Old rivals become new frenemies

In the face of swingeing competition from the global streamers, European broadcasters are fighting back. Specifically, they are starting to put to one side long-held rivalries with the goal of creating scale. They are also leaning into their local broadcasting know-how as a point of differentiation versus the global streamers.

Indeed, unprecedented collaborations among broadcasters are emerging on several fronts, from the joint commissioning of programming, to the launch of collaborative distribution platforms. Commercial broadcasters across Europe are also creating transnational advertising alliances to help them compete more effectively with digital advertising giants Google and Facebook. At the same time, broadcasters are re-prioritising “local-ness” in a bid to differentiate themselves from the global streamers like Netflix and Amazon.

It’s a veritable trifecta of fight-back tactics, but it is one not without vulnerabilities or risks. European broadcasters are betting that working together can position them to stand up against the deep pockets and global reach of tech powerhouses, but the counter-view is that the broadcaster fight back is too little, too late.

Deep-pocketed global players will be tough to compete against, especially as traditional media companies…