Competition and capabilities in British Television Production

Abstract

We examine, through a sectoral case study, the effects of market liberalisation on production capabilities in the UK television industry. Two aspects of this process are examined: the growth of an „independent‟ programme production sector, and the introduction, development and transformation of an internal market system within the BBC. The paper looks at the extent to which a competitive and business-orientated independent sector can be said to be emerging, and considers the impact of the internal market on the BBC‟s efficiency and flexibility. In each case, market-driven reforms are seen to have a complex and ambiguous relationship to a continuing debate over the meaning of quality and innovation in television production.