At the second of three conferences (16 January) looking at the future of public service media in Italy, EBU Vice President and RAI President Anna Maria Tarantola urged the national broadcaster to embrace the new challenges it faces with online content and new technologies.

The set of three conferences, organised by EBU's Italian Member broadcaster RAI, are taking place before the renewal of the European Convention on Transfrontier Television between the Italian state and RAI expected within the end of this year. This agreement affects the licence fee.

Ms Tarantola said that in order to serve the widest possible audience, RAI would have to promote a new "digital culture" with programming that "brings something unique and plural, special and different, credible and reliable, that is not limited by national borders and or platforms, but that looks ahead, stimulating and even surprising citizens".

EBU Executive Board Member and President of France Télévisions Rémy Pflimlin, who opened the gathering in Rome with Ms Tarantola, went further to discuss how today's technology is influencing the global political landscape, as demonstrated by the events that unfolded in Paris after the Charlie Hebdo attack. He went on to explain that producing content that "informs, educates and entertains" the public in today's digital context is evermore important to "ensuring every citizen's freedom and independence".

Various EBU Member speakers - including Fran Unsworth, Deputy Director of BBC News, Glenn Killane of RTE, and Atte Jaaskelainen, Director of YLE News -  contributed to further sessions, delving deeper into the role of public service media. While members of Italy's audiovisual and cultural sector also attended, including the presidents of the Producers associations, the president of the publishers association, Oscar winner film director Gabriele Salvatores and many others.

The third and last conference of the series will examine the role of public service in light of technological innovation.