Content, Independence & Plurality: Audiovisual Media Foundations for the Next EC

The European Commission is laying the groundwork for a complete revision of the regulatory regime for European TV, following its consultation on preparing for a fully converged world. With European elections scheduled for May we have run out of time for action under this Commission, but there are now strong indications that there will be a revision of the Audiovisual Media Services Directive after EU elections in May, and at a conference on European media policy today Lorena Boix-Alonso set out the Commission’s objectives. Apart from a call to protect the Country of Origin Principle whereby audio-visual media service providers only have to respect the rules of the country where they originate, it seems everything is on the table.