1. New media: legal
implications (WP1)
Katrien Lefever
Peggy Valcke
David Stevens

2. 2

3. 3
Overview
 Actors
 Network operators
 Broadcasters
 Flemish Media Act
 Audiovisual Media Services Directive
 Aggregators

4. 4
Network operator
 Privatisation of VRT transmission departement
 Neutral network operator: guarantee of a non-
discriminatory and equitable treatment of all players
 Awarding frequencies
 Not all frequencies for transmission departement
 Tender procedure

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Content providers: Flemish Media Act
 Scope before May 2007
 Private broadcasters (particuliere omroepen):
traditional broadcasters
 Approval
 Detailed obligations
 Television services (televisiediensten): video-on-
demand, audiovisual fragments on internet,…
 Notification
 Less detailed obligations

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Content providers
 Bottlenecks
 New media services
subjected to disproportional
obligations
 Independency requirement:
no political webTV
 => Ad hoc revision
Flemish Media Act

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Content providers: Flemish Media Act
 Scope after May 2007
 Private broadcasters (particuliere omroepen):
traditional broadcasters
 Approval
 Television services (televisiediensten): Private
broadcasters offering other services to the public.
Those services are services defined by art.49-50 ECT
and their principal purpose is the provision of
programmes.
 Notification

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Content providers: Flemish Media Act
 Other private broadcasters (andere soorten
televisieomroepen): no services defined by art.49-50
ECT and the principal purpose is not the provision of
programmes
 No approval or notification
 No independency requirement
 Eg. Political webTV
 Eg. user-generated-content
 Eg. websites that contain audiovisual elements only
in an ancillary manner
 Eg. Video on YouTube, GarageTV

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Content providers: AVMS Directive
 Inspiration for this revision: evolutions at European level
 Television without Frontiers Directive (1989)
 Scope: traditional broadcasting services
 Audiovisual Media Services Directive
 Scope: audiovisual media services
 Technology neutrality : Linear and non-linear
services
 Layered regulation

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Content providers: AVMS Directive
 AVMS is a service
 1) as defined by Articles 49 and 50 of the EC Treaty
 2) under the editorial responsibility of a media service
provider
 3) and the principal purpose
 4) is the provision of programmes
 5) in order to inform, entertain or educate
 6) to the general public
 7) by electronic communications networks

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Audiovisual Media Service
 1) Articles 49 and 50 ECT : economic service
 Compensation
 Excluded: non-commercial websites
(no ads)
 Included: videoblogs with
advertising revenues

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Audiovisual Media Service
 2) Editorial responsibility: the exercise of effective
control both over the selection of the programmes and
over their organisation either in a chronological schedule
or in a catalogue
 Excluded: YouTube, GarageTV

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Audiovisual Media Service
 3) Principal purpose
 Excluded: audiovisual content that is merely incidental
 Eg. Animated graphical elements
 Eg. Short advertising spots
 Eg. Journal websites
 Eg. Online games

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Audiovisual Media Service
 4) Programmes: set of moving images with or without
sound
 Excluded: radio, blogs
 Included: films, series, sports
events, documentaries,…
 Included: EPG, subtitles

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Audiovisual Media Service
 5) General public
 Excluded: private correspondance, audiovisual content
in metro stations, shops
 6) To inform, entertain or educate
 Excluded: images of traffic jam, images of snow in
skiing areas

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Audiovisual Media Service: overview
Source: European Commission, “The Commission Proposal for a Modernisation of the
Television without Frontiers Directive: Frequently Asked Questions”, MEMO/05/475, 13.12.2005 (http://
ec.europa.eu/comm/avpolicy/reg/tvwf/modernisation/proposal_2005/index_en.htm)

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Regulation: two-tiered approach
 Basic tier: all audiovisual media services
 Additional basic tier: non-linear (pull) services
 Extended tier: Linear (push) services (but simplified
compared to TVWF)
 Reasons for differentiation
 Degree of choice and control of users
 Impact on society

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Regulation: two-tiered approach
 Basic tier
 Information obligation/identification of responsible
editor
 Prohibition of incitement to hatred based on sex, racial
or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age or
sexual orientation
 Ensure access for disabled people (‘encourage’)
 Respect copyright
 Basic qualitative requirements for audiovisual
commercial communications

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Regulation: two-tiered approach
 Additional basic tier
 Protection of minors
 Cultural diversity: Promotion of European works

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Regulation: two-tiered approach
 Extended tier
 Listed events of major importance for society
• Short news reports
• Quota for the promotion of European and independent
works
• Quantitative rules for television advertising
• Stricter rules for protection of minors
• Right of reply

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Aggregators
 New actors between network operator and content
providers: packaging content
 E.g. TV Vlaanderen
 Flemish Media Act: scope
 Broadcasters
 Network operators
 French Community: scope
 Content providers (éditeurs de services)
 Aggregator (distributeurs de services)
 Network operator (opérateurs techniques)

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Future: new problems
 Revision of Flemish Media Act
 Modernisation
 Felixibilisation

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 Bedankt!
 Vragen?

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Lefever Katrien
ICRI
K.U.Leuven
Sint Michielsstraat 6
3000 Leuven
Katrien.lefever@law.kuleuven.be