Ofcom sets new BBC commissioning rules
The BBC must ensure that from next year at least 75% of its commissions are original productions for UK audiences, Ofcom has ruled.
At least half of the BBC’s programmes will have to be made outside London, with the specific quotas for each region being broadly in line with local population sizes.
BBC One and BBC Two will be required to broadcast more than 6,000 hours that are of specific interest to the UK’s regions and nations, and the vast majority of this programming will be required to be produced locally.
Ofcom has also set diversity targets. By 2020, the BBC will need to ensure that 15% of its staff are from ethnic minorities, while 50% of “staff and leadership roles” are to be filled by women.
“The BBC is the cornerstone of UK broadcasting,” said Kevin Bakhurst, content and media policy director at Ofcom.
“But we think it can do more to provide quality, distinctive programmes that reflect the interests and lives of people across the UK.
“Our rules will ensure the BBC focuses on original UK content, and invests in vital areas such as children’s programmes, music, arts and religion.”
Ofcom’s announcement follows a shake-up in guidelines for the BFI Film Fund. The organisation has pledged to pursue a 50/50 gender balance in its support for filmmakers, along with similar improvements for filmmakers from Black And Minority Ethnic (BAME) and LGBTQ backgrounds.
Image: BBC
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