Media Act 2024

3 Public service remits of licensed providers

(1) Section 265 of the Communications Act 2003 (licence conditions for a licensed public service channel to include fulfilling public service remits) is amended as follows.

(2) For subsection (2) (public service remit for Channel 3 services and Channel 5) substitute—

“(2) The public service remit for every Channel 3 service and for Channel 5 is to make available a range of high quality and diverse audiovisual content—

(a) which is all capable of being taken into account for the purpose of determining the extent to which the public service remit for television in the United Kingdom is fulfilled (see section 264(7) to (8C)), and

(b) which, considered as a whole, constitutes an adequate contribution to the fulfilment of that remit.”

(3) For subsection (3) (public service remit for Channel 4) substitute—

“(3) The public service remit for Channel 4 is to make available a broad range of high quality and diverse audiovisual content—

(a) which, in particular—

(i) demonstrates innovation, experiment and creativity in the form and content of programmes,

(ii) appeals to the tastes and interests of a culturally diverse society,

(iii) includes a significant quantity and range of programmes of an educational nature and other programmes of educative value, and

(iv) exhibits a distinctive character,

(b) which is all capable of being taken into account for the purpose of determining the extent to which the public service remit for television in the United Kingdom is fulfilled, and

(c) which, considered as a whole, constitutes an adequate contribution to the fulfilment of that remit.”

(4) After subsection (5) insert—

“(6) In this section, a reference to making available audiovisual content, in relation to a licensed public service channel, is a reference to the provider of that channel making available audiovisual content.

(7) Section 264(13) applies for the purposes of this section as it applies for the purposes of section 264.”