Broadcasting Act 1990

19 Additional payments to be made in respect of Channel 3 licences. U.K.

(1) A Channel 3 licence shall include conditions requiring the licence holder to pay to the Commission (in addition to any fees required to be so paid by virtue of section 4(1)(b))—

(a) in respect of the first complete calendar year falling within the period for which the licence is in force, the amount specified in his cash bid;

(b) in respect of each subsequent year falling wholly or partly within that period, the amount so specified as increased by the appropriate percentage; and

(c) in respect of each accounting period of his falling within the period referred to in paragraph (a), an amount representing such percentage of the qualifying revenue for that accounting period as was specified in relation to the licence under section 15(1)(d)(ii).

(2) For the purposes of subsection (1)(c) the qualifying revenue for any accounting period of the licence holder shall (subject to subsection (6)) consist of all payments received or to be received by him or by any connected person—

(a) in consideration of the inclusion in the licensed service in that period of advertisements or other programmes, or

(b) in respect of charges made in that period for the reception of programmes included in that service.

(3) If, in connection with the inclusion of any advertisements or other programmes whose inclusion is paid for by payments falling within subsection (2)(a), any payments are made to the licence holder or any connected person to meet any payments payable by the licence holder by virtue of subsection (1)(c), those payments shall be regarded as made in consideration of the inclusion of the programmes in question.

(4) In the case of an advertisement included under arrangements made between—

(a) the licence holder or any connected person, and

(b) a person acting as an advertising agent,

the amount of any receipt by the licence holder or any connected person that represents a payment by the advertiser from which the advertising agent has deducted any amount by way of commission shall, except in a case falling within subsection (5), be the amount of the payment by the advertiser after the deduction of the commission.

(5) If the amount deducted by way of commission as mentioned in subsection (4) exceeds 15 per cent. of the payment by the advertiser, the amount of the receipt in question shall be taken to be the amount of the payment less 15 per cent.

(6) If, in any accounting period of the licence holder, the licence holder or any connected person derives, in relation to any programme to be included in the licensed service, any financial benefit (whether direct or indirect) from payments made by any person, by way of sponsorship, for the purpose of defraying or contributing towards costs incurred or to be incurred in connection with that programme, the qualifying revenue for that accounting period shall be taken for the purposes of subsection (1)(c) to include the amount of the financial benefit so derived by the licence holder or the connected person, as the case may be.

(7) A Channel 3 licence may include conditions—

(a) enabling the Commission to estimate before the beginning of an accounting period the amount due for that period by virtue of subsection (1)(c); and

(b) requiring the licence holder to pay the estimated amount by monthly instalments throughout that period.

(8) Such a licence may in particular include conditions—

(a) authorising the Commission to revise any estimate on one or more occasions, and to adjust the instalments payable by the licence holder to take account of the revised estimate;

(b) providing for the adjustment of any overpayment or underpayment.

(9) Where—

(a) the first complete accounting period of the licence holder falling within the period referred to in subsection (1)(a) (“the licence period”) does not begin at the same time as that period, or

(b) the last complete accounting period of his falling within the licence period does not end at the same time as that period,

any reference in subsection (1)(c) to an accounting period of his shall include a reference to such part of the accounting period preceding that first complete accounting period, or (as the case may be) following that last complete accounting period, as falls within the licence period; and other references to accounting periods in this Part shall be construed accordingly.

(10) In this Part “the appropriate percentage”, in relation to any year (“the relevant year”), means the percentage which corresponds to the percentage increase between—

(a) the retail prices index for the month of November in the year preceding the first complete calendar year falling within the period for which the licence in question is in force; and

(b) the retail prices index for the month of November in the year preceding the relevant year;

and for this purpose “the retail prices index” means the general index of prices (for all items) published by the Central Statistical Office of the Chancellor of the Exchequer.