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Regulation News

Misinformation and responsible screen use during the COVID-19 crisis: Catalan CAC launches awareness campaign
posted on 22 April, 2020   (public)
How to encourage a responsible use of media in times of lockdown? An initiative from the Catalan audiovisual authority Most of European countries are experiencing lockdown restrictions, increasing the exposure of citizens to media and also to misinformation. In response, as...
Ofcom publishes research on audience expectations in a digital world
posted on 15 April, 2020   (public)
While people feel more responsible for choosing what they watch, they  expect regulation to focus on harmful content and the protection of minors This qualitative study, conducted by Ipsos MORI on behalf of UK regulator Ofcom, aims to understand how audience expectations...
Covid-19: overview of key initiatives at European level
posted on 14 April, 2020   (public)
Mapping of key developments, reminding about fundamental rights… As crisis threatens to jeopardize media sustainability, European institutions highlight vital role of media (News item updated on 12 May 2020 with information on ERGA) In times of crises, the media are...
Covid-19 crisis: AAAVMS (MK) grants financial aid to broadcasters to cope
posted on 08 April, 2020   (public)
Financial help from the regulator to ensure the primary role and obligations of broadcasters towards the public in times of crisis Bearing in mind the negative impact of the Coronavirus pandemic on all areas, here also including the audiovisual industry, the Agency for Audio...
Key take-aways of CoE study on Supporting Quality Journalism through Media and Information Literacy
posted on 07 April, 2020   (public)
Mapping of 68 MIL initiatives reveals  mismatch between projects and needs On 23 March 2020, the Council of Europe published a study on 'Supporting quality journalism through media and information literacy' authored by media literacy experts Martina Chapman and...
French CSA reports on online sports market and consumption
posted on 02 April, 2020   (public)
While the online sport offer does not yet jeopardize traditional TV broadcasters, the current environment provides a fertile ground for expansion On 31 March 2020, the CSA and the HADOPI (the Haute Autorité pour la Diffusion des Œuvres et la Protection des droits...
‘Think positive’: the initiative of the Belgian CSA in times of lockdown
posted on 30 March, 2020   (public)
Emphasising the best initiatives of the media and cultural industry to brighten up citizens’ daily life Since 18 March 2020, Belgium, like many other European countries, experiences lockdown, a situation which might generate anxiety, stress and create difficulties...
COVID-19 Crisis and PSM: EBU-MIS publishes overview of audience performance and best practices
posted on 25 March, 2020   (public)
The more dramatic the crisis becomes, the more citizens turn to PSM On 23 March 2020, the Media Intelligence Service, the research branch of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), published an overview of the impact of coronavirus COVID-19 disease on the audience of Public...
AI-driven tools in the media: Council of Europe issues background paper ahead of ministerial conference
posted on 20 March, 2020   (public)
'The goal should be to use the affordance of new technologies to create optimal conditions for […] freedom of expression to flourish'. On 3 March 2020, the Council of Europe published a background paper ahead of the Ministerial Conference 'Artificial...
Covid-19: EBU facilitates PSM Taskforce to exchange and check information
posted on 16 March, 2020   (public)
Sharing information to serve European audiences better At the initiative of France Télévisions, the French public  broadcaster, and facilitated by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), an e-mail group gathering about 20 news desks of major PSBs in Europe,...
Fighting against information disorder: French CSA unveils monitoring work plan
posted on 16 March, 2020   (public)
A Project Team, an Expert Committee and requesting data from online platforms: this is how the French CSA is dealing with its new tasks regarding information disorder on online platforms The Law on the fight against information disorder (LOI n° 2018-1202 du 22...
Artificial Intelligence: Summary of Observatory workshop on AI in the audiovisual industry
posted on 10 March, 2020   (public)
On 17 December 2019, the European Audiovisual Observatory (EAO) held a workshop on Artificial Intelligence in the audiovisual industry, aiming at discussing the opportunities and challenges raised in this sector and especially in the journalistic and film fields. A...
Small Screen: Big Debate – Ofcom’s review of PSB for a sustainable future
posted on 09 March, 2020   (public)
A new and interactive approach in order to initiate an open and wide-ranging debate on the future of public service broadcasting in the UK On 27 February 2020, UK regulator Ofcom published a review of the public service broadcasting* (PSB) over a five-year period...
Hate speech online: Belgian CSA calls for new legal duties concerning social networks and online platforms
posted on 05 March, 2020   (public)
Guidance note recommends extended scope of competence and increased accountability of online platforms and social networks Building on the trend observed in several European countries, such as Germany and France, the Conseil supérieur de l'audiovisuel de...
Due Impartiality: UK Regulator fines Baltic Media Alliance Limited £20,000
posted on 25 February, 2020   (public)
According to Ofcom, NTV Mir Baltic failed to remain duly impartial, resulting in serious and repeated breaches of the Broadcasting Code On 17 February 2020, Ofcom published its sanctions decision imposed on Baltic Media Alliance Limited in relation to material...
Finland: a new national media education policy
posted on 20 February, 2020   (public)
A comprehensive, high-quality and systematic media education, targeting all groups of people: this is the objective of the Finnish national media education policy, published on 16 December 2019 This new policy updates extends the media literacy guidelines published in...
Media Literacy: High-level expert conference in Zagreb (Croatia)
posted on 19 February, 2020   (public)
High-level expert conference "Media literacy in an ever-changing world: Integrate. Gather. Empower." to be held in Zagreb  from 31 March to 1 April 2020 The conference will be jointly organised by the European Commission, the Croatian Ministry of Culture...
Ofcom (UK): Dame Melanie Dawes appointed as Chief Executive
posted on 13 February, 2020   (public)
The appointment of Melanie Dawes by the Board of Ofcom has been approved by the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport As from early March 2020, Melanie Dawes will be the new Chief Executive of Ofcom, succeeding Sharon White and Jonathan Oxley (the current...
Data protection and children: ICO released final version of the Age Appropriate Design Code
posted on 30 January, 2020   (public)
Ambitious standards at the core of a risk-based approach to take into account the best interests of the child On 21 January 2020, the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has released its final version of the Age Appropriate Design Code which...
Refusal to investigate hate speech comments: ECHR condemns Lithuania
posted on 20 January, 2020   (public)
The European Court of Human Rights held that the discriminatory attitude of the Lithuanian justice authorities deprived the applicants of their right to an effective remedy   The facts: In 2014, two young men posted on Facebook a photograph of them kissing.  The...
Blocking access to content previously declared unlawful: a new obligation for online platforms?
posted on 15 January, 2020   (public)
The well-established principle of host providers' limited liability is in the hot seat As enshrined in the Directive on Electronic Commerce of the European Parliament and of the Council of 8 June 2000, the host service provider cannot be liable for the content stored...
Measuring the impact of YouTube's recommendation algorithm on information diversity and pluralism: French CSA publishes empirical study (available in French and English)
posted on 03 December, 2019   (public)
YouTube's algorithm appears to rely more on keywords attached to a video than on its success Do video-sharing platforms offer a pluralistic information space for citizens? This is the question that the French Conseil supérieur de l'audiovisuel (CSA) raised in a...
Independence of NRAs - New Observatory Study
posted on 18 November, 2019   (public)
IRIS Special emphasises ongoing quest for a ‘culture of independence’ On 10 October 2019, the European Audiovisual Observatory released, with the scientific coordination of the Institute for Information Law (IViR) of the University of Amsterdam, an IRIS Special...
Malta Broadcasting Authority: new Chairman appointed
posted on 07 November, 2019   (public)
Following the demise of Martin Micallef, the Maltese President, on the advice by the Prime Minister and after consulting the Leader of the Opposition, has appointed Frank V. Farrugia as the new Chairman of the Maltese authority. Frank V. Farrugia began his career in...
Irish regulator commissions report on political social media ads
posted on 23 September, 2019   (public)
Despite obvious voluntary efforts, more transparency is required for online political advertising ElectCheck 2019, a new research report, commissioned by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) was published on 17 September 2019.  BAI's research was undertaken...
French-speaking regulators' network REFRAM launches new website and issues ambitious activity report
posted on 17 September, 2019   (public)
New look and new mechanisms for a better interaction and external communication The Conference of Presidents of the REFRAM, the French-speaking regulators' network, took place in Tunis on 6 and 7 September 2019. This gathering was an opportunity to welcome...
New Director at the Autorité Luxembourgeoise Indépendante de l'Audiovisuel
posted on 09 September, 2019   (public)
On 6 September 2019, Paul H. Lorenz was  appointed by the government council as Director of the Autorité Luxembourgeoise Indépendante de l'Audiovisual (ALIA). He succeeds Romain Kohn, whose five-year mandate came to an end in...
AAAVMS publishes Report on Broadcasters’ Ownership Structure and Mergers in 2018
posted on 28 August, 2019   (public)
Report highlights that most of the Macedonian television, radio and print media outlets are owned by individuals In order to increase the transparency of media ownership structures, the National Audiovisual Regulatory Authority of the Republic of North Macedonia (the ...
Ofcom reports on the use of AI in content moderation
posted on 05 August, 2019   (public)
Artificial Intelligence: an imperfect but indispensable tool for moderation On behalf of Ofcom, Cambridge Consultants recently released a report entitled “Use of AI in content moderation” questioning the role and capabilities of automated approaches such as...
New Ofcom rules to protect people in TV and radio shows
posted on 30 July, 2019   (public)
UK regulator adds new rules to Broadcasting Code and consults on guidance to help broadcasters interpret and apply new rules In recent years, mental health and wellbeing have become subjects of concern regarding the participants of TV and radio shows. To answer these...

Archived Regulation News

Loudness on TV: Catalan Regulator takes steps
posted on 17 October, 2012   (public)
In line with the recent trend towards loudness normalization in several European countries, the Catalan Audiovisual Council (CAC) has recently been tackling the issue of sudden changes in volume on television during advertising breaks further to complaints from the public. A...
Creation of a new regulatory authority in Luxembourg: Draft Law
posted on 16 October, 2012   (public)
On 15 October 2012, Luxembourg's Minister for Communication and Media, Mr. François Biltgen, announced a - long awaited - reform of media law and the creation of the Independent Audiovisual Authority of Luxembourg (l’Autorité luxembourgeoise...
Irish BAI signals new rules for advertising of food and drink in children’s programmes
posted on 16 October, 2012   (public)
The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) announced on October 12 the outcomes of a public consultation launched in March 2012 on a Draft Children’s Commercial Communications Code and a Draft General Commercial Communications Code. The Draft Codes concern regulatory...
Towards a convergent NRA in France? ARCEP's point of view
posted on 16 October, 2012   (public)
In the context of a consultation launched by the Prime Minister during summer, ARCEP, the Regulatory Authority for Electronic Communications and Post, published its position on the merger between the CSA and ARCEP, the two French regulatory authorities in charge of...
Update on SEE Digi.TV activities
posted on 11 October, 2012   (public)
The Second SEE Digi.TV International Conference which is organized by the lead partner of the project, the Post and Electronic Communications Agency of the Republic of Slovenia (APEK), will be held in Ljubljana on 18-19 October 2012. During this event (upon invitation...
Ofcom’s supplementary advice on media plurality
posted on 05 October, 2012   (public)
On 5 October 2012, Ofcom published supplementary advice to the Secretary of State on media plurality. This follows the report on the feasibility of measuring media plurality across platforms, presented to the Secretary of State for Culture in June 2012. Ofcom recommended to...
Access services: Ofcom's statement on new requirements for non-domestic channels
posted on 01 October, 2012   (public)
On 1 October 2012, Ofcom, the communications regulator in the UK, published a statement on new requirements for TV channels licensed by Ofcom and made available in other Member States of the European Union to provide access services such as subtitling, signing and audio...
Short extracts: Draft Decision by French CSA
posted on 01 October, 2012   (public)
The Conseil supérieur de l’audiovisuel (CSA), the French regulatory authority, notified the European Commission of its draft Decision setting up the conditions for the transmission of short extracts of sport events and other events of high interest to the...
European Commission report on the promotion of European works
posted on 26 September, 2012   (public)
The European Commission published its report on the promotion of European works in television and on-demand audiovisual media services on 26 September 2012. The report examines how the Members States complied with the requirements of Articles 13, 16 and 17 of the Audiovisual...
4th CERF meeting convenes in Bratislava
posted on 25 September, 2012   (public)
From 20 to 21 September 2012, the Central European Regulatory Forum (CERF) held its 4th meeting in Bratislava, hosted by the Council for Broadcasting and Retransmission of the Slovak Republic. More than 30 representatives from regulatory authorities in the Czech Republic,...
MEDIADEM publishes comparative findings on media policy
posted on 20 September, 2012   (public)
MEDIADEM, an EU funded research project on media policy-making processes in EU member states and candidate countries, recently published its comparative findings. The purpose of the research project is to identify which policy processes, tools and instruments can best support...
Report of the EU Media Futures Forum
posted on 20 September, 2012   (public)
On 20 September 2012, the EU Media Futures Forum, commissioned by Neelie Kroes, Vice-President of the European Commission responsible for the Digital Agenda, released its final report on trends, opportunities and challenges in the media sector. This report complements the...
Community Media: Czech Regulator opens a public debate
posted on 19 September, 2012   (public)
The Council for Radio and Television Broadcasting, the Czech regulatory authority, recently opened a public debate on Community Media by commissioning a report mapping out the possibilities for introducing "Third Sector" (non-profit) media in the Czech Republic. ...
Ofcom awards first local TV licences
posted on 13 September, 2012   (public)
On 12 September 2012, Ofcom (UK) awarded the first licences to run local TV services on DTT in Brighton and Grimsby. This was done following new legislation which enabled Ofcom to issue local TV licences. Local TV has been previously licensed on a limited basis by the...
Loudness on TV: French CSA report
posted on 06 September, 2012   (public)
On 5 September 2012, the French regulator CSA published its first report to Parliament on loudness levels on television. This report derives from Article 177 of Law No. 2010-788 of 12 July 2010, which requires that channels ensure an equal loudness level during...
New President and new Board for the Catalan Authority
posted on 26 July, 2012   (public)
The Catalan Authority, Consell de l'Audiovisual de Catalunya (CAC), has a new President and a partly renewed Board. Roger Loppacher i Crehuet began his term of office as President on July 9, 2012. He replaces Mr Ramon Font, who resigned from his position to facilitate...
New President and new Board for the Italian AGCOM
posted on 26 July, 2012   (public)
The constitutive meeting of the new Board of the AGCOM, the Italian regulator in charge of broadcasting and telecommunications, took place on 26 July 2012 at the authority's headquarters in Naples. The new President is Angelo Marcello Cardani who replaces Corrado...
Ofcom's Communications Market Report 2012
posted on 26 July, 2012   (public)
On 18 July 2012, Ofcom published its 9th Communications Market Report on the UK’s TV, radio, broadband, telecoms and mobile industries. This year’s report shows that viewers watched television an average of four hours per day in 2011 – up from 3.7 hours in...
Looking beyond the AVMS Directive: the challenge of Connected TV, Limassol, 25-26 October
posted on 25 July, 2012   (public)
The European Commission and the Cyprus Radiotelevision Authority are organizing a conference entitled Looking beyond the AVMS Directive: the challenge of Connected TV in Limassol, Cyprus, on 25-26 October 2012.  The aim of the meeting is to stimulate thought and action...
Prominence of European works on VOD: Assessment by Belgian CSA
posted on 09 July, 2012   (public)
On 3 July 2012, the CSA of the French speaking Community of Belgium handed over to Parliament a global assessment report of its policy measures on the promotion of European works and works of the French Community of Belgium on VOD services. The CSA Recommendation of 24 June...
PSB funding changes in Finland
posted on 27 June, 2012   (public)
On 20 June 2012, the Finnish Parliament approved legislation on the new public service broadcasting tax. According to the new Acts, as of 1 January 2013, the activities of the Finnish public service broadcaster Yleisradio (YLE) will be funded from the state budget. The...
Access and disability: CSA study on DTT devices with voice features
posted on 24 June, 2012   (public)
The French CSA published on June 22 the results of the Mediatvcom study on the DTT devices with voice features. The study was commissioned by the CSA after the associations for the blind and visually impaired had stated that no DTT device designed for blind people existed in...
Commission asks ECJ to fine Poland for not fully implementing AVMS Directive
posted on 21 June, 2012   (public)
European Commission has decided to refer Poland to the European Court of Justice for failing to fully implement the Audiovisual Media Services Directive. Poland has partially implemented the Directive but not the provisions concerning on-demand services. The Commission...
Compensation for the use of short extracts - ECJ
posted on 19 June, 2012   (public)
The Advocate General of the European Court of Justice, Mr. Yves Bot, issued on June 12 a legal opinion in the case Sky Österreich GmbH v Österreichischer Rundfunk (ORF). The case concerns compensation payable by Austrian public broadcaster ORF to the holder of...
Measuring Plurality across platforms: Ofcom report
posted on 19 June, 2012   (public)
In October 2011, the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport asked Ofcom to provide advice on the feasibility of measuring media plurality across platforms. On 19 June 2012, Ofcom published a report  giving an answer to the five questions raised by...
Media Pluralism: ECHR judgment in Centro Europa 7 and Di Stefano case
posted on 19 June, 2012   (public)
The European Court of Human Rights delivered the judgment in the case of Centro Europa 7 S.R.L. v. Italy and Di Stefano v. Italy on June 7. The case concerned an Italian TV company’s inability to broadcast for nearly ten years, despite having a broadcasting licence, due...
Belgian CSA workshop: "New Screens, new Regulation" - Brussels, 5-6 July
posted on 13 June, 2012   (public)
On 5 and 6 July 2012, the CSA of the French Community of Belgium and the MEDIADEM project jointly organise a workshop entitled "New screens, new regulation". This conference on the future of television, which will revolve around issues such as Connected TV, social...
REFRAM meets in Portorož at the eve of EPRA meeting
posted on 30 May, 2012   (public)
On the eve of the 35th EPRA meeting and with the support of the International Organization of la Francophonie, the seven broadcasting regulators that are also members of REFRAM, the network of French speaking media regulatory authorities, met on 29 May in Portorož (Slovenia)...
Pan-European Forum on Media Pluralism and New Media: Brussels, 27 June
posted on 22 May, 2012   (public)
The Honourable Society of Gray’s Inn (UK), University of Leuven (Belgium) and the Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom (Italy) are organising the Pan-European Forum on Media Pluralism and New Media. The event will take place on June 27 at the premises of the...
Consultation on revision of Swiss Radio and Television Act
posted on 16 May, 2012   (public)
The Federal Council of Switzerland has opened a consultation procedure concerning the revision of the Radio and Television Act. The partial revision of the Act focuses on the replacement of the current reception fee by a universal radio and television fee. Today, when smart...