Public service broadcasting in times of Cloud TV
06 janvier 2017
In October 2016, Professors Dieter Dörr, Bernd Holznagel und Arnold Picot published an important new study, "Legitimation and commitment of public service broadcasting in times of Cloud TV".
Commissioned by ZDF, the study examines the role of PSM in an age when digitalisation and personalised services have led to the fragmentation of audiences. It stresses the crucial role PSM has in democratic societies of preserving cultural identity while promoting social integration, as well as focusing on its promotion of diversity and its role in opinion formation. This role becomes even more important in the context of Cloud TV, market concentration and convergence, where consumers are increasingly captured in a single media provider’s infrastructure, offering a single editorial viewpoint.
The authors emphasise the need for PSM services to diversify and to offer a full range of content. From a regulatory perspective, PSM should be enabled to be carried in all forms, on all platforms. The dynamic digital world should be reflected in flexible rules. The authors even consider that the online services of PSMs could create their own online platform, acting as a bridge between cultural and knowledge institutions.
The full study, available in German only, can be found on ZDF's website.