Public Service Broadcasting v2.0: an emerging paradigm in the UK

Faced with shifts in market realities and content consumption patterns, largely engendered by new media technologies, European broadcasting policy has been paving the way to an all-digital environment over the last ten years. Public service broadcasting, in particular, is being reconceptualised and its relevancy redefined. In this context British policy discourse, shaped by a new regulatory regime and culminating in important recent documents, envisages an expanded public service communications system, beyond conventional broadcasting, to be delivered by a re-alignment of established PSB institutions. The current financial crisis has thrown into sharp relief the systemic and cyclical instability of commercial business models, and the emerging system is still meant to address market failures through sustained funding. While fostering competitive market conditions remains a priority, the emerging policy affirms the continued relevancy of pubic service provision with a continued emphasis on universal access to quality services. Yet it also marks the transition of the public service model from content to services delivery over a range of platforms, from audiences to users, and ultimately from prescriptive regulation to an increasing emphasis on media literacy. Drawing on empirical evidence from the British policy discourse, this paper provides evidence of this institutional redefinition of the public service model – a redefinition which is centred on access, scope and regulation. By charting the recent evolution of PSB in its social, economic and technological context, we also argue that PSB has already begun to reposition itself along these same lines in anticipation of the changing environment.