This document summarizes the legal implications of new media in Flanders. It discusses the key actors like network operators, broadcasters, and aggregators. It outlines the regulations for content providers under the Flemish Media Act and the EU Audiovisual Media Services Directive. The Flemish Media Act is moving towards a two-tiered regulation approach for linear vs non-linear services, inspired by the EU directive. There is a need to modernize the Flemish Media Act to address new problems from actors like aggregators and new technologies.

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

5. 5
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

6. 6
Content providers
 Bottlenecks
 New media services
subjected to disproportional
obligations
 Independency requirement:
no political webTV
 => Ad hoc revision
Flemish Media Act

7. 7
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

8. 8
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

9. 9
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

10. 10
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

11. 11
Audiovisual Media Service
 1) Articles 49 and 50 ECT : economic service
 Compensation
 Excluded: non-commercial websites
(no ads)
 Included: videoblogs with
advertising revenues

12. 12
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

13. 13
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

14. 14
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

15. 15
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

16. 16
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)

17. 17
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

18. 18
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

19. 19
Regulation: two-tiered approach
 Additional basic tier
 Protection of minors
 Cultural diversity: Promotion of European works

20. 20
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

21. 21
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)

22. 22
Future: new problems
 Revision of Flemish Media Act
 Modernisation
 Felixibilisation

23. 23
 Bedankt!
 Vragen?

24. 24
Lefever Katrien
ICRI
K.U.Leuven
Sint Michielsstraat 6
3000 Leuven
Katrien.lefever@law.kuleuven.be