Revision of Television Without Frontiers Directive
As I mentioned in an earlier posting would be the case, proposals for a substantial review of the 1989 European Union Television Without Frontiers Directive were considered today by the College of Commissioners. The draft proposals have been published together with a media release from Commissioner Viviane Reding.
The Commission believes that, in line with the principle of better regulation, the proposal will reduce the regulatory burden on Europe�s providers of television and television-like services and give more flexibility for financing audiovisual content by new forms of advertising. The
proposal is intended to create a level playing field for all companies that offer television-like services, irrespective of the technology used to deliver them (e.g. broadcast, high-speed broadband, third generation mobiles).
The Commission therefore proposes replacing disparate national rules on protection of minors, against incitement to racial hatred and against surreptitious advertising with a basic, EU-wide minimum standard of protection for audiovisual on demand services. The modernised Television Without Frontiers Directive would govern television and television-like services. To open up the present EU rules to technological developments, the proposal distinguishes between “linear” services (e.g. scheduled broadcasting via traditional television, the Internet, or mobile phones, which “pushes” content to viewers), and “non-linear” ones, such as on-demand films or news, which the viewer “pulls” from a network. Today�s television broadcasting rules would apply to linear services in a modernised, more flexible form, whereas non-linear ones would be subject only to a basic set of minimum principles, e.g. to protect minors, prevent incitement to racial hatred and outlaw surreptitious advertising.
The proposed modernisation of the Television Without Frontiers Directive does not affect private correspondence, electronic versions of newspapers or magazines, web sites not primarily intended to provide audiovisual media content, mere audio transmissions or radio.
