Analysis of co-creation models in public service mediadesign, implementation, and impact

Zusammenfassung

Participation in public service media (PSM) is a tool that has different uses. On the one hand, participation can enhance the reputation and marketing objectives of public brands. On the other hand, it can be an element that helps to strengthen social and democratic values. Co-creation, one of the most advanced forms of media participation, is based on collaborative, creative, and productive processes. However, co-creation can be understood as a form of non-professional participation (OECD, 2012) or as a partnership with media professionals that are closer to the production processes of PSM (EBU, 2020). Although both models put interaction as a central element to achieve social impact and leverage the capabilities of the audience or the business community to generate added value to the PSM’s offer, the way PSM’s design, implement and measure their co-creation processes and its impact presents challenges in the new digital scenario where the traditional role of public media is under threat. In this research, the co-creation models of Belgium’s PSM are studied. It analyzes and compares the experiences of RTBF, the French-speaking public media, and of VRT, its Flemish counterpart, through in-depth interviews with innovation, partnership, research, and content professionals from both organizations. The study reveals that, between these two models of co-creation, there is a wide range of design, production and distribution practices that have impact on content creation, on reaching audiences, and on connecting with the social, economic, and cultural environment in which the role of PSM is key