I have always understood that the BBC
and the commercial companies were
designed to be in healthy competition with each other.
The right wing mantra has
always been, "Let the Market decide."
We, the public, have the choice of watching
whichever offering appeals to us.
I have a strong preference for viewing
TV without commercials, so I watch BBC and, thanks to modern advances, I simply record commercial programs, and skip the ads.
It seems that Mr Whittingdale isn't prepared to listen to the Market when
it is telling him something he doesn't
want to hear.