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Public Broadcasting in Small EU Countries: Challenges and Strategies

Public Broadcasting in Small EU Countries: Challenges and Strategies. Dr. Petros IOSIFIDIS Reader in Media Policy City University London. Measures of State Size. NOTIONS OF SMALLNESS ... Population Size Geographic Size Economic Size (Wealth) Market Size. Population Size.

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Public Broadcasting in Small EU Countries: Challenges and Strategies

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  1. Public Broadcasting in Small EU Countries: Challenges and Strategies Dr. Petros IOSIFIDIS Reader in Media Policy City University London

  2. Measures of State Size NOTIONS OF SMALLNESS... • Population Size • Geographic Size • Economic Size (Wealth) • Market Size

  3. Population Size • Dividing line between large/small states? below 20m (EC, 2009; Puppis, 2009; Lowe & Nissen, 2011) • Iceland (0.3m); Ireland (4.5m); GR (11m), NETH (16.3m) • Small population  - cannot support broadcasting industry - high service cost/no scale economies

  4. Geographic Size • Microstates Less than 200 square miles (Picard, 2011) • The territory affects costs via the size & complexity of the necessary transmission infrastructure to serve state/localities • Geography affects costs: it is cheaper to serve flat territories than mountainous that require more transmitters/repeaters • It is cheaper to serve urban than rural audiences (population density creates advantageous cost thresholds)

  5. Economic Size (wealth) • Measure of economic output  GDP per capita • EU27, 2008: GDP was 23,500 EURO (Eurostat, 2008) states below that average typically have lower GDP • Poorer states have less resources to devote to providing & acquiring broadcasting services (however, a state can be small but wealthy)

  6. Small states as per political system • Liberal states: Ireland • Democratic-corporatist: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Luxemburg, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland) • Polarized/pluralist: Cyprus, Greece, Malta, Portugal • Post-socialist: Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovak Rep, Slovenia (Hallin/Mancini 2004)

  7. Small Broadcasting Market Size • Shortage of resources (limitation on production; know-how) • Small audience/advertising markets (limits to revenues; no scale economies  costly media production; few exports due to cultural specificity) • Dependence (commercialization & globalization affect more smaller states  ‘imported deregulation’) • Vulnerability (foreign takeover of media firms) (Puppis, 2009)

  8. Small number of TV channels • Denmark (5.5m) – PSBs: TV2, DR1; Private: None • Ireland (4.5m) – PSBs: RTE1, RTE2, RTE3; Private: None • Sweden (9.3m) – PSBs: SVT1, SVT2; Private: TV4 • Netherlands (16.3m) – PSBs: Ned1; Private: RTL4, SBS6 EXCEPTION: • Greece (11m) – PSBs: NET, ET1; Private: 5

  9. Impact of giant neighbours • Austria, Luxemburg, Switzerland Giant neighbour: Germany • Belgium - Giant neighbour: France • Ireland – Giant neighbour: UK BEYOND EUROPE: • Canada – Giant neighbour: USA • New Zealand – Giant neighbour: Australia • Taiwan – Giant neighbour: China)

  10. The language factor • Not widely spoken languages in small countries: • Pros  may prevent cultural domination • Cons  cannot expand activities abroad (Nordic exception) • Austria, Ireland & Belgium affected by same-language neighbouring countries • VRT (Flanders) - competition from Dutch channels • RTBF (Wallonia) - competition from French cable channels • ORF - competition from German channels • RTE - competition from British channels

  11. Diverse policies • Nordic model: protection of domestic program supply (YLE & SVT: bulk of domestic output in Finish & Swedish respectively) • Southern Europe: - higher acceptance of commercialisation - state, not public broadcasting

  12. Historical & Political Context PORTUGAL • Broadcasting developed under dictatorship (same to Greece and Spain) • In addition to the state, the Catholic Church also influential in shaping media

  13. GREECE • De-facto TV deregulation in 1990  no consideration re: effects on market structure • Attempts to regulate market failed due to: • Broadcasting’s association with a military dictatorship (1967-74) • Introduction of a regulatory regime with vague principles and highly detailed but rarely implemented rules • PSB’s debt has increased its dependency on the government

  14. Strategies for the future • Interventionist approach – given the small audience & advertising markets, it’s not possible to achieve socio-cultural goals (pluralism & cultural diversity) through liberalisation (EU approach) & competition among domestic media firms (pro-market approach) •  allow mono- & cross-media concentration •  subsidies/support programmes (Puppis, 2009, 2010; Siegert, 2006)

  15. Invest in PSB • PSBs’ Assets  political backing, relatively secure funding, longevity, credible source • Most small PSBs from Northern Europe managed to retain high audience/revenue share • Exceptions: ERT (GREECE), RTP (PORTUGAL), which had embraced commercialisation (Iosifidis, 2007)

  16. Invest in new technology • Be available in several platforms (transform into PSM) • New digital channels, mobile telephony & interactive web sites (e.g. create a channel on YouTube) • More interactivity; closer to audiences to reflect a multicultural society, catch younger audiences

  17. Independent producers • Channel 4 and S4C • Advantages: healthy independent production sector; new voices, new ideas (new technology helps) • Difficulty: independent sector consolidation (few firms dominate  less diversity and dynamism)

  18. Selected bibliography • Iosifidis, P. (2007) ‘Public Television in Small European Countries: Challenges and Strategies’, International Journal of Media and Cultural Politics 3(1): 65–87. • Lowe, G.F. and C. Nissen (2011) Small Among Giants. TV Broadcasting in Smaller Countries, Nordicom. • Puppis, M. et al (2009) ‘The European & Global Dimension: Taking Small Media Systems Research to the Next Level’, International Communication Gazette 2009; 71; 105. • Siegert, G. (2006) The Role of Small Countries in Media Competition in Europe’, in Heinrich, J. and Kopper, G. (eds.) Media Economics in Europe. Berlin: Vistas. • Trappel, J. (2010) ‘Squeezed and Uneasy: PSM in Small States - Limited Media Governance Options in Austria and Switzerland’ in P. Iosifidis (ed.) Reinventing Public Service Communication: European Broadcasters and Beyond, Palgrave Macmillan.

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