“Of course we have spent years talking through the angst of digital transition and, despite it all, this industry continues to be a stellar success story, but now it feels a little different. A lot seems at stake […] What is the place of the UK on the world stage? Are Western democracies able to deliver in the modern world? Can we preserve civilised debate, trusted information and a secure, participative society? And, in our sector, how should the UK compete against, or partner with, the US and Chinese media companies and the AI behemoths who are spending hundreds of billions of dollars on supercomputing power and AI? What is our role, what is our edge?”

“Now we may not be able to fix everything in two days but I do believe our industry, and this room, is important and unique globally. And, as a shining example of what the UK is best at, I believe we, together, can deliver good, inclusive growth.”

Where do we grow from here?

“Rather than spend two days describing how difficult things are – and let’s face it we are indisputably the world leaders in articulating how much trouble we are in… as a nation, we are Cambridge PhD level when it comes to self flagellation – we want to get practical. Our aim is to do two simple things,” explained Davie:

• Identify those interventions that would actually grow our sector faster […] Attracting money, talent, growing skills… Delivering economic and societal return to all. It’s in our hands. It’s our sector, what are we going to do about it?
• Secondly, be entertained, celebrate our unmatched creativity and editorial quality, and have a little fun. We wanted to create an agenda that above all was not boring… Which limited the amount of time you felt the need to look at a polarised social media feed or an inconsequential email… Just to have a laugh or be energised by someone. All killer, no filler.

“The people in this room should be hugely proud of what we have achieved together for the UK’s creative industries,” he added:

• A sector that’s worth £124 billion a year to the UK economy
• That employs almost 2.4 million people – better paid on average than those in other sectors
• That’s growing faster than the wider economy over the long term.

“At the heart of that is this room, and our Media & Entertainment sector, which contributes nearly £29 billion in GVA – more than the sports and gambling sectors combined. The PSBs alone contribute £8 billion… And it is the commitment of the PSBs in particular to supporting creative clusters across the UK that we know generates powerful spillover effects and drives regional growth. When we get it right, our growth story is wonderfully participative – which surely is what we’re all hunting here.

“So this sector is a truly heavyweight, world-class success story […] It’s a model that has delivered over decades […] A model that our predecessors created through vision and radicalism by intervening, not just watching. And it’s proved its worth again and again both to audiences and the UK as a whole. But, we now face some real jeopardy. As we know, there are real pressures being faced by many businesses as markets change and investment slows in some areas.”

“Quite simply, together we need a clear growth plan that plays to our strengths. Without it we will be managing decline […] And frankly we are better than that […] Rightfully, the creative industries have been singled out as one of the key ‘growth driving’ sectors that the Government is prioritising in its industrial strategy – to help secure the UK’s place in the global economy. That is most welcome, it’s excellent news. And we know the Media & Entertainment sector is absolutely pivotal to reaching the £31 billion investment target for 2035 for the Creative Industries set down in the Government’s plan. In fact, the research you’ll see today tells us that the M&E sector could provide nearly a third of that investment goal […] And that PSBs on their own could add nearly £10 billion in GVA. And surely we have the people in this room who can make that happen.”

“But all this is conditional. It will require sustained investment from the industry and from PSBs […] As well as enlightened strategic thinking about how to enable this from government and regulators – both of which we’ll hear from in the next two days […] The prize here, for all of us, is not just growth – but good growth; Growth that goes beyond GDP and builds wealth for the UK in terms of intellectual capital, innovation, sustainable growth, fairness, soft power and cultural influence; Growth that drives the UK’s social as well as economic interests. Growth that is open to all, that is distributive, and benefits everyone with talent, whatever their background.”

Davie said the building blocks need to be…

• Skills and talent attraction and retention – the essence of creativity
• Partnerships and investment
• Intellectual Property – ensuring we get a thick enough slice of the economic growth in the UK, a particular obsession of mine.
• Regional expansion
• And smart AI exploitation

“And it’s no coincidence that we’ll be covering these in our sessions over the next two days This is our chance to act with urgency […] Because all of these things can be done but if I had one message it is: speed. We have got to get on with it […] To make sure we have the right policy and regulatory environment in place quickly […] To incentivise growth and attract investment and skills…”

The BBC

Turning his attention to the BBC, Davie said: “As you know, the Government will soon publish their Green Paper and launch a public consultation on the BBC. I hope you can engage in that process. It’s so critical that we hear your voice. I also hope it will formally start a big debate on our future, and what our long-term role and impact should be for the UK. And it’s vital that is led by audiences, which is why we’re supporting the debate with ‘Our BBC, Our Future’ – the biggest public engagement process we have ever undertaken. Over 870,000 people responded to our questionnaire, which closed over the summer – an incredible response, and we have fantastic insights going forward for the BBC. Right now we’re working through what they told us. And we’ll be setting out those findings soon.”

“Let me be clear, this is not about the BBC focusing on self-interest or self-survival […] It is about a growth plan that makes sure public service broadcasting is totally relevant in the new world – to every family, to every household. We are here to serve, and also serve the industry. Increasing value for the UK as whole. We will be setting out exciting plans and a clear vision in coming months.

“The BBC is not perfect. But it acts as precious venture capital that drives economic and societal return, and we need to invest in it. But more than the BBC, this is about all of us, collectively, putting the right measures in place to nurture a very precious UK growth story. To be confident, to act with urgency, and dare I say adopt a little bit of swagger. Setting our sights on good growth, and being crystal clear about what we need to do to make it happen. That’s what these two days are all about… And having a little fun while we’re at it,” he concluded.

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Categories: Articles, Broadcast

Tags: BBC, cambridge, PSB, rts, Tim Davie