European Audiovisual Observatory launches its free AVMSDatabase
26.11.2015
What’s the difference between advertising alcohol on the TV in Greece and Sweden? What do the different EU countries class as pornography on screen and when is their famous ‘watershed’? And how many minutes of free football coverage should we get in TV news?
The answers can be found in the AVMSDatabase (accessible free of charge here) just launched by the European Audiovisual Observatory, part of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg. This new database shows exactly how each EU country has transposed the various rules contained within the AVMS Directive (the principal legal text regulating audiovisual media services in Europe) into national legislation.
The AVMSDatabase makes it possible, in a few clicks, to research:
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How a certain article of the directive is implemented in a specific country;
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How countries A, B and C have implemented a specific article (comparative approach);
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How certain articles of the directive have been implemented in countries A, B and C (multi layered research).
Maja Cappello, Head of the European Audiovisual Observatory’s Department for Legal Information, stated that “this unique database makes it possible to track the way in which all EU countries apply the rules of the AVMSD to their own domestic media industries. “She added that “it is vital to follow these developments in media legislation, not only because of the sometimes flagrant differences in transposition between certain countries, but also because of the current REFIT exercise of the AVMSD”.
This new database was developed thanks to a joint effort by the European Audiovisual Observatory and the Faculty of Law, Economics and Finance of the University of Luxembourg which provided the initial research subsequently transformed into a consultable database by the Observatory’s team.
