A new £60m fund to help increase the range of UK children’s television has been announced by Culture Secretary Karen Bradley.
The fund will be run by the BFI and cash will be distributed over three years as part of a pilot starting in 2019. The money for the pilot programme comes from unspent funds from the previous licence fee settlement.

Programmes from new and diverse backgrounds, and those made in the nations and regions, will be a “particular focus.”

The £60 million fund will be available for content creators to receive up to 50% of the production and distribution costs of original TV shows.

It will be available for content broadcast on commercial Public Service Broadcasters (PSBs), as well as for other free and widely available channels and on-demand platforms, and potentially also online.

Over the past decade the output of children’s television from PSBs in the UK has been in decline, with spending falling by £55m. This investment will aim to help reverse that trend and is the first of its kind to specifically focus on children’s television.

The fund will also help to stimulate greater variety in a market where the BBC is often the dominant buyer and broadcaster of children’s content. In 2016, the BBC accounted for 87% of all first run UK originated children’s programming by PSBs. 

Culture Secretary Karen Bradley said: “High quality children’s television is not only entertaining but plays a vital role in stimulating learning and giving young people a greater understanding of the world around them.

“This significant investment will give our world-renowned television production sector the boost it needs to create innovative content for a wider audience that would otherwise not be made.”

Anna Home OBE, Chair of the Children’s Media Foundation said: "The Children’s Media Foundation welcomes the confirmation that the new Contestable Content Fund will focus on the children’s audience. It’s a much-needed stimulus for the UK’s children’s media makers and we hope it will bring new and exciting content for children of all ages that could not otherwise have been commissioned.”

John McVay, Chief Executive of PACT said: “Pact has long campaigned for increased investment in original children’s content to incentivise new entrants to the market. This along with the introduction of the PSB criteria through the Digital Economy Act, will encourage the commercial PSBs back to the table and foster new talent.”

A detailed policy paper will be published in 2018 setting out how the fund will work, with the first awards distributed from the beginning of 2019/20.

Jon Creamer

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