MIGRAIN: Industries - Public service broadcasting

 Ofcom review of PSB in Britain

In 2020 Ofcom published its findings from a five year review of public service broadcasting in Britain. Read the introduction to their report - pages 3-7. You'll need your Greenford Google login to view the document.

1) Look at page 3. Why is it a critical time for public service broadcasting? 

Audience viewing habits continue to change rapidly and competition from global content providers is ever-increasing.

2) Read page 4. How has TV viewing changed in recent years? 

Live broadcast viewing has declined, as audiences increasingly choose to view content at a time that suits them

on global online and on-demand content services.

3) Still on page 4, what aspects of PSB do audiences value and enjoy? 

Audiences continue to highly value the purposes and objectives of PSB, including trustworthy news and programmes that show different aspects of UK life and culture.

4) Look at pages 4-5. Find and note down the statistics in this section on how much TV audiences tend to watch and how they watch it. 

- On average, over three hours of live broadcast TV each day and over half of that is to the PSB channels. Television also remains the best way to reach large audiences; and, broadcast news is still widely considered to be accurate and trustworthy.

-Between 2014 and 2018, net advertising revenue for the advertising-funded PSB channels has fallen by an average rate of 3.8% per year (compound annual growth rate or CAGR2) equivalent to

approximately £325m. 

-viewer requests for programmes from these services increased by 65% to 6.3 billion but the strongest drivers for online viewing are SVoD and YouTube.

5) Read the section on page 5 discussing the importance of PSB. Again, find the statistics and explain the value of public service broadcasting in Britain.

-The BBC’s revenues from the licence fee have fallen by an average of 4% each year.

-In 2014, there were 1,234 hours of these genres, falling to 1,148 in 2018. In both years, this programming represented 6% of total PSB investment in first-run UK content.

- They provide audiences with approximately 32,000 hours of new UK content in a wide range of subjects, including news, current affairs, drama and children’s programmes.

6) Look at the section on commercial challenges. How have revenues fallen for PSB channels?

Between 2014 and 2018, net advertising revenue for the advertising-funded PSB channels has fallen by an average rate of 3.8% per year (compound annual growth rate or CAGR2) equivalent to approximately £325m.

7) Read page 6. What services increasingly play a role in our media lives in the digital age? 

A range of other media services, including commercial broadcasters like Sky and on-demand services like Netflix, extend the choice of content available to audiences.

Goldsmiths report on Public Service TV

Read this report from Goldsmiths University - A future for public service television: content and platforms in a digital world.

1) What does the report state has changed in the UK television market in the last 20 years?
 The proliferation of channels has reduced the market share of the public service broadcasters – the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 – although they have largely retained their prominence and developed portfolio services. Sky has emerged as a major force, contributing to the success of pay television. New technology has facilitated on-demand access to television content, and created new services and platforms, while consumer behaviour has started to change rapidly, particularly among the young. 

2) Look at page 4. What are the principles that the report suggests need to be embedded in regulation of public service broadcasting in future?

1. In return for public service broadcasters meeting the obligations of their licences, their content should be guaranteed prominence on electronic programme guides, smart TVs and on the interfaces of on-demand players as they emerge. 

2. Retransmission fees should be paid by pay-TV platforms to public service television operators to address the current undervaluation of public service content by these distributors. 

3. Ofcom should supplement its occasional reviews of public service broadcasting with a regular qualitative audit of public service content in order to ensure that audiences are being served with high-quality and diverse programming. This should include detailed data on the representation and employment of minority groups and a comprehensive account of the changing consumption patterns of younger audiences.

 4. Ofcom should continue to monitor the independent production sector and take action, where necessary, if consolidation continues to increase and if diversity of supply is affected.

3) What does the report say about the BBC?
The BBC is the most important part of the television ecology, but the model of universality underpinning its public service credentials is under threat. The BBC has been contracting in real terms and it is hard to sustain the case that it is damaging competitors. The BBC’s independence has also been compromised by the insecurity of its establishment by a royal charter and the process behind the appointments to its governing body.

4) According to the report, how should the BBC be funded in future?
The government should hand over decision-making concerning the funding of the BBC to an independent advisory body that works on fixed settlement periods.

5) What does the report say about Channel 4?

Channel 4 occupies a critical place in the public service ecology – supporting the independent production sector and airing content aimed specifically at diverse audiences. Its remit has remained flexible and it has moved with the times. But it has cut programme spending; it has largely abandoned arts programming and has been criticised for not doing enough for older children. Recently, Channel 4 has been threatened with privatisation, in whole or in part, a proposal that would threaten its public service remit.

6) How should Channel 4 operate in future?

Channel 4 should not be privatised – neither in full or in part – and we believe that the government should clarify its view on Channel 4’s future as soon as possible and should increase its provision for older children and young adults and restore some of the arts programming that has been in decline in recent years.

7) Look at page 10 - new kids on the block. What does the report say about new digital content providers and their link to public service broadcasting?

Television with the characteristics of public service broadcasting now appears outside the public service system: from Sky and other commercial broadcasters, on subscription video-on-demand services such as Netflix and Amazon, and through the new Local TV services. Meanwhile, a broad range of cultural institutions – including museums, performing arts institutions and community organisations – are now producing video content of public service character.

Final questions - YOUR opinion on public service broadcasting

1) Should the BBC retain its position as the UK’s public service broadcaster?
I believe that the BBC should retain its position as a lot of people already trust it and use it in their daily lives for information and entertainment and a lot of people relay on it for a lot of things as its greatly known for most of uk. 

2) Is there a role for the BBC in the 21st century digital world?
I definitely think there is a role as it has history and stayed around for so long and is trusted by generations also for younger generations and nowadays everything works online so digital would definitely have a great role and will continue  and will last long in the digital world. 

3) Should the BBC funding model (licence fee) change? How?

I think it should change because now a lot of people chooses not to pay as they can get their information elsewhere and with free charge, if they keep it free then they will get lots of views and earn money and profit this way. especially if its funded by the government.