The BBC is in the middle of a controversy about its coverage of the Coronation when UK news organizations were informed they would have to pay, despite international media receiving the live broadcast at no additional expense to their current contracts with press agencies supplying them with news footage.
Due to the event’s historical significance, news websites were given free access to live coverage of the late Queen’s funeral, and a similar arrangement was anticipated for the King’s Coronation.
However, the BBC has imposed a price on British websites, including Telegraph.co.uk, in order to access the live footage that its cameras will capture inside Westminster Abbey.
It means BBC licence fee payers, whose money will cover the cost of the coverage, will be denied the choice of watching it on their favourite news websites, while foreign audiences who do not have to contribute to the cost will have no such restrictions.
The News Media Association (NMA), which represents news publishers, has been negotiating with the BBC for weeks, arguing that the Coronation, as a major historical event, should be treated in the same way as the late Queen’s funeral.
BBC has monopoly on images
The BBC, ITN and Sky, which are pooling their footage of the Coronation procession and the Abbey service, want publishers to pay a six-figure sum between them to access their images.
As the BBC is the only organisation allowed to film inside the Abbey on Saturday, it will have a monopoly on the images of the Coronation service, enabling it to effectively hold publishers to ransom.
Talks between the NMA and the broadcasters on Thursday broke up without agreement.
A final meeting between them is scheduled for Friday.
Under a separate agreement affecting foreign territories, news websites around the world will be able to stream footage of the entire event at no extra cost to their existing deals with the press agencies that supply them with news footage.
Historic events are different
Dawn Alford, executive director of the Society of Editors, which represents the editors of news publishers, said: “Given the significant public interest in Saturday’s historic Coronation and the precedent set by the Queen’s funeral last year, we are deeply concerned that while foreign publishers will be free to use live broadcast footage of the event, UK audiences look set to miss out unless publishers meet broadcasters’ financial demands.
“Given that the BBC is funded by the licence fee payer, it is wrong that UK news audiences will be the ones set to lose out on free access via their chosen platform. We urge the broadcasters to reconsider.”
Buckingham Palace has told the NMA it has no objection to the footage being shared with UK news outlets free of charge.
A BBC spokesperson said: “The UK broadcasters who are covering this complex and historic event have asked for a fair and reasonable financial contribution from any third-parties wishing to access the live coverage for their own use.”