大象传媒

The recently negotiated licence fee settlement, which will last for the remaining six years of our current Royal Charter, has predictably been the source of much debate.

What is clear is that while the settlement gives the 大象传媒 certainty and stability, it is tough and will mean some difficult choices.

Inevitably, we are already beginning to hear concerns from viewers, and those in the industry who benefit from the 大象传媒's contribution to the creative economy, about what this new settlement might mean for the 大象传媒 programmes and services which licence fee payers value.

It is against this backdrop that today we are publishing the final conclusions of our full service review of the 大象传媒's flagship channels, 大象传媒 One and 大象传媒 Two, along with 大象传媒 Four. This is the Trust's first in-depth look at the performance of each channel, and much of it is good news.

Audiences have a very strong relationship with 大象传媒 channels, particularly 大象传媒 One, which the average UK viewer watches for five and a half hours every week.

These channels sit at the heart of UK culture and national identity. And that means they carry a responsibility to set the standards for informing, educating and entertaining British audiences. Our review shows they are more than holding their own in a multi-channel world, with high quality and approval ratings.

That doesn't mean of course that there aren't areas for improvement. Following the Trust's interim conclusions, the Executive has already announced some changes to the daytime schedules for One and Two, and the Trust will continue to review progress made in these areas.

But the biggest area of concern in the research we carried out for the review was the need for more 'fresh and new ideas'. This is a theme which we have heard consistently from audiences over the past four years, with viewers keen to see the 大象传媒 be more ambitious and take more creative risks.

While this is in part a reflection of attitudes to television across the board, audiences do have very high expectations of the 大象传媒 in this regard. With the privilege of licence fee funding and the widespread popularity of its channels, the 大象传媒 has an extra responsibility to do better than other broadcasters. Not in ratings terms, but in providing something that is different to what is available elsewhere, something 'distinctive'.

So the Trust is absolutely clear that, while like much of the public sector the 大象传媒 is operating in a tougher financial climate, the quality and distinctiveness of what it produces should not be put at risk. It is what distinguishes the 大象传媒 from its competitors around the world, it will sit at the heart of the new strategy for the 大象传媒 that the Trust will publish shortly and above all, it is what licence fee payers deserve and expect.