Managing the challenges of incorporating new digital technology in public broadcasting services in Brazil and Portugal

Abstract

Digital technology and the rise of innovative online communication services are defining a challenging context for communication medium managers in general and in particular for those who administer public broadcasting systems. This context has propelled these professionals to come up with and establish a set of actions for shaping strategies so that these institutions can produce, advertise and offer media content across new platforms, and thereby re-establish and renew their consumer ties with certain audience profiles. A scene which has been shaped by the ever increasing virtual media options available to users which has led public communication mediums to lose parts of their audience, a situation which, in special circumstances, could threaten the social legitimacy of this particular broadcaster, its actual commitment to its mission and relegate it to a less-important level in the eyes of its citizens. This paper analyzes the challenges public broadcasting services in Brazil and Portugal have incorporating new technology and making themselves visible to an online public.