THE Fiji Broadcasting Corporation no longer holds an exclusive position in delivering Government-funded public service broadcasting, with the model now opened to competing media organisations.
Ministry for Information permanent secretary Eseta Nadakuitavuki said the decision followed a fundamental change in how Fijians accessed information.
“For many years, FBC was the Government’s sole partner for public service broadcasting, producing and transmitting radio and television programs considered to be in the public interest,” he said
However, Ms Nadakuitavuki said the media environment had changed significantly, with commercial broadcasters, newspapers, digital platforms and social media developing their own audiences.
“Our audiences were becoming increasingly fragmented across different platforms.
“While the public service broadcasting arrangement remained concentrated with one particular provider.
“If the objective is public reach, then our partnership model also has to follow the audience.”
While speaking at the 8th Pacific Media Summit, she said the Government opened the public service broadcasting round to other media organisations in 2024 through a competitive process.
“By 2025, commercial television and radio operators were participating alongside FBC.
“The scheme was broadened this year to include Fiji’s two major newspapers, The Fiji Sun and The Fiji Times.
She said the change was not about replacing FBC but ensuring public information could reach people through the platforms they actually used.
“The Government does not need to own the platform or work with only one platform to deliver a public service message.”
She said different media organisations reached different communities, languages and audiences, which should be viewed as a strength.
