Younger audiences in focus at ABU-Rai Days 2025

A major theme in the two keynote addresses at this year's ABU-Rai Days event was the need for public media organisations to listen to the voices and needs of younger audiences if they are to remain relevant in future. Jean Phillip De Tender, Deputy Director General and Media Director of the European Broadcasting Union, spoke about the fierce competition public media organisations face in reaching and engaging children amidst many other media platforms. He then highlighted European audience trends showing younger viewers disengaging from linear TV and stressed that if public media fails to win the hearts and minds of children today, it risks losing them in the future. He also pointed to examples from EBS - animation, NHK - programming for younger audiences and ABC - children's audio as models worth examining.

Ms Maya Götz, Head of the International Central Institute for Youth and Educational Television (IZI), Bayerischer Rundfunk, Germany and Managing Director of Prix Jeunesse International, spoke about how media shapes the inner world of children from a very young age. She illustrated this by showing two videos of children in different situations and asking attendees to react. She then presented contrasting responses from children around the world to the same videos, demonstrating the different ways children perceive media.

Ms Maya emphasised that public broadcasters are crucial in engaging children, but also stressed the importance of listening to the types of media children want and giving them a voice.