The French media authority CSA has published 14 proposals to foster the emergence of a sustainable and balanced ecosystem for connected TV.
Earlier this year, the CSA set up a committee to monitor usage of connected TV and has now presented its findings.
The focus seems to be to bring the new connected TV players under the same regulations as the existing broadcasters and other players in the French audiovisual marketplace. France has a strictly regulated AV sector which aims to protects French language programming. Broadcasters also have a significant role in the creation of locally produced movies.
The CSA connected TV commission worked together with all interested parties including the broadcasters, production companies, consumer electronics manufacturers and various rights holders and trade associations.
Proposition 1: set up common technical conditions and standards at European level to ensure that services and connected devices can operate together;
Proposition 2: make sure that the installed base of connected devices continues to support successive technical developments without becoming obsolete;
Proposition 3: competition must be fair among all stakeholders for the benefit of consumers and creators. The competition must be exercised in a fair and honest way among all players, whether or not established in France, so that the consumer has sustained a diversified offer;
Proposition 4: call for the adoption of fiscal measures make to sure there is a level playing field with the new players and safeguard the existing mechanisms of creation;
Proposition 5: adopt a code of best practice for competition. The consumer must become a key component and enjoy the wealth of connected TV safely;
Proposition 6: review the legal framework of the various roles in creating connected TV;
Proposition 7: extend and adopt the current arrangements for the protection of young viewers with regards to media content on connected TVs, co-regulation with professionals;
Proposition 8: reaffirm certain principles on television advertising for new services;
Proposition 9: alleviate some current provisions of audiovisual advertising;
Proposition 10: develop policy recommendations and good practices of personal data by combining the CSA, the CNIL and competent organisations;
Proposition 11: strengthen information for the viewers with the creation of a special portal dedicated to the protection of the public;
Proposition 12: call to launch an interdisciplinary discussion for the adaptation of regulatory obligations;
Proposition 13: examine the principle of giving preference to European productions on the home page of the portal. Future reflections on the connected TV must be based on a better understanding of actual usage;
Proposition 14: establish an “observatory” to track the usage of connected TV.
The complete CSA release is available (in French only!) from the CSA website.
