European council issues warning over PSBs

September 19, 2008 Public service broadcasters could face a consumer rebellion over the quality of their output as license fee-payers refuse to pay, a coalition of European media barons has warned. "Why should viewers in any country be required by law to pay for what they may not watch?" he said, foreseeing that future PSBs will be smaller and leaner, dedicated to high-quality programming funded mainly by sponsorship or subscription. EPC members include News Corp.'s James Murdoch, Lagardere Active chairman Didier Quillot as well as the heads of the U.K.'s Reed Elsevier, Sweden's Bonnier Group, Germany's Axel Springer and Gruner + Jahr and Finland's SanomaWSOY.

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