Legislative problems worry Hungary

Hungary’s archaic media law is causing problems for its cable industry and forthcoming DTT platform. Speaking exclusively to Broadband TV News, Ferenc Kéry, the president of the HCA, said that the requirement for a two-thirds majority in parliament – effectively impossible in the current political climate – means that all efforts to pass a new law (or indeed amend the present legislation) are on hold.

For cable, it is important to see the drawing up of new must-carry rules for the digital marketplace.

In the DTT sector, Antenna Hungária, the operator of the forthcoming platform, risks filling it up with commercial channels only to find, at a future date, it cannot comply with new must-carry rules.

Kéry added that a new copyright law is currently being prepared. It could lead to the creation of a second collection society – Hungary has had only one (ARTISJUS) for over a decade.

Such a development, argued for on the grounds of competition, would probably astound observers in other CEE countries, many of which have, by common consensus, too many collection societies.