Public service content should be findable on YouTube, Ofcom insists
Ofcom, the UK’s communications regulator, is calling for urgent action to ensure public service media (PSM) content remains easily discoverable on major online platforms like YouTube.
In a stark warning, Ofcom stated that traditional public-service television is “endangered” as audiences increasingly shift their viewing habits to digital spaces.
The recommendation is a key part of Ofcom’s new six-point action plan, designed to safeguard the future of PSM. The regulator emphasizes that with more viewing now occurring on third-party platforms, it’s crucial for PSM broadcasters to collaborate with these platforms to ensure their valuable content is prominent and accessible.
YouTube, in particular, is highlighted as a priority. The platform is a dominant force in online video, watched weekly by a staggering 43% of children aged 4-17, and its content is increasingly consumed on TV screens. Ofcom asserts there’s a strong case for government legislation to mandate that PSM content, especially news and children’s programming, is prominently featured and easily found on fair commercial terms.
“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 Cristina Nicolotti Squires, Broadcasting and Media Group Director at Ofcom. “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.”
Ofcom’s action plan also calls for stable and adequate funding for PSM, particularly for socially valuable but commercially less viable genres like news and children’s content. Furthermore, it urges the government to provide urgent clarity on the future of TV distribution, including the fate of digital terrestrial television (Freeview), to allow for necessary investment and innovation.
The regulator stresses the need for PSM firms to forge ambitious strategic partnerships with online platforms and for all stakeholders to invest in media literacy, equipping audiences to navigate the complexities of digital information. Ofcom will also undertake a fundamental review of broadcast regulation to streamline outdated restrictions, adapting to the rapidly evolving media landscape.
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