Keynote speech delivered by Jean Philip De Tender, Deputy Director General/Director of Media, EBU, at the annual ABU-Rai Days conference, in Naples, on 12 June 2025.

Buongiorno a tutti,

It’s a great pleasure to be back here in Napoli among colleagues, friends, and this city’s unique atmosphere. 

For reasons that will become clear, I feel like Naples’ mix of tradition, resilience, and transformation tallies with what I’m here to talk about. 

Before I get into that, I want first to thank our colleagues from the ABU, represented by Nargiza Numanova and Andrew Davies, for making the long trip to be here. 

I’d also like to say ‘ciao’ to Simona Agnes, who sits on Rai’s board of directors and the EBU’s Executive Board, and who’s with us today. 

And lastly, a special word of thanks must go to our host, Simona Martorelli, for her unwavering commitment to international dialogue and public service media cooperation. Grazie, Simona, for your leadership and your dedication to our shared mission. 

And thank you for bringing ABU Rai Days back to this wonderful city.

Our theme today is the future.

Not in the abstract, or in PowerPoint slides or theoretical models. But in the most tangible form possible – children and young people.

They are a major part of our audience, but they’re also shaping and influencing media as creators, curators, critics and as activists.

They have opinions and they have platforms. And they don’t need permission to use them. 

And in that transformation lies a strategic question that public service media need to answer:

Are we building relevance for the next generation, or just hoping that somehow they’ll find us? 

Because hope is not a strategy. And if we’re serious about our future, we have to earn our place in theirs. 

Let’s not sugar-coat it: the competition is fierce and unforgiving. Global platforms have built entire ecosystems dedicated to young users. Their algorithms are optimised to grab their attention from early childhood. Their whole business model depends on it.

They have the advantages of speed, scale and very deep pockets.

But what do we have?

• We have public purpose.
• Editorial independence.
• Generations of earned trust.
• And, crucially, we have a mandate to serve, not sell.

But that’s not enough, unless we act. 

This is – without question – an existential challenge for public service media. If we don’t win the hearts and minds of kids, teens, and young adults today, we risk fading into irrelevance tomorrow. But that outcome isn't inevitable.

Because if we meet the moment with creativity, collaboration and courage, if we put young people at the forefront of our thinking, we won’t just survive. We’ll lead.

At the EBU, we’re tracking this challenge closely.

Our Media Intelligence Service monitors how our Members are engaging with younger audiences: what’s working, where we’re falling short, and how trends are evolving.

And some of what we’re seeing is deeply concerning:

• Linear viewing among teenagers is dropping off a cliff.
• Engagement with traditional brands is declining.
• Trust in institutions is being eroded.

But there’s also reason for encouragement:

Public service media across Europe and beyond are investing in youth-specific, mobile-first, digital platforms.

They’re creating content with young people, not just for them.

Our own EBU Kids News Group, led by Mehdi Khelfat at RTBF, is a great example. 

They’ve pioneered youth news formats like Les Niouzz, and TikTok-native explainers that meet young audiences where they are and on their terms.

Across the ABU membership we see some really inspiring work:

• ABC Australia’s Kids Listen and digital series like Reef School are reinventing preschool education.
• RRI Indonesia’s Dunia Anak is blending play and learning into an award-winning family staple.
• EBS Korea’s animation programming, like Tish Tash, carries cultural values with universal appeal.
• NHK Japan’s long-running PythagoraSwitch shows how curiosity and logic can still capture children’s imaginations.

These aren’t relics from a bygone era. They’re living proof that relevance is achievable when we act with purpose.

But to befriend the audience, we must first get to know them.

Generation Alpha, born between 2010 and 2024, and hot on their heels is Generation Beta, starting this year.

They’re the first 100% digital natives. They were born into connectivity.

Voice assistants, on-demand content, AI recommendations – this is the air they breathe.

But what’s really interesting is that Gen Alpha is also emotionally very aware. 

They’re socially conscious, fluent in visual language, and instinctively attuned to issues of fairness, identity, and belonging.

They’re growing up in an age of enormous complexity, of climate anxiety, misinformation, and geopolitical chaos. 

But they’re also resourceful and hungry for media they can trust.

Which is where we come in.

We have an opportunity to build direct, durable relationships with them, through age-appropriate, relevant, engaging content and services. 

If we wait until they’re 18 to start that process, it’s too late.

It has to begin in the preschool years, and continue through primary school, adolescence, and early adulthood.

As we sow the seeds for future audiences, we’re also nurturing meaningful, lifelong relationships. 

But why does all this big talk matter?

Because it’s not just about market share and the fight for eyes and ears.

•    It’s about democracy.
•    It’s about inclusion.
•    It’s about citizenship.

When we produce meaningful, age-appropriate content for young people, we help them navigate the world. To interrogate it. To understand it. And to participate in it.

An 11-year-old who learns to spot misinformation today is a 21-year-old who challenges conspiracy theories tomorrow.

A boy who sees himself represented on screen now grows up knowing he belongs, and motivated to take part in civic life.

A teenage girl who finds a trusted podcast about mental health or discrimination can carry those lessons into leadership.

In other words, we’re not just making content – we’re tutoring tomorrow’s citizenry.

But if we fail to show up for those formative years, we’ll lose the next generation’s trust, and our relevance with it.

So let me share some examples of what our Members are doing to make sure that doesn’t happen: 

• Rai’s commitment to younger audiences is deep-rooted. Rai Gulp and Rai Yoyo offer trusted, ad-free programming for children, and both have made major inroads into the digital space. The RaiPlay Yoyo app is tailored for preschoolers, with intuitive, safe, and rich educational content.
• The BBC’s ‘Own It’ app gives kids a safe space to navigate digital life, blending tech and wellbeing in a very BBC way. It’s useful, dignified, and caring.
• ZDF and ARD’s ‘funk’ platform is radically youth-centric. It’s for 14–29-year-olds, on YouTube and Instagram, and tackles everything from gender identity to climate action.
• SVT Barn, in Sweden, and France Télévisions’ ‘Okoo’ brand are rethinking discoverability by using clever metadata, playful design, and content designed to grow with each child.

These aren’t side projects. They’re strategic pillars.

Far from just migrating content onto digital, they’re reimagining it based on how young people live, think, feel, and learn.

It’s not about cutting corners. It’s about cutting through.

That’s what public service media is at its best: clever, dependable, and fearlessly creative

And that’s what we have to be in a world of evolving challenges and lightning-fast technology. 

We’ve got AI, deepfakes, algorithmic rabbit holes, disinformation, and echo chambers. 

These phenomena are shaping young people’s view of the world, and of themselves.

And that’s why – for PSM – digital literacy is now mission critical.

Someone has to equip young people to navigate this world critically and intelligently.

And if not us, then who?

If our job is to inform, educate, and entertain, then media literacy must be a cornerstone of what we do.

Who better to help a 10-year-old understand that a viral video isn’t real? Or why an AI-generated image can be dangerously misleading?

Public service media has the credibility and the duty to contextualise technology, not just deploy it.

That’s why we’re seeing STEM programming flourish, such as:

• The BBC’s ‘Operation Ouch!’ science show, which demystifies the human body for kids in a fun, fact-based way.
• ‘ZDFtivi logo!’, Germany’s daily news for children often incorporates science explainers.
• And ‘Behind the News’ from ABC Australia, which features STEM stories contextualised for school-aged audiences.

Let’s be clear: AI is changing the media landscape. But it will never replace public service values.

The question is: will we shape the future, or chase it from behind?

Engaging young audiences isn’t a marketing trick. It’s not about being cool or viral.

It’s about fulfilling our mandate to serve everyone in society, including the youngest.

It’s about investing financially, editorially, culturally, and ethically.

It’s about listening closely to what young people want, fear, hope, and need.

And it’s about inviting them in. Not just as viewers and listeners, but as co-authors of our collective future.

If public service media are to remain essential, then our commitment to children, teenagers, and young adults must be concrete, constant, and conspicuous.

I’ll leave you with this thought. 

I see the public service media mission as a promise. 

It’s a promise to be there – not just for the most monetizable audiences, but for the most impressionable.

• We promise to stand by the curious, the confused, and the creative.
• To help them make sense of a fluid, tumultuous world.
• To offer something more meaningful and life-affirming than algorithms.

For the young people who are just beginning to make sense of the world, it’s a promise we cannot break. 

Let’s ensure the next generation knows our voice. 

But more importantly, let’s make sure they find their own voice in the future media, mindsets and society we build together. 

Thank you.