The EBU has welcomed the political deal reached on the revised Audiovisual Media Services (AVMS) Directive.

Following months of trilogue discussions, the EBU welcomed the final political agreement and commended the fact that it maintains key provisions of the AVMS Directive to secure access to impartial news, information and major events, as well as ensuring pluralism, diversity and inclusion and levels up the rules protecting minors regardless of whether they watch linear or catch-up audiovisual content. Simultaneously the agreement modernised the Directive's rules ensuring both changing audience habits and the increased role of new audiovisual platforms were taken into consideration.  

EBU Director General Noel Curran said: "European policy-makers have enabled governments and regulators from across Europe to continue to support an open, diverse and vibrant audiovisual media sector.”

“The revised AVMS Directive recognises EU Member States’ freedom to give appropriate prominence to audiovisual media services of general interest. This principle ensures that viewers are always aware that a rich and diverse offer of programming with a particular interest to society is available, and just one click or push of the button away. That's why we call upon national authorities in charge to design modern prominence policies where necessary."   

The EBU welcomed the updating of the AVMS Directive, as it:

• Protects the integrity of content by requiring AVMS providers' consent to modifications or commercial overlays to their content by third parties. At a time when citizens' trust in online information continues to erode, protecting the integrity of content is key to further support trust in professionally edited media content. With an estimated 18 billion Euros spent by EBU Members on programmes in the EU, and 83% of this total expenditure being allocated to the production of original content, we believe that this rule will contribute to securing high levels of investments in original European content by AVMS providers. 
• Introduces a new approach for video-sharing platform services. The EBU agreed that it was essential that a basic set of rules (on the protection of minors, on the fight against hate speech as well as on advertising) were applied across video-sharing platforms in a step to strengthen fairness in the European audiovisual media sector in Europe.

The robustness of the revised AVMS Directive will depend on the implementation of the proposed rules by national governments and regulators. To that end, the EBU and its Members call upon Member States to ensure a swift and effective implementation and enforcement of the agreed AVMS Directive.