Digital transformation and the challenge for Ireland’s public service media
Keywords:
public service media, PSB funding, digital disruption, media policy, Future of Media CommissionAbstract
Irish story-telling and audiovisual content are successful and popular both at home and internationally and, at the same time, appetites for news content amongst Irish audiences are exceptionally high. However, in striving to provide audience access to impartial news and distinctive high quality content, public service media (PSM) in Ireland have been hampered, in recent years, by an ongoing crisis in funding. Financial pressures at RTÉ, in part at least, reflect a crisis of its own making triggered by disclosures in June 2023 of poor practices on reporting of payments to star talent. But, more fundamentally, the funding predicament reflects forces that have disrupted the economics of television worldwide over recent years. This article analyses the challenges faced by PSM in the digital era and how these are being addressed by policy-makers in Ireland. Drawing on the author’s experience as member of the Future of Media Commission (FOMC)—a body set up by the Government in 2020 to consider and make recommendations on the future funding and sustainability of PSM and media more widely—this article considers how digital transformation is affecting PSM in Ireland and it asks to what extent PSM still delivers benefits that are valued by society. The main options for PSM funding are considered and, in the wake of publication of the FOMC Report, reflections are offered on the process of media and cultural policy-making in Ireland.
References
Broadcasting Authority of Ireland/Údarás Craolacháin na hÉireann (BAI) (2018). BAI Five-Year Review of Public Funding for Public Service Broadcasters and BAI Report and Recommendations to the Minster for Communications, Climate Action and Environment. Dublin.
Broadcasting Authority of Ireland/Údarás Craolacháin na hÉireann (BAI) (2020). Sound & Vision Scheme 4. Dublin.
Barker, Alex and Gray, Alistair (2022). ‘BBC licence fee to be abolished in 2027, suggests culture minister’. Financial Times [online], 16 January. Available at https://www.ft.com/content/fc2cee1a-25b4-4b24-b259-24cd3d0b47d8. [Accessed 15 February, 2023].
Biggam, Ross (2020). Brexit and the Effects of the proposed EU-UO Partnership Agreement on the Audiovisual Sector. European Foreign Affairs Review, 25(3), 379-398.
Chivers, Thomas and Allan, Stuart (2022). What is the Public Value of PSB? Exploring challenges and opportunities in evolving media contexts. Creative Industries Policy & Evidence Centre. London: NESTA.
Chrisafis, Angelique (2022). ‘Emmanuel Macron promises to scrap TV licence fee if re-elected’. Guardian [online], 8 March. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/08/emmanuel-macron-promises-to-scrap-tv-licence-fee-if-re-elected, [Accessed 17 August, 2023].
Core (2021). Survey Analysis 2021, Compiled by Core for the Future of Media Commission. May 2021. Dublin: Core.
Curran, Ian (2023). RTE channelled Tubridy payments though UK firm – report. Irish Times [online], 25 June. Available at: https://www.irishtimes.com/business/2023/06/25/rte-channelled-tubridy-payments-through-uk-firm-report/. [Accessed 24 July, 2023].
D’Arma Allesandro, Raats Tim, and Steemers Jeanette (2021). PSM in the age of SVoDs: A comparative study of PSM strategic responses in Flanders, Italy and the UK. Media, Culture & Society, 43(4), 682-700.
Davies, Gillian (Chair) (1999). The Future Funding of the BBC: Report of the Independent Review Panel. London: Department of Culture, Media and Sport.
de Marchi, Giada, Lucertini, Giulia, and Tsoukias, Alexis (2016). From evidence-based policy making to policy analytics. Annals of Operations Research, 236(1), 15-38.
Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (DTCAGSM) (2023). Future of Media Commission Report: Implementation Strategy & Action Plan. Available at: https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/e2cbb-tuarascail-an-choimisiuin-um-thodhchai-na-mean-straiteis-feidhmithe-agus-plean-gniomhaithe/. [Accessed 15 February, 2023].
Donders, Karen (2012). Public Service Media and Policy in Europe. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Donders, Karen (2019). Public service media beyond the digital hype: distribution strategies in a platform era. Media, Culture & Society, 41(7), 1011-1028.
Donders, Karen and Raats, Tim (2015). From Public Service Media Organisations to De-centralised Public Service for the Media Sector. Javnost – The Public, 22(2), 227-244.
Doyle, Gillian, Paterson, Richard and Barr, Kenny (2021). Television Production in Transition: Independence, Scale, Sustainability and the Digital Challenge. Cham, Switzerland: Springer.
Doyle, Gillian (2013). Understanding Media Economics (2nd Ed). London/New Delhi: Sage Publications.
Edevold Berg, Christian and Brink Lund, Anker (2012). Financing Public Service Broadcasting: A Comparative Perspective. Journal of Media Business Studies, 9(1), 7-21.
Enli, Gunn. Syvertsen, Trine and Mjøs, Ole (2018). The Welfare State and the Media System. Scandinavian Journal of History, 43(5), 601-623.
European Broadcasting Union (EBU) (2012). Empowering Society: A declaration of the core values of Public Service Media. Geneva.
Forbes, Dee (2022). Dee Forbes on Why Public Media Matters. RTÉ Press Release [online], 13 April. Available at: https://www.rte.ie/eile/2022/0404/1290240-dee-forbes-on-why-public-media-matters/. [Accessed 15 February, 2023].
Flynn, Roddy (2015). Public service broadcasting beyond public service broadcasters. International Journal of Digital Television, 6(2), 125-44
Freedman, Des (2008). The Politics of Media Policy. Polity: London.
Freedman, Des (2010). Media Policy Silences: The Hidden Face of Communications Decision Making. The International Journal of Press/Politics, 15(3), 344-61.
Freedman, Des and Goblet, Vana (Eds.) (2018). A Future for Public Service Television. London: University of Goldsmith Press.
Government Press Office (GPO) (2020). ‘Government establishes Future of Media Commission’. Press Release, Department of An Taoiseach [online], 29 September. Available at: https://www.gov.ie/en/press-release/2300a-government-establishes-future-of-media-commission/ [Accessed 13 October 2020].
Government Press Office (GPO) (2022). ‘Government welcomes Future of Media Commission and announces initiative to support public service content provision across media in Ireland’. MerrionStreet: Irish Government News Service Press Release [online], 12 July. Available at:
https://merrionstreet.ie/government_welcomes_report_of_the_future_of_media_commission_and_announces_strategic_initiative_to_support_public_service_content_across_media_in_ireland.174532.shortcut.html [Accessed 24 July, 2023].
Haenens, Leen D., Sousa, Helen and Hulten, Olof (2011). From PSB to PSM. London: Intellect.
Herzog Christian, and Karppinen Kari (2014). Policy streams and public service media funding reforms in Germany and Finland. European Journal of Communication, 29(4), 416-432.
Herzog, Christian, Novy, Leonard, Hilker, Heiko, Torun, Orkan. (2018). Transparency and Funding of Public Service Media in Germany, the Western World and Beyond. In: Herzog, Christian, Hilker, Heiko, Novy, Leonard, and Torun, Orkan (eds.) 2018. Transparency and Funding of Public Service Media – Die deutsche Debatte im internationalen Kontext. Wiesbaden: Springer VS. 3-18.
Hoefer, Richard (2021). Theory in Social Policy Research: Rationality and Its Discontents. Journal of Policy Practice & Research, 2, 233-237.
House of Lords (2019). PSB: As Vital as Ever. Communications and Digital Committee, 1st Report of Session 2019, HL16. Westminster.
House of Lords (2022). Licence to change: BBC future funding. Communications and Digital Committee, 1st Report of Session 2022-23, HL44. Westminster.
Iosifidis, Petros (2011). The public sphere, social networks and PSM. Information, Communication & Society, 14(5), 619-637.
Irish Times Editorial, (2022) The Irish Times view on the Future of Media Commission: a roadmap to sustainability. Irish Times [online], 15 July. Available at https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/editorials/2022/07/15/the-irish-times-view-on-the-future-of-media-commission-a-roadmap-to-sustainability/ [Accessed 24 July, 2023].
Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment (2017). Report on Future Funding of Public Service Broadcasting, 32CCAE002. Dublin: Houses of the Oireachtas.
Kirk, Niamh, Park, Kirsty, Robbins, Dave, Culloty, Eileen, Casey, Edward, and Suiter, Jane (2020). Digital News Report Ireland 2020. Dublin: DCU and BAI.
Klimkiewicz, Beata (2015). Between autonomy and dependency: Funding mechanisms of PSM in selected European countries. In: Arriaza Ibarra, Karen; Nowak, Eva and Kuhn, Raymond (eds.) 2015. PSM in Europe: A Comparative Approach. Oxford: Routledge. 111-125.
Lotz, Amanda (2017). Portals: A Treatise on Internet-Distributed Television. Michigan: Maize Publishing.
Lowe, Greg and Berg, Christian (2013). The funding of public service media: A matter of value and values. International Journal on Media Management, 15(2): 77–97.
Lowe, Greg, Van den Bulck, Hilde, and Donders, Karen (eds.) (2018). Public Service Media in the Networked Society. Göteborg: Nordicom.
Mahon, Alex (2019). ‘Regulation needs to support PSBs to achieve their goals’, Speech to RTS Cambridge. [Recorded source, video]. Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZ20pcW7qWk&t=2s [Accessed July 2024].
Martin, Erik (2021). Can PSB survive Silicon Valley? Synthesizing leadership perspectives at the BBC, PBS, NPR, CPB and local U.S. stations. Technology in Society, 64, 101451 (unpaginated).
Mediatique (2019). Annual Review of Performance and Public Funding of Public Service Broadcasters, 2018: A report for the BAI, November 2019. London: Mediatique.
Mercury Insights (2019). Public perception of Public Service Broadcasting in Ireland: Report by Mercury Insights, on behalf of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, September 2019. Screen Producers Ireland [online]. Available at https://www.screenproducersireland.com/resources/policy-and-research/public-perception-of-public-service-broadcasting-in-ireland_2019.pdf [Accessed 4 June, 2024].
Morgan, Susan (2018). Fake news, disinformation, manipulation and online tactics to undermine democracy. Journal of Cyber Policy, 3(1), 39-43.
OFCOM (2022). Media Nations: UK 2022. London.
O’Hagan, John and Jennings, Michael (2003). Public broadcasting in Europe: rationale, licence fee and other issues. Journal of Cultural Economics, 27(1), 31-56.
Poell, Thomas, Nieborg, David and Duffy, Brooke Erin (2022). Platforms and Cultural Production. London: Polity.
Psychogiopoulou, Evangelia (ed.) (2012). Understanding media policies: A European perspective. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Raats, Tim and Jensen, Pia Majbritt (2021). The Role of Public Service Media in Sustaining TV Drama in Small Markets. Television & New Media, 22(7), 835–855.
Ramsey, Philip (2018). Ireland: In search of reform for public service media funding. In: Herzog, Christian, Hilker, Heiko, Novy, Leonard, and Torun, Orkan (eds.) 2018. Transparency and Funding of Public Service Media – Die deutsche Debatte im internationalen Kontext. Wiesbaden: Springer VS. 77-90.
Ramsey, Philip and Herzog, Christian (2018). The End of the UK Television Licence Fee? Applying the German household broadcasting levy model to the UK. European Journal of Communication. 33(4), 430–444.
Riegel, Ralph (2024). ‘60 a day now face prosecution for not paying TV licence fee as rate soars in wake of RTÉ payments scandal’. Irish Independent [online], 29 January. Available at: https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/60-people-a-day-now-facing-prosecution-for-not-paying-tv-licence-as-rate-soars-in-wake-of-rte-payments-scandal/a1947876170.html [Accessed 3 April 2024].
Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ) (2023). ‘Statement by the RTÉ Board’, RTÉ Media Centre, 22 June. Available at https://about.rte.ie/2023/06/22/statement-by-the-rte-board-june-22-2023/ [Accessed April 2024].
Schlesinger, Philip (2020). After the post-public sphere. Media, Culture & Society, 42(7-8), 1545-1563.
Schweizer, Corrine and Puppis, Manuel (2018). PSM in the “networked” era: A comparison of remit, funding, and debates in 17 western Countries. In: Lowe, Gregory Ferrell, Van den Bulck, Hilde and Donders, Karen (eds.), 2018. PSM in the Networked Society. Gothenburg: Nordicom. 109-124
Steemers, Jeanette (2020). The Funding of Public Service Broadcasting in Europe – Funding Systems and Decriminalisation - Selected Territories Information Briefing. 30 March. Available at https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/ws/portalfiles/portal/127002082/4_Europe_Report_Licence_Fee_Criminalisation_copy.pdf [Accessed 4 June 2024].
Tambini, Damian (2015). Five theses on public media and digitization: from a 56-country study. International Journal of Communication, 9, 1400-1424.
The Future of Media Commission (FOMC) (2022). Report of the Future of Media Commission. Available at: https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/ccae8-report-of-the-future-of-media-commission/#:~:text=The%20Commission's%20report%2C%20which%20was,for%20transforming%20Ireland's%20media%20sector [Accessed 15 February, 2023].
TG4 (2022). Annual Report 2021. Galway.
Túñez-López, Miguel, Campos-Freire, Francisco, and Rodriguez-Castro, Marta (eds.) (2021). The Values of Public Service Media in the Internet Society. Cambridge: Palgrave Global Media Policy and Business.
Weeds, Helen (2016). Is The TV Licence fee fit for Purpose in the Digital Era? Economic Affairs, 36(1), 2-20.
Working Group on the Future Funding of PSB (2019). Final Report: Working Group on the Future Funding of PSB. Available at https://assets.gov.ie/128797/e9c95068-0fe4-4171-ac65-672eab2dab0e.pdf [Accessed 4 June 2024].
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Gillian Doyle
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Copyright of articles resides with the authors, but a condition of publication is that the work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License allows users to copy, use, or adapt the work, in any digital medium for any responsible purpose including commercial uses, subject to proper attribution of authorship. This does not automatically grant reproduction permissions for images and figures used in the work to other users and the Editorial Board accepts no responsibility for inappropriate or unlicensed reproduction.
Further information on Creative Commons and its principles of shared knowledge are available here: https://creativecommons.org/
