083/06
6 June 2006
Consultation On EU TV Directive Launched
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) today launched a consultation on European Commission proposals to revise the European Union's Television Without Frontiers (TVWF) Directive.
The three-month consultation will aim to gauge the views of UK industry, consumers and other interested groups, to inform discussions in the European Council and the European Parliament.
In particular the Government is keen to gather stakeholders' thoughts on the proposal that TVWF should be extended in scope to become an 'Audio-visual Media Services Directive.'
TVWF would then cover all media services whose principal purpose is to provide moving images to the general public over electronic networks for purposes of information, entertainment, or education.
It would apply to services delivered over the Internet, mobile networks, telecoms networks, and terrestrial, cable and satellite broadcasting networks. Currently the Directive only covers television broadcasts.
Broadcasting Minister Shaun Woodward said:
"The Government has concerns about the Commission's proposals. We've been clear about that.
"We have already had extensive discussions with industry and other stakeholders. But we need to know more about what they think, especially the likely impact on new media services.
"The proposed changes could have a major impact on the development of services that people access over the Internet and on their mobile phones. The economic and cultural impact of the proposals will be substantial, and they could also extend red tape where we should be cutting it.
"This consultation will enable us to take the considered views of industry and the public back to the Commission and to our fellow Member States, so that the final Directive takes account of what is best for the UK and Europe in the future."
Created in 1989 and revised in 1997, the Directive's main purpose is to ensure the free flow of television programmes and broadcasting services throughout the European Union.
It does this by ensuring the free reception of broadcast services authorised in Member States, which must keep to minimum content standards and to rules on advertising, teleshopping and sponsorship.
In December 2005 the Commission published proposals to update the Directive, in the light of major changes to the media since it was revised in 1997.
The proposed updates fall into six categories:
- Scope of future regulation – whether the Directive should also cover services such as the internet and mobile phones.
- Jurisdiction – the rules which determine which Member State has responsibility for any particular TV broadcaster.
- Rights to information and short extracts - whether broadcasters should have access to short clips of events such as sporting matches for news reports.
- Promotion of European works - how best to promote production of and access to European work in broadcasting and electronic media.
- Commercial communications – changes to advertising rules; whether product placement should be allowed, and if so, how it should be regulated.
- Protection of minors and incitement to hatred – extending controls to protect children and prevent incitement to hatred.
All the consultation documents can be viewed and downloaded online.
Notes to Editors
1. In July 2005 the European Commission published six "issue papers," covering its proposed areas of focus and initial proposals for revision. These can be viewed on the DCMS website, alongside the official response of the UK Government, made in November 2005.
http://ec.europa.eu/comm/avpolicy/reg/tvwf/modernisation/consultation_2003/contributions/index_en.htm
2. Further background to the TVWF Directive and ministerial speeches covering the proposed changes can also be found here.
3. The Commission's proposals can be found at
http://ec.europa.eu/comm/avpolicy/reg/tvwf/modernisation/proposal_2005/index_en.htm
4. A Partial Regulatory Impact Assessment (PRIA) has been published alongside the consultation documents. The PRIA considers the purpose and intended effect of the Commission's proposals, options for revising the Directive, costs and benefits and the competition assessment.
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