The European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) sets out the best practices to ensure the independence of Public Service Media providers (PSMs), though it is toothless.
PSMs play a unique democracy-sustaining role in the digital age by providing the population with balanced news coverage, thus combatting misinformation.
The UK’s BBC is the blueprint for the EMFA and the comparison with Czechia and France demonstrates how political forces challenge independence.
Advertising is in a structural shift due to AI and the video boom. AI tools are growing the reach and capabilities of smaller advertisers, fuelling robust demand.
WPP must challenge Publicis’s dominance in 2026 and show it is positioned to benefit from AI even as Omnicom and IPG combine to create a new global behemoth.
Amazon is taking the fight to adtech by strengthening its connected TV and retail media positions. Adtech is building partnerships and becoming more end-to-end in response.
At the International Broadcasting Convention (IBC) 2025, vendors and broadcasters showcased plenty of incremental improvements to production using AI—but the show also previewed significant future disruption to traditional production methods.
Distribution is a focus for innovation: Formula 1 demonstrates a compelling personalised product and delivery that takes superfans beyond what can be offered in a single broadcast.
Broadcasters are adapting to a rapidly changing technical landscape at a time of increased pressure on audience trust and the geopolitical climate.
The PSBs’ ability to fulfil their public service objectives is becoming compromised by declining TV audiences, mainly due to the rise of online platforms and the decline in funding levels.
Part of the solution lies in collaboration between the PSBs themselves, potentially through shared tech stacks across players.
Collaboration with third-party online platforms is also required. The Media Act is introducing prominence requirements for connected TVs, but extending this regulatory regime to video-sharing and AI platforms needs much more developed thought to clearly articulate its aims and begin to iron out its practical challenges.
Although original programming is now cutting through—a validation of expansion in output—licensed content remains the backbone of Prime Video’s offering, c.80% of all viewing since March 2024.
Viewership of UK originals fluctuates significantly with reliance on standout titles, whereas US content, including high-volume dramas, maintains a steady audience.
Football coverage has been a draw for viewers: the Premier League, now lost, brought in older, male audiences. After an underwhelming initial phase of the last Champions League, Prime Video’s top pick of fixtures proved beneficial in the knockout round.
Revenue growth in mature markets is now price-driven and therefore lumpier. While the US leans on bundling, European scale requires wholesale distribution with pay-TV incumbents. Fledgling streamer to streamer/PSB deals are more of a distribution nudge than a step towards the US model.
Profit momentum is real but fragile: H2 content/sports ramps will test margins; the Versant/Discovery Global carve-outs are about protecting multiples while ring-fencing legacy decline.
Engagement is the key battleground: live sport is increasingly important although streamers remain reticent on rights spending. While sport boosts acquisition and ad reach, ROI hinges on price discipline and shoulder programming. Europe remains a tougher nut to crack.
Prime Video UK viewing has increased by 30% year-on-year. Although this growth is from a smaller base than its main rivals, it now matches Disney+ in total engagement.
Viewing behaviour now reflects a service that is more than just an add-on: those who use it alongside Netflix do so for its breadth, particularly in film, whilst non-Netflix viewers are drawn to its major UK hits and football coverage.
Supplementing consistent viewing to football and scripted box sets, its ability to attract mass audiences to its hit original shows now rivals some broadcasters.
As Ligue 1 seeks yet another broadcast arrangement for next season, the French league’s value is expected to erode further.
Outside the UK, the value of major leagues’ live rights are trending downwards. The Champions League—now sold by Relevent—is the silver lining, seeking to sign up a streamer.
Global streaming platforms have a growing appetite for sports rights—but European leagues need patience.
Industrial scale theft of video services, especially live sport, is in the ascendance. Combating piracy is a formidable challenge, providing a direct threat to profitability for broadcasters and streamers.
Big tech is both friend and foe in solving the piracy problem. Conflicting incentives harm consumer safety by providing easy discovery of illegal pirated services, and reduced friction through low-cost hardware such as the Amazon Firestick.
Over twenty years since launch, the DRM solutions provided by Google and Microsoft are in steep decline. A complete overhaul of the technology architecture, licensing, and support model is needed. Lack of engagement with content owners indicates this a low priority.
The French league and DAZN have come to an agreement to end their media rights contract after one season, with the league now having had four main broadcast partners in five years.
DAZN claims the league failed to protect its ‘exclusivity’, resulting in high piracy. Ligue 1 blames poor execution.
Without a main broadcast partner for next season, Ligue 1 is exploring the idea of creating its own direct-to-consumer service.