The BBC and Competition

The BBC enjoys public funding, scale and a strong brand, meaning it can have significant impact on the commercial markets in which it operates. The BBC operates under a regulatory regime that controls changes to its services, to limit any adverse consequences for commercial players.

In a paper for News UK, Robert Kenny and Kip Meek have examined the operation of that regime, laid down in 2016. They find that the market has changed significantly. BBC services are now likely to change via many small steps rather than fewer, larger ones; online consumption has become key; and the commercial players are now signficantly less healthy financially. 

In light of these shifts, Kenny & Meek suggest a number of amendements to the regulatory regime, to streamline it and to ensure it provides appropriate protections for commercial players.