Pact: indies will suffer from BBC Three move

Pact boss John McVay

Pact has slammed the BBC Trust’s provisional decision approving the move of the BBC Three channel from linear to online.

The UK indie producers’ trade association said the move would have a detrimental impact upon its members and give the BBC greater use of indie programming without additional payments to its members.

“It appears the BBC Trust has failed to understand the issues for third party providers,” Pact said in a statement.

Indies would not have the same rights position with content commissioned for, or repeated, online as they do with linear, where they can exploit international and secondary rights under the UK Terms of Trade.

“Pact supports Ofcom’s findings that the reinvention of BBC Three online could adversely impact independent production companies as a result of the loss of regulatory protection provided by the current Terms of Trade with the BBC,” the industry group said.

“We call on the BBC to outline how it will ensure that all of the terms for commissions on the new BBC digital service will replicate those on the existing BBC Three television channel.”

The BBC Trust, which governs the activities of the UK public broadcaster, earlier this week provisionally approved the BBC Three move from linear to online, on the condition that various conditions were met.