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Regulation News

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...
Human rights impacts of algorithmic systems: an invitation to comment
posted on 24 July, 2019   (public)
The Steering Committee on Media and Information Society (CDMSI) of the Council of Europe invites the public to comment the Draft Recommendation of the Committee of Ministers to member States on the human rights impacts of algorithmic systems that is meant to be adopted by the...
Prominence of Public Service Broadcasting in the online world: Ofcom’s recommendations
posted on 19 July, 2019   (public)
UK Regulator is calling for new legislation to ensure that PSM content will remain easy to find online As part of a broader review on the sustainability of Public Service Broadcasters (PSBs) released on 4 July 2019, UK communication regulator Ofcom has...
Ofcom expands Media Literacy activities
posted on 18 July, 2019   (public)
UK regulator establishes Advisory Panel and Network, as a recognition of the importance of online media literacy On 18 July 2019, Ofcom (UK) has made two key announcements during an event dedicated to online media literacy, as part of its Making Sense of Media research and...
Making social networks more accountable: towards a new French framework
posted on 18 July, 2019   (public)
The French ambition: introducing a new system of supervision, with the support of the regulator and the country of destination principle at its core Further to the public outcry over information disorder and hate speech online, the social media networks are increasingly...
New composition for the Audiovisual Council of Andalusia
posted on 15 July, 2019   (public)
Antonio Checa elected as new CAA President Following the approval of the nominations by the regional governing Council (Consejo de Gobierno de Andalucía), the new members of the Audiovisual Council of Andalusia (CAA) have taken over their responsabilities on 11 July...
New Chairperson for the Romanian National Audiovisual Council
posted on 11 July, 2019   (public)
On 3 July 2019, Ms. Maria Monica Gubernat was officially appointed as President of the Romanian regulatory authority, the National Audiovisual Council (NAC), further to the validation of the Romanian Parliament. Until recently, she was Vice Chairperson ad interim. In...
CJEU: clarification of the scope of Article 3 of the AVMS Directive
posted on 05 July, 2019   (public)
Restricting retransmission modalities for reasons of public policy is not restricting ‘freedom of reception’ under Article 3 of the AVMS Directive The Court of Justice of the European Union has released on 4 July 2019 a judgment following a request for a...
Takeaways from the 11th ERGA Plenary meeting in Bratislava
posted on 03 July, 2019   (public)
Monitoring the implementation of the Code of Practice on disinformation and reforming ERGA were key points on the agenda The 11th Plenary meeting of the European Regulators Group for Audiovisual Media Services (ERGA) took place in Bratislava on 20 and 21 June 2019. One of...
Reuters Institute News Digital Report 2019: news’ consumption in times of political polarisation
posted on 25 June, 2019   (public)
While tech giants are forced to face more responsibilities and on-demand formats are becoming the new business model, concerns arise about quality journalism, for the benefit of more trusted news brands and radio podcasts The new edition of the annual Reuters Institute Digital...
AVMSD transposition: BAI’s proposals in response to Irish government’s public consultation
posted on 25 June, 2019   (public)
Irish AV regulator unveils vision based on a single regulator for all media content and a 'macro' approach with a robust complaints mechanism for VSPs     On 4 March 2019, the Irish government launched a public consultation to inform the drafting of a...
New Ofcom - ICO research: Internet users’ concerns about and experience of potential online harms
posted on 24 June, 2019   (public)
Personal data and bullying identified as major concerns for Internet users A recent report released in May 2019, commissioned by Ofcom with advice from the ICO (Information Commissioner's Office), intends to quantify concerns and experiences of Internet users, grouped...
UK age-verification for online pornography: entry in force delayed
posted on 11 June, 2019   (public)
Balancing privacy concerns with the need to protect children from inappropriate content According to new measures coming into force on 15 July 2019*, commercial providers of online pornography will have to implement a robust age checking system, in order to keep minors from...
North Macedonia: AAAMS adopts Media Literacy Policy Paper
posted on 29 April, 2019   (public)
New Media Literacy Policy based on general and comprehensive concept for a sustainable approach taking into account recent changes in the media ecosystem After having conducted a public hearing, the Agency for Audio and Audiovisual Media Services has adopted a Media Literacy...
JUFREX: new regional publication on regulators and protection of minors in South-East Europe
posted on 23 April, 2019   (public)
Transnational cooperation, self and co-regulation and media literacy are key pillars to establish adequate level playing field regarding protection of minors In April 2016, the three-year Joint Programme “Reinforcing Judicial Expertise on Freedom of Expression and the...
EAO's Key Trends of Audiovisual Sector for 2018/2019
posted on 10 April, 2019   (public)
European market still a mosaic of national realities while weight of US-based companies increases The European Audiovisual Observatory (EAO) has published in April 2019 its Key Trends from the Observatory’s Yearbook 2018/2019. This report - publicly available on the EAO...
OSCE-HCNM issues Guidelines on National Minorities and the Media in Digital Age
posted on 02 April, 2019   (public)
Tallinn Guidelines call on States to ensure sustainable and effective pluralistic media landscape enhancing national minorities’ representation Building on the 2003 Broadcast Media Guidelines, the Tallinn Guidelines were issued by the OSCE High Commissioner on National...
New President for the Turkish regulator RTÜK
posted on 14 March, 2019   (public)
Ebubekir SAHIN succeeded Ilhan YERLIKAYA as of 23 January 2019 Following the recent resignation of Prof. İlhan Yerlikaya from his position of President of the Radio and Television Supreme Council of Turkey and as required per Article 36 of Law No. 6112 on the Establishment of...

Archived Regulation News

Regulators' Responses to the HLG Report on Media Freedom and Pluralism
posted on 15 October, 2013   (public)
Regulators' Responses to the HLG Report on Media Freedom and Pluralism The Public Consultation on the Independent Report from the High level Group (HLG) on Media Freedom and Pluralism launched by the European Commission in March closed at the end of June 2013. The...
Ofcom reports on disabled consumers’ use of communications services
posted on 26 September, 2013   (public)
Ofcom has published its most comprehensive study into disabled consumers’ use of communications services. The research shows that younger disabled people are taking advantage of the benefits of being online. Among the youngest age group (15-34), levels of internet...
Digital Radio: Ofcom unveils 2013 Report
posted on 25 September, 2013   (public)
On 25 September Ofcom has published its Digital Radio Report for 2013 as part of the Digital Radio Action Plan announced by the Government in July 2010. In the report ‘digital radio’ is used in its broadest sense to include all platforms and technologies that...
First Country Ranking of Community Media in Europe
posted on 12 September, 2013   (public)
The Community Media Forum Europe (CMFE), an international non-profit organisation which provides a common platform for networks, national federations and projects active in the "third media" sector, has completed the first Country Ranking of Community Media in...
Ofcom publishes its 10th Communications Market Report
posted on 01 August, 2013   (public)
Ofcom’s 10th Communications Market Report, which was published on 1 August 2013, reveals that people are still coming together to watch TV in the living room with 91% of UK adults view TV on the main set each week, up from 88% in 2002. However, people are increasingly...
Council of Europe addresses role of regulators on gender equality in the media
posted on 31 July, 2013   (public)
On 10 July 2013, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe adopted a Recommendation on gender equality and media. In its preamble, the recommendation emphasises that: Gender equality is an indispensable condition for the full enjoyment of human rights; Genuine...
Short extracts: French CSA consults on the implementation of new rules
posted on 23 July, 2013   (public)
On 17 July 2013, French broadcasting regulator Conseil supérieur de l'audiovisuel (CSA) opened a public consultation on the implementation of recently introduced rules concerning the broadcast of short extracts of sports events. The new rules were set by a decision...
Assessing PSB funding: Irish regulator publishes recommendations
posted on 22 July, 2013   (public)
On 18 July 2013, the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) has published recommendations in respect of the required levels of funding for the public service broadcasters (PSBs), TG4 and RTÉ, over the next five years. The recommendations are based on a 248 page report...
EIGE reports on gender equality in decision-making in media organisations
posted on 11 July, 2013   (public)
Advancing gender equality in decision-making in media organisations, EIGE Report   On 21 June 2013, the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) published a report entitled "Women and the Media - Advancing gender equality in decision-making in media...
What Future for DTT Platforms: French Ministry opens a consultation
posted on 10 July, 2013   (public)
The Direction générale des médias et des industries culturelles (DGMIC) of the French Ministry of Culture and Communication launched on 2 July 2013 a public consultation on the future of DTT platforms, further to the work currently conducted by the French...
Update on media freedom issues: new report of the OSCE - RFOM
posted on 20 June, 2013   (public)
The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatović, delivered her regular report on the status of media freedom within the OSCE region to the OSCE Permanent Council on 13 juin 2013, three months after she was re-elected for a second mandate. The 36 pages report,...
Macedonia completes analogue terrestrial switch off
posted on 20 June, 2013   (public)
As planned, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia switched off the analog terrestrial television signal on 31 May 2013, at midnight after a five-year period of simulcasting. The two regulatory authorities in charge, the Broadcasting Council and the Agency for Electronic...
Irish BAI issues revised Rules on Food Advertising to Children
posted on 07 June, 2013   (public)
The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) has issued on 4th June 2013 revised versions of its General and Children’s Commercial Communications Codes. The Codes have been updated to include rules on commercial communications for High Fat, Salt and Sugar (HFSS) food...
Ofcom reports on children’s increased exposure to alcohol advertising on TV
posted on 28 May, 2013   (public)
On 24 May Ofcom published a report on children’s and young people's exposure to alcohol advertising, which shows that the average number of alcohol adverts seen by children per week has increased significantly from 2.7 in 2007 to 3.2 in 2011. The research looks at...
Standard Settings for Media Freedom: European Parliament adopts Resolution
posted on 21 May, 2013   (public)
On 21 May, the European Parliament approved the initiative report of Romanian MEP Renate Weber (PNL, ALDE) on the EU Charter by adopting a resolution on standard settings for media freedom across the EU. The resolution calls on Member States and the Commission to take...
Accessibility: Ofcom's proposals to improve the quality of subtitling
posted on 17 May, 2013   (public)
On 17 May, Ofcom has published proposals for consultation aimed at improving live subtitling to provide a better viewing experience for people who are deaf and hard-of-hearing in the UK. While pre-prepared subtitling is generally of a good quality, viewers have made clear...
Belgian CSA publishes study on representation of homosexuality in the audiovisual media
posted on 17 May, 2013   (public)
On the occasion of the International Day against Homophobia, the CSA of the French speaking Community of Belgium has published the outcome of its first assessment of stereotypes related to the sexual orientation in radio and TV broadcast content. The CSA has been monitoring...
European Commission consults on rapidly converging audiovisual market
posted on 25 April, 2013   (public)
The European Commission adopted on 24 April 2013 a Green Paper inviting stakeholders and the wider public to share their view on issues related to the rapid convergence in the audiovisual market and growing importance of the connected television in Europe. The changes in the...
ECHR rules that ban on paid political advertising in the UK justified
posted on 23 April, 2013   (public)
The European Court of Human Rights held on 22 April 2013, by nine votes to eight, that there was no violation of Article 10 (freedom of expression) of the European Convention on Human Rights in the case of Animal Defenders International v. the United Kingdom. The case...
Irish BAI launches Code of Fairness, Objectivity and Impartiality in News and Current Affairs
posted on 12 April, 2013   (public)
The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) has launched on 9 April 2013 a Code of Fairness, Objectivity and Impartiality in News and Current Affairs. The Broadcasting Act 2009 requires broadcasters to ensure that all news broadcast is presented in an objective and impartial...
Ofcom publishes updated rules on party political and referendum broadcasts
posted on 02 April, 2013   (public)
On 21 March 2013, Ofcom published updated rules on party political and referendum broadcasts (PPRB Rules). The revision of the rules was preceded by a consultation carried out by Ofcom between November 2012 and January 2013. The review of the PPRB Rules was related to recent...
New chairperson for Dutch CvdM
by Marcel Betzel (CvdM - NL) posted on 27 March, 2013   (public)
Prof. Dr. Madeleine de Cock Buning, commissioner at the Commissariaat voor de Media (CvdM) since July 2009, has been appointed chairperson of the Dutch regulatory authority CvdM as of 1 April 2013 by the State Secretary of Media Affairs. In addition to her work for the CvdM,...
Measuring Diversity on Television - Outcome of French and Belgian assessment for 2012
posted on 26 March, 2013   (public)
The French and Belgian (French-Speaking Community) regulatory authorities have recently published the outcome of their assessment of diversity in television broadcast content for the year 2012. The objective of the research was to assess the perception of diversity in...
Independence of Audiovisual regulators: Commission launches public consultation
posted on 22 March, 2013   (public)
Pursuant to the 30 policy recommendations contained in the report of the High Level Group (HLG) on Media Freedom and Pluralism, which was made public on 21 January 2013, the European Commission launched two public consultations on media freedom and pluralism and on the...
Protection of minors in Romania: CNA launches public hotline
posted on 21 March, 2013   (public)
The National Audiovisual Council of Romania (NAC) launched a new public hotline number where cases of violation of the protection of minors in the field of television broadcasting may be reported. The free of charge hotline was launched as a result of a debate organised by...
DTT in Europe in 2012: Trends and Developments
posted on 12 March, 2013   (public)
the European Audiovisual Observatory, based on figures from the Yearbook 2012 and the MAVISE database, has published a press release highlighting the salient trends and developments of digital terrestrial television in Europe in 2012. According to the Observatory: 22 - out...
Live Internet streaming of free-to-air channels may be prohibited: CJEU Judgment
posted on 10 March, 2013   (public)
Further to a request for a preliminary ruling on the interpretation of Directive 2001/29/EC on the harmonisation of certain aspects of copyright and related rights in the information society, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) held on 7 March 2013 that TV...
Gender Equality: REFRAM awards pilot project to Moroccan HACA
posted on 08 March, 2013   (public)
Further to the internal call for tender for a pilot project in favour of gender equality launched in October 2012 by the Francophone Network Media Regulators (REFRAM), the jury unanimously selected the project presented by the HACA, the Moroccan regulator on 8 March 2013. ...
OSCE Representative on Freedom of Media Dunja Mijatović reappointed
posted on 07 March, 2013   (public)
Picture credits: OSCE/Curtis Budden On 7 March 2013, the 57 OSCE participating States unanimously agreed to reappoint the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatović of Bosnia and Herzegovina, to a second three-year term. Dunja Mijatović was appointed...
Social media: A first analysis by the French CSA
posted on 26 February, 2013   (public)
The Conseil supérieur de l’audiovisuel (CSA), the French regulatory authority in charge of broadcasting, published on 19 February 2013, a first analysis of the phenomenon of "social TV," which focuses on the delimitation of its scope, its development,...