Public service media and public funding: A three-country study of willingness to pay versus perceived dispensability

Abstract

Recent public debates in several European countries have shown that public service medias’ (PSM) public funding has become a topic of controversial discussion. Based on an online survey in France, Germany, and the UK, this study analyses how the willingness to pay (WTP) versus perceived dispensability of PSM relates to various factors identified in the current literature. Across the three countries, most respondents doubt that PSM are dispensable. However, if they determine the sum of the licence fee themselves, it would clearly be a smaller amount than it is currently. Assessment of the overall information quality of PSM and the assumed state or government influence thereon, have a significant influence on the WTP for PSM versus the perceived dispensability thereof. Understanding the factors driving and hindering WTP versus perceived dispensability is crucial, providing insights relevant to understanding PSM and public funding.