Ofcom sets out six recommendations for PSM reform
The Office of Communications (Ofcom) has published recommendations for strengthening Public Service Media (PSM) following its December 2024 assessment of Public Service Broadcasters (PSBs). However, the report highlights that the rapidly evolving UK media landscape, dominated by global tech platforms offering hyper-personalised content, is reshaping how audiences discover and consume media, thereby presenting significant challenges. Ofcom's six-point plan addresses content prominence on platforms like YouTube, sustainable funding mechanisms, TV distribution infrastructure, PSB partnerships, media literacy, and regulatory modernisation. The recommendations follow Ofcom's statutory five-year review which concluded that PSBs—including BBC, ITV, channel 4, channel 5, STV and S4C—had fulfilled their broadcasting purposes during 2019–2023.