NOC responds to Ofcom Participation TV consultation
The recent regrettable problems and associated adverse publicity suffered by the interactive broadcast service sector, while certainly serious, cannot mask the fact that the sector represents a highly popular entertainment medium that has, and will continue to bring value for money enjoyment to the vast majority of those who participate. So says the headline of the NOC response to Ofcom’s P-TV consultation, completed in October.
The industry has encountered problems which it has now realised have largely been caused by rapid growth and the less than satisfactory industry response to properly manage this growth. This is not a circumstance limited to interactive broadcast services, it is a classic management dilemma experienced by any business exposed to demand for its services which far outstrip its most optimistic expectations.
It is important to understand and this fact has been emphasised, that what has happened to interactive broadcast services has been due to management and infrastructure failures and not the result of any malicious intent to mislead or defraud the public.
These areas cannot all be addressed overnight and there will clearly need to be some associated regulatory and business management changes to ensure we achieve an effective regulatory and business framework which will provide clarity and confidence to both the value chain and, most importantly, consumers. The interactive media industry is committed to achieving such changes without delay.
We welcome the view that any conclusions or actions regarding a Prior Permission regime proposed by ICSTIS for PRS use in TV and radio programmes would be premature until such time as this Ofcom Consultation is concluded.
A full copy of the NOV response can be obtained by contacting Zoe Patterson at the NOC Secretariat. Zoe@noconline.org |