07.10.02
UK
History - UKTV joint venture fully approved by DCMS
BBC
Worldwide confirmed today that, contrary to recent press reports,
UK History forms part of a joint venture which has been fully approved
by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).
Unlike
the BBC's public service channels, which are funded by the licence
fee, the Secretary of State's approval is not required for each
commercial channel launched by BBC Worldwide under their joint ventures
with Telewest.
Reports
have suggested that the US-backed History Channel has claimed that
the joint venture is limited in the number of commercially-backed
channels that it can launch; also that such channels are only approved
as pay to view channels which can only be viewed on pay to view
platforms.
On
14 November 2000, DCMS approval was granted for further and separate
joint ventures between BBC Worldwide and Telewest, in addition to
the 1997 approval for the original JVs.
The
November 2000 approval did not set any limit on the number of channels
that the joint venture could subsequently launch and it is under
this joint venture that UK History and UK HomeStyle will launch.
Nor
did that approval restrict UKTV channels to appearing on pay to
view platforms only. The original approval by DCMS and the further
approval in November 2000 both allow for the UKTV channels to appear
on all television, satellite and cable platforms. UK History will
also be shown on all platforms.
Notes
to Editors
UKTV
is a joint venture between BBC Worldwide and Flextech/Telewest.
The
commercial operations of BBC Worldwide are operated separately from
the BBC and BBC Worldwide receives no direct or indirect subsidy
from the Corporation.
Programming
supplied to UK History by BBC Worldwide will be provided under programme
licensing arrangements on arm's length commercial terms.
With
the addition of UK History, the UKTV family of channels also includes
UK Style, UK Gold, UK Gold 2, UK Drama, UK Horizons and UK Food.
The
original DCMS approval in April 1997 for the joint venture between
BBC Worldwide and Flextech (Flextech was subsequently acquired by
Telewest) was for up to seven new commercial tv channels.
UK
History is shortly to be launched under the UKTV joint venture between
BBC Worldwide and commercial partners Telewest. It will appear on
the digital television platform, Freeview,
and on other television cable and satellite platforms.
BBC
Worldwide press releases
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