LONDON – The man who runs the platforms through which British viewers have traditionally watched linear TV is hoping Santa Claus will gift regulation that would secure channels’ prominence on smart TV devices.
The UK’s Freeview and Freesat platforms are the traditional main electronic program guides (EPGs) for the UK’s digital terrestrial and digital satellite TV viewing. But, these days, alternative digital platforms have become the more typical access point.
A Media Bill currently being scrutinised by parliament would place an obligation on commercial platforms to grant public service broadcasters (PSBs) “prominence” in their own home screen environments. Jonathan Thompson, CEO for Digital UK, the organisation which runs Freeview and Freesat, says he is hoping the bill can come to fruition soon.
Platform challenge
Historically, UK PSBs have been guaranteed the first few linear EPG slots. Along with preferred access to broadcast spectrum, that has been the historic sweetener offered to the broadcasters in return for their being compelled to provide “public service” content. In a post-EPG world, however, that guarantee is at risk, leaving the broadcasters’ prominence in the new environments subject to negotiation with global electronics makers.
Thompson acknowledges that negotiations with electronics makers to secure favourable screen space “can be challenging”, even though UK PSB providers are important additions to their offerings, he told me in this video interview at Beet.TV’s London event in December.
“I think what all of those big tech platforms recognise is, to sell and launch a device in the UK to a viewer who’s going to use it, you need to have all the public service broadcasting, both live and on demand – and that’s what we bring.”
Thompson’s Digital UK is jointly owned by four of the UK’s seven PSBs. Each of those, of course, has created their own individual viewing apps and services. Whilst Freeview, too, has its own app, Freeview Play, the historic singular access point of broadcasting has broken down; Freeview has not retained its gate-keeping role in the streaming era.
Regulatory intervention
The UK government in May 2022 tabled a Media Bill that, amongst other things, would secure “prominence” for UK PSBs in the new commercial smart TV environments. It would:
“Update the “prominence” rules so that viewers can easily find public service channels on online TV platforms (eg smart TVs, pay TV services, streaming sticks and set top boxes).”
Under the plan, UK communications regulator Ofcom would develop and maintain prominence guidance, and would have powers to impose financial penalties for “non-compliance” on platforms that do not include PSB providers prominently.
Digital UK’s Thompson says: “It creates a the underlying sort of regulatory framework on which those negotiations can take place with a bit more clarity from government of what is expected as a good outcome.
“So my hope is the regulation will set out the kind of desired outcomes for the UK and then it will be up for organisations like myself to then negotiate against those goals with those big tech players.
“I hate to rely on regulatory interventions because, ultimately, I’m a believer in markets – market players should solve problems.
“But I think you do need a regulatory act to set frameworks and parameters that you can work within that allows all the players to work effectively in securing those goals.
“We would like a very clear forward-looking regulatory framework (with) which we can then all operate effectively and deliver on behalf of viewers.”
Evolve the platform
Thompson isn’t only waiting for the Media Bill to be implemented into law. Digital UK has long tried to offer its own streaming options, though Freeview Play, though has arguably been challenged by the emergence of YouView as a parallel IPTV offering.
“We are thinking about how we evolve Freeview as a platform … as a hybrid platform where the IP distribution plays a bigger part,” Digital UK’s Thompson told me.
“What we are trying to do is think about how, through aggregating public service broadcasting content in the UK, we can present that content into a third-party environment – whether it’s a Google TV or an Amazon Fire TV or a Samsung TV – and, as far as possible, integrate our aggregated offering into their user experience in a way that is as seamless as possible.”
Grow through free
Where Freeview and its UK PSBs may remain strong, however, is in benefitting from the challenges to subscription content.
Digital UK’s Thompson says the SVOD market is “very oversupplied”: “Economic reality is hitting a little bit. I think, over the next two or three years, the big growth opportunity is actually in the emergence of AVOD FAST channels, the reinvention of live as an experience on these smart devices.”
The majority of UK PSBs are advertising-funded, with ITV’s efforts to grow a paid access model having come as a response to the 2009 advertising collapse and having found limited success.
“I actually am more positive probably about the growth opportunities and AVOD-monetized content,” Thompson adds.
You’re watching “Looking Ahead: TV in Europe 2025” a Beet.TV Leadership Summit presented by Magnite & Publica, in partnership with egta. All videos were filmed on-site at our event at London’s Soho Hotel. For more videos from this series, please visit this page.
