Restraining the BBC: the 2016 Charter settlement

A new BBC Charter and Agreement came into force at the beginning of 2017 and has introduced the most far-reaching reshaping of the broadcaster since it was constituted as a public corporation in 1927. The BBC’s programming and services must now demonstrate distinctiveness, it will be regulated externally by Ofcom, and its Board will be more directly accountable to Parliament and licence fee payers. In effecting these changes, the new policy reaffirms the continued importance of the BBC to audiences and the UK media industry. But, depending on how it is implemented, it has the potential seriously to threaten the BBC's autonomy and independence, and the very principles of public service media.