Public service broadcasting

Industries - Public service broadcasting

The British television industry is largely driven by public service broadcasting - the traditional TV channels that still account for the majority of TV viewing in this country.
These channels are regulated by Ofcom and have to deliver a certain amount of specific content in order to fulfil the terms of their license.
public service broadcasting: notes
Public service broadcasting refers to broadcasting intended for public benefit rather than to serve commercial interests.
The media regulator Ofcom requires certain TV and radio broadcasters to fulfil certain requirements as part of their license to broadcast.
All of the BBC's television and radio stations have a public service remit.

The history of the BBC
The BBC was created in 1922 in response to new technology – the radio (or wireless as it was called then).
The BBC was set up to “inform, educate and entertain” – which is still its mission statement to this day. 

 The BBC funding model: license fee

 All BBC content (and some of Channel 4’s funding) comes from the License Fee, which costs £150.50 a year. 

 You need a TV Licence to:

 - watch or record live TV programmes on any channel

- download or watch any BBC programmes on iPlayer – live, catch up or on demand.

Some politicians want to scrap the license fee and change the BBC’s funding model.

Channel 4

Channel 4 is an important part of UK public service broadcasting. Read full details of Channel 4's remit here - there is plenty of important information regarding the channel's commitment to public service broadcasting and its unique funding model.

"Channel 4 is a publicly-owned and commercially-funded UK public service broadcaster, with a statutory remit to deliver high-quality, innovative, alternative content that challenges the status quo.

Channel 4 reinvests all profits back into programmes, at zero cost to the taxpayer. A ‘Robin Hood’ model of cross-funding means programmes that make money pay for others that are part of the PSB remit but that are loss-making e.g. News and Current Affairs." 

Opposition to public service broadcasting
Many people in Britain see public service broadcasting as a good thing – but not rival commercial broadcasters.  
James Murdoch, son of Rupert, has criticised BBC news. He says that free news on the BBC made it “incredibly difficult” for private news organisations to ask people to pay for their news.
Some politicians have argued that the BBC should not produce programmes such as Strictly Come Dancing so commercial broadcasters such as ITV or Sky can attract larger audiences in primetime.

Ofcom report
Read the first few pages of this Ofcom report into Public Service Broadcasting in 2017.

1) How does the report suggest that TV viewing is changing? The television landscape is changing; people are increasingly viewing content in a variety of different ways, both on the television set and on other devices. Young adults are watching a substantial amount of non-PSB content, and behavioural changes are happening not just in this group, but among those up to the age of 45. Despite the changes in the ways in which people watch television, overall viewing on the TV set is resilient; each week 85% of people in the UK who have a TV in their household watch PSB channels. Public service broadcasters remain at the heart of the UK’s television viewing experience.

2) What differences are highlighted between younger and older viewers? Individuals in the UK watched 3 hours 32 minutes of measured broadcast TV on a TV set in 2016. This is 4 minutes a day (2%) less than in 2015. However, there are big differences between age groups, and these gaps are widening. Viewers aged 65+ watched an average of 5 hours 44 minutes in 2016, just three minutes less than in 2012; in contrast, 16-24 year olds watched an average of 1 hour 54 minutes in 2016, 43 minutes less than in 2012. Between 2015 and 2016, average daily viewing among children and 16-24 year olds each fell by 10 minutes, whereas viewing by over-64s increased by 2 minutes.

3) Does the report suggest audiences are satisfied with public service broadcasting TV channels?

The majority of people in the UK with a TV in their household watch the PSB channels on a weekly basis. In 2016, 83% of the TV population aged 4+ watched any of the main five PSB channels in a typical week. This increases to 85% when the BBC portfolio channels are included.

4) Public service broadcasting channels are a major aspect of the UK cultural industries. How much money did PSB channels spend on UK-originated content in 2016? 

Although viewing to the main PSB channels has declined over the last ten years, half of all TV viewing time continues to be to these channels. There has been substantial growth over time in viewing to the PSBs’ ‘portfolio’ channels, going some way to offset the decrease in viewing to the main PSB channels. Overall, when all the TV channels of the PSB broadcasters are taken into account, they represent 70% of total broadcast TV set viewing, down from 76% in 2006.

Goldsmiths report

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?

Television sector has undergone huge changes over the past generation. 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. The very definition of television needs to be refined accordingly.

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?

The UK’s public service television system is a vital political, economic and cultural resource and should be viewed as an ecology that needs careful protection and coordination. Public service media should not be regulated simply in relation to the impact of their content and services on the wider media market. Principles of independence, universality, citizenship, equality and diversity need to be embedded into the regulation and funding of an emerging digital media landscape.

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 licence fee is vulnerable in the face of changes in technology and consumption, and it is in any case far from an ideal system: it has failed to guarantee real independence and is charged at a flat rate. 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 BBC should continue to provide mixed programming and cater to all audiences as well as competing with other broadcasters to produce high quality programmes. The BBC needs to demonstrate further commitments to creative ambition and to address shortfalls in specific areas, for examples its services to BAME audiences, its relationships with audiences in the devolved nations, its institutional commitment to impartiality and its willingness to embrace new types of collaborative partnerships.

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.

6) How should Channel 4 operate in future?

Recently, Channel 4 has been threatened with privatisation, in whole or in part, a proposal that would threaten its public service remit. 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. Channel 4 should significantly increase its provision for older children and young adults and restore some of the arts programming that has been in decline in recent years) 

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?


Final questions - your opinion on public service broadcasting

1) Should the BBC retain its position as the UK’s public service broadcaster? I don't think so as we need the BBC to give us the stuff that netflix doesn't give us such as news. 

2) Is there a role for the BBC in the 21st century digital world? YES

3) Should the BBC funding model (license fee) change? How? Perhaps become more cheaper