EU broadcast reforms should be put on hold

TV Without Frontiers is not necessarily appropriate for the converged media world, says Intellect

The IT and media industries say European Commission plans for the reform of broadcast regulation are taking the wrong approach, and should be put on hold.

The proposals will set a precedent for wider regulation of the internet, and should be dropped, said 82 per cent of respondents to a straw poll of content provision companies, such as advertisers, publishers, and IT suppliers, conducted by trade body Intellect.

The Commission is due to publish its draft Audio-Visual Directive, the revision of the existing TV Without Frontiers regulations, by the end of this year. The new directive takes into account the convergence of IT, communications and media, such as watching TV on the web.

But Intellect director Antony Walker says most of the necessary safeguards, such as advertising standards and public decency considerations, are already in place. And blanket regulation based on principles established for broadcast content will stifle the burgeoning cross-platform market.

‘The Commission has come up with definitions of linear and non-linear services but, in reality, most services will fall somewhere between the two,’ said Walker.

‘It will lead to confusion and uncertainty and companies not knowing which regulatory regime they fall under.’