Welsh TV producers welcome Welsh Affairs Committee recommendations on ‘brass-plating’

27 October 2023

Welsh TV producers welcome Welsh Affairs Committee recommendations on ‘brass-plating’

TV production companies in Wales today welcomed the report from the House of Commons Welsh Affairs Committee on ‘Broadcasting in Wales’, which contained several concrete recommendations for the benefit of the sector.

In particular the Committee questioned whether Ofcom was adequately regulating to prevent the practice of ‘brass-plating’, where a company from outside Wales is given a commission and then establishes a small base which may only last as long as the commission itself, therefore negating the positive benefits of such a commission for the Welsh creative sector, in terms of growth in both the economy and the skills base.

The Committee recommends that “Ofcom examine whether this criterion alone should be sufficient to qualify a production as being based in Wales. We call on the Government to amend the Draft Media Bill to address this problem.”

Dyfrig Davies, Chair of Teledwyr Annibynnol Cymru (TAC), the trade body for TV producers in Wales, said:

“We are really pleased at the level of interest the Committee has shown in ‘brass-plating’ and it has brought a long-running problem to the fore. We greatly welcome the proposed insertion into the Media Bill of requirements on Ofcom to more strictly regulate this, in order to endure that the sprit of the out-of-London quotas – that productions sectors around the UK can grow – is followed. We are having discussions with Ofcom, the Government and the BBC on this matter and hope to make progress”.

“We also welcome the recommendations on Channel 4 needing to continue to support the independent production sector, as well as encouraging the streaming platforms to commission more from Wales.”

“And we also concur with the recommendations regarding the apprenticeship levy, which is not achieving its purpose in our sector due to the nature of employment patterns in the creative industries.”

 

APPENDIX:

 

Some Key Recommendations from House of Commons Welsh Affairs Committee report on ‘Broadcasting in Wales’

 

(our emphasis in Bold)

 

8. It is vital that Welsh language provision continues to grow amid the changing media

landscape, and is a visible part of the television system in the UK. While we welcome

the current funding settlement in place for S4C, it is vital that the channel has greater

certainty over its long-term funding. We note that the Government has announced

a review of the licence fee model. This will have implications for the delivery of Welsh

language broadcasting by the BBC, and future funding of S4C. In its response to this

Report, the Government must give assurances that the review includes a reference to

safeguarding Welsh-language broadcasting. (Paragraph 51)

 

9. We welcome the investments that the Government is making in digital provision

for S4C, but the scale of investment needed to ensure the sustainability of Welsh

language broadcasting in the long-term is daunting. We are concerned that the

wider revolution in broadcasting will leave S4C exposed. It is also clear that S4C

has a strong relationship with BBC Cymru Wales, and these links have been further

enhanced by S4C’s reliance on licence fee funding and on BBC iPlayer as the foremost

platform for digital content. To ensure the continuing strength of Welsh language

broadcasting we recommend an enhanced long-term partnership between S4C and

BBC Cymru Wales. This should include safeguards for the branding, editorial and

commercial independence of S4C. This partnership should work towards a long-term

framework agreement that supports S4C, providing it with the investment to produce

digital content to compete with streaming services. The partnership should be overseen

by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. (Paragraph 56)

 

22. PSBs are crucial to the continual success of the independent production sector in

Wales. However, we are concerned that the lack of network-level commissioning

power at BBC Cymru Wales is leading to commissions being given to companies

outside Wales. In their response to our Report, BBC Cymru Wales must write to us

to explain why their approach to commissioning in Wales appears to differ from that

adopted by the BBC in Scotland and Northern Ireland. (Paragraph 123)

 

23. Streaming companies provide an exciting opportunity for work for the independent

production sector in Wales. They can provide an additional source of revenue to

commissions from PSBs and help spread the word about the excellence of Welsh

production companies. However, it can be difficult for a small nation such as Wales

to attract investment and to highlight skills within its production sector. The Welsh

and UK Governments must outline to us the steps they are taking to attract both PSBs

and streaming services to produce more programmes in Wales. The UK Government

should explain how it is harnessing the increased interest in Wales, especially in the

USA, to attract streaming services to produce programmes in Wales. (Paragraph 127)

 

24. We are concerned that the introduction of in-house commissioning at Channel

4 could harm independent production companies in Wales. In its response to

this Report, the Government must outline the steps it will take to ensure that the

introduction of in-house commissioning by Channel 4 will help rather than harm

the independent production sector in Wales. We call on the Government to make

changes to the Draft Media Bill to reflect our concerns. We also call on Channel 4,

in response to this Report, to outline their commitment to commissioning work from

Welsh production companies. (Paragraph 132)

 

26. Apprenticeships can be an effective and powerful way of developing a diverse

and skilled workforce. However, the current system of apprenticeships within

the broadcasting sector is inflexible, and does not reflect the needs of a freelance,

project-based sector. There must be a fundamental reform of the Apprenticeship

Levy in the UK. There must be a fundamental reform of the Apprenticeship Levy in

the UK. We call on the UK and Welsh Governments to review the Apprenticeship Levy

and to increase the roll out of the shared apprenticeship system in Wales to ensure that

they can benefit the creative industries sector in Wales. (Paragraph 138)

 

27. Brass-plating allows broadcasters to meet their regional production criteria while

using production companies that may not be based in Wales. Ofcom acknowledges

that relying on the “substantive base” criterion alone provides an opportunity for

the system to be manipulated. We recommend that Ofcom examine whether this criterion alone should be sufficient to qualify a production as being based in Wales.

We call on the Government to amend the Draft Media Bill to address this problem.

(Paragraph 142)

 

The full select Committee ‘Broadcasting in Wales’ report can be found here: https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/41877/documents/207690/default/ 

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