United Kingdom
[GB] Reduction of Payments by UK Channel 4 to Independent Television Commission
IRIS 1998-4:1/26
Tony Prosser
University of Bristol Law School
An order is now in effect in the UK to reduce the payment made by the UK Channel 4 to the Independent Television Commission from its excess revenues from 50% to 33%. The payment is a remnant of the 'safety net' introduced to protect Channel 4 because of its special obligations to meet minority tastes by providing financial support if its advertising revenues fell below a specified figure. However, the Channel's commercial success has resulted in the reverse occurring with the Channel having to make payments rather than receiving support. The order is a partial step in remedying this.
References
- Channel 4 (Application of Excess Revenues) Order 1997, SI 1997 3019, 17 December 1997
- http://www.hmso.gov.uk/si/si1997/97301901.htm
This article has been published in IRIS Legal Observations of the European Audiovisual Observatory.