Overview
Pact is a highly effective campaigning and lobbying organisation for its members. Our dedicated policy team works to ensure that the voice of indie producers is represented to those governing our country and factored into their decision making. Our aim is to achieve the best economic, regulatory and legislative environment in which our members’ businesses can thrive.
How we work
Pact works with parliamentarians, government officials and industry partners to try to improve the regulatory environment for UK indies. We also respond to political and regulatory reviews on behalf of our members and submit evidence to inquiries such as the Lords Communications and Digital Committee; International Trade Committee; and the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee.
We like to draw on the vast experience and expertise of our members through working groups, consultations and surveys on particular issues. By listening to the views and lived experiences of Pact members we can better understand the issues you face and how we can support you through our policy work.
Currently, we have a range of key issues that we are focused on for Pact members, including the COVID-19 crisis; Brexit; the upcoming Ofcom PSB Review; BBC Studios and BBC Charter; and broadcaster investment in the nations and regions. You can find more details about these below.
Another key part of our policy work is gathering data. We survey our members annually to provide accurate data and a clear vision of what the TV industry looks like today, which helps to inform our conversations with stakeholders and our strategy as an organisation going forward. We produce two key annual reports on the state of the industry: The Pact Census (last published 2nd October 2020) and the UK TV Exports Report (last published 25th October 2019).
Our impact
Over the years, we have been instrumental in bringing about key interventions in the UK screen sector:
– We successfully campaigned for the introduction of Terms of Trade, which paved the way for the UK indie sector to become the global powerhouse it is today. We have since defended the Terms on numerous occasions, successfully arguing they remain fit for purpose in the modern world.
– We successfully lobbied for the BBC to open up to full competition, which culminated in the Government announcing in 2016 that all BBC programming would be fully open to competition by the end of the charter period (2027).
– We successfully amended the Digital Economy Act in the House of Lords with the help of Baroness Benjamin in 2017 to give Ofcom the option to use powers to increase the quota of children’s TV broadcast on public service broadcasters.
– We worked with the Creative Industries Council (CIC) on a landmark sector deal for the Creative Industries, the first deal of its kinds announced as part of the Government’s wider Industrial Strategy.
– We successfully campaigned with industry partners to establish the £60 million Young Audiences Content Fund, which aims to combat the decline in first run UK originated children’s programming – an issue which Pact has been passionate and vocal about for many years through the Save Kids’ Content UK campaign.
These are just some of the things we’ve achieved on behalf of our members to date.
Who’s who in Policy
If you’d like to find out more about our policy team, or get in contact with them, you can do so using the following details: