Public service media in the online arena

Abstract

Introduction. Public Service Media (PSM) in Europe have had to adapt to new scenarios where the Internet is the main platform to inform, communicate and disseminate content to their audiences. Objectives and methodology. We examined websites of Public Service Media organisations in Europe, taking into account the following parameters: positioning, engagement, origin of the audience and device for access. Results. In most cases, time spent by users on sites is limited, the bounce rate is high, users are national and the most frequently used access devices to web contents are mobile. Discussion and conclusions. In some cases, results show that websites belonging to European public broadcasters are not meeting users’ expectations. It is key that operators consider developing more efficient online services when designing their business strategies, as this will inevitably result in greater and better usage of their websites by users.