英国的大众传媒

英国电视市场的大玩家

英国经营广播电视的公司主要有英国广播协会（British Broadcasting Corporation），独立广播公司（ITV

Network Limited），第四频道电视公司（Channel Four Television Corporation），第五频道公司（Five）以及英国天空广播公司（BSB，British Sky Broadcasting Group）。现有五个地面广播电视频道，其中BBC 1和BBC 2、Channel 4是公众服务频道；Channel 3（即ITV）、Channel 5（Five）是商业频道。英国的有线电视经营者主要是电缆及无线通讯公司（Ｃable & Wireless Communication），提供卫星电视服务的主要是BSB。从体制上来说，BBC和Channel 4是公营广播公司，Channel 3、Channel 5以及众多的网络及卫星频道是私营体制；但从服务性质来看，五个地面广播电视频道都被赋予了公众服务的职责，独立电视委员会（ITC，Independent Television Commission）负责商业电视台，网络和卫星服务的许可证和监管，公营广播频道Channel 4也属于ITC的管辖范围之内。

公众广播服务机构

BBC

BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) 是世界上第一个公众服务广播公司。其前身英国广播公司（British

Broadcasting Company）是六家收音机制造商联合创办的商业机构，创立于1922年，得到了英国邮政总局的支持，从而获得收音广播的垄断权。垄断是英国用来解决美国因商业电台林立而带来空中讯号干扰的方案。它的收入主要是许可证费，凡购买有BBC标志的无线电收音机及其接收BBC广播的人都要向邮局缴费，邮局再转交给BBC。1927年之后，英国广播公司转变为公众服务组织，由王室授予特许状，其决策委员会由国家任命，收取许可证费的多少也由国家决定。因此，尽管BBC采用收取许可费而不是广告费的资金来源方式以图保证其编辑的独立性，BBC与所有政党组阁的政府之间的关系一直都很微妙，偶尔也会受制于政府。 BBC为英国观众提供多个全国性的公众服务电视频道，包括BBC News 24, BBC Parliament,

BBC CBeebies, CBBC, BBC 4, BBC3 以及数字宽屏格式（digital widescreen format）的BBC1和BBC2, 此外还有一个互动频道，观众能够通过英国的数字卫星、数字天线和数据电缆三种数字化平台免费接收这些广播数字频道。其中, BBC1和BBC2历史较为悠久，对英国观众的影响较大。在2002/03年度，这两个公共频道的收视率分别为26.5%和11.2%，BBC1雄居所有频道的收视榜首。

Channel 4

Channel 4开播于1982年底，在威尔士，英国政府迫于一些压力集团的要求，设立了一个单独的威尔士语频道——S4C。它是八十年代期间有线和卫星电视到来之前的最后一个地面广播电视频道。Channel 4成立之时是IBA旗下的子公司，1990年英国广播法案推出之后，它脱离了IBA成为独立法人，由ITC指定它的董事会成员。它的定位是为小众服务的全国性公营电视频道，事实上，它是一个掺杂了公众服务与商业电视服务的混合体, 是英国另一个版本的公众广播服务机构。

在八十年代，Channel 4没有获准销售自己的广告，收入来自于ITV各家地区公司的拨付，1982年，ITV支持Channel 4的费率占其总收入的4%，1983为12%，1985年时达到17%。Channel 4购买节目的费用通过一系列独立制片公司及其编辑的过滤，间接由广告商承付。自1993年起，Channel 4获权可以销售自己的广告，节目取向也朝着流行品味倾斜，它的核心观众多为年轻人和富有的职业人士，对于广告商来说，这个体非常有吸引力。从1997年到2000年之间，它的平均年增长率达到11.8%。九十年代后期，众多的批评人士指出，它借着公众服务的保护伞大行商业之道，有悖公平竞争法则。竞争对手认为它要么转制为商业电视台，要么就做一个名副其实的公众广播服务机构，但不应该两者皆是。

商业电视台

独立电视台（ITV）

1955年9月22日，英国的第一个商业电视台ITV（Channel 3）开播，从而结束了BBC自1936年开始的电视屏幕垄断时代，英国广播电视进入到双元体制下的温和竞争状态。之所以称为温和的竞争，是因为BBC与ITV之间是一种争夺观众的时间而不是观众的资费的竞争关系。

ITV由15家地区经销商提供地方及全国广播网服务。2003年10月，控制了ITV四分之三的地区经销商的Carlton和 Granada合并，于是原来拥有ITV产权的五家公司变成了四家，九十年代以后，卫星及有线频道雨后春笋般地开通不断分流观众和广告费，再加上第四频道直接进入广告市场，第五频道开通，ITV的地区经销商的广告份额受到严重挑战。

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Channel 5

1997年4月份，第五个地面广播频道开通，靠收取广告费作为资金来源。2002年的平均收视率达到6.3%,

较之于前一年的5.7%增加了0.6个百分点。

卫星广播电视台BSkyB

早在60年代，BBC和ITV就通过卫星获取图像，然后用传统的方式转播给英国观众。这是卫星电视在英国发展的第一阶段。第二阶段是在八十年代中期，卫星广播公司绕开BBC与ITV的双元垄断，将生产的节目通过电缆运营商播放给英国观众。第三个阶段始于1989年，卫星广播公司不仅绕开BBC与ITV，而且也不再通过电缆运营商，直接将其原创的节目通过卫星直接广播（DBS），用户只要有碟型卫星天线和解码器，就可以接收卫星广播节目。卫星广播在英国市场获得成功是一个非常艰难的过程，这主要源自于英国人能收到大量免费电视节目，而且阅听者对传统频道有着极强的忠诚度。直到1997年，很多英国人依然锁定三个频道：BBC1，BBC2和ITV。卫星广播电视公司中最强劲的英国天空广播公司BSkyB在经历了多年数目巨大的亏损之后在1994年开始在英国市场取得盈利, 并获得了DBS行业的实质性垄断地位。

英国电视的市场特

强烈的公众服务意识

BBC作为主要的公众服务组织, 其财政主要来源是公众缴纳的许可证费, 凡是接收电视信号的装置(电视、电脑等), 不论是否用来收看BBC的节目, 装置所有者都必须通过邮局向BBC缴费。这一收入方式决定了BBC服务公众的责任和义务。对于商业电视台来说，无论是栏目设置还是节目内容，也要表现出公众服务的责任, 这从他们开始进入市场的时候就被赋予了的。商业电视台的准入壁垒比较高，准许经营商业电视台的公司数量受到限制，并且每十年要重新竞标，成功获得ITC的许可经营的投标公司，标的数目自然是一个非常重要的原因，但标的最高的公司并非一定能获得许可，这些公司还需要能够满足节目服务质量的标准。因此，在英国，商业广播电视机构的商业性慑于公众服务职责不可侵犯的威权，显得比较内敛。

较为强硬的市场监管

英国的广播电视业是一个受到高度监管的行业。1990及1996年英国的广播法案为当前广播市场的监管提供了法律上的依据。对广播节目的内容和节目质量的控制是英国广播电视政策的一个重要方面，目的是为了避免重复英国人为之憎恶的过分商业化的美国广播模式。在这一政策的长期督导下，英国电视总是在试图用高品质的节目去满足多数体的品味的同时，还提供充足而多样的节目内容保证小众体的观看需求。尽管1990年广播法案中产生的ITC采取“轻度接触”的监管办法，降低质量控制的力度，但遵循广播的公共服务职责依然还是无论公营或私营的广播机构的基本原则。基于对商业广播机构为了追逐利润容易放弃传统公众广播服务使命的假设，加诸于ITV公司的法规细则更多于BBC。

此外，对于参与广播服务公司的许可以及对其所有权变更的监督，防止通过所有权的变更所产生的合并与集中对多元主义和文化多样性的破坏。这种强硬的监管环境保证了公共服务的基础，但也限制了传统频道之间的竞争，各频道之间的定位更多是政策驱动而非市场驱动。SBkyS等市场自由度比较大而又不占用公共波长的卫星及有线电视公司的竞争，必将对现有的广播法案带来挑战。

强大的原创能力

BBC是欧洲最大的广播电视节目生产商。在广泛的题材范围内开发高质量，内容有创新的节目一直是这个组织最看重的传统和它的强项。强大的原创能力使BBC的节目在全球范围内获得良好的销售业绩，2002/03财务年度，BBC Worldwide卖出了4万多个小时的电视节目，占英国电视出口市场的54%。ITV 1是欧洲除BBC之外最大的投资原创节目的广播商。此外，英国有庞大的独立广播电视节目制作机构。这些独立公司的存在有利于发展文化的多样性，因此得到政府的鼓励和支持，规定BBC和ITV的25%的节目要从这些公司购入。Channel 4的成立更为英国的独立节目制作公司的繁荣起到了十分重要的作用。作为公营服务机构，Channel 4要为少数体提供制作成本高昂、品味高雅的节目，诸如歌剧、戏剧以及记录片等。这些节目的制作不是由Channel 4自己承担的，而是由公司外部的独立制片公司制作的。Channel 4更象一个类似于精品书店的广播电视公司，从众多的独立公司制作的节目中精挑细选，保证节目品质，既降低固定资本投入的运营成本，又对节目公司的原创能力提供了刺激作用。

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THE BRITISH MEDIA

"media": it is the Latin plural of 'medium', meaning the means by which something is communicated. Television,

Radio and Newspapers, Advertising, Music, Posters, Books, Magazines, the Theatre and Cinema are all methods

for reaching many people with lots of information and more.

Television

There are five free television channels in Britain (BBC1, BBC2, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5). There are also

satellite and cable channels paid for by subscription. BBC has no adverts, funded by license fee. All other

channels have advertising.

Channels such as BBC1 offer general entertainment, while others concentrate on specific areas of interest, such as

sport, music, movies, and children’s programmes. The largest satellite broadcaster is BskyB (British Sky

Broadcasting).

The most popular channels are ITV and BBC 1. BBC 2 and Channel 4 are often called 'minority' or 'alternative'

channels because they broadcast programmes which are outside of the mainstream. Channel 5 began transmitting

in 1997 but as yet it has failed to attract a significant share of the audience.

The BBC is the one of the world’s largest media organisations, providing five national radio networks, 39 local

radio stations and World Service (radio and television) in addition to its two TV services. Its main source of

income is the license fee, although it is having to become increasingly commercial, for instance through the sale

of programmes, merchandise and technical resources.

Britain's other TV services (Channels 3, 4 & 5 and satellite/cable) rely financially on selling advertising space and

sponsorship of programmes.

Soap operas continue to be the most popular TV programmes, followed by drama or adventure series (eg.

Casualty or The Bill). Lighthearted shows such as Blind Date and quizzes also attract large audiences.

However, the development of more single theme channels on satellite and cable (e.g.. films, news, life styles,

music, sci-fi, nostalgia) means that viewers are more easily able to 'filter out' types of programmes which do not

appeal to them. And improved technology is leading to cable (community) and pay-to-view television being

linked with phone lines, radio, the Internet, and interactive opportunities such as home shopping and banking. –

Interactive.

Radio

People in the UK spend almost 16 hours a week listening to the radio. The BBC has five national radio networks,

which together transmit all types of music, news, current affairs, drama, education, sport and a range of features

programmes. There are also 39 BBC local radio stations serving England and also national regional radio services

in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

There are three national commercial radio stations. About 200 independent local radio services are also in

operation. These stations supply local news and information, sport, music and other entertainment, education and

consumer advice. An expansion of local and national radio will be made possible with digital audio broadcasting.

BBC digital radio broadcasts began in September 1995. The first commercial digital radio services are due to be

broadcast in 1999.

85% of people in Britain today listen regularly to the radio. The sector which attracts the largest audience is

independent local radio, broadcasting to young people in a largely music format.

Speech-based programmes tend to dominate BBC Radio 4 and 5 schedules, as well as Talk Radio. BBC Local

Radio, targeting people over 40, feature about twice as much speech as music. Restricted Service Licenses or

RSLs are issued by the Radio Authority for small community- or college-centred radio stations which are then

permitted to broadcast for a limited period.

Changes in Regulation

Broadcasting in the UK is undergoing radical change. The availability of more radio frequencies, together with

satellite, cable and microwave transmissions, has already made a greater number of local, national and

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international services possible. The transition from analogue to digital transmission technology has the potential to

expand this capacity enormously.

Digital broadcasting is a new, more effective way of transmitting radio and television services. It allows much

more information than before to be transmitted, and can offer many more channels, extra services, interactivity

and higher quality picture and sound to viewers and listeners willing to invest in new receiving equipment.

Newspapers

More daily newspapers, national and regional, are sold for every person in Britain than in most other developed

countries. On an average day, nearly 60 percent of people over the age of 15 read a national morning paper and

over 65 percent read a Sunday newspaper. There are 10 national morning daily newspapers, 9 Sundays, about

1,400 regional and local newspaper titles, and over 6,500 periodical publications on sale. There is no state control

or censorship.

There are two types of newspaper, Tabloid and Broadsheet. Tabloids dominate the market; they provide a mainly

entertainment and sports news, usually in a sensational or scandalous way, they use their own interpretation of

current news issues. The Sun is bought by around 4 million people every day, four times the number who buy the

highest selling broadsheet paper, the Daily Telegraph. Middle-range papers (Mail and Express) claim about a

quarter of readers, with 'quality' newspapers (The Times, Guardian, Independent, etc) less than 20%

On Sundays, the News of the World is read by up to a third of newspaper readers. It is published by News

International which also owns The Sun, The Times, and the Sunday Times, and has a 40% share in BskyB. Many

of the large media groups have business interests in other areas of the media (e.g. regional ITV companies,

satellite or cable TV, magazines, books or regional newspapers).

In addition to national newspapers, there are also 43 million local or regional papers bought or delivered free to

homes in Britain every week.

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