So Many Questions, So Little Time

Michael Hedges April 29, 2013 - Follow on Twitter

Among physicists there is a natural attraction to grand unifying theory. In the public sphere, media policies notably, the same motivation endures. Connecting everything is good because the alternative, after all, is frightening. Different, though, are strings attached.

“Connected TV is the next big thing in the creative and digital worlds,” said European Commission Vice President for the Digital Agenda Neelie Kroes, “Convergence between sectors means people can enjoy a wider choice of great content but it also creates disruptions and challenges. We need a converged and EU-wide debate to help deal with these changes… to help business flourish, nurture creativity and protect our values.”

Because change is better than the alternative, stagnation, the European Commission has prepared a Green Paper to coax “stakeholders and the wider public” out of the ever-present inertia on copyright, data protection and standards that affect digital economics. The discussion focus is connected TV, often called smart TV, connecting – or converging – television with the internet. Politicians in several EU Member States are thrilled by the possibilities, some are distressed, others more concerned with elections. Traditional media operators, when not in-fighting, want fewer rules for themselves and clamps put on the new media people, who essentially want no rules and more venture capital money.

Smart TV is cool, said Commissioner Kroes to the Future Media Lab conference of the European Magazine Media Association (April 23), because it “could be a great platform for new content…with convenience, creativity and choice. But it also means sectors once distinct converging, some historically subject to certain rules and protections, others not.” She urged those attending to “think about the future.” Smart TV follows smart phones, smart cars, smart dog, smart aleck.

The Green Paper consultation – “Preparing for a Fully Converged Audiovisual World” – sets out a few facts and poses head-on questions. Consumers in Europe currently lag Asians and North Americans in connected TV purchases. Smart TVs will be in more than half European households by 2016, citing without elaboration a forecast from eMarketer.

“What are the factors that enable US companies to establish a successful presence in the fragmented EU market despite language and cultural barriers, while many EU companies struggle?” is question number one in the Green Paper. Others query cross-border interoperability of devices, influence of consumer behavior on content financing, search engine filtering, protecting children and mandating access to citizens with disabilities.

Peppered through the Green Paper announcement are references to the Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMS), the EC’s last effort at broad media policy. Much has changed since the AVMS was drafted in the early years of this century to replace the Television Without Frontiers (TVWF) Directive and approved by the European Parliament in 2010. Its negotiation was a long, tortured process coincident with, significantly, by the arrival of smartphones and the collapse of financial markets. Along the way, the EC threw its support behind the DVB-H standard for mobile TV, which didn’t work out so well when broadband internet reached the tipping point.

“European media has changed radically since 2007, when the AVMS Directive was negotiated, and beyond all recognition since 1989, the date from which many EU regulatory provisions originate,” noted warily Association for Commercial Television (ACT) director general Ross Biggam in a statement (April 24). “The paper should kick-start an ambitious, global discussion focusing on the future of European broadcast media and content production. There is evidence in the Green Paper that the commission shares our view that a clear vision is needed from the EU, rather than more debates focusing on detailed quantitative micro-management of the media business.”

“Inevitably, the Green Paper’s 27 questions range far and wide, and cover many areas where regulatory intervention is not appropriate,” he added. “We will respond in due course to the detailed questions and look forward to the continuation of the debate.” The EC would like all comments on the Green Paper submitted before the end of August.

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