While YouTube offers opportunities for public service media organisations to reach younger audiences, it also raises concerns about revenue, visibility, platform dependency, and cultural impact. Noel Curran, the director general of the European Broadcasting Union says the key question for broadcasters is no longer whether to engage with YouTube but on what terms.
In an article on the EBU web site, the director general writes that the time when YouTube used to be seen as a marketing channel for broadcasters is over.
“Today, YouTube is not simply part of the online video ecosystem — it is part of the television ecosystem itself.”
“Recent research in the UK shows YouTube is the second most-watched media service, behind only the BBC itself.”
Maintaining a presence on YouTube is no longer about promotion. It is increasingly about public service delivery itself.
He writes that nearly all EBU members are not active on YouTube and two-thirds intend to expand their activity.
There is an argument that presence of YouTube can help fulfil the core remit of a public service media organisation.
At the same time, partnerships come at a commercial cost. The migration of both audiences and revenue towards global platforms raises serious sustainability questions.
There are also editorial implications. Trusted journalism competes with influencer commentary, political propaganda and foreign state-backed media.
It can also weaken the direct relationship between public service media and their audiences, potentially eroding shared cultural experiences.
Public service media, he suggests, must therefore strike a careful balance between working with global platforms to remain relevant and visible, while ensuring that this does not undermine the economic sustainability, editorial independence, or cultural mission that define their public value.