The internet will not destroy TV

Sportsfile | Getty Images

Sky chief executive Jeremy Darroch at a conference in Dublin, Ireland in 2015

“America simply does not have our rich historic tapestry to tap into and, while U.S. drama formats set the benchmark for quality, they cannot compete for diversity and cultural resonance,” he said, according to an online transcript of his speech.

The rush for eyeballs between online movie and TV streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon and traditional content-makers continues apace, with Disney set to remove its movies from Netflix and launch its own streaming service in 2019 and Amazon Prime on track to be in half of U.S. households by the end of 2017.

Darroch added that the mixture of public and commercial broadcasters in Europe meant the region is able to compete with U.S. shows.

“Much of the debate about the future of Europe’s audio-visual industry has been colored by a fear that the internet will destroy our business models. I hope I have convinced you that is not happening,” he said.