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Week ending March 24, 2007

EuroParl - First discussion on the Directive on Audiovisual Media Services after Commissions' new proposal – March 23, 2007

from Malene CHAUCHEPRAT/EuroParl

Product placement and the principle of the country of origin seem to be the more difficult issues to be solved in the Directive on Audiovisual Media Services. The Committee on Culture and Education had their first exchange of views on the directive Wednesday on 21 March after a new proposal was presented by the Commission on 9 March 2007

The rapporteur Ruth Hieronymi (EPP-ED, DE) was from an overall point of view happy with the Commissions revised proposal. She announced that two thirds of Parliaments amendments from the first reading had been taken into consideration in the revised proposal from the Commission. 45 amendments had been integrated directly in the Commission text, 58 amendments had been taken in the principles, and 49 amendments had not been taken into consideration.

The question about product placement and the question of country of origin is still a subject of debate between Council and Parliament and was also the most debated in the committee.

The Parliament decided during the first reading in December 2006 that product placement should be banned in "news and current affairs programs, children's programs, documentaries and programs of advice". Member States could still permit it "in cinematographic works, films and series made for television and sports broadcasts", as well as in cases of "production props where no payment is made but certain goods or services are merely provided for free of charge with a view to their inclusion in a program."

Parliament then suggested that viewers should be appropriately notified of the existence of product placement in such programs, "at the start and the end of the program and by a signal at least every 20 minutes during the program". This last paragraph was not taken into account by the new Commission proposal. The Commission suggests instead that the viewers are informed after each commercial break.

As for the principle of the country of origin and the protection of minors, Mrs. Hieronymi was happy that the Commission had taken the same point of view as the Parliament. However, especially in connection with the principle of country of origin, Parliament and Council still seem to have very different views.

There was a lively discussion in the Committee on the issue on product placement well as on the principle of the country of origin. Other topics being discussed were the advertising for children, commercial breaks, the code of conduct.

The German Presidency expressed optimism about getting the Council to adopt a common position the 24 May. After that the second reading in the European Parliament will take place.

ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN PUBLISHERS JOINS ACAP PROJECT – March 23, 2007

from Heidi Lambert/ACAP

The Association of American Publishers (AAP) has announced that it has joined ACAP (Automated Content Access Protocol). A joint project of the International Publishers Association, the World Association of Newspapers, and the European Publishers Council, ACAP is developing and piloting a standard system allowing publishers to express digital content access and usage policies in a language that search engines can be programmed to recognize. A goal of the standard is to serve as a key building block for e-commerce in the online publishing world by making publishers' licensing terms and e-commerce information universally machine-readable.

AAP’s director of digital policy Ed McCoyd pointed out that "ACAP's specification can serve as a win-win-win for publishers, search engines, and Internet users, and dovetails nicely with the standard that AAP has been working on for digital content discoverability. The standard under development at AAP will help search engines, retailers, and other intermediaries lead users to publishers' digital book content databases and pages, and the ACAP standard will help make licensing, permissions, and access seamless once the user has found the online content."

Mr. McCoyd noted further that ACAP's work “will improve publishers’ ability to make their content available to a larger audience without the limitations currently imposed by the lack of a widely-adopted standard for machine readability, and search engines will be able to provide users with access to a much broader array of quality content.”

For additional information on AAP’s work in this area contact Ed McCoyd in the AAP New York office (emccoyd@publishers.org)

The Association of American Publishers is the national trade association of the U.S. book publishing industry. AAP’s more than 300 members include most of the major commercial publishers in the United States, as well as smaller and non-profit publishers, university presses and scholarly societies—small and large. AAP members publish hardcover and paperback books in every field, educational materials for the elementary, secondary, postsecondary, and professional markets, scholarly journals, computer software, and electronic products and services.

Grätz: Beteiligungsbericht des WDR gewährleistet Transparenz – March 23, 2007

from Gudrun Hindersin/WDR

Als vorbildlich hat der Rundfunkrat den Beteiligungsbericht 2006 des WDR bezeichnet. Damit habe der Sender ein hervorragendes Instrument geschaffen, das Transparenz gewährleiste und die Gremienkontrolle optimiere, so der Rundfunkratsvorsitzende Reinhard Grätz. Der Bericht bietet seit sechs Jahren eine Übersicht über die Beteiligungen des WDR an Tochter- und sonstigen Unternehmen. Zusätzlich hatte sich zwischen Herbst 2005 und Spätsommer 2006 eine mit Mitgliedern des Rundfunk- und Verwaltungsrates sowie Vertretern des WDR besetzte Arbeitsgruppe intensiv mit dem Thema befasst. Dabei wurde auch ein Kriterienkatalog zur Prüfung der Beteiligungen entwickelt. Sowohl der Bericht als auch der darin aufgenommene Kriterienkatalog fanden nun die breite Zustimmung des Gremiums. Der Rundfunkrat stellte auch fest, dass die Beteiligungen des Senders nicht mit den Feststellungen des Kriterienkatalogs in Widerspruch stünden. Alle Beteiligungen hielten zudem den im WDR-Gesetz formulierten Anforderungen stand. Mit einzelnen Engagements wird sich das Gremium im Laufe dieses Jahres befassen.

Des weiteren verabschiedete das Gremium eine Ergänzung der WDRSatzung (§ 3 a). Danach hat das Beteiligungsmanagement sicherzustellen, „dass die Aktivitäten der Beteiligungsunternehmen sich im Rahmen der für den WDR geltenden gesetzlichen Vorgaben bewegen“. Dazu Reinhard Grätz: „Mit Blick auf Anforderungen der EU ist die Verankerung dieser Regelung eine wichtige Weiterentwicklung hin zu einem noch effizienteren Beteiligungsmanagement.“

Informa - Asia Pacific: 180m Digital TV Homes by 2012 – March 23, 2007

from Adam Thomas/Informa

Cable ‘apathy’ holding back stronger growth

New research from Informa Telecoms & Media, published today, shows that 29% of TV homes in the Asia Pacific region will receive digital signals in 2012, up from just 6% in 2006. The 11th edition of Informa’s Asia Pacific TV report shows that China will overtake Japan as the biggest digital market during 2007 and will account for 43.3% of the digital total in 2012.

Adam Thomas, author of the report, said: “Although reasonable growth is anticipated over the next five years, less than a third of the region’s TV homes are expected to receive digital signals by 2012. In the cable sector in particular we are seeing some subscriber apathy towards upgrading from analogue to digital.”

Top 3 Markets: Digital TV households (000)

	2006	% of total	2012	% of total
China	10,142	27.9	78,371	43.3
India	2,556	7.0	28,540	15.8
Japan	11,579	31.8	35,123	19.4
Rest of region	12,126	33.3	38,854	21.5
Total	36,403	100	180,888	100

Source: Informa Telecoms & Media

Asia Pacific TV (11th edition) forecasts that the Asia Pacific region will boast 625 million TV households by 2012, an increase of 147 million since 1995. Thomas said: “China accounts for more than half of the region’s TV homes. While the Chinese government has recently become more cautious on some issues, such as satellite TV, its proactive approach to converting analogue signals to digital is more positive.”

The 300-page report Asia Pacific TV (11th Edition) is published by Informa Telecoms & Media. It analyses the region’s top 14 markets. Informa produces several media business publications, including the AsiaCom, New Media Markets and TV International newsletters.

Arbitron - Ecast Touchscreen Music Service Delivers Elusive, Ad-avoiding Young Men – March 22, 2007

from Jessica Benbow/Arbitron

More than half of Ecast consumers are Adults 21-34; Sixty-five percent of Ecast consumers are men

A high-tech, interactive form of place-based advertising is giving advertisers a new way to access a tough to reach demographic: young men 21 to 34.

The Ecast touchscreen music service, which is available in 10,000 bars and nightclubs across the United States is noticed by more than three quarters (78 percent) of bar patrons, according to a survey conducted by Arbitron Inc (NYSE: ARB). The survey of bars containing Ecast units in New York, Seattle and Columbus, Ohio also showed that over 37 percent of patrons had used or watched someone else use the Ecast service, which delivers music, advertising and other forms of entertainment to the young-adults via broadband-connected, digital touchscreens.

Ecast units run on a secure broadband network that provides access to a catalog of over 250,000 songs through an advanced interactive touchscreen with promotional capabilities. Adding 300+ locations per month, the Ecast network is an emerging media channel for brands and labels to engage young, affluent and influential adults in a social setting. The service is supported by advertisements and sponsorships that are displayed onscreen.

Reaching the ad-avoiders

Young men under the age of 34, often present challenges to marketers. While heavy users of on-demand media and video games, they are often difficult to reach via traditional ads, however, these same consumers seek out time with the Ecast music service. Over half of Ecast consumers estimate they visited the touchscreen twice, spending 4 minutes or more with the service; the average time spent was 5 minutes. Sixty-five percent of Ecast consumers (those who used or watched someone use Ecast) are male and more than half (56 percent) of Ecast consumers are between the ages of 21-34.

“With the emerging on-demand lifestyle, people want more control of their media exposure, making traditional methods of marketing less effective,” said John Taylor, president and CEO of Ecast. “Ecast offers brands direct and intimate interactions with a very coveted demographic. Our out-of-home touchscreens not only provide the best in terms of music selection and engaging advertising, they also allow marketers to capture email addresses, conduct online surveys and a host of other features that help validate the efficacy of our unique, interactive medium”<

Early adopters and influencers

Ecast attracts a select group of early adopters and influencers. Seventy-nine percent of Ecast consumers found using the music service enjoyable and 60 percent said they would be willing to try products from companies sponsoring the service. Compared to 23 percent of Americans age 21+, 46 percent of Ecast consumers buy or try new products before most people they know. Thirty-eight percent of Ecast consumers feel they are very influential over what their family and friends purchase and 70 percent feel that Ecast was a good way to introduce friends and family to music that they like.

“Our research found that Ecast is a targeted and effective way to reach consumer influencers and trendsetters. Ecast users are the first among their family and friends to try new products or services and wield a tremendous amount of influence over the purchasing decisions of those around them,” said Diane Williams, product manager, custom research, Arbitron Inc. “In fact, Ecast delivers over twice the concentration of 21-34 year-olds compared to less targeted, general consumption, mass media.”

New Opportunities for Recency Media Planning

Bar or lounge-based advertising can provide advertisers with new opportunities for recency media planning. The average brand recall for an advertisement was 43 percent among those who interacted with the display and had an opportunity to see the ad. Ecast consumers are in the immediate market to purchase products sold in bars such as beer, wine, spirits and soft drinks and Ecast is in a position to influence purchase decisions for the rest of the night for consumers who plan to visit a quick service restaurant or convenience store after leaving the bar.

“Ecast receives millions of touches each day,” said Micah Berek, advertising brand manager, Ecast. “Our network complements traditional media campaigns by reaching consumers when they are away from other forms of advertising—the strategic placement of our touchscreens significantly affects the level of engagement between the consumer and brand.”

How this study was conducted

A national telephone survey was conducted with 843 randomly selected respondents aged 21 and older between July 21 and August 7, 2006, using random digit dialing (RDD). In addition to basic demographic information, respondents were asked about their bar or lounge-going habits and consumer attitudes. On-site interviews were also conducted with a random sample of 730 customers in eight bars containing the Ecast touchscreen music service. The test locations were selected from participating bars in the New York, Seattle, WA and Columbus, OH, metro areas, and interviews were conducted on weekdays and weekends. In order to qualify for the survey, respondents had to be aged 21 or older and have been in the bar for at least one hour that day.

BLM - Forum Medienpädagogik stellt Bericht im Medienrat vor Medienpädagogische Aktivitäten der Bayerischen Landeszentrale für neue Medien – March 22, 2007

from Wolfgang Flieger/BLM

In der Sitzung des Medienrats am 22.03.2007 wurde der Bericht über die zahlreichen medienpädagogischen Projekte der BLM und die Arbeit des Forums Medienpädagogik in der Zeit von April 2006 bis März 2007 vorgestellt. Zu den Aktivitäten der letzten Wochen gehören:

• Der „Safer Internet Day“, ein von der EU-Kommission initiierter Projekttag, der am 06.02.2007 bereits zum vierten Mal stattfand. In fast 40 Ländern rückten Initiativen und Unternehmen an diesem Tag das Thema Internetsicherheit in den Fokus.

Die BLM hat anlässlich des „Safer Internet Days“ gemeinsam mit den bayerischen lokalen Fernsehstationen eine Aktion gestartet, um die Kompetenz von Vorschulkindern im Umgang mit Computern zu fördern: Verlost werden PCs mit Flachbildschirmen unter den Kindergärten in 16 bayerischen Städten und Regionen. Neben der Hardware wird Begleitmaterial verteilt mit wertvollen Tipps, wie der PC in den Kindergartenalltag eingebunden werden kann. So die praxisnahe, aktuell veröffentlichte und von der BLM mitfinanzierte Handreichung „Computerarbeit in Kindertagesstätten“ und die CD-ROM „Wissen wie’s geht“ vom Verein Internet-ABC, dem die BLM als Vorstandsmitglied angehört. Die lokalen Fernsehstationen waren gerne bereit, die Aktion zu unterstützen und bemühen sich, über lokale Werbepartner weitere PCs für die Verlosung zu gewinnen. Mit ihrer Aktion möchte die BLM die Medienarbeit verstärkt auch in den Kindergartenalltag einbinden und kommt damit den Forderungen des neuen Bayerischen Kinderbildungs- und Betreuungsgesetz (BayKiBiG) nach, das die Vermittlung von Medienkompetenz zu den Bildungsaufgaben bayerischer Kindertageseinrichtungen zählt.

• „In eigener Regie“, das in Deutschland einzigartige Jugendmedien-Förderprogramm in Kooperation mit dem JFF- Institut für Medienpädagogik in Forschung und Praxis, das aktuell ins 17. Förderjahr startete. Am 10. März konnten die Teilnehmer stolz das Ergebnis ihrer Arbeit bei der Abschlussveranstaltung des 16. Förderzeitraumes in Bayreuth präsentieren. Insgesamt acht Monate hatten sie Zeit, um ihre Filme, Reportagen, Hörspiele, Websites oder Computerspiele umzusetzen. Unterstützung gab es dabei von Experten aus den verschiedenen Medienbereichen.

Wie wichtig Medienkompetenz im Zusammenhang mit der aktuellen Medienentwicklung ist, zeigt vor allem auch ein Blick auf die neue Internetkultur und die Erfolge von Plattformen wie www.youtube.com, www.clipfish.de oder www.myvideo.de. Hier wird deutlich, dass die neue Generation der Internetnutzer nicht nur konsumieren, sondern selbst gestalten will. Mit ihrem PC oder Handy, das zukünftig alle Unterhaltungs - und Kommunikationsfunktionen vereinigen soll, sind Kinder und Jugendliche längst in der Lage, eigene Fotostorys, Clips oder kleine Videos zu produzieren. Angesichts dieser Popularität ist der Bedarf, Jugendliche bei ihrer aktiven Medienarbeit zu begleiten, entsprechend groß. Genau hier setzt „In eigener Regie“ an. Das Projekt ermuntert Jugendliche in ganz Bayern zur aktiven Auseinandersetzung mit Medien, unterstützt bestehende Mediengruppen und konnte sich in den vergangenen Jahren als erfolgreiches und richtungweisendes Angebot aktiver Medienarbeit positionieren.

Das 1994 gegründete Forum Medienpädagogik setzt sich aus 25 Medienräten der Bayerischen Landeszentrale für neue Medien (BLM), neun Rundfunkräten des Bayerischen Rundfunks und 14 externen Fachleuten zusammen. Es bietet eine Plattform für die gesellschaftliche Debatte über Medienkompetenz und begleitet die medienpädagogischen Aktivitäten der BLM.

Entries invited for the fifth annual Gender in Journalism Awards 2007 – March 21, 2007

from Owais Aslam Ali/Pakistan Press Foundation

Entries are invited for the fifth annual Gender in Journalism Awards 2007. Two awards of Rs. 50,000 each have been instituted by the Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) with the support of The United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Islamabad.

The first award is for excellence in gender sensitive reporting and is open to both male and female journalists. This award recognises models of excellence and best practices in the coverage of gender related issues.

The second award is for outstanding coverage of any issue by a female journalist. This award recognises the competence and contribution of women to journalism who are role models for those entering or planning to enter the profession.

News, columns, articles, and features published in the Pakistani print media during 2006 will be considered for the awards. Journalists and writers may nominate their own work, or editors and others may nominate writings they feel promote the objectives of the awards. Articles published in Pakistani publications between January 1, 2006 and December 31, 2006 are eligible for the awards.

English or Urdu translations must be attached to entries that are in other languages.

The last date for receipt of entries is April 15, 2007.

The entries should be sent to:

The Coordinator,

Gender in Journalism Awards 2006,

Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF),

Press Centre,

Shahrah-e-Kamal Ataturk,

Karachi.

Tel: (021) 263-3215, 263-5614

Fax: (021) 221-7069

Email: genderawards@pakistanpressfoundation.org

Web: www.pakistanpressfoundation.org

Médiamétrie crée le premier « Panel de Mobinautes » pour mesurer l’audience de l’Internet mobile – March 21, 2007

from Laure Osmanian Molinero/ Médiamétrie

Avec ce nouveau panel, Médiamétrie propose la première mesure précise des contenus consultés sur l’Internet mobile via un téléphone portable, qu’il s’agisse des sites Internet, de la télévision ou du téléchargement.

La multiplication des offres de contenus sur téléphone mobile, conjuguée à l’augmentation de la pratique de l’Internet mobile - on comptabilise plus de 7,5 millions de mobinautes en France au second semestre 20061 - rendent nécessaires une connaissance plus approfondie et le suivi dans le temps des comportements des mobinautes.

Pour Benoît Cassaigne, Directeur du Département Internet et Téléphonie Mobile de Médiamétrie :" Le téléphone mobile devient un canal majeur de diffusion de contenus. C’est un nouveau media à part entière qui nécessite la conduite d’études approfondies et reconnues, et le Panel de Mobinautes de Médiamétrie est le premier outil qui va donner des informations sur les comportements d’audience sur le mobile ".

Les résultats du Panel de Mobinautes de Médiamétrie apporteront des informations détaillées sur les contenus consultés, notamment l’audience des sites Internet, des catégories de sites, des chaînes de télévision, ainsi que la quantification du nombre de visiteurs communs entre différents sites. Des résultats seront également disponibles sur le profil des mobinautes - sexe, âge, opérateur téléphonique - et leur localisation lors de la consultation de l’Internet mobile – domicile travail et autres lieux.

Le panel sera composé de 2 500 mobinautes représentatifs, interrogés par Internet sur deux vagues annuelles, en mai/juin et septembre/octobre 2007. Les premiers résultats seront disponibles dès le mois de juillet 2007.

Cette étude est destinée aux annonceurs, éditeurs de contenus, opérateurs télécom, régies publicitaires et agences médias.

Cette innovation illustre la volonté stratégique de Médiamétrie d’anticiper et d’intégrer la mesure de l’audience de tous les types de contenus, ainsi que leurs nouveaux modes de diffusion et de réception.

Définitions

* " Mobinautes " : Utilisateur principal de téléphone mobile déclarant avoir déjà consulté des informationsou utilisé des services de l’internet mobile.

** " Internet Mobile " : Ensemble des services mobiles utilisables depuis un téléphone mobile.

ENPA - EUROPEAN NEWSPAPER PUBLISHERS’ ASSOCIATION AND ITS ITALIAN MEMBER ASSOCIATION FIEG CALLS ON COMMISSION AND COUNCIL TO RESPECT PRESS FREEDOMS IN TV DIRECTIVE REVISION – March 20, 2007

from Hannah McCausland/ENPA

At its meeting in Rome on 16 March 2007, the Executive Committee of the European Newspaper Publishers’ Association (ENPA) examined the different challenges and opportunities of the newspaper publishing industry in the context of EU legislation and policy under discussion. This focused particularly on the problems raised by the revision of the “Television without Frontiers Directive”, set in motion by the European Commission with the proposal of the “Audiovisual Media Services Directive” on 13 December 2005.

The European newspaper publishers are deeply concerned about the evolution that is taking place in the revision process and calls again on the Commission and the Council of the European Union to carefully consider the following:

· Newspapers in all their forms of delivery should be kept out of the Directive because of their special role in society that gives them their unique personality upholding the freedom of the press. The original version of the Commission’s proposal excluded electronic newspapers and magazines only in recital 15, which would mean that there would remain a question of to what extent this would be legally binding. The exclusion for the electronic press was very appropriately inserted by the European Parliament into Article 1 of the Directive under the definition of “audiovisual media services”. ENPA considers that it will be of fundamental importance to confirm the exclusion in Article 1 in the final Common Position to be approved by the Council, mainly to avoid legal uncertainties and misinterpretations that could otherwise arise regarding electronic newspapers’ status.

· Product placement is one of the major worries of the European publishers. The weakening of the principle of separation between advertising and editorial content threatens the credibility of all media. The Directive must prohibit product placement wherever it threatens editorial independence and particularly when it reduces the distinction between the advertising and editorial parts. ENPA would therefore support a general prohibition on product placement, with limited derogations for certain genres and room for EU Member States to introduce a total ban on this form of advertising.

· As for hourly limits for advertising (12 minute rule), the wording of Article 18 of the draft Directive leads to the consequence that all forms of advertising different from “short” forms of advertising would fall outside any hourly limitation. It is indeed evident that the exclusion of advertisements other than spots, from the hourly limit, would result in an overall increase of these forms of advertising that are not calculated in the limit. The European publishers’ position is to eliminate the references to “short forms of advertising” and “advertising spots” in article 18, in line with the need of introducing only a general rule for all broadcast advertising and leaving it to the Member States to define which forms of broadcast advertising should be included in the hourly limit.