Sopot, Poland, 28 September – EBU Director General Ingrid Deltenre has urged European  governments to help ensure that public service media (PSM) fulfil their mission based on the principles of universality, diversity and independence.

Ms Deltenre made her comments during a panel discussion at the European Forum for New Ideas on new funding models for PSM in the 21st century arising out of Germany, France and the Nordic countries.
 
Ms Deltenre said that to be distinctive and truly indispensable, governments must ensure PSM receive sufficient and sustained funding. "Make no mistake," she said, "if something is free, you are the product: your eyeballs are sold to the advertising industry."

Ms Deltenre said that the principle of universality implied PSM have a duty to provide programming for society in all its diversity – minorities and majorities.

Fellow panellist and Chairman of the Board of Telewizja Polska (TVP), Juliusz Braun, estimated that the budget to produce programmes internally was at least ten times that of purchasing a foreign series. As only a minority of Poles pay the broadcasting licence fee, the vast majority of TVP's income is derived from advertising.

"If people want Polish content, it will have to be paid for," he said, urging governments to enforce the licence fee collection.