This announcement from PBS raised a lot of questions about why PBS even needs to talk with services like PlayStation Vue and Sling TV. With PBS being publicly funded, shouldn’t they just be made free for all services even streaming services?
So, why is PBS in talks with streaming services? Only 14% of PBS’s funding comes from the federal government. According to PBS, 27% of their funding comes from distribution deals with companies like Comcast and Charter.
Here is how PBS is funded:
- Memberships 29%
- Distribution 27%
- Underwriting 20%
- CPB & Federal 14%
- Non-Fed Grants 7%
- Other 4%
It is also important to remember that PBS’s money is controlled by a private company called the Corporation For Public Broadcasting. According to PBS’s website, it is “a private, nonprofit corporation created by Congress in the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967.”
Because PBS is a private company that gets most of its funding from non-federal funds, they need to negotiate the same way ABC or FOX does. PBS needs the money from pay-TV providers to stay afloat.
From these numbers, it is easy to see why as cord cutting grows PBS is moving to find new funding options by partnering with cord cutting services like YouTube TV.
Did you know we have a YouTube Channel? Every week we have a live Cord Cutting Q&A, and weekly Cord Cutting recap shows exclusively on our YouTube Channel!
Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter for more news, tips, and reviews. Need cord cutting tech support? Join our Cord Cutting Tech Support Facebook Group for help.