The UK Government should look to other countries to learn what works, argue fellows of the British Academy in a new report
The British Academy report shows that, around the world, Public Service Media is crucial for audiences, creative industries and democracy
A new report brings together international evidence about what works for public service media to help inform decisions about the BBC’s future.
British Academy Fellows Professor Justin Lewis of Cardiff University and Professor Georgina Born OBE of University College London (UCL) convened colleagues internationally to examine Public Service Media (PSM) in eleven countries around the world.
Their report findings, they say, provide a strong evidence base from which to make decisions on the funding and governance of the BBC as it approaches its Royal Charter review in 2027.
They note that most countries with PSM have scrapped a licence fee as a funding model, favouring either a household levy (with exceptions for poorer households), as in Germany, or general taxation, favoured by the Scandinavians.
The evidence also shows that PSM play a key role in boosting creative economies, generating thriving independent and commercial activity, and providing both skills and innovation for sectoral growth. Countries with strong PSM create a stronger, more sustainable landscape for commercial activity.
They say the evidence also points overwhelmingly towards the need for a new institution – independent from government and party politics – to make long-term decisions on the BBC’s funding. Several countries have pursued this, with Germany’s KEF (Kommission zur Ermittlung des Finanzbedarfs) – an independent commission that assesses the funding requirements for public broadcasters – being one example.
Professor Justin Lewis, based at Cardiff University’s School of Journalism, Media and Culture, said:
“Our comparative study makes a strong case for a publicly-funded BBC as one of the world’s most trusted and popular public service media. Across Europe, North America and Australia, we find that trust and support are higher for PSM when the funding model is healthy and stable. When trust is strong, support largely crosses political lines.
“How decisions are made, and by whom, is another key factor in generating support for PSM. The current model means the BBC, built over 100 years, could be dismantled in one Parliament by one political party.
“Our evidence suggests that putting funding decisions, governance and key appointments in the hands of democratic but independent institutions and experts increases trust and support – as does creating genuine forms of citizen engagement.”
Professor Georgina Born of UCL added:
“Germany is one country that the UK Government could learn from – where decisions are made by a number of independent interconnected supervisory bodies set up to reflect different social interests. Accountability is baked in: the several Broadcasting Councils are composed in a pluralistic manner to reflect a wide range of socially relevant groups, thereby representing the public interest.”
The full report, Future of Public Service Media, is available to view here.
