The BBC's Digital-only Transition Opportunities and Challenges in a Public Service Context
Journal: Modern Economics & Management Forum DOI: 10.32629/memf.v6i4.4256
Abstract
Based on the backdrop of rapidly evolving digital technologies, this paper explores the opportunities and challenges encountered by the BBC as it transforms its digital platforms, a transformation driven by a combination of technological developments and changes in viewer behaviour that will allow the BBC to maintain its leadership position in the new media age. Through a literature review, this paper will not only point out the positive impacts of the digital transformation process on user engagement, operational cost efficiency and sustainability, but also discuss the negative impacts of the change in terms of widening the digital divide and being threatened by the algorithms of third-party platforms. Ultimately, it will be argued that success in the process of innovative transformation depends on its ability to be inclusive, transparent and resolutely defend its core principles of public service. This paper will inform the digital transformation of other broadcasters with public media properties and demonstrate the diverse changes in content distribution in the digital process.
Keywords
digital development; media transformation; BBC
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[4]Grainge, P. and Johnson, C. (2018) ‘From catch-up TV to online TV: digital broadcasting and the case of BBC iPlayer’, Screen, 59(1), pp. 21–40.
[5]Ross, B. (2013) ‘Online Content - 2012 - A Big Year for the BBC’, in Delivering London 2012: ICT implementation and operations. London: Institution of Engineering and Technology, pp. 65–67.
[6]Medina-Laverón, M. and Ojer-Goñi, T. (2011) ‘The Transformation of Public TV Companies into Digital Services at the BBC and RTVE’, Comunicar, 18(36), pp. 87–94.
[7]Thorsen, E. (2013) ‘Routinisation of audience participation: BBC news online, citizenship and democratic debate’, in C. Carter, L. Steiner and L. McLaughlin (eds.) The Media, Political Participation and Empowerment. Abingdon: Routledge, pp. 132–145.
[8]Clark, B.R., Grivcova, K., Proutskova, P. and Walker, D.M. (2023) ‘PersonalisedRecommendations for the BBC iPlayer: Initial approach and current challenges’, Proceedings of the 17th ACM Conference on Recommender Systems. New York, NY: ACM, pp. 551–553.
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[12]Michalis, M. (2012) ‘Balancing public and private interests in online media: the case of BBC Digital Curriculum’, Media, Culture & Society, 34(8), pp. 944–960.
[13]Freedman, D. and Goblot, V. (2018) A Future for Public Service Television. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
[14]Sutherland, B. (2007) ‘The BBC and its web 2.0 partners’, Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Digital Interactive Media in Entertainment and Arts. New York, NY: ACM, pp. 14–19.
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