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 News From You
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Week ending January 22, 2011
For the launch of its new look and the switch to a 16/9 format, euronews presents a broad range of projects which will take the channel to a new dimension.
To start the year, euronews is switching to a 16/9 format and revamping the channel: a new on-air look, new pace and more reasons for viewers to tune in to euronews.
In 2011, the channel will also add programmes, with the arrival of new faces to the multicultural newsroom of euronews. Separately, two well-known journalists on the European audiovisual scene, Alex Taylor and Chris Burns, will join the channel to help take it to a whole 'new dimension'.
11 news desks in 2011: euronews is expanding its editorial coverage and network around the world. Based in Lyon, with recently opened desks in Brussels, London, Cairo and Doha, euronews will open permanent desks in Paris, Kiev (local journalists), Istanbul, Dubai, Washington and Beijing. The Brussels office will be a key feature of the new organisation, as it becomes the first international news team to operate in the capital of Europe.
Ali Sheikholeslami is appointed as euronews permanent correspondent in London. He is in charge of covering world stories, as well as reporting on events occurring across the UK, producing TV packages and multimedia stories for the euronews website.
11 languages in 2011: euronews will launch its new service in Ukrainian, around the clock, 7 days a week, as of 24th August.
In 2011, euronews will be available anytime, anywhere, on any device:
- increased partnerships with YouTube and Dailymotion: new channels, more availability on catch-up TV in the "Shows" section of YouTube;
- euronews and UGC (User Generated Content): via its NoCommentTV application for iPhone, euronews offers UGC possibilities with "MyNoComment"; in partnership with Google, the channel will broadcast a weekly programme "Trends" which reports on keywords most requested by internet users in Europe;
- launch in one month of the euronews live application for iPhone, iPad and Android;
- launch of the full euronews application for iPad;
- launch of euronews radio, an internet radio station;
- launch of euronews display, euronews in a 100% visual format designed for busy places such as train stations and airports;
- euronews in flight: an exclusive agreement has been signed with Air France, details of which will be presented soon, jointly with Air France;
- euronews on internet-connected TV sets: following on the first agreement with Panasonic, euronews is now in the process of signing agreements with the six top manufacturers, including Toshiba, Sony and Philips.
All of these projects which reflect the new dimension of the international news channel will be presented at a series of press conferences in Paris, London, Moscow, Berlin, Frankfurt and Madrid, with Philippe Cayla, Chairman of the Executive Board, Michael Peters, Managing Director of the Executive Board, and Lucian Sârb, Director of News and Programmes.
Hungary's new media law, which requires all media to register as such and provide "balanced" coverage of national and EU events, was debated by the Civil Liberties and the Culture committees in Strasbourg on Monday. Some MEPs urged Hungary to withdraw the law immediately, whilst others urged it to wait until the European Commission has assessed its compatibility with EU legislation and fundamental rights. Justice minister Tibor Navracsics promised to amend it if necessary.
"We are looking very carefully at the provisions and will make a legal assessment of the law. (...) We have been in contact with the Hungarian government in order to raise specific concerns", said Digital agenda Commissioner Neelie Kroes. She added that the Commission is assessing the new law's compatibility with the EU Audiovisual and Media Services (AVMS) Directive, and that preliminary examination had already indicated some problems, such as its apparent application to media firms established in other EU countries, the rules on media registration, unclear definitions and political control over the media authority.
Hungarian deputy prime minister and minister of justice Tibor Navracsics defended the new law, which is intended to replace outdated provisions and implement the EU directive. "All of these comments were already out and about before the law was approved", stressed the minister. "If the Commission finds any inconsistencies, the government is ready to take steps to bridge them", he added.
Politically motivated debate?
"There is a great deal of political motivation behind this debate", said Simon Busuttil (EPP, MT), stressing that his group prefers to wait for the Commission's complete assessment of the law. The group "attaches great importance to media freedoms", yet "it would be wrong to single out a single Member State for condemnation", especially when it holds the EU presidency, he said. "This law presents no problems in terms of human rights, and nothing can justify this collective hysteria", agreed Kinga Gál (EPP, HU).
Same criteria for all Member States
Manfred Weber (EPP, DE), proposed that the Commission should examine the media laws of all 27 Member States and not just Hungary. "My experts are well aware of all national laws. And we will not act against Hungary without acting on media rules in other countries, that would be unfair", replied Ms Kroes, stressing that "the EU is objective and non-discriminatory between Member States, governments or political families".
Claude Moraes (S&D, UK), agreed that all Member States must comply with EU law. "We are not interested in targeting a particular country, but in analysing whether EU rules have been breached" he said, adding that the Hungarian media law "raised concerns all over Europe".
What is balanced communication?
Several MEPs voiced concerns about the "balanced communication" requirement. "There are different truths or different opinions of the truth out there. (...) Listening to different media is what makes democracy stronger", argued Judith Sargentini (ALDE, NL). Yet the minister defended the need for the balanced coverage requirement "given the broad influence that the media have on public opinion". "In Hungary this concept is not unrealistic (...) It has emerged from political and legal debate and is broadly accepted", he added, urging that Hungary's "level of democratic maturity" be taken into account.
The minister also pointed out that "in Hungary we have independent courts. (...) Decisions could be appealed". Furthermore, "if you read Hungarian newspapers, especially during the last weeks, you will see very full freedom of expression", he told MEPs.
Calls to suspend the law
Rui Tavares (GUE/NGL, PT) warned against public authorities over-regulating the media, and said the Hungarian government should suspend the application of the law while the Commission examines it. Kinga Göncz (S&D, HU) suggested withdrawing the law altogether, given the strongly negative international reaction to it.
The fact that this law is so widely criticised shows that something in it is seriously wrong, observed Tanja Fajon (S&D, SL). She was particularly concerned about a requirement that journalists disclose their sources in certain cases. Monica Macovei (EPP, RO), asked about the state of investigative journalism in Hungary. Mr Navracsics replied that the new law protects investigative journalists better than ever before.
Will the EU monitor media freedom?
"This debate is not about Hungary, but about the credibility of the EU and the enforcement of fundamental rights", said Sophia In 't Veld (ALDE, NL). She advocated creating an EU media monitoring tool and assessing the risk of media self-censorship as a result of a faulty law.
"The real question is whether the EU is currently equipped to solve such problems", observed Morten Løkkegaard (ALDE, DK). In reply, Mrs Kroes outlined the Commission's media monitoring efforts to date and promised a follow-up on this issue. Most importantly, however, "we got the guarantee from the Hungarian government that they are listening and they will act", she concluded.
Berlin, 17. Januar 2011 Der Verband Privater Rundfunk und Telemedien e. V. (VPRT) zieht positive Bilanz für das zurückliegende Jahr 2010.
Radio, Fernsehen und Multimedia haben in Deutschland im zurückliegenden Jahr weiter an Relevanz gewonnen. Fernsehen erreichte laut AGF pro Tag im Durchschnitt mehr als 70 Prozent der Bevölkerung und die Zuschauer schalteten im vergangenen Jahr durchschnittlich 223 Minuten täglich ein (2009: 212 Minuten; 2008: 207 Minuten). Radio erreichte laut ag.ma pro Tag sogar fast 80 Prozent der Bevölkerung, die Hörer schalteten durchschnittlich 251 Minuten (2009: 241 Minuten; 2008: 243 Minuten) täglich ein. Auch die Nutzung von Online- und Mobile-Angeboten hat im zurückliegenden Jahr zugenommen, bleibt allerdings hinter der Radio- und TV-Nutzung zurück.
Diese hohen Akzeptanzwerte in Verbindung mit der konjunkturellen Erholung spiegeln sich in der positiven Entwicklung der Brutto-Werbeerlöse 2010 wieder. Nielsen Media Research verzeichnet für das Gesamtjahr 2010 in der Fernsehwerbung ein Plus von 16,2 Prozent, in der Radiowerbung von 5,2 Prozent und in der Internetwerbung sogar ein Plus von 34,8 Prozent. Allerdings handelt es sich bei den von Nielsen erfassten Brutto-Werbeerlösen lediglich um einen Indikator für den Bruttowerbedruck, bei dem auch Sondereffekte zur Geltung kommen und der nicht mit den realen Netto-Werbeerlösen gleichzusetzen ist. Die Netto-Werbeerlöse sowie die Netto-Umsatzentwicklung in weiteren Segmenten (u. a. Pay-TV und Teleshopping) werden erst im weiteren Jahresverlauf veröffentlicht. Der VPRT hatte zuletzt in einer Marktprognose im November 2010 die erwarteten Netto-Umsätze für das Gesamtjahr 2010 in allen Segmenten nach oben korrigiert (Radiowerbung: +2,5 % | Fernsehwerbung: +6 % | Pay-TV: +6 % | Teleshopping +12 %). Im Krisenjahr 2009 lagen die gesamten Netto-Werbeumsätze im Fernsehen noch bei 3,6 Milliarden Euro und im Radio bei 678 Millionen Euro, Pay-TV lag bei 1,1 Milliarden Euro und Teleshopping bei 1,5 Milliarden Euro.
Die privaten Radio-, Fernseh- und Multimedia-Anbieter im VPRT haben im vergangenen Jahr kontinuierlich in den Ausbau ihrer Programme und den Aufbau neuer Angebotsformen investiert. So wurden zahlreiche HDTV-Angebote gestartet, Sender gingen mit Hybrid-TV-Angeboten (HbbTV) an den Start und Video-on-Demand- und Webradio-Angebote wurden ausgebaut. Außerdem wurden zahlreiche neue Radio- und TV-Dienste wie beispielsweise Apps für mobile Geräte, Tablet-PCs und andere internetfähige Geräte auf den Markt gebracht. Auch im laufenden Jahr werden erhebliche Investitionen in Programm- und Produktinnovationen getätigt. VPRT-Präsident Jürgen Doetz sagte zu den weiteren Marktperspektiven: "Unsere Mitglieder sind mit ihren Radio-, Fernseh-, Online- und Mobile-Angeboten hervorragend für die digitale Zukunft gerüstet und unternehmen alle Anstrengungen für mehr Wachstum und Innovation. Allerdings müssen auch die Wettbewerbsbedingungen stimmen und die Gesetzgeber müssen unsere wirtschaftlichen und gesellschaftlichen Leistungen honorieren. Hierfür wird sich der VPRT auch 2011 einsetzen."
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