Leaders of international news broadcasters meeting at the EBU's sixth News Assembly, in Portugal, today (November 2) got a foretaste of an impending EBU study into the way TV news is gathered, delivered and consumed in Europe today.

The 12-page executive summary of the report, titled PSB TV News: Trends & Developments, was launched at the Assembly, which gathers leading figures from the news arms of the public service broadcasters that comprise the EBU Membership.

This study found that audiences everywhere are hungrier than ever for up-to-date information, with "factual formats and documentaries becoming more and more present".

However, ageing audiences are a concern to many broadcasters, who cited problems engaging with 20 - 44 year olds. The average European TV news watcher is now a 56-year-old, well educated father of teenage children, living in urban areas.

The paper also affirms that news for public service broadcasters is no longer just a media product, but "a vehicle for engagement in the democratic process", while "the number of weekly hours of TV news in most markets has more than quadrupled since 1985".

This project was led by the EBU's Strategic Information Service (SIS), in collaboration with the Eurovision News Exchange secretariat, and collected data from TV broadcast members of the Eurovision News Exchange. Its aim was to gain an insight into the profile of Members' flagship TV news bulletins and rolling news channels and the impact of cross-media news flows on PSB TV news output and consumption.

Thirty-two EBU Member organisations from 25 countries (covering close to 80% of TV households in all EBU Member countries) participated in the survey, and gave their perspective on key issues relating to PSB TV news in their specific national, cultural and linguistic context.