Bazalgette calls for more investment in Tv

Britain's investment in original television content is plummeting writes Peter Bazalgette in the FT today.

Does this matter?

New figures from analysts Oliver & Ohlbaum show the total spend on content (at 2008 prices) has fallen from £3.4bn in 2004 to £2.8bn this year. The decline this year alone has been 10 per cent. The trend is that this will hit £2.5bn by 2012

and the answer is yes

Britain used to spend more per capita on television content than any country in the world. News and current affairs are an essential part of our democracy. Drama and documentaries contribute to the nation's cultural conversation. And the programmes' producers are a cornerstone of the creative economy. As exporters of intellectual property, they have captured more than half of the world's sales of formats.