Ofcom has announced it has opened a consultation on the ‘listed events’ that are currently available to view live on free to air channels in order to draw the widest possible audience.
The organisation says changing TV viewing habits has prompted the review of qualifying services, which was originally published in 2008.
It says in light of developments in how viewers access television, in particular the increase in viewing via IPTV and the use of devices other than television sets to do so, “we consider it appropriate to publish an updated list. We are therefore consulting on the methodology which we propose to use to assess which services qualify to be on the list.”
Ofcom has stressed it is not considering what the events of national interest are, as that is determined by Government. It is also not considering the associated rules for the broadcast of these events or the requirement that television channels on the list need to be free-to-view and widely available, as that is a matter for Parliament.
