1.15

The BBC is likely to continue to make a strong contribution to the purposes of public service broadcasting, given its scale and the certainty of its finances to the end of digital switchover. For Channel 4 and the commercial public service channels, different scenarios suggest very different outcomes. In considering the prospects for their ability to meet their current public service goals, we need to distinguish three periods:

• Short-term: before the completion of digital switchover - from now to 2011
• Medium-term: from the end of switchover to the end of current commercial broadcasting licences - from around 2011 to 2014
• Long-term: past the end of current commercial broadcasting licences - beyond 2014.