The head honchos of all major British broadcasters have urged politicians to pass the Media Bill before a change of government. “As leading CEOs from the UK broadcasting industry, we call on politicians across Parliament not to let the opportunity to modernise the rules that govern our sector pass,” said a joint statement from the heads of the BBC , ITV , Channel 4 , Channel 5 , Sky , ITN and regional networks. The long-awaited Media Bill includes updates in areas such as streamer regulation, prominence and will give Channel 4 the opportunity to own the rights to its own shows for the first time in its history.
It will bring the major streaming services under regulator Ofcom’s code in areas such as impartiality and age-appropriate content. Related Stories News 'Outnumbered' Returning To BBC After Eight Years News BBC Comedy Boss Tells Producers To Stop Pitching Dramedies & Locate Their "Funny Bones" The bill is currently in its “third reading” stage in the House of Lords and is very nearly at point where it can pass, but the general election called yesterday by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak means parliament will be dissolved in just a few days time. The government will use the next few days to pass high-priority bills and the Media Bill could slip the net.
“There just isn’t enough time to get it through,” said one source who has been lobbying for the bill for years. The joint broadcaster statement added: “The reforms proposed in the Bill will update key aspects.
