Name change for government body as DCMS goes digital

The UK Government has rebranded the DCMS to become the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport with immediate effect.

The Prime Minister and Culture Secretary Karen Bradley agreed that a name change was due to show the change in remit that includes the UKs digital industries among its policies.

The department will keep the DCMS name (so no extra D needed) and it will continue to cover the arts, culture, creative industries, sport, tourism and gambling. Adding the digital monocur is an acknowledgment that the digital industries are driving large growth in the UK and that there is now a departmental focal point for instigating and lobbying for change, improvements and further growth in the sectors it covers.

Although, looking at the list of ministerial duties from the recently annouced DCMS team, it isn’t clear exactly where video games sit in the departments remit and it isn’t specifically mentioned as an industry.

"DCMS celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, and it is fitting now to include Digital in the name," said Culture Secretary, Karen Bradley in a statement. "The department has taken on significant new responsibilities in recent years, so that half of its policy and delivery work now covers the digital sectors – telecommunications, data protection, internet safety, cyber skills and parts of media and the creative industries."

The UK games industry is worth £4.2 billion to the UK economy, according to figures published by trade body Ukie last year. Both Ukie and the TIGA trade bodies have been lobbying to protect and expand the games industry at a governmental level, looking to secure tax breaks for the foreseeable future, and addressing employer concerns following the trigger of Article 50 and the preparations for the UK to leave the EU.