Media executives and expert advisors will meet in London this week to discuss the potential impact of ‘Brexit’ on the broadcasting, media and creative sector. Among the speakers will be the Rt Hon Sir Vince Cable MP, Leader of the Liberal Democrats. The event is organised in association with informitv and in partnership with the Commercial Broadcasters Association and the Digital Television Group.
The media summit comes two years after the referendum in the United Kingdom on membership of the European Union and just over nine months until the deadline for leaving, on the eve of a meeting of the European Council summit in Brussels at which leaders will discuss issues including Brexit.
Business groups are warning that continuing uncertainty means that even with an implementation period they will not have time to adapt. Patience is wearing thin at the lack of progress, with only vague aspirations expressed about what the future relationship with Europe might look like.
The United Kingdom is the leading international hub in Europe for global media groups and is home to around 1,400 television channels, more than any other European Union country, over half of which broadcast to countries overseas. It is still unclear whether existing licences will enable them to deliver services to European Union member states.
Paul Hardy, the Brexit Director for international law firm DLA Piper, one of the expert speakers at the summit, observed: “Services will be far harder to negotiate than goods under a future UK-EU trade deal, particularly media services where protectionism often arises. This is a timely event to look at what UK businesses can do to prepare.”
The summit is convened with the co-operation of COBA, the Commercial Broadcasters Association. Its members comprise international commercial broadcasters, including A+E, Discovery, Fox, NBCUniversal, QVC, Scripps, Sky, Sony Pictures Television, Turner, and The Walt Disney Company.
The event is also being promoted in partnership with the DTG, the collaboration centre for innovation in digital media technology, reaching industry, government, academia and international partners, set up with the purpose of looking after the digital television marketplace.
Following a successful launch last November that raised the profile of the problems facing the media and creative sector, this Media Summits event returns to questions that still remain largely unanswered:
What are the implications of Brexit for international broadcasters based in Britain, delivering services to the rest of Europe?
What does Brexit mean for the workforce in the creative sector, the freedom of movement for talent, or practical production logistics?
How will Brexit affect funding, finance, incentives and investment, or local production quotas?
What will Brexit mean for the portability of content for consumers, with Britain outside the European Union Digital Single Market?
Dr David Doherty OBE, the Chair of the Digital Television Group, will moderate the discussion and invite questions from an audience of industry leaders to a panel of speakers:
- Rt Hon Sir Vince Cable MP, the Leader of the Liberal Democrats, and former Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills in the coalition government from 2010 to 2015.
- John Kampfner, the Chief Executive of the Creative Industries Federation, the national organisation for creative industries, cultural education and arts in the United Kingdom.
- Adam Minns, the Executive Director of COBA, the Commercial Broadcasters Association, representing multichannel broadcasters, including A+E, Discovery, Fox, NBCUniversal, QVC, Scripps, Sky, Sony Pictures Television, Turner, and The Walt Disney Company.
- Jill Rutter, Programme Director of the independent Institute for Government and a former senior civil servant, commenting on the process of policy making and preparations for Brexit.
- Paul Hardy, Brexit Director for the international law firm DLA Piper, previously an adviser on European legislation to the House of Commons and the House of Lords, and before that at the European Commission in Brussels.
Delegates attending the summit will include executives from leading broadcasters, representatives of regulators, lawyers, accountants, and consultants, coming together to discuss how to deal with Brexit.
“Deal or no deal, the clock is ticking in the final countdown but the picture for broadcasters is no clearer,” said Dr William Cooper, co-founder and Executive Producer of Media Summits. “This media summit provides an opportunity to hear from experts, ask questions, and discuss with colleagues what Brexit means for their business.”
Tickets for the event on the evening of Wednesday 27 June are now available from the Media Summits web site.