Future-proofing the UK’s Public Service Media: Lessons from a comparative analysis of seven media markets

Public service media across the world have consistently faced different forms of societal and technological transformation. However, the rise of global platforms has brought new challenges threatening the legitimacy of public service media and impacting broadcasters. In this context, we present results from research conducted during the first year of PSM-AP, a large-scale comparative research project analysing Public Service Media in the Age of Platforms. Our aim was to understand the impact of platforms and platformisation on current media policy through conducting analysis of media laws, broadcast contracts and licences, annual reports, and current policy debates. This brief presents core findings of our analysis of media policy in the UK and proposes recommendations for better supporting UK public service media in the platform age.