Llanelli AM calls for separate channel 3 licence for Wales

Labour AM Keith Davies has raised a Statement of Opinion (SOP) in the Assembly calling for a separate Channel 3 licence for Wales, by splitting the current franchise area of Wales and the West, operated by HTV and now under the ownership of ITV plc.

Ofcom recently issued a consultation on the future of the Channel 3 licences operated byITV in England and Wales, STV in Scotland and UTV in Northern Ireland as well as the Channel 5 broadcasting licences which covers all of the UK. The SOP calls on Assembly Members of all parties to support the call for a Wales only licence.

The Welsh Government Minister for Housing, Regeneration and Heritage previously said that in any licence renewal considerations, existing levels of Welsh news and programmingshould be the minimum condition of any Channel 3 license in Wales; which is reflected in Welsh Labour’s Programme for Government.

Keith Davies AM said:

“I believe that this is important for media plurality here in Wales, especially in terms of delivering more relevant programming. Independent franchise holders such as UTV in Northern Ireland have been very successful in producing locally relevant material whilst also operating a successful business model in an extremely competitive market.

“In light of devolution it is essential that we have access to a wide range of Wales-specific programmes. This is available in the Welsh Language through S4C, and I believe it should be available for English language viewers too, which could be achieved by creating a separate, Wales-only, licence.”

“I am pleased that Ofcom’s proposal is for Wales to continue to be obligated to show 5 hours 30 minutes per week of regional programming, maintaining its current provision levels.”

“With the broadcasting licences due to expire at the end of next year, it is integral that we in Wales consider the case for a separate licence, and have that debate in plenty of time to be able make our views known. I don’t believe creating splitting the Wales and West areas should just be a paper exercise however.”

“In recent years there has been significant interest in independent broadcasting – for example during the Independently Funded News Consortium bids which were scrapped by the Westminster government.”

“A re-licensing of the current ITV franchise might encourage further interest in Wales and could deliver a stronger offering of local programming to ensure Wales is at the forefront of innovative programming making in both Welsh and English.”

The closing date for Ofcom’s current consultation is 2 May 2013.