AIB The Channel April 2004

www.aib.org.uk

4

|

the

channel

Global Brief

The latest news from the international broadcasting industry

|

Television without frontiers?

At an informal conference on broadcasting organised

byThe Irish EUPresidency inDrogheda (Ireland) from

1 to 3 March, communications ministers from EU

countries and representatives from the EBU discussed

European regulatory audiovisual policy and focussed

on the issue how television services have developed

across Europe with particular reference to transfrontier

broadcasting and its impact on member states.A report

presented by the European Audiovisual Observatory

showed that there has been a 10-fold increase in the

number of television stations broadcasting in Europe

since 1990. A total of 1,100 television stations now

operate in Europe, up from 103 in 1990. 200 of these

channels target non-national markets.

This has serious implications for broadcast ministers

and the determination by European member states to

protect cultural diversity in Europe. It also underpins

the Irish government’s argument that there is a need

to regulate stations originating from one country but

broadcasting specifically into another. According to

the Irish Ministry of Communications more than 10

member states support the Irish initiative. The Irish

proposals are contained in its submission to the EU

Commission on the Review of the TelevisionWithout

Frontiers Directive. Under these proposals, satellite

broadcasters such as BSkyB, who are currently not

subject to regulations in countries outside their

broadcasting headquarters, would come under the

jurisdiction of member states into which they provided targeted television channels

that are meant for reception only in that member state.

The European Audiovisual Observatory report revealed that in addition to the 1,100

national or transnational television channels, there are 1,900 regional and local TV

channels. This number is also increasing at a very sharp rate. Channels showing the

greatest increase are those devoted to movies and sports.Among the channels identified

in the report as “delocalized” is the planned Irish version of Sky News. In terms of

audience share, the report states that transfrontier television has: 46 per cent of total

audience in Ireland; 84 per cent in Luxembourg; more than 30 per cent in Austria and

Sweden; less than 1 per cent in UK, France, Italy, Spain.

Estimating the economic impact of transfrontier television remains difficult if not

impossible, as companies operating transfrontier channels publish no geographical

breakdown of their revenues. The report concludes that theAudiovisual Observatory faces

increasing problems in tracking reliably the number of television channels in existence in

Europe and in ascertaining the country of establishment of some channel providers.

EuroNews’ daily reach up 13% on

upmarket population

The latest peoplemeter results from France

show that EuroNews has increased its

daily reach by 9% versus 15+ and 13%

versus upmarket viewers year on year.

EuroNews reaches 1,568,000 viewers 15+

on a daily basis – it is still the second

most watched news channel in France and

its audience has increased by 9%

compared to the MédiaCabSat results

published one year ago.

EuroNews has a daily reach of 462,000

upmarket viewers, the best performance

of the channel since the creation of the

French peoplemeter system measuring

cable & satellite TV audiences in 2001.

EuroNews consolidates its position as the

second largest news channel amongst

upmarket viewers. Olivier de Montchenu,

Sales and Distribution Director of EuroNews

said: “The latest MédiaCabSat results show

that EuroNews satisfies an increasing

demand for international news. The

EuroNews format – succinct and relevant

news bulletins every half hour – proves a

powerful draw for a traditionally light

viewing, elusive upmarket audience.”

WRN gains Moscow licence

World Radio Network (WRN), the London-

based international broadcaster,

announced at the beginning of March that

it has been granted a licence to operate

an AM station on 738 kHz in Moscow.

The station will commence operation in

mid-2004 and will carry a schedule of

largely speech-based programming in

Russian from international broadcasters

and local producers that has not before

been heard in the Moscow market.

WRN already runs a satellite and internet

based radio service named “WRN Russkij”

that comprises programming from many

global broadcasters and has relay

agreements with local stations in other

Russian cities and the CIS.

Latin American executives surveyed

AIB The Channel April 2004 - page 4

Warning.