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GB News, chaired by veteran broadcaster Andrew Neil, has alerted the media regulator Ofcom, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and the Government following a reported row over access to shared broadcast footage. The channel went live at 8pm on Sunday evening and bosses accused its competitors of blocking access to “pools” footage – videos of public events produced by the UK’s three largest broadcasters.
In a strongly worded letter to authorities, GB News lawyers claim the alleged move by rivals could amount to “an abuse of their collective dominant position”.
It added: “If it is the case that UK pool members are conspiring to disrupt our clients’ entry to the UK news broadcasting market [this would be] wholly contrary to… fair and effective competition.”
The broadcast pooling system is run by the BBC, ITN and Sky.
It was created to reduce the number of different film crews on location and the footage is then supplied to broadcasters.
GB News claims it had a deal with the news agency Reuters for videos, but bosses at the new UK station claim the agreement broke down amid pressure from rival broadcasters.
A spokesman for GB News said: “This raises serious questions about competition and seeks to prevent us from reporting on democratic developments in the UK.
“We will carry on, but we won’t be able to get access in the same way to the G7 Summit, Downing Street, Covid announcements or activity relating to the opening of Parliament.”
ITN says it has the power to control access to its content, but confirmed it is in talks with the BBC and Sky to allow GB News access to pools footage.
An ITN spokesperson said: “As a copyright owner, ITN is legally entitled to control the way its material is copied and used by others.
“We have approached other pool members to propose a mechanism that would allow GB News to licence UK pool material. We are hopeful of finding a solution that works for everyone.”
A BBC spokesperson said: “We are very happy for GB News to be part of the pool and we are happy to discuss how that could happen.”
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He added: “GB News will not slavishly follow the existing news agenda.
“We are not a rolling news channel nor will we be providing conventional news bulletins. But on all of our programmes and platforms you will always know what is going on and what the country is talking about.”
Mr Neil has attracted a star-studded line-up for the new station, including ex-BBC presenter Simon McCoy, former executive editor for the Sun Dan Wootton and former Sky broadcaster Colin Brazier.
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