The German media authorities are launching the second round of the tender for TV and radio broadcasters seeking classification as public value offerings, which means that they must be made preferentially discoverable in the user interfaces of reception devices.
The status is awarded to national and international channels that “make a particular contribution to the diversity of opinion and offerings”, according to the media authorities. The public value procedure is intended to give more visibility to channels that offer users “a real choice of different reputable sources of information and thus contribute to the formation of opinion.”
“Numerous media offerings make significant contributions to a diversity of opinion. The aim of the public value procedure is to make this protective shield of democracy visible,” said Dr Tobias Schmid, Director of media authority Landesanstalt für Medien NRW, which is chairing the procedure.
Dr Eva Flecken, Chair of the media authorities’ Commission for Licensing and Supervision (ZAK) and the Directors’ Conference of the media authorities (DLM), added: “Diversity can only be effective if it can also be found. In the competition for visibility, valuable, information-rich content is often at a disadvantage compared to pure entertainment formats. The public value procedure ensures that these media offerings aren’t neglected, but receive the attention they deserve and that we need for a vibrant media diversity.”
All broadcasters previously categorised as public value will lose their status in summer 2025. The tender is therefore aimed both at broadcasters that have already been certified as public value and those that are not currently listed as public value. Nationwide, local and regional broadcasters can participate in the tender. As in the first application round in 2021/22, providers of regional windows are also advised to submit an application.
Applicants will have to pay fees as part of the 2024/25 public value determination procedure. The media authorities charge a fixed fee of EUR 500 per application from broadcasters covering single federal states, regional or local target areas and EUR 1,000 per application from nationwide broadcasters.
Broadcasters wishing to receive public value status must prove that they fulfil the specified criteria for certification. Further details and the application forms are available at https://www.medienanstalt-nrw.de/public-value-2024. The deadline to submit applications is 10 October 2024 at 12.00 CEST.
