The BBC and Keir Starmer need to flip off our tellies | Politics | News | EUROtoday

In his strategic speech this week, the Director General of the BBC, Tim Davie, launched a suicidal marketing campaign to tackle the streaming giants on their territory, and thereby destroy conventional aerial and satellite tv for pc TV distribution. He known as on the Government to supply a nationwide plan to finish conventional TV distribution inside the subsequent ten years and make entry to TV solely out there to these households with superfast broadband.

Why does this matter a lot to Silver Voices? Millions of households, notably these with older residents and people on decrease incomes, can’t afford the required broadband contracts even when they wished them. And many should not all for acquiring the streaming channels, being fairly proud of their selections of terrestrial broadcast and Freeview channels.

Furthermore, many older individuals don’t possess the required digital abilities to entry and preserve internet-based tv. Even by 2040 it’s estimated by Leeds University that no less than 1.5 million individuals is not going to have entry to broadband TV. Under the BBC’s plans all these individuals will lose entry to any type of TV, growing isolation and loneliness.

In his hubris, Tim Davie is searching for to bounce the Government into an early choice to finish conventional TV. A National Stakeholder Forum, arrange by the Government, has been assembly for the previous couple of months to contemplate the choices for future TV distribution and advise Ministers accordingly. I symbolize older individuals on this, and BBC representatives are additionally concerned, however Mr Davie is aiming to marginalise this essential work.

The Forum is contemplating one other choice to web solely TV, which is upgrading the prevailing digital terrestrial TV community in order that conventional TV can proceed to function alongside streaming providers as much as 2040 and past. This is far the higher choice by way of selection and common entry.

Tim Davie might be mistaken if he thinks he can tackle Netflix, Amazon, Disney and the remaining with their bottomless pockets. A BBC solely out there by streaming might be squeezed out of existence by the web giants and we may have misplaced our safe and dependable public service broadcasting within the course of.