MIGRAIN: Industries - Public service broadcast

 

Ofcom review of PSB in Britain

1) Look at page 3. Why is it a critical time for public service broadcasting? 

Due to audience viewing habits rapidly changing and the competition from the global content providers, the public service broadcasting is facing a critical time  

2) Read page 4. How has TV viewing changed in recent years? 

Live broadcast viewing has decreased, so audiences are only viewing the TV when they have time - so they view on demand. 

3) Still on page 4, what aspects of PSB do audiences value and enjoy? 

PSB audiences enjoy and value "high quality, original UK content including impartial news"  

4) Look at pages 4-5. Find and note down the statistics in this section on how much TV audiences tend to watch and how they watch it. 

During the five years the viewing for these programmes increased by 65% to 6.3 billion. These were viewed on demand services.

5) Read the section on page 5 discussing the importance of PSB. Again, find the statistics and explain the value of public service broadcasting in Britain.

Purposes and objectives of PSBs have remained important to audiences. They provide "32,000" hours of new content. This outweighs the availability of other services due to the PSBs content being all rounded rather than focusing on just entertainment.

6) Look at the section on commercial challenges. How have revenues fallen for PSB channels?

Revenues have dipped due to the increase in private broadcasters. People tend to stream rather than watch live TV, such as BBC, so due to the decreased popularity profits have dipped.

7) Read page 6. What services increasingly play a role in our media lives in the digital age? 

Commercial service broadcasters such as Sky and on-demand services such as Netflix.

Goldsmiths report on Public Service TV

1) What does the report state has changed in the UK television market in the last 20 years?

PSB channels have reduced market share over the years. Private streaming broadcasters such as Sky have become more dominant, as well as online streaming services and demand channels.

2) Look at page 4. What are the principles that the report suggests need to be embedded in regulation of public service broadcasting in future?

• Ofcom should continue to monitor private streaming services
• Ofcom should have a detailed audit on what channels should offer and ensure it is of high quality
• PSB content should be guaranteed
• Re-transmission fees

The principles of independence, universality, citizenship, quality and diversity need to be embedded into the regulation and funding of an emerging digital media landscape.

3) What does the report say about the BBC?

The BBC is the most important in television ecology. Due to the model of universality reinforcement, its credentials are under threat. The license fee is exposed due to the advance in technology and the way it is being consumed.

4) According to the report, how should the BBC be funded in future?

According to the report, the BBC should be funded by a tiered platform-neutral household fee, a supplement to Council Tax or a funding via general taxation.

5) What does the report say about Channel 4?

Channel 4 has a critical place in the public service ecology as it supports the independent production sector and airing content for their target audience. Their remit has fluctuated over time. They have cut some funding on programme spending. They have neglected the arts and has been critcised for not doing enough for the older children. They have been threatened to be privatised which would put their remit under threat.

6) How should Channel 4 operate in future?

They should not be privatised as they are a PSB so should be available to the public and be governed by the government. If they did become private, they wouldn't have many shows for a wide range of audiences.

7) Look at page 10 - new kids on the block. What does the report say about new digital content providers and their link to public service broadcasting?

That more PSB's are becoming more involved in producing digital content as the audiences are more engaged and involved in these ways of consuming media.

Final questions - YOUR opinion on public service broadcasting

1) Should the BBC retain its position as the UK’s public service broadcaster?

I think the BBC should retain its position as the UK's PSB as they are a channel which produce and distribute TV shows for everyone for all ages and for a long time they have maintained their remit and abided by it. They are a channel which puts on national events and brings the nation together. 

2) Is there a role for the BBC in the 21st century digital world?

In my opinion, I think there is a place for the BBC in the 21st centaury digital world. This is because they can put their shows on an on demand website (BBC IPlayer), they give the news - which is something everyone needs. They also show sports events which viewers of sports (large target audience) would watch.  

3) Should the BBC funding model (licence fee) change? How?

I think the BBC should still have the licence fee model, but the fee should decrease. This would still allow the BBC to still gain revenue and also make it easier for audiences to watch and view all the different TV channels.

MIGRAIN: Hesmondhalgh - The Cultural Industries

1) What does the term 'Cultural Industries' actually refer to?

The creation, production and the distribution of products of a cultural or artistic nature.

2) What does Hesmondhalgh identify regarding the societies in which the cultural industries are highly profitable?

As they are a very highbrow property, the cultural industries are very knowledge based, it requires a lot of people involved in the product, which creates employment and wealth.

3) Why do some media products offer ideologies that challenge capitalism or inequalities in society?

Companies in the cultural industry challenge these views as they need to compete with other companies to secure audience members, so compete to satisfy their audience's needs.

4) Look at page 2 of the factsheet. What are the problems that Hesmondhalgh identifies with regards to the cultural industries?

• It is a risky business
• Problems with Creativity vs Commerce
• The high production costs and the low reproduction costs
• Semi-public goods 

5) Why are so many cultural industries a 'risky business' for the companies involved?

As audiences use the cultural commodities in changeable and varied ways to express that they are unique. There is also limited supply but the need of creating something original and unique. It is a very profitable industry but is risky as there are difficulties and obstacles which could prevent you from reaching high levels.

6) What is your opinion on the creativity v commerce debate? Should the media be all about profit or are media products a form of artistic expression that play an important role in society?

I believe that all media should be balanced with profit and art as media products should reflect and have artistic qualities and should be sold for their aesthetics, however, in order for a company to be successful and produce more products they need to gain profit, therefore need to sell their products at reasonable prices.

7) How do cultural industry companies minimise their risks and maximise their profits? (Clue: your work on Industries - Ownership and control will help here) 

Companies will buy other companies (and become conglomerates) in their own field but in different levels, so production and distribution (vertical integration) and also buy companies in completely different fields of media (horizontal integration). This helps them further establish them in further media fields and get a larger target audience, which results in them maximising their profit.

8) Do you agree that the way the cultural industries operate reflects the inequalities and injustices of wider society? Should the content creators, the creative minds behind media products, be better rewarded for their work?

I agree that the cultural industries do reflect inequality as the producers/artists do not get fairly rewarded for all their hard work, whereas the distributors take most of the sum. I do believe that the distributers should get a bit of profit, but most should go to the producers.

9) Listen and read the transcript to the opening 9 minutes of the Freakonomics podcast - No Hollywood Ending for the Visual-Effects Industry. Why has the visual effects industry suffered despite the huge budgets for most Hollywood movies?

Visual effects require a lot of money to produce the effects, however, Hollywood doesn't pay the visual effects companies enough money to survive.

10) What is commodification? 

The process in which ideas, objects and people are transformed into objects for sale and monetary gain. 

11) Do you agree with the argument that while there are a huge number of media texts created, they fail to reflect the diversity of people or opinion in wider society?

I disagree as most media products produced reflect a wide range of opinions and diversity of different people. It also provides the target audience with what they want.

12) How does Hesmondhalgh suggest the cultural industries have changed? Identify the three most significant developments and explain why you think they are the most important.

• Work has become more organised and professional in manner
• Employ more staff directly
• New technologies development

This has helped them gain new economic importance, becoming part of national economies and global business.