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MUMBAI:
The BBC Trust has confirmed that it has refused permission
for local video in the UK after concluding its public value
test into the proposals.
The
Trust's final decision follows a public consultation on its
provisional conclusions, published in November, to reject
local video because it would not improve services for the
public enough to justify either the investment of licence
fee funds or the negative impact on commercial media.
BBC
trustee and chairman of the Strategic Approvals Committee
Diane Coyle said, "The Trust is committed to improving
regional and local services from the BBC for licence fee payers
but a broadband-only local video news proposal is unlikely
to achieve what they want."
"Instead,
we believe the BBC's priority should be improving the quality
of existing regional services. We recognise that the ways
of achieving this may vary in different parts of the UK. We
have asked the Executive to come back to us with new proposals
later this year which will then be fully scrutinised by the
Trust," Coyle added.
The
Executive has outlined its emerging thinking in a submission
to the Trust which is published today.
Funds
totalling £68 million that would have covered the four-year
period from the launch of local video have been ring- fenced
pending any new proposals, subject to Trust approval.
The
Trust received 34 responses to its public consultation on
its provisional conclusions, of which, 24 were from members
of the public and the remaining 10 were from industry stakeholders
and Audience Councils.
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