Together, public service media (PSM) are the largest investors in European audiovisual content, spending EUR 18.2 billion per year.
The latest research report by the EBU’s Media Intelligence Service (MIS) - PSM Investment in European Content 2017 - shows that PSM have actually increased their investment in content by 6.8% over the last five years (2011-2015), despite a minimal 1.4% increase in their revenues.
PSM offers good value for money with investment in content representing 54% of total PSM operating expenditure. At the same time, the top ten European commercial broadcasters devote only 32.5% of their cumulated operating revenues to content creation.
Over 83% of PSM programming expenditure is devoted to original productions (in-house, commissioned or co-productions), meaning they spent over EUR 15 billion directly on content creation in 2015. PSM TV organizations spend on average 31% of their programming budget on commissioned productions, making them key partners for the European independent production sector.
Head of MIS Roberto Suarez said: “PSM expenditure represents a huge, sustained investment in the European audiovisual industry. But the benefits are not only economical. Quality content is also vital in ensuring European citizens are well-informed about the world around them.
“It is essential that citizens can enjoy a wealth of locally produced content to reinforce national identities, promote democracy, enrich culture and foster shared values.”
EBU Members can download the full report here.