Assignment
Ownership & Funding in Creative Media Secors

TV and film companies can all have different structures and funding sources depending on their size and geographical location.

The principal TV companies in the UK are the The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and Independent Television (ITV).  Details of how each is financed and structured are provided below:


The BBC

•       Is the public-service broadcaster for the United Kingdom, headquartered at Broadcasting House in London and a major subsidiary in Salford near Manchester.
•       The BBC is established under Royal Charter. Under this Charter, the BBC is governed by the BBC Trust, which sets strategic directions and has a  duty to represent the interests of license fee payers. Hence, the Trust sets purpose remits, issues licenses to service users and holds the Executive Board to account for its performance in delivering BBC services across its full range which includes television, radio, internet, news and music.
•       The BBC's editorial independence and public obligations are defined and monitored by the Government Department of Culture, Media and Sport. 
•       An Executive Board, comprising Directors from across the whole of the BBC, is responsible for the operational management of the BBC. 
•      The BBC's organisational structure is hierarchical with overall control in the hands of the Governor  General and it's main constituent parts are arranged horizontally.  However, certain external elements are sometimes also utilised, on a vertically integrated basis, for  specific purposes, such as for the production of the 'Sherlock' for which the services of Hartswood Studios, in the UK, and WGBH from Massachusetts, USA, were bought in.
•       The BBC is mainly funded by charging British households a license fee, but other funding sources include selling rights for programmes, e,g.,'Mock the week' and 'Top Gear' to other channels such as 'Dave' and by arranging the distribution of some of their most popular films and programmes in DVD and/or Blu-Ray' format. 

ITV

• is a commercial TV network in the United Kingdom. launched in 1955 to provide competition to the BBC. 
• It is a network of television channels that operate on a regional basis.
  
• It's strong daytime programmes, such as Loose Women,  This Morning, Dickinson's Real Deal and game shows Tipping Point and The Chase are very popular
• Funding for ITV comes principally from advertising and sponsorships but also from selling rights for programmes, such as                 and by arranging the distribution of some of its most popular films and programmes in DVD and/or Blu-Ray' format. 
  
• ITV is not owned or operated by one company like the BBC, but run by a series of licensees that provide a regional service and also broadcast programmes across the whole ITV network. by arranging for regional operators, such as STV and UTV, to pay a fee to broadcast their programmes.  

I      INDEPENDENT FILM COMPANIES

       

      

     There are two main types of business structures that independent filmmakers consider when setting up their businesses:

      Limited Partnerships

 

      Is a partnership in which two or more people agree to form a working group, but in which here must be at least one one partner who assumes joint and several liability for the whole partnership's debts and liabilities whilst  the liability of the other partners can be limited.

      Limited Liability Company (LLC): Is owned by its members, who are not personally liable for the company's debts and liabilities but who are liable individually for taxation purposes. This is an increasingly popular option for independent film production companies.

      

      Independent filmmakers in the UK are funded by the British Film Institute (BFI) the main objectives of which are to increase audiences for British films both at home and abroad, for example by investing Lottery funds in film development and production.  

       Commercial Filmmakers

      

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