Source · Select Committees · Culture, Media and Sport Committee
Recommendation 7
7
Paragraph: 48
Reaching younger audiences now, and building relationships with them, is of the utmost importance if...
Recommendation
Reaching younger audiences now, and building relationships with them, is of the utmost importance if PSBs are going to remain popular and sustainable in the long- term. They way in which people access content, particularly those under the age of 35, is rapidly changing and the Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated that change. Young audience behaviour is an indicator of future trends and PSBs are at risk of losing touch with under 35s. Unless PSBs do more to attract younger audiences, the core principle of universality that underpins their existence will be threatened. For these efforts to be successful, we recommend that changes be made to the regulatory structure to enable PSBs to innovate more rapidly and easily, and to be able to better compete online.
Paragraph Reference:
48
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
The Government is supportive of a modern system of public service broadcasting that remains relevant and can continue to meet the needs of UK audiences in the future. Research from Ofcom shows that young audiences continue to value the UK’s PSBs and the content they produce highly, even if their relationship with those broadcasters differs from that of older generations. Nevertheless, changing patterns of consumption do present a significant audience retention challenge for all linear broadcasters, including PSBs, and the Government agrees with the Committee’s analysis on this point. The Government is considering, through its strategic review of public service broadcasting, whether the legislative and regulatory framework for PSB, when viewed in the context of the media landscape as a whole, needs to change to ensure that the PSB system can continue to deliver sustainably on its objectives. This includes engaging effectively with younger audiences. At the same time PSBs themselves will need to make certain they are at the forefront of trends in commissioning, distribution and marketing to ensure their programmes reach and appeal to those particular audiences. This might include, as Ofcom have suggested, collaboration amongst PSBs to share insights and strategies that have proved effective in this regard.