Public service broadcasters face unprecedented challenges and must adapt to survive in the age of streaming, Faculty researcher argues
The report identifies four key challenges faced by public service media (PSM) worldwide and sets out a series of recommendations for governments, regulators and broadcasters
Public service broadcasters across Europe and North America are struggling to maintain their democratic, cultural and educational role in the face of global streaming platforms, according to a major new report led by a researcher at the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures.
Public Service Media in the Age of Platforms: Challenges and Recommendations for the Future is the final report from Professor Catherine Johnson’s (School of Media and Communication) three-year Public Service Media in the Age of Platforms (PSM-AP) project.
It examines how the rise of streaming and social media services such as Netflix, YouTube and TikTok is reshaping the regulation, policy and practices of ten public service broadcasters across seven media markets, including the BBC, ITV and Channel 4 in the UK.
The report identifies four key challenges faced by public service media (PSM) worldwide: reaching fragmented audiences, building brand value among younger viewers, transforming organisations for a digital-first future, and securing financial sustainability.
“Public service media has long played a vital role in ensuring universal access to trusted news, diverse cultural representation and high-quality programming,” said Professor Johnson. “It is a cornerstone of democracy, culture and social cohesion. But as audiences migrate to global platforms, these values are under increasing pressure. Without decisive policy action, public service media risks losing visibility and relevance in the digital ecosystem. Ensuring its survival and evolution is in everyone’s interest.”
The report finds that younger audiences often have little connection with traditional PSM brands, with many turning instead to social media and video-sharing platforms. While some broadcasters, notably Channel 4, have adopted a “platform-neutral” strategy by creating content specifically for social media, most continue to use these channels primarily to promote their own on-demand services.
The shift towards online viewing has also transformed commissioning practices. To secure clicks and sustain engagement, broadcasters are prioritising high-profile genres such as drama, entertainment and documentary at the expense of traditional broadcast news and current affairs. Meanwhile, limited funding and opaque platform algorithms make it difficult for PSM to compete with commercial players or uphold their founding principles of universality, diversity and independence.
To address these challenges, the report sets out a series of recommendations for governments, regulators and broadcasters, including:
- integrating platform and PSM policymaking, recognising that global platforms affect public service media’s ability to fulfil vital social and cultural roles
- updating public service remits to be technology-neutral
- incentivising innovation in the public interest, such as ethical algorithms
- regulating PSB distribution on social media to ensure visibility and fair revenue
- developing transparent metrics for evaluating PSM performance online
- guaranteeing independence from political interference
- securing sustainable funding to keep PSM competitive and relevant.
The report Public Service Media in the Age of Platforms: Challenges and Recommendations for the Future was co-authored with Hanne Bruun (Aarhus University, DK), Michal Głowacki (University of Warsaw, PL), Catalina Iordache (Vrije Universiteit Brussel, BE), Julie Münter Lassen (Aarhus University, DK), Dan Martin (University of Leeds, UK), Antonio Nucci (Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, IT), Tim Raats (Vrije Universiteit Brussel, BE), Massimo Scaglioni (Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, IT), and Filip Świtkowski (University of Warsaw, PL).
It is available to read in full here.
