This statement sets out our final decisions on changes we are making to our Regional Production and Regional Programming Guidance, and associated compliance and reporting processes.
Television production outside of London is a crucial part of the UK’s broadcasting sector. It helps to disperse and stimulate investment and job opportunities in the sector throughout the UK. It also benefits viewers by ensuring a diverse range of programmes and editorial perspectives.
To help promote this, Ofcom imposes quotas on the public service broadcasters (PSBs) to ensure that a suitable proportion of their network programmes are made outside of the M25. We publish guidance to assist PSBs in determining what programmes qualify as being made outside of London.
In 2017, we launched a review of our Regional Production and Regional Programming Guidance, to ensure it remains effective in today’s programme-making industry. In light of findings from the first stage of this review, we consulted on proposed changes to the Guidance in December 2018. This statement takes into account a wide variety of responses.
Our package of changes will bring more rigour and accountability to the regional production regime, ensuring it better delivers the policy intention of supporting and stimulating creative economies in the UK’s nations and regions.
