The UK TV market is in a state of precarity and change. Sky is acquiring ITV’s Media and Entertainment business, the BBC is facing declining license fee payers, and director-general Matt Brittin has suggested reviving a Project Kangaroo-like “sovereign” streaming platform involving iPlayer and Channel 4.
Meanwhile, all the broadcasters are keen to “meet audiences where they are,” which is increasingly on third-party, American-owned, walled garden tech platforms. Broadcasters are embracing social video, but concerns around the sustainability of the commercial model on platforms are persistent.
Niamh Burns is the media policy lead at Enders Analysis. She recently co-authored a report on the major UK broadcasters, how they are dealing with headwinds in the TV ad market, and how they are embracing third-party platforms in search of audience growth.
She recently sat down with host Jack Benjamin to discuss all things TV.
When asked whether she believes the commercial opportunity on social platforms is enough to fund broadcaster's premium content production, Burns plainly stated: "At the moment, the answer is no across all the platforms."
Highlights:
3:33: Will Sky's acquisition of ITV's Media & Entertainment business get the green light?
7:00: "A now or never moment" for the BBC: Charter review, license fee changes, a new "sovereign" streaming platform
17:07: Broadcaster strategies on social media platforms: From marketing to distribution via a black box
25:36: The commercial logic of embracing platform distribution
29:39: Handling different measurement standards
32:40: Government green paper and due prominence for broadcasters
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Is Sky’s acquisition of ITV necessary to compete with global platforms?
What the CMA should actually be asking about Sky and ITV
Five items in Andy Burnham’s media in-tray
How the BBC’s digital distribution strategy is evolving
