Channel Television Subtitling Agreement: Extension

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A decision made on 5 November 2010 regarding the approval of the extension of the Channel Television Subtitling Agreement

Decision Reference: MD-E-2010-0172
Decision Summary Title:	Channel Television Subtitling Agreement 2011		Date of Decision Summary:	28 October 2010
Decision Summary Author:	Strategy Manager		Decision Summary: Public or Exempt?	Public
Type of Report: Oral or Written?	Written		Person Giving Oral Report:	N/A
Written Report Title:	Channel Television Subtitling Agreement 2011		Date of Written Report:	25 October 2010
Written Report Author:	Strategy Manager		Written Report : Public or Exempt?	Public
Subject: Channel Television - local programmes’ subtitling service for 2011.
Decision(s): The Minister approved the recommendation to extend the provision by Channel Television of the local programmes subtitling service from 1st January 2011 to 31st December 2011.
Reason(s) for Decision: Local programmes have been subtitled since 1997 and both the BBC and Channel 4 have increased their level of subtitling services. It is estimated that in excess of 20,000 Channel Islanders are either deaf or hard of hearing. Channel Television has agreed to provide the service at a reduced cost, and the removal of subtitling services would provide a hardship to a disadvantaged sector of the community.
Resource Implications: This was part of the Comprehensive Spending Review savings for 2011 and was not included in the 2011 Business Plan. The cost implication of providing a local programme subtitling service for 2011 is £48,000, a saving of £19,536 on previous years which will be transferred from the 2011 Enterprise and Business Development budget.
Action required: The Finance Director to transfer £48,000 from the 2011 Enterprise and Business Development budget.
Signature: Senator A.J.H.Maclean		Position: Minister for Economic Development
Date Signed:		Date of Decision

Channel Television Subtitling Agreement: Extension

Subtitling Agreement between Economic Development and Channel Television

Background

In June 1996 the States of Jersey and Guernsey joined Channel Television in a tripartite initiative designed to establish and secure a subtitling service for Channel Television’s local programmes. Since the beginning of 1997, on average more than 3 hours of local programmes each week have been subtitled. This represents a wide variety of programming including Channel Report, Channel’s late news transmissions, factual and current affairs documentaries and sports programmes. The service has done much to extend the accessibility and enjoyment of Channel Television’s local programmes to a disadvantaged section of the Channel Islands’ community, the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.

Channel Television’s Licence Obligations

It is a requirement of Channel Television’s Channel 3 Regional Licence that the company provides a set number of hours each week of subtitled programmes. Channel Television satisfies this requirement by contributing to the cost of the joint service provided by all Channel 3 licensees. This service subtitles national programmes across all genres including news, current affairs, documentaries, games shows, soaps and children’s programmes. Channel Television has never used its local programmes service to satisfy its licence obligation. Indeed, Channel Television has no licence requirement to provide subtitling for local programmes.

The Value of Subtitling

By May 2008 the BBC had reached 100% subtitling across its seven main TV channels. Channel 4 will be voluntarily providing subtitling on all content on Channel 4, More 4, E4, Film4 and +1 channels by January 2011.

Statistics provided by the Royal National Institute for the Deaf confirm that one in seven of the population in the UK suffer from hearing difficulties. Extrapolating these figures to the Channel Islands, in excess of 20,000 people (population estimate of c. 156,000) are either deaf or hard of hearing.

The Future

The current agreements between Economic Development, the Guernsey Home Department and Channel Television expire on the 31 December 2010. Under those agreements, an annual contribution of £112,560.00 is made to Channel Television to provide two and a half hours of subtitled local programmes per week averaged over each period of three months. The total contribution of £9,380.00 per month is split on a 60/40 basis between the two Islands, with Economic Development paying a monthly contribution to Channel Television of £5,628.00 and the Guernsey Home Department £3,752.00.

Channel Television’s broadcasting licence expires on 31 March 2011, but will presumably be extended for a further ten year period.

Discussions between Economic Development and the Guernsey Home Department with Channel Television have resulted in an offer being made to continue the subtitling service for 2011 at a reduced cost of £80,000.00. Based on the current 60/40 split between the two Islands, Economic Development’s contribution would be £4,000.00 per month and the Guernsey Home Department £2,666.67 per month.

Recommendation

The Minister is recommended to confirm the agreement between Economic Development, the Guernsey Home Department and Channel Television, for the provision of a subtitling service for 2011.

Strategy Manager

25 October 2010