Public Television in the Digital Era

Public Television in the Digital Era defines the mission and role of Public Television (PTV) broadcasters in Europe, outlines the interrelated political, economic, social, cultural, legal and technological factors influencing their development, and looks at the strategies employed by different PTV broadcasters to adapt to the new era. In doing so it examines the state pf public television in a range of European countries (Britain, France, Spain, Ireland, Sweden and Greece) with a comparative approach across the countries monitored. Each national case study provides a picture of the general characteristics of the television market and the regulatory framework. It then reports on the dilemmas that national PTV broadcasters face in the era of digital convergence, as well as the initiatives and strategies that are developing to face competitive pressures arising from new technologies, organisational reform and programming policy/scheduling. The close observation of these strategies helps identifying the prospects and future role of public TV in Europe.