.
It also saw the PM promise to deliver his long-awaited Rwanda migration scheme.
Giving an introduction to the King’s Speech, the Prime Minister said the Government is tackling “global drivers of instability”, by taking “action at home and abroad to stop the boats and break the business model of people smugglers.”
Sunak acknowledged that tackling the small boats crisis is a “top priority of the British people”, promising to “deliver” on the Government’s Illegal Migration Act.
Delivering the King’s Speech at the State Opening of Parliament – the first King’s speech for 70 years – King Charles III announced that the Government will bring forward the Media Bill at the next session
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The legislation, he said, will ensure that “if you come here illegally, you will be swiftly detained and removed to your home country or a safe third country, such as Rwanda.”
The PM added: “And it is why I have put illegal migration on the agenda at every international meeting from the G7 to the council of Europe.
“These steps will make sure that it is the democratically elected government of this country who decides who comes here, not the criminal gangs”.
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