EXCLUSIVE: Delphine Ernotte Cunci has a singular view of Europe’s TV scene as each the President of the European Broadcasting Union and CEO of French pubcaster large France Télévisions.
The EBU is an alliance of Europe’s pubcasters. It collectively handles rights negotiations for occasions together with the Olympics, runs the Eurovision Track Contest, and lobbies on behalf of members with Europe’s prime politicians. It additionally gathers its membership to chew over all the pieces from tech and AI to funding questions.
Deadline managed to get a while in Ernotte Cunci’s diary for an unique interview. Forward of giving a keynote (together with her France Télévisions hat on) at Collection Mania, she supplied a candid tackle European TV. The EBU chief addressed all the pieces, from the facility of the streamers to the function of the EBU when considered one of its quantity, Ukraine, is at conflict, and why unbiased media is a cornerstone of democracy.
As a facet word, the EBU prefers the extra fashionable ‘public service media’ (PSM) wording to the oft-used ‘public service broadcasting’ to seize the actual fact its members do extra than simply TV.
DEADLINE: How does the function of public service media change throughout occasions of disaster and uncertainty?
Ernotte Cunci: Our function is a very powerful in occasions of disaster. Uncertainty is clearly there [at the moment] and we don’t know what’s going to occur tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. I believe our mission is to face by our communities, our folks. At the moment, we now have a robust hyperlink with our viewers.
As an example, in France, each week, 80% of the inhabitants involves see us on linear TV or on our platform. We’re right here for leisure, we’re right here for information, we’re right here for all the pieces in folks’s every day life. This hyperlink is our important asset in these very difficult occasions. We have to stand by the folks by offering unbiased and trusted information and doing investigative journalism. We do it in France, we’re the one one to have an incredible investigative group that’s unbiased from each kind of outdoor strain.
DEADLINE: It appears the strain on public broadcasters – whether or not that’s political or monetary, or a mixture of each – is larger than ever?
Ernotte Cunci: We’ve got the CEO of Ukrainian Public TV within the EBU. We all know they want cash for weapons, and even with a rustic at conflict, Zelensky didn’t resolve to chop prices for public TV. However you’re proper. Within the East, it’s extra about political pressures on PSM. In our Western nations, it’s extra funding pressures.
DEADLINE: The EBU prime brass was in Brussels final week. Are you managing to persuade politicians of the necessity for public service media?
Ernotte Cunci: We took the chance to see some commissioners and a few Members of the European Parliament. One in every of my important messages was about help for unbiased public media as a result of independence is a situation for belief.
Unbiased public media isn’t just a query of cultural sovereignty, it’s not a query of soppy energy. No, it’s a query of nationwide safety. It’s a query of energy.
We see that Elon Musk is the one who decides half of the [agenda], so we shouldn’t be naive and assume that media is only for leisure. No, communication in a battle is simply as key as [real] weapons.
DEADLINE: Europe’s public service broadcasters had been usually constructed on radio and/or linear TV, however the world has moved on. How can they continue to be related?
Ernotte Cunci: In France, our first ‘channel’ is our platform. It’s not the linear.
The one technique to hold that hyperlink to all people is to distribute content material on numerous channels and platforms. After all, we now have the linear channel, and it’s nonetheless crucial at present, but it surely’s going to lower, and the lower shall be fairly quick to be sincere.
DEADLINE: In a world of linked TVs with their very own widgets and apps and numerous digital program guides, will public service media get misplaced within the myriad decisions.
Ernotte Cunci: In a enterprise the place the all the facility and the dimensions is within the U.S. and Asia, the one technique to stability that energy is regulation. The European Union has carried out its job and the foundations are there. The query at present is are we going to use the foundations?
DEADLINE: Are you involved AI providers are studying fashions are being constructed utilizing PSM content material?
Ernotte Cunci: AI is each a chance and a risk. First, we have to arrange requirements higher. The primary query is can we wish to feed the AI [machine] with no reward for the work? The reply is not any. Will we wish to feed the AI with no accuracy on the finish of it and no relation to the sources from our manufacturers? The reply is not any. We’re asking for correct reward and recognition of our manufacturers. We’re asking for the sources to be quoted.
DEADLINE: Big quantities are invested in programming throughout Europe, however funding is below strain. Is authentic European content material going through a funding disaster?
Ernotte Cunci: I believe at present, the funding is nice, however I’m undecided the pattern is sweet. The likes of Netflix and Disney received’t enhance their funding as a result of now they should search for profitability. There was massive progress these final years, and concurrently that, the cash invested in public media has been decreasing, and it’s exhausting time for [commercially-funded traditional] media. I believe the general quantity invested in Europe on content material shouldn’t be going to develop. However from my perspective, public media shouldn’t lower its funding in content material, as a result of it’s key. Content material, know-how, and distribution would be the three important phrases for us sooner or later if we wish to hold that very robust hyperlink with our communities.
DEADLINE: Drama specifically has turn out to be costly to the purpose the place even the most important broadcasters are struggling to finance massive initiatives. What’s the reply?
Ernotte Cunci: We’ve got methods to deal with it. The primary one is to make alliances amongst ourselves in Europe, and France Télévisions did so with ZDF and others [through the European Alliance group] and we’re commissioning very high-value dramas. The second method is to make agreements with Netflix [and streamers]. We will discover agreements with them and share the rewards. We’re not doing the precisely the identical job, as a result of we’re free whereas they aren’t. There are loads of higher ways in which the entire folks investing in fiction can cooperate.
DEADLINE: Is a levy on the worldwide streamers to help the manufacturing of native content material a workable answer?
Ernotte Cunci: In the event that they spend money on drama regionally, I’m in favor of that. In France, as an example, they’re dedicated to speculate and it’s an incredible factor. I don’t really feel that Netflix and Disney are our important rivals. I believe they’re actors in a really aggressive sector they usually have their very own points although. There at the moment are many SVOD platforms they usually may even see some constraints with focus sooner or later. The profitability of these platforms shouldn’t be really easy to attain, so there’s loads of room for cooperation.
After all, they’re very robust and highly effective, however not as highly effective as one other kind of media, the social media platforms.
DEADLINE: Let’s discuss social media. How can PSM embrace social whereas additionally mitigating in opposition to the threats it presents?
Ernotte Cunci: We should be on YouTube, we should be on TikTok, we should be on Instagram. There’s no query about utilizing and being on these social media platforms. However the reality is social media can be a technique to distribute pretend information, to assist international and dangerous influences, so it’s additionally actively selling polarization in our society.
I believe we received’t be as dominant as we had been 30 years in the past, however we see the distinction at present the place belief ranges in public media are very excessive. It’s very poor in social media.
DEADLINE: What’s your hope for the way forward for Europe’s public service media providers?
Ernotte Cunci: My important concern is continuous to be a reference level sooner or later. Perhaps the viewers as a complete will lower, but when folks bear in mind: ‘Okay, I learn this on X and that on Insta, however what’s France Télévisions saying about that occasion?’ after which they arrive and verify with us, I believe we’re in the correct place.
DEADLINE: Eurovision is an efficient instance of Europe’s public service media coming collectively, how will you harness and develop that, beginning this 12 months in Basel, Switzerland?
Ernotte Cunci: The motto of Eurovision is ‘united by music,’ and we should be united. We’ve got discussions on how can to develop the model as a result of it’s big and it’s constructive.
The 2025 venue in Basel is super. We’ve got a brand new Director of Eurovision, Martin Inexperienced, and he’s including lots to what has been carried out within the earlier years.
