Public service media are “the largest newsroom in Europe”.

A report from the European Broadcasting Union (EBU/EBU) shows that public media invest more than €5.5 billion a year in the production of news and current affairs.

A new report from the European Broadcasting Union (EBU/EBU) demonstrates the importance of news for public service media, with public companies across Europe investing more than 5.5 billion euros per year in the production of news and current affairs, and which directly employ more than 40,000 journalists.

Figures produced for public service and news also show that on public television channels, news is the most prominent genre with more than 400,000 hours of programming annually, equivalent to six hours daily and 26% of all cumulative hours of television programming.

In the radio, there are more than 500,000 hours of news and current affairs per year, equivalent to seven hours of programming per day, equivalent to one-fifth of all radio time on public media.

In addition, public media have developed complementary offers of online news, with 95% operating dedicated news websites and 58% providing news applications. This investment specifically targets the needs and habits of young audiences, with online news services for children offered by 41% of media and for young people by 34%.

Overall, news accounts for 28% of programming spending, and investment continues to grow: 29 public organizations in 25 markets showed a 1.6% increase in news programming spending between 2018 and 2019.

The trust in news from public broadcasters increases in times of crisis, as audiences seek accurate and verifiable information. In March 2020, public broadcasters responded by offering additional and expanded news bulletins on the Coronavirus, as well as programs dedicated to current affairs and talk shows.

In the same time period, the daily audience share of PSM's evening news bulletins increased by 20% compared to the same period last year. For young people, the increase was even more significant with an impressive +44% daily participation for 15-24 year olds.

David Fernandez Quijada, Jefe del Servicio de Inteligencia de Medios de la UER, asegura que “estas nuevas cifras demuestran que los medios públicos constituyes la mayor sala de redacción de Europa en términos de programación de noticias dedicadas y del número de periodistas empleados. Su impacto especialmente en el contexto de COVID-19 es crucial, ya que hemos visto un aumento de la demanda de la audiencia de información confiable, precisa y verificada. Estas cifras en sí mismas constituyen un sólido argumento a favor de la legitimidad de los medios de comunicación de servicio público y su valioso papel como elemento crucial para fomentar la ciudadanía política y cultural”.

This report is based primarily on the results of the Media Intelligence Survey, a unique annual collection of data and insights from public service media across the EBU area, conducted by the EBU Media Intelligence Service.