The UK’s television industry is being hit by a “perfect storm” that risks leading to British stories disappearing from the small screen, Elisabeth Murdoch has said.
Maybe part of that storm is down to the relentless drip, drip, drip of propaganda, when what we really want is entertainment?
Murdoch, co-founder of the production company Sister, said that a crisis within British television was leading to an exodus of production talent – as well as a danger that British stories were struggling to be told. It follows warnings that cash-strapped British broadcasters are targeting their resources at dramas with international appeal. She said: “British producers are making excellent content for global platforms, with British talent, set in the UK – but those aren’t the same stories that the BBC or Channel 4 seek out. Those stories, from all corners of the British Isles, are struggling to be made in today’s economic reality. The BBC has projects that they have greenlit and provided foundational financing but the gap to budget remains unattainable.”
And of course, the answer is to stick their hands in other people's pockets:
Some have suggested that tax breaks could be used to help the industry. Peter Kosminsky, the Bafta-winning television director behind Wolf Hall, has suggested a levy on the streamers to help fund local content.
Yes, of course, charge people more to watch the things they like and are happy to pay for in order to fund the things the luvvie mafia think we should watch instead!
“The question is how much will be addressed by allowing market forces to work and where intervention could and should positively intervene to support all that is great and valuable in the UK TV industry.”
I'm in favour of market forces. Get your fingers off the scales and we'll see just what value you create.
15 comments:
Why not make a gritty police procedural wherein a brave lady detective struggles against mysoginy and the patriarchy? That'll bring the audience flocking. Rhoda K
Propaganda is almost as irritating as overt Americanism. We are fed endless American TV complete with all the hallmarks of "every day life" in those disunited states. However, because British programmes have to sell in the US, those responsible have decided that their programmes have to be scripted so that the LCD of colonial life can cope. Hence the awful and obvious Americanisms in "Vera" - please ignore the apparent percentage of dark faces in rural Northumberland for now. The rural, oh, so English, "Midsomer" is the same - the carnage is invested with screaming sirens, CSI instead of SOCO, etc, etc.
If lessons aren't learned the easy way they will eventually be learned the hard way.
"drip drip drip" is putting it mildly. More of "here, suck on this fire hose".
We have the same problem in New Zealand. The mainstream media companies serve up a constant stream of "Celebrity" game and "Reality" shows all heavily interspersed by endless adverts shouting at you to buy, buy, buy.
On the same theme, we have been watching " The Marlow Murders " and I have been amazed at how diverse the place has become in the last 10 years.
"On the same theme, we have been watching " The Marlow Murders " and I have been amazed at how diverse the place has become in the last 10 years."
Except in terms of gender in important rolls.
I used to enjoy wildlife and gardening programmes but have become fed up with the number of times "man made global warming" is mentioned. Anyway, why blame the men? With all those deodorant and disposable pee pants adverts, perhaps it's time that women accepted their portion of the blame?
"Tell me, Inspector, why did his wife kill him?"
" He refused to let her buy her disposable pee pants, insisting she wore the re-usable ones to avoid global warming. "
"The bastard. He deserved every thing he got."
Penseivat
Tut, tut. It's not Global Warming, ever since a fair proportion of the population realised, that even torturing the statistics and using "records" that only go back to the Little Ice Age, there has been no Global Warming For the last 40 years.
Now it is Climate Change. So floods, droughts, heat waves, Beasts from Siberia, named Storms that might blow your wheelie bin over, weeks when our expensive turbines only turn because of an electric motor spins them to stop the bearings getting flat spots - it is all Climate Change - said in a scary voice - whoo hoo. Win, win.
I'm amazed that hasn't already been...oh, wait!
Yes, and my personal favourite, ordering a 'BOLO'...
I fear there are hard times ahead.
It does seem the rate is increasing lately. Even a cute Enid Bytonesque cartoon advert for LNER about returning a dropped engagement ring turns out to be for a lesbian couple...
Seen advs to that and thought 'Nah'...
🤣
I'm waiting for someone to claim the Myanmar earthquake for it!
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