The usual rivals ITV and BskyB have been unanimous in their justification of the money they invest in the British film industry after they were both named in a report advising them to do more.
Lord Smith, chairman of the Film Policy Review Panel, and his team highlighted the lack of support for British production projects and recommended the government could alter legislation to ensure a greater contribution is made by these broadcasters.
However, quite understandably, both broadcasters did not take this lying down.
An ITV spokesman said:
“ITV invests almost £1bn annually in programming on its channels, with the majority focussed on original UK-produced content from a broad range of suppliers.”
A spokesman for the satellite broadcaster said:
“A healthy UK film sector is good for our customers and good for Sky. That’s why we support efforts to increase investment in all UK content.”