Radiocentre gives evidence on the draft Media Bill 

On Tuesday 20th June, Radiocentre CEO, Matt Payton, gave evidence to the Culture, Media, and Sport Select Committee as part of its pre-legislative scrutiny of the draft Media Bill.

He was part of a panel that included representatives from the BBC and the community radio sector. The session focused on the implications of the draft Bill for local radio and new regulation that will help ensure radio’s availability on smart speaker devices.

The draft Media Bill was published on 29th March. Following a significant lobbying effort that Radiocentre co-ordinated across the sector, measures to support UK radio on smart speakers were incorporated into the legislation, alongside the final elements of commercial radio deregulation.

While overall the draft legislation includes a number of welcome measures that support radio, there are a few important areas that are not covered by the proposals, such as the inclusion of on-demand content and podcasts, as well as fairness around data sharing. More information can be found in the Radiocentre Media Bill briefing note.

Radiocentre provided an industry response to the initial Committee call for evidence in May. Following its scrutiny work, the CMS Select Committee will prepare a report with recommendations for Government ahead of the King’s Speech which is expected in November.

Watch the evidence session here.