TV industry data collection

All licensed TV broadcasters must complete the TV Transmission and Revenue (T&R) Return annually for each licence they hold.

The T&R return enables Ofcom to set licence fees, based on data submitted on the licence's hours of output, programming costs and revenue. It is imperative that this data is certified to be accurate and submitted by an authorised individual (usually the Finance Director).

Deadline

The deadline for the T&R returns will be communicated to you by the TV Market Intelligence Database (TV MID) team via email. Please ensure that your contact details are up to date. If you need to update your contact details, please contact TVMID@ofcom.org.uk.

Guidance on submissions

For information on the data required and the submission process, see our user guide for TV T&R returns (PDF, 1.4 MB).

For troubleshooting and any queries not covered in the user guide, please see the ‘FAQs for all TV returns’ section below.

We would like to remind data providers and submitters of the following:

• Licensees should indicate whether or not they were broadcasting in the relevant calendar year. If the channel was broadcasting for part of the year, start and end dates must be detailed.
• In order to avoid double-counting of hours and revenues, these should not be duplicated across licences. The following guidelines should be used:
  • In cases where a simulcast channel has both a TLCS and a DTPS licence, and data stemming from each licence cannot be provided, please only submit data for the TLCS licence return, and submit ‘0’ for each field in the DTPS return.
  • In cases where a channel has +1/+24/HD variants, please submit the full values for the main channel’s return, and ‘0’ for the variants.
  • For local TV licensees, where a channel has both a L-DTPS and a TLCS licence, please submit data for the L-DTPS return only, and ‘0’ for the TLCS return.
• Please submit revenues and costs in thousands (e.g. £5,000 = 5, £50,000 = 50, or £500,000 = 500). It is important to submit financial data in the correct units to ensure an efficient licence fee setting and verification process.
• Please use the comments field to:
  • Explain year-on-year variances of +/- 10%.
  • Describe components of any ‘other revenue’.
  • Draw our attention to any other issue or matter that you consider relevant.

Licensed TV broadcasters must complete the Audiovisual Media Services (AVMS) Return for European hours broadcast annually for each licence they hold, or they can register exemption from this return type on the form.

The Audiovisual Media Services Regulations came into force on 1 November 2020. The AVMS Regulations implement the revised Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD) into UK law, and Ofcom varied all television broadcast licences to reflect the new requirements of the AVMS Regulations and as a result of the UK leaving the European Union. You can read more about the changes that were made to your licences in our statement on changes to broadcast licence conditions (PDF, 561.4 KB).

It is a condition of your licence that the quotas set out in Articles 16(1) and (2), 17 and 18 of the Audiovisual Media Services Directive are complied with where practicable.

When completing your return, please note that works originating in the UK continue to be classed as European Works.

Deadline

The deadline for the AVMS returns will be communicated to you by the TV Market Intelligence Database (TV MID) team via email. Please ensure that your contact details are up to date. If you need to update your contact details, please contact TVMID@ofcom.org.uk.

Guidance on submissions

For information on the data required, exemptions from the AVMS returns and the submission process, see our user guide for TV AVMS returns (PDF, 1.4 MB).

For troubleshooting and any queries not covered in the user guide, please see the ‘FAQs for all TV returns’ section below.

We would like to remind data providers and submitters of the following:

• If eligible, you must complete an AVMS Return covering the given calendar year for all broadcast licences held by your organisation and its related entities. If your licence is exempt, you must indicate as such within the return form.
• If we have requested an AVMS Return from you, your licence may still be exempt in the following circumstances:
  • No broadcasting activity under the licence in the relevant calendar year;
  • Audience share was less than 0.2% for the whole of the relevant calendar year;
  • Not received by viewers in the UK or the European Union;
  • Not broadcast in a language of the European Union;
  • Intended for local/regional audiences and not part of a national network; or
  • Only transmitting: news, games, teletext services, sports event programming, advertising, teleshopping.
• Please indicate the reason for your exemption from the AVMS Return on the return form. If your channel carries any other programme types, you must complete an AVMS Return to report on the non-exempt elements of the service.

Under Sections 303 to 305 of the Communications Act 2003 (‘the Act’), Ofcom is required to draw up, and from time to time review and revise, a code giving guidance as to the extent to which television services should promote the understanding and enjoyment by persons who are deaf or hard of hearing, as well as those who are blind or partially sighted, or who have a dual sensory impairment (deafblind).

Ofcom requires certain TV organisations to provide access services programming, Ofcom will inform you approximately six months before your requirement begins. See a list of television channels required to provide access services in 2023 (PDF, 158.9 KB).

Deadlines

The TV Access Services Return is requested quarterly. The deadlines for the 2024 TV Access Services Returns are as follows:

Guidance on submissions

For information on the data required and the submission process, see our user guide for TV Access Services Return (PDF, 928.9 KB).

I have forgotten my password. What should I do?

On the Ofcom Online Services Portal MID login page please click ‘Forgotten your password?’ and follow the steps to reset your password. If you have forgotten your password within 24 hours of setting it, please allow 24 hours to pass before using the ‘Forgotten your password?’ link on the portal.

I am new to the Ofcom data collection process. How can I register myself on the Ofcom Online Services Portal?

You cannot self-register on the Ofcom Online Services Portal. Please email the Ofcom TV MID team at TVMID@ofcom.org.uk providing your full name, the company for which you are providing data, phone number, email address and job title. The team will then provide an account for you once they have completed their verification checks. Please note you will not be able to provide data for your organisation unless you have contacted the Ofcom TV MID team first.

What should I do if I haven’t received my registration email to the Ofcom Online Services Portal?

Check your junk mailbox. The registration email will have the subject line: ‘Welcome to the Ofcom Online Services Portal’. If you haven't received it, email the Ofcom TV MID team at TVMID@ofcom.org.uk and we’ll send you a new registration email.

My return is not displayed. What should I do?

Returns are available through the MID submissions dashboard on the Ofcom Online Services Portal.

The MID submissions dashboard returns should be listed on the Scheduled Returns dashboard for each broadcasting licence your organisation and its related organisations hold. If there are any returns missing from your Scheduled Returns dashboard, please contact the Ofcom TV MID team.

If you cannot see this dashboard in your Ofcom Online Services Portal account, please contact TVMID@ofcom.org.uk.

I cannot input information into the return.

You may have selected ‘View’ on the Scheduled Returns dashboard. You will need to return to the dashboard and select ‘Complete’ instead.

All the returns for my organisation’s channels have been completed, but I am still receiving email reminders.

If you are receiving reminder emails, yet you believe you have completed your return(s) it is possible that your returns have not yet been set to ‘Submitted to Ofcom’, or there are outstanding returns still to complete. Please refer to the user guides for details on how to submit your returns.

I cannot change the status of my return to ‘Submitted to Ofcom’.

This may be because you are registered as a data provider, but not as a data submitter. The data submitter should be an authorised member of your organisation. If this is you, please email TVMID@ofcom.org.uk to update your status. If this is not you, please ask your data submitter to log into the Ofcom Online Services Portal to complete the submission. For larger organisations this is usually a Finance Director or equivalent.  If your organisation’s designated data submitter does not have login details, please email us and we will provide them with access.

Can I resubmit the data if I discover any errors?

If you wish to make any changes to your return after the data has been submitted, please email TVMID@ofcom.org.uk to arrange for the submission to be re-opened.