ITV CEO Carolyn McCall Raises Cost of Living as British Broadcast Bosses Gather to Talk PSB

ITV boss Caroline McCall has expressed concern that the UK’s cost of living crisis could stifle broadcasters’ revenues as they emerge from the pandemic, and the BBC’s Tim Davey warned of “discomfort” over viewers’ changing habits.

ITV’s main source of revenue is advertising, but that revenue is “strongly linked to the economy,” McCall said, adding that the “dreary” period could hit the network’s revenue.

He was speaking at a Deloitte and Enders press conference and telecom conference a day after ITV posted strong first-quarter results and a few weeks after it announced record 2021 revenue.

The UK is now in the midst of a major household spending crisis, rising energy and gas bills, and serious business concerns that this will lead to an economic downturn.

Although he was worried about the cost of living, “people understood the value of television commercials. [post lockdown] And how can you receive an emotional message?

And as the price of ITV’s shares fell, he said it “in no way reflects our performance” after a series of strong results pointing to external problems such as the war in Ukraine.

McCall spoke to a PSB executive panel, which included BBC director Tim Davy, Channel 4 CEO Alex Mahoney, Channel 5, Paramount UK boss Maria Kyriakou and STV CEO Simon Pitts.

All of them passionately discuss the power of PSB in the future and in the face of many dangers.

Mahon, whose station will be sold by the British government, said the UK is far ahead of other countries in terms of PSB supply, pointing to countries with service offerings such as US NPR or Russia. It was widely condemned for its state-controlled broadcasting industry.

Apparently highlighting the Channel 4 sale, he added, “We should be proud of what we have here and be very careful when doing things that are unforeseen but not really happening.”

Pitts also argued that broadcasters are not insured against the livelihood crisis and touched on the difficulties they face in a UK like Netflix.

He noted that episodes of Fifth Channel shows, such as Susan Kalman’s Quotes, received more views than Streamer’s acclaimed hits. Bridgeton. “We need some perspective on what’s going on in the market,” Pitts said.

“self-gratification”

When asked where the industry will be in five years, the BBC’s Devi warned of the “discomfort” that could have “serious consequences” in changing audience habits.

“My organization is very focused on streaming, but we need to get our content where people want to see it,” he said. “Look at the number of people watching TV on their cell phone. We need to figure out how PSB works in all environments. “Any complacency will result in dire consequences, and the license fee discussion is crucial.”

For McCall, the UK and Europe’s consolidation over the next five years will happen the week Fremantle is acquired. normal people producer and Drama Center Element Pictures, Kyriacou said it would be “a continuation of the accelerating trends during the Covid era.”

Kyriacou also discussed the upcoming Paramount+ release, which has a UK release date of June 22.

“We can use the information we have gained from the British-controlled Channel Fifth to look at the world,” he added. “I want to see British content succeed on the world stage through Paramount+.”