General-television programming in Europe (UE5): Public versus commercial channels

Technological convergence has affected the media context of generalist television, modifying access and the consumption of content. The design of the scheduling of the general-interest linear television is a key element in understanding the policies that the operators follow when offering genres and formats, and in observing the similarities and differences between public and private ownership. This article analyses the television schedules of 25 generalist channels, public and commercial, operating in Germany, Spain, France, Italy and the United Kingdom. Some of the findings of this investigation show a) little diversity of genres, b) that the editorial policy of public broadcasters clearly differentiates them from private ones by prioritizing informational offerings, national fiction, and documentary info-shows, and c) strategic differences of genres by ownership in each country.