Public media partnerships with streaming giants could be a model for making traditional TV sustainable

Public service broadcasters are embracing disruption and finding innovative ways forward

Globally, many PSBs are large cultural institutions that have played an outsized role in representing and reaching the public, and in shaping entertainment, news, education, and culture.⁴ Yet, they are also under threat from the same demographic and behavioral changes that have disrupted traditional, linear television.⁵

There are important differences, however, between commercial broadcasters and PSBs. PSBs typically have a mission to produce TV, movies, news, and documentaries that serve the public interest, regardless of their funding model. If domestic viewers aren’t tuning into their linear TV channels or streaming services, PSBs may fail to serve the public, intensifying the debate over whether they should keep their funding and preferred access to the audiences.

Dependent on citizens and governments for funding, yet chartered to fulfill a public mission, PSBs can often be underfunded but remain more committed to outreach and culture than to profits. This condition has enabled them to innovate more quickly and flexibly—and even more daringly—than their private counterparts whose risk tolerance is often anchored to profits and shareholders.

The following examples offer a model for other PSBs working to fulfill their mission in the modern media landscape, and for private traditional media companies that may be both blinded by the success of leading streamers and hesitant to wade into more innovative and disruptive opportunities. There may be some perils with the opportunities, too, if relationships with for-profit providers undermine the value and mission of public media.

Reaching younger viewers on YouTube: ARD and ZDF feel the funk

In 2016, German PSBs ARD and ZDF could already see where younger audiences were tuning in—and where they were tuning out. They launched “funk,” a bold digital-content initiative to connect with young viewers on their preferred turf—social media. Instead of posting full episodes or short clips of existing TV shows, funk’s studios create videos specifically for social platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok.⁶ Funk publishes dozens of original formats designed for digital natives, including snappy explainers, edgy comedy, and short documentaries. For example, a funk science explainer channel, maiLab, became popular by making chemistry and COVID-19 research accessible.

In 2026, nearly 41% of Germans under 30 now watch funk’s offerings at least weekly.⁷ Within a two-year period, funk content garnered roughly 2.2 billion views on YouTube and 173 million hours of viewing. As young viewers have moved to new platforms featuring short videos, funk has moved with them. TikTok and Instagram now contribute heavily to funk’s reach. In fact, in the past two years, funk content logged even more views on TikTok (around 2.3 billion) than on YouTube, reflecting the rise of bite-sized clips.

Connecting with young Germans where they are is important to ARD and ZDF’s public mission. By providing professional, publicly funded content in the same spaces dominated by influencers and algorithmic feeds, they offer an alternative to purely commercial social media.

The Canadian Broadcast Corporation’s YouTube U-turn

Until recently, the focus of Canada’s 90-year-old public broadcaster, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), had been on its own streaming app, CBC Gem. But in 2023, the CBC’s digital strategy team led an experiment: They uploaded full episodes and even entire seasons of older CBC shows onto YouTube, treating the platform as a new distribution channel.⁸ They adopted a “test-and-learn” approach, ready to pull content if it siphoned too many viewers from CBC’s own services. Far from eroding CBC Gem, YouTube became an additive platform—a marketing funnel drawing new, younger viewers to CBC content. Many viewers discovered shows on YouTube then sought out more episodes on CBC Gem, creating a virtuous “flywheel” effect.

The CBC now manages a portfolio of more than 50 YouTube channels, spanning news, comedy, children’s programming and more.⁹ Short clips like comedy sketches and viral news segments routinely rack up millions of views. The CBC News YouTube channel now boasts over 4.4 million subscribers and 2.6 billion total views.¹⁰ CBC also posts full 20-plus minute episodes of dramas, documentaries and kids’ shows that account for nearly half of all viewing time.¹¹ While quick clips drive clicks, it’s full-length shows that keep viewers engaged on the channel.

By the end of 2024, the CBC’s experiment on YouTube was gaining viewers. Total watch-time across its channels jumped by 65%, exceeding the 25% growth target the team had set.¹² YouTube has expanded CBC’s reach to demographics that traditional TV is challenged to reach effectively. The approach has enabled them to make their content work harder, give new life to back-catalog programming, and create new revenues.

French broadcasters leverage the biggest distributors

In July 2025, PSB France Télévisions struck an “historic distribution agreement” with Amazon’s Prime Video.¹³ Under the deal, Prime Video subscribers in France can access the live feeds of France Télévisions’ channels, and 20,000 titles from their on-demand catalog at no extra cost.¹⁴ The home screen of Prime Video now features a dedicated france.tv section showcasing the broadcaster’s content within Amazon’s interface.¹⁵ In effect, Amazon’s streaming service has become a new virtual cable operator carrying France’s public channels.

For France Télévisions, the benefit is greater visibility among younger, cord-cutting audiences. In a fragmented viewing landscape, being present on a popular streamer’s menu is a way to stay relevant.

Some European private broadcasters seem to agree. One notable example is France’s largest private broadcaster, TF1, which has signed a similar deal with Netflix. Starting in 2026, the partnership—the first of its kind for Netflix anywhere—will let French Netflix subscribers watch TF1’s live broadcasts without leaving the Netflix app. ¹⁶ The experiment underway in France will be watched closely by media executives across Europe. After all, if you can’t beat the biggest streamers, joining them may be the next best thing.

The BBC and Channel 4 find global success with streaming partners

Once upon a time, a BBC or Channel 4 logo on a show meant it was a wholly domestic affair, but today it may also be a collaboration with the likes of Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, or HBO Max.

By tapping streamers’ deep pockets, international distribution networks, and appetite for prestigious UK storytelling, co-productions allow PSBs to mount projects that would otherwise strain their finances.¹⁷As an industry trade group noted, third-party funding (through co-production deals, international pre-sales, tax credits, etc.) now supplies an estimated £400 million a year toward British PSB commissions.¹⁸ In effect, platforms such as Netflix or Amazon may foot a large share of the bill in exchange for rights to stream the finished show globally. The arrangement reduces risks for UK broadcasters and helps ensure that a national hit can reach far beyond dear old Blighty.

The BBC has pursued such alliances aggressively, especially for lavish drama series. His Dark Materials, a fantasy epic based on Philip Pullman’s novels, was a collaboration between the BBC and HBO that reportedly cost an estimated £50 million for its first series.¹⁹ HBO’s cash enabled the BBC to realize a truly cinematic vision—and in return HBO got a ready-made prestige show for the US market.²⁰ Even quintessentially British period pieces have benefited: The moody post-World War I crime drama Peaky Blinders was broadcast on the BBC in the UK with Netflix taking over international distribution, turning a parochial show into a worldwide hit. Similarly, Channel 4 has enjoyed other international successes partnering with global streamers.²¹

By collaborating with Netflix, Amazon, and others, the BBC and Channel 4 are ensuring that British public service content not only survives in the 21st-century mediascape, but thrives—liked, shared and binge-watched around the globe.²² Like Canada’s CBC, Channel 4 has also seen incremental growth across its offerings by publishing full episodes on YouTube.²³ In July 2025, Disney+ and UK broadcaster ITV announced a partnership to give each other’s audiences a “taster” of content. Under the deal, ITV’s streaming service (ITVX) will host a rotating selection of hit Disney+ titles, while Disney+ in the UK will in turn carry a curated slate of ITV’s popular shows. Both sides termed it a mutually beneficial experiment—and an indicator that the streaming wars are shifting toward strategic alliances.

Pitfalls and perils: What public broadcasters risk in these partnerships

Alliances with global platforms offer visibility and funding, but they also pose significant risks. If not carefully managed, partnerships can weaken broadcasters’ autonomy, dilute their brand, and undermine their public service mission. As PSBs tread into the terrain of big tech and big money, they should consider the risks:

• Loss of control and independence. When distribution and revenue flow through external platforms, PSBs risk becoming captive to algorithm changes or shifting corporate strategies. A single contract reversal could leave them without access to audiences or content rights. If a platform’s algorithm decides to demote a broadcaster’s videos, the PSB’s reach could decline overnight with little recourse.
• Erosion of direct audience ties. Audiences who consume PSB content on other services may stop visiting broadcasters’ own platforms, reducing brand visibility and access to valuable viewing data. For ad-supported PSBs, this also means reduced monetization potential.
• Editorial and mission risks. Chasing clicks, streamer funding, and global appeal can push public broadcasters away from their core remit. The temptation to tailor news or documentaries for algorithms or platform business goals may erode editorial independence and local cultural nuance.
• Editorial independence and national sovereignty concerns. Deals with foreign streaming giants have raised political eyebrows, prompted some producers and lawmakers to grumble about a US company gaining influence over a country’s public content.²⁴ Heavy reliance on external commercial funding could also weaken the case for license fee or taxpayer funding.
• Financial reliance and sustainability challenges. Heavy dependence on funding from streaming platforms creates a vulnerability if those platforms pivot or pull back. Public broadcasters risk building budgets on unstable ground, even for flagship shows.

While public broadcast services are innovating to keep up with changes in audience behaviors, engagement, and funding, they face new potential risks with streamer partnerships around control, identity, and sustainability. Public broadcasters are, to some extent, trading a measure of independence and direct reach for the short-term gains of money and audience. The gamble is that they can manage this trade-off—that they can ride the beast without being thrown off or subsumed by it.

To manage these trade-offs, public broadcasters should:

1. Protect branding and visibility. Ensure logos and attribution remain prominent on third-party platforms to sustain trust and recognition.
2. Secure data and proportional revenue sharing. Negotiate access to viewing stats and proportional compensation to retain leverage.
3. Form alliances. Engage in joint initiatives like the UK’s Freely that platform help PSBs stay competitive against global streamers.
4. Stay true to public-value content. Keep investing in local news, education, culture, and minority-language programming, even if they aren’t global hits.
5. Innovate with purpose. Use partnerships to learn from global platforms’ technology and apply those lessons to strengthen in-house digital offerings.

Lessons for young US streaming channels

For US media companies working to shift their declining linear TV offerings into competitive streaming services, UK and EU public broadcasters offer ways to be more flexible and innovative. While considering many of the above risks, the PSB journey offers a playbook for US streamers struggling against bigger competitors:

Embrace strategic partnerships to extend reach with legacy and niche content. Rather than cannibalizing viewership or eroding intellectual property (IP), partnering with the largest platforms can revive dormant audiences and bring the brand and IP to new audiences that would never have subscribed to a niche service.

Leverage prized content to anchor valuable partnerships that can expand visibility. Broadcasters have used their local content as a bargaining chip to gain global distribution.²⁵ Commercial studios can capitalize on prized IP to reach new subscribers. For example, ITV utilized Love Island (a local hit) to get The Bear on its platform; Disney leveraged The Mandalorian fandom to entice ITV viewers to Disney+. Commercial networks might also consider co-producing more frequently with global streamers, much as PSBs do.

Guard the brand and data—but be pragmatic. Like PSBs, commercial media companies are learning the need to maintain relevance by following audiences, the need to partner to achieve scale, and the importance of preserving one’s identity even while operating on someone else’s platform. As linear ratings and ad revenues decline—and many streaming services remain unprofitable—these partnerships may evolve from tactical experiments to core strategy. The experiences of PSBs show that, done right, alliances can be additive and financially savvy.

The bottom line: Key considerations for PSBs and US streamers

Far from being killed off by the streaming revolution and social video, many PSBs are reinventing themselves through it—by pushing content onto social platforms, by co-producing with the biggest streamers, by even letting streamers carry their channels. Done right, this could lead to a richer media ecosystem where public service content coexists with commercial content on every platform, thus injecting some local and ethical balance into global channels.

Although PSBs face significant challenges around fulfilling and defending their public mission in the face of for-profit partnerships, the innovative examples shown here apply equally to second-tier and niche US studios and streamers that are facing the same pressures to adapt. Streaming video has deconstructed and disrupted TV, and social video platforms are drawing audiences away from both TV and streaming services. The largest video distribution platforms continue to reshape and redefine TV. Public broadcasters and private media alike have little choice but to experiment and adapt.