Culture secretary John Whittingdale is expected to warn of the dangers of adblocking for the newspaper industry in a speech on Wednesday.
Speaking a day after the publication of an independent report into BBC governance, Whittingdale is also set to back the Clementi report’s central recommendations – that the BBC Trust should be scrapped and regulatory oversight of the corporation handed to Ofcom.
Whittingdale’s speech at the Oxford Media Convention comes in the wake of the announcement that the Independent will drop its print edition and other signs that the shift online is causing havoc with newspaper revenues.
A report earlier this week showed that more than 9 million Britons use adblockers, which cut a further source of online revenue for the newspaper industry.
Coming a day after the DCMS published a report into the impact of BBC entertainment on commercial rivals, however, the culture secretary’s speech will fuel concerns within the BBC that the department is focusing on its possible impact on the market.
The fact that Whittingdale is not expected to focus exclusively on the BBC and broadcasting in his first major speech for months is likely to fuel fears that the white paper renewing the BBC’s royal charter has not even been drafted. There are increasing concerns that the planned EU referendum in June has caused further delay.
A report by the Commons culture, media and sport select committee earlier this year warned that publishing the white paper in July would not leave enough time for parliamentary and public debate.
