Public service television such as the news, ITV’s Mr Bates vs the Post Office and the BBC nature series Wild Isles is becoming an “endangered species” in the streaming era and ministers should pass laws to make it easier to discover on websites such as YouTube, the media regulator has said.
A report by Ofcom warns that UK-focused programming made by the British public service broadcasters (PSBs) – the BBC, ITV and Channels 4 and 5 – is under threat and there is a “strong case” for legislation to make sure it is easy to find on third-party platforms, most notably the Alphabet-owned video-sharing site.
Ofcom said the need for effective prominence extends to public service media content such as news, children’s shows and some original programmes “which reflect British culture and bring the country together”, made by the PSBs and Sky.
The regulator said the British public service model was “now under serious threat” amid a viewer exodus from traditional TV viewing to global streaming platforms.
Ofcom highlights as a “priority” that PSBs should “work urgently” with YouTube, which dominates streaming on devices and is also rapidly becoming more popular for viewing through smart TVs, to ensure their content gains prominence for viewers.
“This is particularly important for news and children’s content, and we believe there is a strong case for government to legislate to enable the change,” Ofcom said.
Its report said non-PSBs such as Netflix do also make high-quality UK drama that “contribute substantially to British culture and public debate”. Examples cited include Netflix’s global hit Adolescence, Say Nothing on Disney+ and Sky’s Artist of the Year series.
However, it said that unlike the PSBs, which operate under legislation to make public service content universally available, these services often have their content behind a paywall, and they are not required to commission British content or invest in homemade productions across the UK.
Last year, the Media Act came into force which ensured that the content and streaming services offered by PSBs, such as the iPlayer and ITVX, were given due prominence on TV-based services such as pay-TV, smart TVs and on other streaming devices.
However, this legislation did not extend to video-sharing platforms, a sector dominated by YouTube, the most popular platform among young children in particular.
“Public service media is stitched into the cultural fabric of UK society. It starts conversations, educates and informs, and brings us together in moments of national importance,” said Cristina Nicolotti Squires, broadcasting and media group director at Ofcom. “But in a world dominated by global streaming platforms, public service media risks becoming an endangered species, and time is running out to intervene to protect it.”
According to Ofcom research, 43% of children aged four to 17 watch YouTube on a weekly basis, while last year fewer than half of 16- to 24-year-olds tuned into broadcast TV in an average week.
The issue is compounded by research showing that the streaming services offered by public service media companies only account for 9% of all viewing, as they struggle to hold on to viewers in the streaming era.
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Subscription streaming services such as Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon’s Prime Video account for 15% and 19% goes to online video-sharing platforms such as YouTube.
“Consumption of online news, where misinformation and disinformation can thrive, continues to edge further ahead of broadcast TV news,” Ofcom said.
Its report also said additional public funding would be needed to support genres such as news and children’s content, findings published as the government heads into a review of the BBC’s royal charter, including the future of the licence fee funding model.
“We recommend that that priority be given to socially valuable but commercially less viable genres, such as news, local news and children’s content,” Ofcom said.
The regulator said the issue of additional funding for public service TV was “for the government to consider”.
Ofcom also said it planned to launch a “fundamental” review of the regulation of broadcast TV and radio.
The regulator, which is kicking off a “comprehensive” call for evidence in the autumn, said that it is aiming to “streamline regulation and strip away any outdated and unnecessary restrictions”.