The British Video Association and Industry Trust for IP Awareness to join forces

On 17 July 2014, the Industry Trust for IP Awareness and the British Video Association will announce plans to restructure, integrating key functions to focus greater resource on shared challenges. Following an extensive consultation process with their respective members and stakeholders, the change is intended to keep both well-respected organisations on a sustainable path in a rapidly-changing market.
Each organisation will retain their core remits, with the Industry Trust for IP Awareness continuing to serve the wider film sector including theatrical, home entertainment and retail, delivering education and marketing communications to consumers, inspiring audiences to pay for legal content and promoting FindAnyFilm.com.
The BVA will continue actively to promote the hugely successful video sector to customers, and retain provision of its authoritative research to demonstrate the importance and value of the sector. The BVA will continue and re-invigorate its prestigious annual awards. Liz Bales, the current Director General of the Industry Trust, will be appointed Chief Executive for both bodies. Lavinia Carey, who recently stepped down as Director General of the BVA, will represent the sector’s policy interests as consultant lobbyist.
The integration will allow the two long-standing organisations to navigate a changing landscape and ensure that equal rigour applies to industry bodies as it does to the transitioning businesses of member companies. The move will put in place a structure to enable both organisations to deliver to these challenges, and provide further efficiencies for both their members and broader stakeholders across the film, television and video industries.
Robert Price, Chair, BVA:
“With a backdrop of a transitioning landscape of the home entertainment industry, the BVA will take a decisive step forward to promoting the benefits of the sector, communicating with consumers about the ever-popular consumption of film, TV and video within the home and on the move. The integration will benefit both organisations, allowing a closer working relationship that will no doubt prove successful for both.”
Brian Robertson, Chair, Industry Trust:
“The amalgamation of the BVA and Trust administrative functions will allow these exceptional organisations, and teams, to continue doing what they do best; maintaining the high standards of delivery to their respective objectives, whilst simultaneously delivering cost savings to their member organisations.”
Liz Bales, Chief Executive, British Video Association and Industry Trust for IP Awareness:
“I’m looking forward to taking on the challenge of driving two distinct and successful industry bodies through this period of transition, with two separate, if not dissimilar, remits. This integration will allow the two bodies to flourish and to meet the high expectations of their members.”
ENDS
For more information please contact either:
Katy Carter on 020 7440 0382 katy.carter@industrytrust.co.uk or
Giles Finnemore on 020 7349 8817 giles@bva.org.uk

About the Industry Trust for IP Awareness (www.industrytrust.co.uk)
The Industry Trust is the UK film, TV and video industry’s pro-copyright consumer education body, established in 2004 to tackle the growing issue of copyright infringement in the UK. Today it has more than 40 members, including distributors, cinemas and on and offline retailers. In 2011 the Trust launched Moments Worth Paying For, the latest chapter in this work. The campaign seeks to inspire respect for copyright by celebrating the entertainment value of film, television and video. It also aims to make it easy for people to play fair by directing to Findanyfilm.com as a gateway to legitimate content providers across all formats.

About the British Video Association (www.bva.org.uk)
The British Video Association exists to champion video entertainment in all its forms, from packaged media such as DVD and Blu-ray Disc through to digital services available on demand, to rent or to own on portable devices and for home viewing. The proliferation of content delivery channels, with over 40 digital video services, is constantly increasing consumer choice and the video industry releases about 6,000 titles a year, on which consumers spent over £2.24 billion in 2013, of which 70% was to own and 30% on a rental basis. Video is the single most valuable part of the audio-visual sector in terms of generating returns on investment for production. The BVA’s members include film and television companies and independent labels who produce, license and distribute pre-recorded video entertainment, covering film, sport & fitness, music, TV, children’s and special interest programming. Its members account for some 90% of the sector.