Public sector broadcasters must embrace new platforms if they are to continue to reach their audiences, but the standard of content must be sustained, the Minister for Communications has said.

Speaking at the annual European Broadcasting Union Conference in Brussels yesterday, Pat Rabbitte said that much of extant European and national media law is already open to question in light of the changed media landscape.

“For example, if a broadcaster reaches a sizeable contingent of its audience through the written word on a webpage, or through audiovisual content streamed to mobile devices, is it still entirely appropriate to call it a mere broadcaster?”

He said that while the recent publication by the European Commission of a green paper on Converged Media was an important engagement with the new converged media environment, the move away from a linear broadcast model has posed a challenge to the Audio Visual Media Services Directive, the key piece of EU legislation governing the sector.

“I believe that we need to take a wider view than merely seeking to shore up and modernise the AVMSD. The issues we are dealing with now are wider and deeper than those that Directive was framed to deal with.”

Online media was no longer a "new" media form, the Minister said. "Many broadcasters have had websites for nearly 20 years, and have been providing broadcast content online for at least 10," pointing out that some countries, including Ireland, have obliged their public sector broadcaster to engage actively online.

He added that it no longer made sense to make a distinction between print, online and television advertising markets in a converged media environment.

More than 500 programme-makers, content producers and industry experts are attending the four-day summit in Brussels organised by the European Broadcasting Union, which represents public service media organisations in more than 50 countries.

Underlining the importance of the BBC’s public service remit, James Heath, Controller of Policy and Regulation at the broadcaster said that the BBC had to embrace convergence and innovation in order to continue to fulfil its public service role.

The “relevance and reach of the BBC” was crucial to its ability to deliver social and economic impact, he said. “Although the mission of the BBC is timeless, what we do and how do it has to constantly change.”

While the demand for mobile data was growing, this did not simply indicate a need for more spectrum, he said, as the vast majority of people consume mobile data on second screens in the home, using WiFi.