Regulatory change and performance in TV production

In: Media, Culture & Society, Volume 20, Issue 3, p. 409-426

Abstract

The last ten years of re-regulation and rapid technological change have had a significant impact on organizational structure and employment within television in the UK. While this may have resulted in one-off productivity gains, it has also seen progressive casualization of employment. The fragmentation of employment is rooted in both specific regulatory provisions and also the structure of commissioning in the independent sector. We argue that this not only threatens to undermine the skills base of the industry but also has generally negative performance attributes. Therefore, re-regulation has removed one source of x-inefficiency but created another with damaging long-term consequences for the industry. In order to sustain those efficiency gains that have been made, actors within the industry must, within regulatory constraints, attempt to continue to move towards stable organizational structures and long-term contracting relations that will provide the necessary continuity of employment.