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Lord Smith says faster broadband will boost film industry
The British film industry would be given a boost if faster broadband was available, according to a new report from Lord Smith.
The report, entitled A Future for British Film: It Begins with the Audience, noted the UK's average broadband speed stood at 6.2Mbps in 2010, meaning it took between 15 minutes and one hour to download a full feature-length movie, depending on the running time and the data density of the picture.
Although the online market for video-on-demand services expanded to £41 million in 2010, legal downloading lagged behind all other methods of watching films, including piracy.
Legal downloads represented just one per cent of all film viewing last year, according to figures from the British Film Institute (BFI), compared to 1.1 per cent for cyberlocker-based piracy, which involves the storage of personal digital files online.
Peer-to-peer filesharing comprised 2.5 per cent of viewing, while live television topped the list with 19.5 per cent of audience numbers.
Consequently, the publication claimed a boost for British broadband speeds could make an "important contribution" to helping the market for legal online film viewing grow.
Lord Smith said the British film industry is currently going through a "golden period", but warned against complacency and stressed there is still much the BFI, the government and filmmakers can do to encourage further development.
The former Culture Secretary added the sector is in "prime position" to make a significant contribution to the UK economy.
His report has been backed by Communications Minister Ed Vaizey, who signalled his commitment to creating a more "stable and successful" film industry.
"I thank Chris Smith and the panel for the huge amount of work that has gone into preparing this report," he added. "I know the panel has worked very closely with representatives from the entire film community and I look forward to examining what the report recommends to government, industry and the BFI."