大象传媒

1. Within its overarching concern to secure strong creative output and value for money for audiences, the 大象传媒 Trust wants the 大象传媒 to draw on the capacity and skills of the whole UK in sourcing its network television production. We are convinced that the 大象传媒 can do better here and, in discussion with the 大象传媒 management, now set them a number of challenges.

2. As a first step, the Trust has decided to change the measure by which it sets targets for the 大象传媒 in this area. Previous 大象传媒 targets have been set by reference to its own definition of what counts as network production. For the future, the Trust has decided to apply the definition applied by Ofcom to the rest of the UK broadcasting industry. This is not a matter of semantics. The Ofcom definition is more demanding than the 大象传媒's definition, and applying it in future represents a significant stretch.

3. For the UK as a whole, and reflecting the planned move to Salford, the Trust now expects the 大象传媒 to ensure that 50 per cent of network production will be made outside London under the Ofcom definition by 2016.

4. Within this, the Trust has increased the 大象传媒's target to source network production from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. During the Charter renewal process, the 大象传媒 committed itself to sourcing at least 17 per cent of its network production from the three nations under its own definition. While retaining the 17 per cent figure, the Trust has now decided to apply it to the more stretching Ofcom definition, and to require the 大象传媒 to meet or exceed the target no later than the end of the current Charter in 2016. It is also setting the 大象传媒 the intermediate target of achieving 12 per cent of delivery under the Ofcom definition by 2012 at the latest.

5. The Director-General has made a commitment that the 大象传媒 should source a proportion of network programmes from Scotland, equivalent to Scotland's share of the UK population. The Trust challenges the 大象传媒 to achieve a comparable approach in relation to Wales and Northern Ireland as well as Scotland. There will not be formal targets for individual nations. Nonetheless, on the basis of regular reports from the 大象传媒, the Trust will monitor delivery from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland carefully to ensure that the 大象传媒 is helping to build strong and sustainable network production in all three nations and the English regions within the timescales identified.

6. The Trust welcomes 大象传媒 management's shared commitment to making a reality of these aspirations. They offer the prospect of strong and sustainable network production from across the UK, responding to the concerns of audiences and helping to build the UK's creative economy. This is not something that the 大象传媒 can achieve alone, but with these new aspirations it commits to playing its full part in the process.