Assessing Indirect Impacts of the EC Proposals for Video Regulation

Abstract

From Executive Summary: The European Commission published proposals for a new Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMS) on 13 December 2005. RAND Europe input (RAND, 2006) in October 2005 to the European Commissiontextquoterights Impact Assessment based on the Issues Papers of 11 July 2005 found empirical support for the liberalisation of the rules on traditional broadcasters. It cautioned that evidence for impacts on the developing sectors for non-linear delivery was lacking: textquotedblleftIn the absence of empirical evidence in order to assess the costtextendashbenefit, we do not consider that definitive answers are The AVMS proposes to regulate two types of video providers: linear and non-linear. Linear providers will be regulated according to a revised broadcast regime, and will encompass both traditional broadcasters and providers of Internet Protocol TV (IPTV). This regime will apply whether the viewer watches the programme in real-time or records (using, for instance, a Personal Video Recorder; PVR) for later playback. Where the viewer actively requests the individual video file on demand, this is considered a non-linear use of video. This latter type of service would be regulated according to minimal standards, lighter than linear regulation, but still encompassing a wide range of prohibitions against particular types and durations of advertising, other commercial communications, different types of expression, and so on. The definitions do not exclude video blogs, interactive computer games or delivery of video over mobile telephone networks.

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