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The BBC is financed by a licence fee, a form of special levy on all owners of television sets. However, it has also recently become heavily involved in commercial activities, for example joint ventures with private-sector companies. Considerable concern has been expressed by competitors that it is able to distort competition through using public funds to support activities in the commercial marketplace. To meet this criticism, the BBC has developed a Fair Trading Commitment and detailed Commercial Policy Guidelines. Nevertheless, the 1999 review of the future funding of the BBC (see IRIS 1999-8:...

From 17 May, new Independent Television Commission (ITC) regulations concerning airtime sales arrangements and certain types of share deals are in force. The aims of the revision are to "provide a more streamlined approach to regulation in this sector," to bring "the ITC's rules into line with the Competition Commission's decision [...] regarding further consolidation of ITV ownership" and to "help establish a more competitive market". Some of the pre-existing rules have been relaxed or amended and there are several new prohibitions, e.g. on joint selling by Granada and Carlton (ITC licensees)...

As part of his budget proposals, the British Chancellor of the Exchequer (the Minister for public finance and taxation) announced that tax relief for the film production industry is to be extended until 2005. The UK currently has three types of tax relief for film production. The most generous form of relief is known as `section 48 relief', having been introduced by that section of the Finance (No. 2) Act 1997, in order to promote growth, employment and investment and assist structural change in the UK film industry. It allows for 100% write-off for tax purposes, on completion, of the production...

Programme policy statements on behalf of ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5, GMTV and the Channel 3 licensees have just been published. They are popularly known as "viewers' contracts". Such statements are envisaged in the Government's White Paper, "A New Future for Communications", as part of the move towards greater self-regulation (IRIS 2001-1: 8 and IRIS 2001-3: 12). A "three-tier" structure for the system of regulation is discussed in section 5.1 of the White Paper. It says that "[W]e will require the public service broadcasters to develop detailed statements of programme policy and regulatory arrangements...

On 27 February 2001, the European Commission adopted an Evaluation Report on the application of Council Recommendation of 24 September 1998 concerning the protection of minors and human dignity (see IRIS 1998-10: 5). The Evaluation Report was compiled and presented to the European Parliament and the Council pursuant to Section III, Paragraph 4 of the Recommendation. The Council Recommendation favours research into, and the adoption of, voluntary measures by broadcasters in Member States, aimed at protecting minors and informing audiences, "as a supplement to the national and Community regulatory...