ITV Airtime Sales And Contract Rights Renewal

EDM number 791 in 2009-10, proposed by Janet Anderson on 03/02/2010.
Categorised under the topics of Broadcasting and Competition.

That this House notes with concern the provisional decision of the Competition Commission that the 2003 remedy, Contract Rights Renewal (CRR), applying to ITV1 airtime sales should remain largely unchanged; believes that the explosion of competition in media markets since 2003 now renders the restriction unnecessary; is concerned about the distorting effects of CRR on ITV's scheduling and investment decisions; considers that CRR financially punishes ITV for delivering the programming its customers and viewers want; therefore believes it is detrimental to the continued investment in original TV content and the health of the UK's wider creative economy; and calls on the Government to undertake an urgent review of the competition regime as it applies to media mergers to ensure that broader public interest criteria are considered alongside price competition by merger authorities.

This motion has been signed by a total of 64 MPs.