The Future of International Coverage

“In a public system, television producers acquire money to make programmes. In a commercial system they make programmes to acquire money.”
Decline and Fall of Public Service Broadcasting
Michael Tracey

The Public Service Broadcasting system has long been the source for the in depth international coverage that we see in the UK. As this system faces massive changes over the coming years it is fair to wonder what will happen to this coverage.

How will broadcasters react to increased financial and structural pressures? As TV channels become more obsessed with revenue streams and less with the actual content of their shows what will happen to international coverage?

International shows are expensive to make due to their many costs and traditionally have low viewing totals. A recent two part special for Panorama by Paul Kenyon on African migrants was watched by an average of 2.6 million viewers. This was considered to be a successful total, but now compare it to X-factor, which averaged 15.5 million viewers last season.

X-Factor: averaged 15.5 Million viewers last season

And let’s be honest for many of these broadcasters…it’s all about the money.

Whereas some commercial channels like Channel 4 will no doubt continue to produce excellent shows; many others may simply take the easy route and produce cheap but popular reality TV.

Without Public Service Broadcasting we will be reliant on channels fueled solely by advertising revenue. Leaving us with endless repeats of such shows as It’s a Simple Life, The Jersey Shore and Temptation Island.

Apart from News Services, who will be left inform us about the rest of world? Are we to be wholly reliant on citizen journalists using Twitter and YouTube? Where will the in-depth coverage come from?