Can public service broadcasters compete with streaming services?

On Tuesday 2 April, the House of Lords Communications Committee will question academic experts as part of its inquiry investigating whether there is a future for public service broadcasting in the context of the rising popularity of video on demand services.

In the week following Apple’s announcement that it will develop its own streaming service, the Committee will examine how such services are shaping the market for TV and TV-like content and what place there will be for public service broadcasters in the future.

The Committee will also consider whether the current framework for regulating broadcast and on demand services is appropriate and if the UK can learn from the responses of other countries.

The evidence session will begin at 3:30pm in Committee Room 2 of the House of Lords. The Committee will hear from:

• Professor Patrick Barwise, Emeritus Professor of Management and Marketing, London Business School
• Professor Petros Iosifidis, Professor of Media Policy, City, University of London
• Professor Jeanette Steemers, Professor of Culture, Media and Creative Industries, King’s College London

Topics the Committee are likely to cover include:

• Whether the business models of commercial public service broadcasters are at risk
• Whether public service broadcasters’ obligations and privileges are still appropriate
• The viability of the new Britbox service
• The changing viewing habits of younger generations
• Increases in the cost of producing high-quality programmes.