Report on Broadcasting Regulation in Wales

Date: 9 March 2023

Authors: Marlen Komorowski, Enrique Uribe-Jongbloed and Dylan Moore

“…the major ‘missing piece’ in the current regulatory and policy landscape around broadcasting (in Wales and the UK more generally) is a meaningful forum for the voices of audiences and citizens: the very people whom public service media is supposed to serve”

A 3-part report was developed and presented to the Expert Panel on the Devolution of Broadcasting established by the Welsh Government providing 2 recommendations.

The report, written by Media Cymru researchers in collaboration with the Institute of Welsh Affairs (IWA), calls for Wales to take greater control over its broadcasting future, recommending key powers be devolved from Westminster. Drawing on international case studies, the report compares models from Spain, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands to draw lessons for Wales’s media governance.

It recommends that responsibility for broadcaster appointments, commercial broadcasting policy, and BBC-related decisions should be handed to either the Welsh Government or an independent commission.

The report also urges the Welsh Government to establish an independent Institute for Media in Wales by May 2026 to champion Welsh audiences and ensure media better reflects the nation’s identity and needs.

Read the Publication

Watch the launch of the report: