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EU adopts new rules for ads
161/Granville Williams
DATELINE: 24/1/08
After two years of intense debate and lobbying the controversial revision of the European Union's Television Without Frontiers (TWF) directive has been concluded. A vote in the European Parliament on 29 November agreed the new policies contained in the renamed Audiovisual Media Services (AMS) directive.
Back in July 2005 the European Union's Media and Information Society Commissioner, Viviane Reding, produced six position papers proposing changes to the TWF directive. One, which was fiercely resisted by the UK Government and the media and telecommunications industry, proposed the extension of the directive's scope to cover the internet, mobile phones and other platforms delivering audiovisual content.
Another paper proposed liberalising TV advertising rules and allowing product placement within programmes. In the opening stages of debate on the directive the UK Government seemed to be isolated in its opposition to the extension of the directive's scope. However it mounted - in alliance with Intellect, the UK industry body representing the information technology, telecommunications and electronics industries, the media regulator Ofcom, and the Broadband Stakeholders Group - a determined lobbying campaign in the UK and Europe.
The UK coalition also drew support from a number of powerful EU-wide lobby groups such as the Association for Commercial Television (ACT) and the European Publishers Council and the World Federation of Advertisers. As a result the directive will now only apply to "TV-like" services such as web-streamed TV programmes.
The revision process of the directive revealed some painful realities about power and policy-making priorities with the EU. The European Commission wants to create a neo-liberal, single-currency, free-market area able to compete in the global market. Concerns by citizens groups', media trade unions and consumer organisations, presented both in written evidence and hearings in the European Parliament, were marginalised during the revision process.
One example of this was on the proposal to allow product placement. A powerful alliance of European consumers (BEUC) and the Federation of European script writers, with support from the US Writers Guild of America (West), presented strong arguments opposing the introduction of product placement. A CD with some of the absurd examples of product placement on US TV shows was circulated to MEPs.
Green MEPs were also opposed to lifting the ban. German Green MEP Helga Trüpel said: "American-style advertising and product placement are set to become the norm in Europe under the legislation…The Greens voted against the legislation, which will extend the creeping commercial intrusion into private life."
But rather than taking a neutral position and listening to such concerns Viviane Reding, at an ACT conference in April 2006, explicitly urged the European commercial TV companies to be more active in lobbying their governments and MEPs, "frankly speaking, I have the impression that your work, the political support by commercial broadcasters for a more flexible and modern framework, could be more visible and effective if you want to meet your goals. Your help is needed if you want this directive to support growth in your sector."
The decision to allow product placement will be left up to member states. However under the "country of origin" policy countries which do not allow product placement will not be able to prevent programmes being broadcast from other EU countries which have allowed it. What the new directive demonstrates very clearly is a shift away from public service broadcasting principles. Whereas the directive claims to protect the social and cultural interests of European citizens the main thrust of it is deregulatory, giving a boost in the creation of an increasingly commercialised media. For full details on the AMS directive, follow the link.
LINKSDetails of the AMS directive
Last modified: Thursday, January 24, 2008
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Notices
Events & Announcements
World Press Freedom Day
More reporters are currently imprisoned in Turkey than in any other country in the world. Only a matter of weeks ago lawyers failed to persuade a Turkish court to release a 76-year-old journalist from a Turkish internet news station.
World Press Freedom Day on Friday May 3, 2013 is being marked in Britain by a rally to highlight the dangers facing journalists in Turkey and in this podcast, Nicholas Jones speaks to Barry White, Organiser at the Campaign for Press and Broadcasting Freedom, and Sam Bamford, the TUC's policy officer for Eastern Europe and Africa about the importance of a campaign to highlight international press freedom.
The World Press Freedom Day rally is being staged by the National Union of Journalists at the NUJ head office, Gray’s Inn Road, London WC1 on Thursday May 2, 6pm-8pm.
DATELINE: 27/4/13
UK launch of EU media campaign
DATELINE: 13/3/13
The UK launch of a 'European Citizens' Initiative' calling for EU rules against concentration of media power will take place on Thursday March 21 from 11:00am – 12:30pm in Committee Room 4A at the House of Lords, London. Guest speakers will include actor and activist Hugh Grant (pictured), media consultant Claire Enders, Professor Steven Barnett, Barry McCall (President of the NUJ) and Marc Gruber (Director of the European Federation of Journalists).
A European Citizens' Initiative is an official petition, like a Downing Street petition. If it succeeds in gathering a million signatures across the EU, the Commission is obliged to respond.
This petition calls for the EU to act to protect media pluralism and press freedom.
CPBF Annual General Meeting
DATELINE: 1/3/13
Make a note in your diary
Saturday 13 July 2013 from 10.00am
NUJ HQ, 308/312 Gray's Inn Road, London WC1.
Leveson, media ownership, CPBF future work.
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MEDIA FOR ALL CONFERENCE
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The media’s job is to inform and entertain us but we rely on them too to tell us what our rulers and representatives are up to. In the run-up to the Iraq war the government used spin and disinformation in the media to create panic and mislead people. The truth is coming out now, but we need stronger, more independent media to be able to scrutinise governments and make informed choices.
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Previous stories
International
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WACC statement on Iran
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IFJ condemns threat of new Official Secrets clampdown
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