European commercial broadcasters are warning proposed changes to the AVMS Directive risk damaging growth, audience choice and investment in European content.
A joint statement by the Association of Commercial Television in Europe (ACT), the Commercial Broadcasters Association (COBA), the Confindustria Radio Televisioni (CRTV), the European association of Television and Radio Sales houses (egta) and the VPRT, says rather than the promised deregulation, proposals would instead undermine the freedom to broadcast.
“Europe’s broadcasting sector has been a success story over the ten-year lifetime of the current AVMS Directive, steadily increasing investment in European content, jobs and the number of channels that EU citizens can choose from,” read the statement released on Monday. “As European broadcasting associations with members across the EU, we urge politicians and policy makers to ensure our sector’s competitive strength in the long term by delivering on the original stated aim of this review “to create a fairer environment for all players.”
They believe the new version of the directive will undermine common rules and all but destroying the Country of Origin principle on a practical level. In addition the combination of new advertising rules, while maintaining legacy provisions, would prevent European broadcasters from competing with less regulated online services.
