Public Service Broadcasters in the Video On Demand Age

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Years ago we could choose between watching SRF, TSR, France Télévision, RSI and other channels. We had just five channels to choose from but we had them available for free. Today those channels are still available but because we live in modern buildings with no external TV aerials we are stuck relying on Swisscom, Sunrise, Orange, and other telecom providers.

You might think "But with a TV box we get access to all these channels, and we do, but we’re made to pay for content that should be available for free. RTS is available for free in Switzerland, but France télévision and other channels are not. Most of the time I don’t mind. It’s during the Tour De France that I want access to France 3 and France 2 because these are the channels I like to watch the Tour De France on.

I’m writing about this today because of the OFCOM article in the Guardian. They want Netflix, YouTube and other platforms to be forced to make Public Service Media available via these platforms. ARTE, RTS, and others do, to some degree. If they have the rights then they make content available. In the case of ARTE content is available for a limited period.

The Flipside

I would argue in the other directin. I would argue for European Broadcasting and Public Service Broadcasters to ensure a Europe wide streaming platform that provides Europeans with access to European content. France Télévision has a geoblocked platform, RTS has a geoblocked platform. The BBC has a geoblocked platform. This week the BBC is making BBC Sounds unavailable to brits living internationally.

Even ARTE geoblocks certain content within the EU. Some documentaries about photographers are available in France but not Switzerland, Spain or Holland. Within the EU content is geo-blocked.

The Absurdity

It is absurd for OFCOM to request that PSB content be made more prominant on US platforms, instead of fighting for EU platforms to make their content available within the EU. It doesn’t make sense to request that US based streaming services make European content available.

I do not want to rely on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and other US products. I want either self-hosted solutions that are compatible with the Fediverse, or EU based solutions that are more open about sharing content, at least within the EU.

iPlayer and BBC Sounds

The very week that the BBC makes BBC sounds unavailable in Europe it asks for more of its content to be on YouTube. Quite often, in the past I have wanted to access iPlayer content but been unable to due to geo-blocking. It seems paradoxical that after geo-blocking content that is available for free, via satellite, across Europe, they ask for YouTube, that is a monopolistic position to strengthen its monopoly by having more national content.

I would be accessing that content, and I would be part of the viewership if it was as simple as in the days of satellite broadcasting.

Free to Air But Not on Demand

For content to be available on demand you need to pay 20-30 CHF per month in Switzerland for content that is available for free, that is available for free via satellite or DVB-T and DVB-S. With old houses cable was standard. In modern houses cable and fibre internet are common, but not Free to Air television. We are subject to telecom providers for video content, or national broadcaster streaming websites.

YouTube Specific content

I noticed that there is a call for YouTube specific content and this worries me. YouTube specific content is usually written and formatted for clickbaitese, and awful to watch. When I was paying for YouTube Premium and watching a lot of YouTube content I eventually realised that YouTube content is designed for the lowest common denominator, but not with quality in mind, but the opposite.

The more I followed algorithm recommendations the more awful content became. If the BBC, Channel Four and ITV generate content for YouTube then that content will be awful to watch.

When you study film, television, and media studies you are encouraged not to make cliché content, or kitschy content. You are encouraged not to make tabloid trash. On YouTube all of the rules and conventions for good content are forgotten and you end up with drivel.

Some would argue that by having the BBC, ITV and Channel Four producing content for YouTube it will present viewers with high quality content. I hope that is the case.

Recently I noticed that Grand Design episodes are available in full, as are Time Team episodes. I appreciate this.

And Finally

Last night I was watching a South Korean programme on Netflix. I have watched plenty of episodes of Rita, a danish programme. I would welcome seeing more BBC productions on Netflix because I feel Netflix is the right place for series and long form content.

My views of YouTube are less favourable. Whilst I love seeing Mythbusters, Grand Designs, ARTE documentaries, RTS content and more on YouTube I feel that it makes more sense to use broadcaster platforms, rather than the monopolist platform. YouTube is too dominant. It makes sense to entice us away from YouTube, rather than give us another reason to use that site.

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