From Broadcasters to Platforms: The Quiet Transformation of the Media

In less than ten years, media companies have radically transformed their business model

• TF1 with TF1+,

• France Télévisions with france.tv,

• RTL Group with RTL+,

• dpg Media with Videoland (RTL Belgium and RTL Nederland)

• ProSiebenSat.1 with Joyn,

• Mediaset (MediaForEurope, new shareholder of ProSiebenSat.1) with Mediaset Infinity,

• ITV with ITVX,

• Peacock for NBCUniversal (Comcast)

Faced with the streaming giants, European media companies no longer have just a digital strategy. They have a strategy for industrial survival.

They have all followed the same path: transitioning from broadcasters to media platforms.

This transformation changes everything because a broadcaster has an audience, but a platform has:

• user accounts

• first-party data

• identified user journeys

• frequency of use

• a direct relationship.

In other words: the media have gradually built what it took technology platforms twenty years to create: defined communities.

A transformation driven by changing media habits

This transformation of media companies cannot be explained solely by technology. It is primarily the result of a profound shift in consumer habits.

Media consumption has become fragmented:

• Today, most people consume news on smartphones or tablets, far more than in print. Access to information has become mobile, instant, and personalized.

• Television is following a similar trajectory, with usage patterns that vary significantly across generations.

This shift is particularly evident among younger generations (especially Gen Z), for whom linear television has all but disappeared from their daily routines. YouTube, TikTok, Netflix, and Prime Video are now their natural gateways to video content. In the United Kingdom, fewer than 48% of 16- to 24-year-olds still watch linear television each week, down from 76% in 2018, according to Ofcom. At the same time, video and social media platforms are becoming their primary gateway:

• Gen Z spends more time on social media and video platforms than on traditional television

• Nearly 38% of young people say they no longer watch live TV at all

• and they spend an average of 26% less time watching TV than the average consumer.

But this shift isn’t limited to young people. Adults themselves have fundamentally changed their behavior: their media consumption has become more selective, more fragmented, and more intentional, with a steady increase in online news consumption relative to traditional media. We are transitioning from one consumption model to another:

• less passive viewing

• more on-demand consumption

• more selective choices

• fragmented attention spans.

In other words: the flow-based approach is gradually giving way to a selection-based approach

The gradual decline of high-profile media events

Pendant des décennies, les médias reposaient sur des moments collectifs :

• the 8 p.m. news, or the 6 p.m. or 7 p.m. news, depending on the country

• major entertainment shows

• prime-time blockbusters.

These meetings helped focus attention.

Today, those moments still exist, but they are becoming rarer and more special:

• major sporting events

• major elections

• finales of popular TV shows

• special events.

Apart from these highlights, attention has become scattered. The dominant model is no longer that of simultaneous mass broadcasting; it is now one of individualized consumption.

A direct consequence: the media must rebuild a relationship

Faced with this fragmentation, media groups have had to rethink their strategy. Because when audiences become volatile, simply broadcasting content is no longer enough: a connection must be reestablished. This is precisely what proprietary platforms enable:

• user accounts

• personalized settings

• notifications

• recommendations

• direct interaction.

In other words, media platforms have become a way to rebuild a relationship that had been weakened by the fragmentation of media consumption. They are less a technological innovation than a structural response to the fragmentation of attention.

A profound transformation of their business model, just as the one affecting their parent companies' revenues

Television isn't going away. It's simply no longer the focal point of media consumption.

The true hidden asset of media platforms: their communities

Media companies have built platforms not just to distribute their content, but also to build a direct relationship with their users

Because behind BVoD and SVoD platforms lies an asset that is still largely underestimated: their communities.

• Millions of logged-in users.

• Verified accounts.

• Identified user behaviors.

• High usage frequency.

• A direct relationship.

In other words: the media now have an asset that tech platforms took twenty years to build: established communities.

An asset that remains underutilized

Today, these users are primarily used for:

• view content

• receive ads

• generate recommendations.

But much less so at:

• participate

• contribute

• build trust

• evaluate experiences.

However, the platform economy shows that value no longer comes solely from attention. It also comes from participation.

What tech platforms figured out before the media

• Google has incorporated ratings into the development of both its B2B and B2C products

• Amazon has built its credibility on customer reviews

• Apple on user ratings

• TripAdvisor on contributions from travelers and restaurant patrons

In any case, a common thread emerges: users are not just an audience; they are the foundation of trust.

A strategic issue for the media

Perhaps the question is no longer: How do we attract new audiences? But rather: How do we effectively engage the audiences we already have?

Because tomorrow, differentiation might come not only from content, not only from interfaces... but from the communities themselves.

Once media outlets have rebuilt their relationship with audiences through these platforms, their next challenge could be to foster that relationship.

A transformation that is also reshaping the advertising landscape

If media outlets become platforms, advertising cannot continue to be organized according to the old broadcast model.

Historically, media advertising was based on a simple principle:

• build an audience

• spread a message

• measure reach.

But in a platform-driven environment, this dynamic is changing. Media outlets are no longer merely attention-grabbers; they are becoming relational environments.

And this fundamentally changes the very nature of advertising.

From Broadcasting to Relationship-Building

In the traditional model, advertising was an interruption. In the platform model, it becomes a potential interaction.

Because when users are identified, logged in, and engaged in a proprietary environment, new features become possible:

• direct interactions

• user feedback

• measurable engagement

• evidence of experience.

In other words: advertising can shift from a focus on exposure to a focus on building relationships.

From Attention to Trust

For a long time, attention was the scarce resource in the media industry. Today, attention is fragmented.

The new rarity is: trust.

In an environment saturated with messages, credible signals are becoming a more effective differentiator than advertising impressions.

And these signals are coming more and more from the users themselves.

The potential role of the media in this new equation

In this context, media companies have a unique advantage. They combine :

• credible editorial environments

• engaged communities

• premium advertisers

• a direct connection with audiences.

In other words: all the building blocks needed to shift advertising toward more relationship-based and credible models.

In the emerging media economy, attention remains essential. But trust could become the deciding factor.

The Next Frontier: Turning the Audience into a Trusted Infrastructure

While media companies started out by producing content and then moved on to building platforms, the next step could be even more transformative: turning their communities into strategic assets.

Because in the digital economy, value no longer comes solely from:

• content

• technology

• or even audiences.

It stems from the ability to build trust.

Technology platforms have recognized this and have structured their ecosystems around user contributions.

Today, the media have a different advantage:

• credible editorial environments

• targeted audiences

• direct relationships

• and identified communities.

In other words: the conditions are in place. All that remains is to figure out how to use them.

A question that has now become central to the industry

In this new environment, the question might become: Who will be able to turn their users into truly active communities?

Because tomorrow, competitive advantage may no longer come solely from:

• content

• interfaces

• or data.

But the ability to build trust in a fragmented environment.

Gaining attention was the first battle. The interface was the second. Trust could be the third.

In the emerging media economy, attention is obviously still essential. But trust could become the deciding factor.