ABSTRACT
This chapter examines how Europe’s commercial television sector has responded to the disruptive rise of digitalisation and global streaming services. The convergence of ad-skipping technologies, delayed viewing, and the shift of advertising to digital platforms eroded the traditional pillars of linear broadcasting—audience concentration, scheduling control, and advertising revenue. In response, European broadcasters have pursued four interlinked strategies: diversification of revenue streams, developing online portals, scale through concentration and collaboration, and advocating for regulation. These efforts combine defensive and innovative impulses, from developing hybrid video-on-demand models and data-driven advertising to building multi-platform ecosystems and pursuing cross-border mergers. European examples illustrate a fragmented landscape of experimentation shaped by both market pressures and regulatory interventions. Despite renewed digital ambitions, commercial broadcasters remain structurally fragile, constrained by declining ad revenues and global competition, as they seek sustainability and cultural relevance within an increasingly platform-dominated media environment.
