Television executives from public service media across Europe are exploring the impact of digital media on the future of broadcasting at BBC Manchester – hosts of the 21st EBU Television Assembly.

More than 50 decision makers were welcomed by TV Committee ad interim chairman Frank-Dieter Freiling (ZDF, Germany), Peter Salmon, Director of BBC England, and Jean Philip De Tender, outgoing TV Committee chairman and new Director of Media at the EBU.

Mr De Tender said Members face three key challenges in their new role as 'publishers' as opposed to broadcasters of content.

"The first is to reinvent the art of storytelling because new media offers new potential," he said. "The second challenge is to get that content directly to the audience. Public service media (PSM) is competing against new gatekeepers who are taking control of that access. They know our audiences; they have the big data; we need to reclaim that ground. Thirdly, we need to ensure that the origin of our content is clearly identifiable as ours – as having come from a trusted and reliable source."

In a presentation titled ‘The network always wins,’ European technology thought leader Peter Hinssen outlined strategies to help PSM maintain relevance by staying abreast of emerging trends.

“Connect with your audience, your customers, and encourage them to interact,” he said. "User creativity is transforming the way we use technology. For example, Twitter was never conceived for the purpose of sending selfies; this is a transitional phase. Techonology is addictive; technology is the new normal." 

Mr Hinssen said two of every five minutes spent online by the generation of digital users known as Millennials (aged 18-34) was taken up with FaceBook.

"Whereas previously we used the term 'digital native,' this next generation are network natives," he said. "Information is not static, it is rich and visual. One way to be relevent is to speak the language of the network. Identify key influencers who are delivering content, through for example YouTube. There is a fundamental shift towards making content relevant to youth audiences."

Peter Salmon, Director BBC England, said that in seeking to attract and retain young audiences, the BBC had developed a policy to harness new voices and fresh content that stretched across the country, which in part reflected the organization's relocation to Manchester three years ago.

"Children are the new teachers," he said. "Flooded with digital choice, there is no one better to learn from. We test brands at schools and create 'kids' labs to develop ideas. We are also giving the 'olympic digital treatment' to new projects, to offer an increasingly personal experience to audiences. We're also forging a closer relationship with external audiences and pioneering mass live audience participation events with arts bodies and cultural groups.

New TV Committee elected

Participants also elected Members of the TV Committee, the principle policy-making body of the EBU television sector, who will serve for the next two years. The new appointments can be seen on the Eurovision TV Committee page.

The Assembly acknowledged the contribution of outgoing Committee Chair Jean Philip De Tender, Vice Chair Frank-Dieter Freiling, and Members Arne Helsingen, Ekaterina Orlova, and Neli Vozelj.

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