Investment in public service broadcasting of news and current affairs across the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Five fell by 13.5 percent in the last four years, according to a new Ofcom report.

Between 2004 and 2008 overall public service broadcast spend on UK network news and current affairs fell from £289m to £250m last year.

Publishing its third annual PSB report, Ofcom said overall investment in nations and regions news across channel 3 licensees – ITV, STV in Scotland and UTV in Northern Ireland – had dropped by 25 percent from £162 million in 2005 to £121 million in 2008.