Public-Service Broadcasting Online: Assessing Compliance with Regulatory Requirements

Online services of public-service broadcasters in Europe are disputed because they directly compete with online activities of private media. Discussions are similar, but regulatory responses differ. In Switzerland a charter clarifies the conditions for online activities of the public broadcaster (SRG). This paper assesses the SRG’s compliance with these requirements. It (1) develops an analytical approach for such assessment, conducts (2) a content analysis to show the structure and functioning of its websites, and (3) a link analysis to capture the intensity of electronic linking and the pattern of interconnection. The paper shows to which extent the SRG complies with regulations and raises questions of regulatory implications, e.g., whether there is need for rules clarification or regulatory intervention.

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