The Ex Ante Test as a Sign of the Evolution of the European Commission Decision Making in the Field of Public Service Media

Abstract

Public Service Broadcasting (PSB) was born and shaped within the national boundaries of each European country. However, as the audiovisual market started to become more transnational and interconnected, the European Union began to play a role in the regulation of such public service. During the past two decades, the main issue concerning European public service broadcasting policy was -and still is- how to regulate the expansion of PSB towards new media. This transition was mostly regulated through the decision-making of the European Commission regarding the State aid granted to PSB by their respective Member States. This paper depicts the evolution of the European Commission’s approach to the regulation of PSB, taking the ex ante test for the inclusion of new media services within the public service remit as a sign of the turn towards a new paradigm in media policy where the market perspective prevails over the public interest approach.