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Regulation News

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...
New President for the Swiss Independent Complaints Authority
posted on 13 March, 2019   (public)
Mascha Santschi Kallay succeeded Vincent Augustin as of 1 January 2019 Following her appointment on 7 November 2018 by the Swiss Federal Council, since 1 January 2019 Mascha Santschi Kallay is the new President of the Independent Complaints Authority (ICA). She succeeded ...

Archived Regulation News

2015 Guide of Digital Channels in France
posted on 28 April, 2015   (public)
2015 Guide of Digital Channels in France The thirteenth edition of the Guide on Digital Channels was published in April 2015 by the French regulator CSA, the DGMIC (Directorate General of Media and Cultural Industries of the Ministry of Culture and Communication), CNC...
Towards a sustainable Swiss media ecosystem - Federal Council's report highlights potential support measures
posted on 07 April, 2015   (public)
Towards a sustainable Swiss media ecosystem - Federal Council's report highlights potential support measures In a report entitled "Ensuring the political and democratic functions of the media", published in December 2014, the Federal Council (the Swiss...
Media Plurality - Ofcom consults on measurement framework
posted on 16 March, 2015   (public)
Media Plurality - Ofcom consults on measurement framework On 11 March 2015, Ofcom published a consultation on a proposed measurement framework for media plurality, as the second part of a two-step process which will lead to set out proposals for indicators to be included in...
Digital radio: switchover in Norway soon to be concluded
posted on 12 March, 2015   (public)
Digital Radio: switchover in Norway soon to be concluded Two reports on the radio digital switchover have recently been published and have been presented to the Norwegian Ministry of Culture. The report from the Norwegian Media Authority (NMA) of 27 February 2015 contains...
Serbian REM issues Recommendation on the use of subtitles and sign language
posted on 26 February, 2015   (public)
Serbian REM issues Recommendation on the use of subtitles and sign language The Council of the Regulatory Authority of Electronic Media (REM) in Serbia, on the occasion of its meeting held on 9 February 2015, issued a Recommendation on how to use subtitles and sign language...
Digital radio & small stations: Ofcom announces trials of small scale DAB
posted on 24 February, 2015   (public)
Digital radio & small stations: Ofcom announces trials of small scale DAB On 24 February 2015, Ofcom has confirmed plans for trials of a new technology that could provide small radio stations across the UK with an affordable way to broadcast on DAB digital radio....
Independent application of INDIREG ranking tool in Albania
posted on 17 February, 2015   (public)
Independent application of INDIREG ranking tool in Albania Responding to a request by the Speaker of the Assembly of Albania, the Council of Europe Secretary General had requested assistance for an assessment of the independence and efficient functioning of the Albanian...
French CSA publishes a new study on catch-up TV
posted on 16 February, 2015   (public)
French CSA publishes a new study on catch-up TV On 13 February 2015 the French Conseil supérieur de l'audiovisuel (CSA) published a new study on catch-up TV in France entitled: "La télévision de rattrapage : une pratique installée, une...
Irish BAI launches Sound & Vision III Scheme
posted on 05 February, 2015   (public)
Irish BAI launches Sound & Vision III Scheme The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) has announced on 3 February 2015 a new Broadcasting Funding Scheme, Sound & Vision III. The scheme will see up to €24 million in funding being made available to television...
Two new members for the French CSA
posted on 29 January, 2015   (public)
Two new members for the French CSA On 26 January, the President of the French Republic appointed two new members of the French Conseil supérieur de l'audiovisuel (CSA): Nathalie Sonnac, who was nominated by the head of the National Assembly. She is inter alia...
A new Code of Programme Standards for the BAI
posted on 29 January, 2015   (public)
A new Code of Programme Standards for the BAI The Broadcasting Act 2009 requires the Irish regulator, the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI), to prepare codes and rules, and to review the effect of such codes and rules in accordance within specified timeframes....
Protection of Minors: Norway adopts platform independent legislation
posted on 06 January, 2015   (public)
Protection of Minors: Norway adopts platform independent legislation During a second reading which took place on 15 December 2014, the Norwegian Parliament adopted a new law on the protection of minors against harmful content in audiovisual programmes. The Ministry of...
Digital Radio Switchover envisaged for 2024 in Switzerland
posted on 16 December, 2014   (public)
Digital Radio Switchover envisaged for 2024 in Switzerland By 2024 all radio programme services are to be broadcast only digitally in Switzerland, mainly on DAB+ platforms. This is the goal of the radio industry, which will cease analogue VHF (FM) broadcasting of its...
Protecting Audiences in an online world, a new Ofcom commissioned research
posted on 09 December, 2014   (public)
Protecting Audiences in an online world, a new Ofcom commissioned research On 4 December 2014, Ofcom published the outcome of recent research conducted by Kardar Media, which deals with audience views of protections for audiovisual content delivered across different...
Measuring Plurality: Ofcom's call for inputs
posted on 18 November, 2014   (public)
Measuring Plurality: Ofcom's call for inputs Ofcom has recently been requested by the Secretary of State to develop a measurement framework for media plurality. On 30 October 2014, Ofcom invited stakeholders to provide their input on how best to measure media plurality....
Second ERGA meeting: focus on regulatory independence
posted on 27 October, 2014   (public)
Second ERGA meeting: focus on regulatory independence The European Regulators Group for Audiovisual Media Services (ERGA) met in Brussels for the second time under the Chairmanship of Mr. Olivier Schrameck, President of the French CSA, on 21 October 2014. ERGA adopted a ...
CoE Committee of Ministers will not resume work on the revision of the ECTT
posted on 21 October, 2014   (public)
CoE Committee of Ministers will not resume work on the revision of the European Convention on Transfrontier Television On 23 September 2014, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe informed that “(it) has not allocated any resources to work on the European...
EPRA meeting in Tbilisi: Presentation of the Georgian Media Regulatory Landscape
posted on 15 October, 2014   (public)
EPRA meeting in Tbilisi: Presentation of the Georgian Regulatory Landscape On the occasion of the 40th EPRA meeting in Tbilisi on 8-10 October 2014, Mr. Ivane Makharadze, Head of the Broadcasting Regulation Department at the Georgian National Communication Commission...
Ofcom: Children and Parents Media Use and Attitudes Report 2014
posted on 09 October, 2014   (public)
Ofcom: Children and Parents Media Use and Attitudes Report 2014 The Ofcom published on 9 October 2014 its annual Children and Parents Media Use and Attitudes Report. The Report examines children’s use of different media and communications, and the role parents play in...
Ofcom: Digital Radio Report 2014
posted on 26 September, 2014   (public)
Ofcom: Digital Radio Report 2014 On 25 September 2014 Ofcom published its annual Digital Radio Report for 2014 as part of the Digital Radio Action Plan announced by the Government in July 2010. The report covers availability, take-up, listening patterns and attitudes towards...
German media authorities publish Digitisation Report 2014
posted on 24 September, 2014   (public)
German media authorities publish Digitisation Report 2014 The Medienanstalten, the organisation that brings together German media authorities, published, in September, their Digitisation Report for 2014, which presents the tenth analysis of the digitisation of broadcast...
Tunisian HAICA publishes Guide for journalists covering the election campaign
posted on 22 September, 2014   (public)
Tunisian HAICA publishes Guide for journalists covering the election campaign The Tunisian regulatory authority, Haute autorité indépendante de la communication audiovisuelle (HAICA), published, on 22 September 2014, a Guide for journalists covering the...
Green Paper on Convergence: Commission publishes long-awaited summary of replies
posted on 19 September, 2014   (public)
Green Paper on Convergence: Commission publishes long-awaited summary of replies The long heralded - and long awaited -  Summary of the replies to the Public Consultation on the Commission Green Paper on Convergence has been published by the European Commission on 12...
Irish BAI unveils successful projects funded from the 21th round of the Sound & Vision II Scheme
posted on 17 September, 2014   (public)
Irish BAI unveils successful projects funded from the 21th round of the Sound & Vision II Scheme The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) announced on 16 September 2014 the list of projects funded from the 21th package of the Sound & Vision II Scheme. A funding...
Spanish CNMC fines Mediaset España Comunicación S.A. EUR 111,000
posted on 15 September, 2014   (public)
Spanish CNMC fines Mediaset España Comunicación S.A. 111,000 € On 12 September 2014, the Spanish National Authority for Markets and Competition (CNMC) has fined Mediaset España Comunicación S.A. EUR 111,000 for failing to separate editorial...
French CSA reports on female stereotypes in TV programmes
posted on 11 September, 2014   (public)
French CSA reports on female stereotypes in TV programmes In July 2014, the French CSA published three studies on female stereotypes in audiovisual programmes. Further to the French law on gender equality, the CSA has the duty to monitor the image of women in audiovisual...
Towards a new regulation of audiovisual media during election campaigns in France?
posted on 10 September, 2014   (public)
Towards a new regulation of audiovisual media during election campaigns in France? On 8 September 2014, the French Conseil supérieur de l’audiovisuel (CSA) published a Report on the regulation of audiovisual media during the three election campaigns of the first...
Belgian CSA organises local radio weekend event
posted on 05 September, 2014   (public)
Belgian CSA organises local radio weekend event The Belgian Conseil supérieur de l’audiovisuel (CSA) on the occasion of the 100 anniversary of radio and with the support of the Federation Wallonia-Brussels, is organising a local radio event « Studio...
EU Kids Online publishes its recommendations for policy regarding children’s use of the Internet in Europe
posted on 04 September, 2014   (public)
EU Kids Online publishes its recommendations for policy regarding children’s use of the Internet in Europe   The EU Kids Online, a thematic research network funded under the European Commission’s Safer Internet Programme has published in early September a ...
Radio spectrum: European Commission presents HLG Report on future use of UHF band
posted on 03 September, 2014   (public)
Radio spectrum: European Commission presents HLG Report on future use of UHF band On 1 September, Vice-President of the European Commission Neelie Kroes presented a Report by former Commissioner Pascal Lamy on how to use the Ultra High Frequency (UHF) spectrum (the 700...