JOURNAL

Public Service TV in the Age of Subscription Video on Demand: Shifting Audience Expectations in the UK during COVID-19

Catherine Johnson and Lauren Dempsey | Media, Culture and Society
2023

During the Covid lockdowns in the UK, television viewing surged, driven primarily by a doubling in the number of hours people spent watching subscription video on demand (SVOD) services like Netflix and Amazon Prime. If anything, lockdown appeared to catalyse the adoption of SVODs.

This paper, based on empirical research, examines how these changing behaviours might alter the cultural meanings people attach to television, and what this fast-changing dynamic may mean for public service broadcasters.