Call To Change Cross-Media Rules

According to new research commissioned by the European Publishers’ Council, the cross-media ownership rules of the UK are out of date and unfair.

The European Publishers’ Council’s report highlights a number of anomalies in the current ownership rules. For example, the owner of a foreign newspaper controlled within the European Union can buy an ITV company, but a UK newspaper publisher cannot. The EPC chairman, Frank Rogers, warned that such rules were putting publishers at a disadvantage in investing in the multimedia revolution; UK newspaper publishers are prevented from owning more than 20% of a television company, but there are no such restrictions on computer companies. The Government’s green paper on cross media ownership is expected by the end of the year.