MEF Criticises Proposed “Television Without Frontiers” Amendment

The Mobile Entertainment Forum has joined the chorus of voices against the Television Without Frontiers (TWF) directive, claiming that proposed amendments to the directive “risk dramatically reducing Europe ‘s competitive edge and stifling innovation…Under the amendments, current rules and obligations designed with traditional TV in mind would be enforced for mobile multimedia services, including mobile television broadcasting (linear) and video on-demand (non-linear) services”.
MEF members think the highest priority is to “highlight that the level of advertising control appropriate for traditional broadcasting cannot, and should not, be exerted on mobile multimedia services”. The TWF Directive encompasses regulation relating to the length, frequency and appropriateness of advertising depending on content, target market and timing, which creates problems when the same content can be offered live or later via download.
MEF also argues that the industry is in its infancy and regulation should therefore be done sparingly to minimize the costs of getting started…especially since “unlike traditional broadcasters they do not receive public license fees or have established advertising income streams”. The MEF position paper on this topic is available here as a PDF.
Related stories:
TV Without Frontiers, Lawmakers In Tears
Draft EU Media Rules To Regulate Content Draws Flak
EC Expands TV Rules To Cover Mobile Phones

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