Ofcom has warned that the UK’s public service broadcasting system is under serious threat and public broadcasters must bring more of their content to YouTube or risk irrelevance.
In a statement issued on Monday 21 July, the regulator said that urgent steps must be taken to ensure that public service media content is easy to find and discover on third-party digital platforms like YouTube.
Ofcom said that traditional public-service TV is endangered and that public broadcasters must work with global tech firms to survive. With audience choice wider than ever and viewing shifting to online third-party platforms, the distribution of public service media (PSM) must evolve, the regulator said.
The UK’s key providers of public service media are the country’s public broadcasters, which include the BBC, ITV, STV, Channel 4, Channel 5, and S4C.
In its action plan for securing the future of PSM in the face of these challenges, Ofcom said that as a priority, public service broadcasters like the BBC should work urgently with YouTube to ensure their content is prominent and easy to find on the platform. This is particularly important for news and children’s content, the regulator said, and it also argued for Government to legislate to enable this change.
Its specific focus on YouTube was motivated by the platform being the world’s most popular video site, watched by 43% of children aged 4-17 on a weekly basis, and that TV screens are also rapidly becoming more popular for watching content on the platform.
In contrast, viewers now spend less than half of their in-home viewing on traditional TV channels. Last year, only 48% of 16-24-year-olds tuned into broadcast TV in an average week, while younger children spend far more time watching YouTube.
Additionally, PSM companies’ video-on-demand players only account for 9% of all viewing, significantly less than subscription streaming services (15%) and online video sharing platforms (19%).
Other recommendations published by Ofcom included the provision of stable and adequate funding for public service media, the need to form partnerships at scale with global streaming providers and others, as well as clarity on how digital TV will be distributed in future.
“Public service media is stitched into the cultural fabric of UK society. It starts conversations, educates and informs, and brings us together in moments of national importance,” said Ofcom Broadcasting and Media Group Director Cristina Nicolotti Squires.
“But in a world dominated by global streaming platforms, public service media risks becoming an endangered species, and time is running out to intervene to protect it.”
“Our six-point plan would involve collective action from broadcasters, online platforms, the Government and Ofcom. It maps out a clear route that would help sustain public service media for the future,” Squires said.
Leave a Reply