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Public Broadcasting in Small EU Countries: Challenges and Strategies. Dr. Petros IOSIFIDIS Reader in Media Policy City University London. Measures of State Size. NOTIONS OF SMALLNESS ... Population Size Geographic Size Economic Size (Wealth) Market Size. Population Size. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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Dr. Petros IOSIFIDIS
Reader in Media PolicyCity University London
Public Broadcasting in Small EU Countries: Challenges and
Strategies
Measures of State SizeNOTIONS OF SMALLNESS...
Population Size
Geographic Size
Economic Size (Wealth)
Market Size
Population Size
Dividing line between large/small states?
below 20m (EC, 2009; Puppis, 2009; Lowe & Nissen, 2011)
Iceland (0.3m); Ireland (4.5m); GR (11m), NETH (16.3m)
Small population - cannot support broadcasting industry- high service cost/no scale economies
Geographic Size
Microstates Less than 200 square miles (Picard, 2011)
The territory affects costs via the size & complexity of the necessary transmission infrastructure to serve state/localities
Geography affects costs: it is cheaper to serve flat territories than mountainous that require more transmitters/repeaters
It is cheaper to serve urban than rural audiences (population density creates advantageous cost thresholds)
Economic Size (wealth)Measure of economic output GDP per capita
EU27, 2008: GDP was 23,500 EURO (Eurostat, 2008)states below that average typically have lower GDP
Poorer states have less resources to devote to providing & acquiring broadcasting services (however, a state can be small but wealthy)
Small states as per political systemLiberal states: Ireland
Democratic-corporatist: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Luxemburg, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland)
Polarized/pluralist: Cyprus, Greece, Malta, Portugal
Post-socialist: Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovak Rep, Slovenia (Hallin/Mancini 2004)
Small Broadcasting Market Size
Shortage of resources (limitation on production; know-how)
Small audience/advertising markets (limits to revenues; no scale economies costly media production; few exports due to cultural specificity)
Dependence (commercialization & globalization affect more smaller states ‘imported deregulation’)
Vulnerability (foreign takeover of media firms) (Puppis, 2009)
Small number of TV channels
Denmark (5.5m) – PSBs: TV2, DR1; Private: NoneIreland (4.5m) – PSBs: RTE1, RTE2, RTE3; Private:
NoneSweden (9.3m) – PSBs: SVT1, SVT2; Private: TV4Netherlands (16.3m) – PSBs: Ned1; Private: RTL4,
SBS6
EXCEPTION:
Greece (11m) – PSBs: NET, ET1; Private: 5
Impact of giant neighbours
Austria, Luxemburg, Switzerland Giant neighbour: Germany
Belgium - Giant neighbour: FranceIreland – Giant neighbour: UK
BEYOND EUROPE:
Canada – Giant neighbour: USANew Zealand – Giant neighbour: AustraliaTaiwan – Giant neighbour: China)
The language factorNot widely spoken languages in small countries:
Pros may prevent cultural dominationCons cannot expand activities abroad (Nordic
exception)
Austria, Ireland & Belgium affected by same-language neighbouring countries
VRT (Flanders) - competition from Dutch channelsRTBF (Wallonia) - competition from French cable
channelsORF - competition from German channels RTE - competition from British channels
Diverse policiesNordic model: protection of domestic
program supply (YLE & SVT: bulk of domestic output in Finish & Swedish respectively)
Southern Europe:
- higher acceptance of commercialisation- state, not public broadcasting
Historical & Political Context
PORTUGAL
Broadcasting developed under dictatorship (same to Greece and Spain)
In addition to the state, the Catholic Church also influential in shaping media
GREECEDe-facto TV deregulation in 1990 no
consideration re: effects on market structure
Attempts to regulate market failed due to:
Broadcasting’s association with a military dictatorship (1967-74)
Introduction of a regulatory regime with vague principles and highly detailed but rarely implemented rules
PSB’s debt has increased its dependency on the government
Strategies for the futureInterventionist approach – given the small
audience & advertising markets, it’s not possible to achieve socio-cultural goals (pluralism & cultural diversity) through liberalisation (EU approach) & competition among domestic media firms (pro-market approach)
allow mono- & cross-media concentration subsidies/support programmes
(Puppis, 2009, 2010; Siegert, 2006)
Invest in PSBPSBs’ Assets political backing,
relatively secure funding, longevity, credible source
Most small PSBs from Northern Europe managed to retain high audience/revenue share
Exceptions: ERT (GREECE), RTP (PORTUGAL), which had embraced commercialisation (Iosifidis, 2007)
Invest in new technologyBe available in several platforms (transform
into PSM)
New digital channels, mobile telephony & interactive web sites (e.g. create a channel on YouTube)
More interactivity; closer to audiences to reflect a multicultural society, catch younger audiences
Independent producersChannel 4 and S4C
Advantages: healthy independent production sector; new voices, new ideas (new technology helps)
Difficulty: independent sector consolidation (few firms dominate less diversity and dynamism)
Selected bibliography Iosifidis, P. (2007) ‘Public Television in Small European Countries: Challenges
and Strategies’, International Journal of Media and Cultural Politics 3(1): 65–87.
Lowe, G.F. and C. Nissen (2011) Small Among Giants. TV Broadcasting in Smaller Countries, Nordicom.
Puppis, M. et al (2009) ‘The European & Global Dimension: Taking Small Media Systems Research to the Next Level’, International Communication Gazette 2009; 71; 105.
Siegert, G. (2006) The Role of Small Countries in Media Competition in Europe’, in Heinrich, J. and Kopper, G. (eds.) Media Economics in Europe. Berlin: Vistas.
Trappel, J. (2010) ‘Squeezed and Uneasy: PSM in Small States - Limited Media Governance Options in Austria and Switzerland’ in P. Iosifidis (ed.) Reinventing Public Service Communication: European Broadcasters and Beyond, Palgrave Macmillan.