NLPublic Broadcasting in International Perspective

Media like radio, newspapers, television and the internet are crucial aspects in our daily life. One of the most important players in this public domain are the Public Service Broadcasters. Their purpose is to inform, educate and entertain the public in an independent and pluriform way, while being accessible for everyone.
However, the current arrangement of the players, the rules and the playing field is increasingly under pressure and questioned: Who should be responsible for public broadcasting? How should it be financed? What should be the State’s role in this regard? How to guard the independence and pluriformity? What main purposes should broadcasting serve in an increasing and more competitive landscape of media?
Our international survey shows that besides defining their mandate, many public service broadcasters face the same problems and challenges: the downfall of stateprotection, upcoming new technologies, pressures on government grants and license fees , an expanding audiovisual industry with many newcomers, more channels and declining audiences. The challenge for thefuture is modeling pluralistic competition in order for public broadcasters to compete and collaborate to empower a healthy civil society in the digital information age.
In this report we deal with the future role and strategy for public service broadcasting in an international perspective, and draw lessons from two scans of Public Service Broadcasting systems and organizations in other countries. This survey was conducted as a part of a bigger assignment of the Public Broadcast Association of the Netherlands to help them develop their strategy and a new vision on Public Service Broadcasting in the Netherlands.
Download the report here: Public Broadcasting in International Perspective