EURALVA call for users to be protected from commercial exploitation

The European Alliance of Listener and Viewer Associations (EURALVA) has called for users of all audiovisual services in Europe, and their children, to be protected from commercial exploitation and excessive violence through a strengthening of the proposed EU Directive on Audiovisual Media Services.
EURALVA called for the powers of the Contact Committee, consisting of National Regulatory Authorities, to be increased so as better to coordinate national measures for the protection of media users. EURALVA noted five principal areas of concern:
1. Identifying the country of origin and the relevant regulatory authority
2. The lack of agreed and clear rules on the so-called "placement" of commercial products inside programmes.
3. The neglect of the narrative and dramatic structure of programmes when inserting advertisements.
4. The failure to ensure the availability of short reports, for use by all broadcasters, of events of public interest.
5. The need to guarantee to the public a practical means of exercising their right of reply.
Members of EURALVA met in Lisbon on January 16-17 to consider the consultation issued by the European Commission on its proposals to amend the TVWF Directive on Audio Visual Services.
(CD)