James Delahunty
25 May 2007 19:21
European Ministers have agreed on new rules for television and Internet video-on-demand services. According to the European Commission, the new version of the 1989 "TV Without Frontiers" directive aims to make the market more competitive in the territory. Broadcasters will still be limited to 12 minutes of advertising per hour, but the limit of 3 hours per day has been scrapped in the new Audiovisual Media Services Directive.
As for product placement, it is still banned from children's or news programming and viewers will need to be informed when product placement takes place. Product placement is the act of including a sponsor's product in a TV show. The directive allows countries some flexibility to set stricter national rules and a "country-of-origin" principle means that broadcasters are governed by the rules of their home country, even if their programmes are transmitted in other states with different rules.
The directive is due to take effect by the end of the year now that it has been backed by the Commission, the European Parliament and the member states' governments. "It promises less regulation, better financing for European content and higher visibility to Europe's key values, cultural diversity and the protection of minors," EU Media Commissioner Viviane Reding said.
Source:
BBC News