Don’t Miss the Abyss – Sept 3rd

Speakers announced for major event debating the future of children's content in a rapidly changing media landscape.

Staring into the Abyss
Westminster University Marylebone Campus
35 Marylebone Rd, London NW1 5LS
September 3rd, 2015
5.30 for 6pm - drinks reception at 8pm
Register here - £10
Free to CMF Supporters and patrons

Speakers Announced:
Anna Home, the Children's Media Foundation
Oli Hyatt, Blue Zoo Animation and the UK Animation Campaign
Christopher Skala, Founder and CEO Ta Da TV
Jeanette Steemers, University of Westminster and Voice of the Listener and Viewer
with representation from BBC Children's, and more to follow.

At a crucial time for children’s television in the UK, with the structures, regulation and funding for  the BBC and the other public service broadcasters under scrutiny, the Children’s Media Foundation, the Voice of the Listener and Viewer, and the University of Westminster have joined forces to host "Staring Into the Abyss" - a debate on the future of kids' content.

Our speakers will outline their perspectives on what kids' TV will look like in ten years time, based on their aspirations for the current review process. Those scenarios will be queried by experts from the fields of regulation and policy and the audience - to create a unique contribution to the debate.

This event opens the "consultation season", as the House of Lords Media Committee, the BBC Trust and the Government all consult on proposals for new governance for the BBC, new ways of looking at funding, and ways to future-proof uniquely British content for children in an increasingly internationalised and on-demand marketplace.

The recently issued Government Green Paper on the future of the BBC includes consideration of a "contestable fund" to encourage other broadcasters, and potentially VoD providers, to apply for funding to create uniquely British content for British kids (which is a CMF campaign proposal.) Also mentioned in the Green Paper is the need to ring-fence or "protect" budgets for certain genres at the BBC.  (Again, it's our view that no further cuts should be applied to the BBC Children's output). But top-slicing the Licence Fee, new forms of governance, and new ways of looking at production and quotas are also under consideration and these could have huge impacts on the children's audience.

Come and have your say on Sept 3rd.

The evening will also be attended by international guests from the University of Westminster’s Comparing Children’s Media Around the World Conference.

This event is free for supporters and patrons of the CMF and members of the VLV.