TV executives outline Brexit priorities

Ensuring continued freedom of movement within the European Union is the main Brexit priority for UK TV execs polled at the Royal Television Society London Conference yesterday.

The organisers of the RTS event surveyed the execs in attendance during a ‘Brexit: Bring it On’ session. Overwhelmingly, the key issue was freedom of movement, with 45% of respondents saying the ability of UK citizens to seamlessly travel and work in the EU, and the right of EU citizens to do the same in the UK, was the top priority.

The Brexit negotiations have yet to get underway, but UK politicians have suggested they should start in the New Year.

Other negotiation priorities should include free trade between the UK and EU countries said 16% of respondents.

The third priority highlighted was the maintenance of the ‘country of origin’ principle, which allows right to be traded on a country-by-country basis.

The execs did say politicians should extricate the UK from EU regulations on permitted levels of advertising and sponsorship. They also wanted UK content to still qualify as ‘European’ in order to meet quota requirements.

Theresa Wise, CEO of the Royal Television Society, said: “The impact of Brexit on the British television industry is going to be significant so it is vital to get negotiations right. Our poll today has highlighted some important areas the industry feels need to be addressed in order to ensure the UK creative sector continues to thrive on a global level.”