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BBC ITV

BBC accuses ITV of downmarket celebrity shows and cutting spending on quality drama

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By Tony Connelly, Sports Marketing Reporter

December 8, 2015 | 4 min read

The BBC has accused ITV of filling its schedules with downmarket celebrity shows and cutting spending on quality drama, despite a massive increase in its profits.

The provocative comments have been made by the BBC’s policy director, James Heath, which he will relay to a parliamentary select committee tomorrow (9 December) as it debates the future of the BBC.

Heath has accused the commercial broadcaster of living in a “parallel universe” in response to claims that the BBC was engaging in “commercially damaging tactics” by scheduling similar programmes in the same time slots as ITV’s.

He pointed out that while ITV has been showing reality show I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here at peak times each night, BBC One has been showing dramas such as Capital, and documentaries like Tomorrow’s Food.

He also accused the broadcaster of being greedy with its profits, saying that despite a 550 per cent rise in profits since 2009, “ITV has invested less in real terms on original UK content over the period”.

In a statement, which he will relay to the committee tomorrow, Heath said: “My first response to the claim that BBC One is aping ITV and chasing ratings at all costs is: ‘Please watch the channels’. The peak-time schedules last week, for example, couldn’t be more different.”

Tensions between the two began to heat up recently when ITV accused the BBC of running “derivative” programmes, and trying to undermine its prized Broadchurch drama by scheduling Silent Witness at the same time.

Disputing the allegations, Heath said: "A closer look reveals that the last three series of Silent Witness (and five of the last six series) have all been scheduled in January, whereas the first series of Broadchurch screened in March and April 2013, with the second series being moved to January. So who is scheduling against whom?"

The issue of Ten O’Clock is also expected to be brought up during the proceedings following ITV’s decision to delay its nightly news broadcast to 10pm, bring it in direct competition with the BBC’s Ten O’Clock News.

In a statement released to The Drum, ITV said:"This would appear to be an attempt by the BBC to divert attention from the real issue – the future of the BBC as it hits out at anyone who voices an opinion. We were invited to make submissions to the Government and the Commons Culture Select Committee on the BBC's Charter Review, which is precisely what we have done.

"ITV is completely self sufficient and earns everything it spends on programming. No-one can sensibly take the view that there shouldn’t be a significant public debate about how the BBC spends almost £4billion of public money every year.

"With regard to the regulation of the BBC, what we have simply suggested is that it should be regulated by Ofcom in just the same way as other broadcasters. On the subject of the BBC's lack of distinctiveness, this is not just our view, our submission quotes criticism from both the BBC Trust and Ofcom."

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