Must-carry on the move?
Pascale Paoli-Lebailly | 06-10-2012
The European Audiovisual Observatory has published a new report
called Must-carry: Renaissance or Reformation?, which analyses the
must-carry situation in Europe, in the light of the increasingly fierce
fight between operators for market share in a fragmented market.
In the European context, legislators try to ensure some broadcasting
space for content of general interest, usually provided for by public
service channels, via so-called ‘must-carry’ legislation. Last summer
in Poland new legislation made it compulsory for all networks to carry
the first two public service channels and one regional public service
channel.
“Must-carry aims at guaranteeing access to certain (broadcasting)
networks for specified channels. The must-offer phenomenon has arisen
from the idea that channels also need to make their content available to
the networks, not only to make the (basic) package more diverse but
also to guarantee the economic viability of certain distribution
networks” the report states.
According to the Directive, must-carry regulation is “technology
neutral” in that it may apply to cable, satellite, terrestrial networks
and also IPTV. The report’s authors also explain that this legislation
applies only to “available distribution capacity” (ie. broadcasting
networks) and not to the content itself.
However, the report concludes by raising the question as to whether
future legislation will cover internet-based EPGs such as smartphone
apps or social network sites.
الرئيسية 
