Public Service Media and Platformization

This part of the SRP research project aims to develop in-depth knowledge on how an increasingly algorithmized media industry compels European Public Service Media (PSM) to alter their operational and value-related strategies. During a time period of 4 years, we will scrutinize how PSM’s part in the media value chain is affected and what that means for the company, the content and the end-user.

A first phase of the research focuses on the organizational side of PSM. More specifically, we concentrate on the case of Flemish public broadcaster VRT and how they are operationalizing a digital and user-first approach in their digital audio strategy. Complementary analysis of the decision-making behind this organizational shift will be key to developing a thorough understanding of what it means for a public legacy media player to adapt to the ever-changing industry it operates in.

In later stages of the project, our focus will shift towards what said transition implies for PSM on the levels of content production, distribution and the societal core values imbued. This part of the research will also broaden our scope geographically by including scrutiny of other European PSM organizations and how their methods compare to one another. Examinations of audience perspectives will conclude our research journey and provide us with indispensable insights on the topic.

Through this research programme we aim to consolidate our understandings on algorithm-driven media operations and media-economics and media policy oriented PSM-research, not only serve the academic community, but also to provide small market PSM-organizations with tools to better understand and integrate algorithms, and assist policymakers in developing ways of regulating and measuring the impact of algorithms on media output and audience reach.