EU: Draft Directive Hits Problems

The scheduled discussion in the European Commission of a new draft directive on pluralism and concentration of the media has been postponed. The commissioners may return to the subject soon, but the prospect of Commissioner Mario Monti – responsible for the Single Market – obtaining a majority for his views now seems unlikely.

As it currently stands, the proposed Draft Directive on media ownership applies to single/mono and multimedia concentrations in visual and sound broadcasting, and to multimedia concentrations regarding daily newspapers. It does not apply to monomedia concentrations in the area of daily newspapers or new interactive services. The audience thresholds stipulated in the original draft stand; 30% for single media concentration in a given area for TV and radio, and 10% for multimedia concentration for a combination of different media. The reference area is that within which the medium is accessible to the public. The multimedia threshold would be based on the average share of consumption of the various media, and the methods of measuring audience share would be fixed by each MS.

The Independent Television Association has said that the current proposals will pose a serious threat to the future of regional broadcasting in the UK.