The round table “Problems of regional television in Russia”
02.12.2014
On November 27, 2014, in Sochi, the round table “Problems of regional television in Russia” took place within the frameworks of follow-up activities of the All-Russian TV awards “TEFI Region 2014”. Leonid Levin, chairman of the committee of the State Duma on communications policy, Aleksandr Akopov, president of the fund “Academy of Russian Television” (ART), Eteri Leviyeva, general manager of the ART, Mikhail Mikshis, president of “Corporation Max Media Group”, Aleksandr Tyunikov, president of “AS Baykal TV”, Igor Yarosh, general manager of “SurgutInformTV”, took part in the professional discussion. During the round table, NAMMI and Lomonosov Moscow State University were represented by Sergey Smirnov, associate professor of the Faculty of Journalism of Lomonosov Moscow State University.
The main issue for the discussion was the collision as a result of amendments to the federal law “On advertising” in 2014. Amendments banning advertising on off-the-air television exposed many regional broadcasters to a risk, who transmit their signal through the platforms of cable and satellite operators. Since the question on operation of the third (regional) multiplex of digital television is not completely solved, off-the-air broadcast technologies have already become an important alternative to on-air ones for dozens of regional TV channels. And the ban on advertising on off-the-air television deprives the broadcasters of the most important constituent part of their income, actually destroys not very stable business models of regional television. All the participants of the discussion agreed over this problem.
Following the results of the discussion, it was resolved to recommend all the regional broadcasters concerned, who are the participants of the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), to inform legislative authorities of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation about the current situation. In this case regional legislators will be able to come with their proposals to a federal level, and the committee on communications policy of the State Duma will obtain juridical base for formulation of corrections to the law “On advertising”. The task of these corrections is to lift the ban on advertising in off-the-air media, and first of all for regional TV channels of Russia (and probably for all Russian TV channels of off-the-air broadcast).
On November 27, 2014, in Sochi, the round table “Problems of regional television in Russia” took place within the frameworks of follow-up activities of the All-Russian TV awards “TEFI Region 2014”. Leonid Levin, chairman of the committee of the State Duma on communications policy, Aleksandr Akopov, president of the fund “Academy of Russian Television” (ART), Eteri Leviyeva, general manager of the ART, Mikhail Mikshis, president of “Corporation Max Media Group”, Aleksandr Tyunikov, president of “AS Baykal TV”, Igor Yarosh, general manager of “SurgutInformTV”, took part in the professional discussion. During the round table, NAMMI and Lomonosov Moscow State University were represented by Sergey Smirnov, associate professor of the Faculty of Journalism of Lomonosov Moscow State University.
The main issue for the discussion was the collision as a result of amendments to the federal law “On advertising” in 2014. Amendments banning advertising on off-the-air television exposed many regional broadcasters to a risk, who transmit their signal through the platforms of cable and satellite operators. Since the question on operation of the third (regional) multiplex of digital television is not completely solved, off-the-air broadcast technologies have already become an important alternative to on-air ones for dozens of regional TV channels. And the ban on advertising on off-the-air television deprives the broadcasters of the most important constituent part of their income, actually destroys not very stable business models of regional television. All the participants of the discussion agreed over this problem.
Following the results of the discussion, it was resolved to recommend all the regional broadcasters concerned, who are the participants of the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), to inform legislative authorities of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation about the current situation. In this case regional legislators will be able to come with their proposals to a federal level, and the committee on communications policy of the State Duma will obtain juridical base for formulation of corrections to the law “On advertising”. The task of these corrections is to lift the ban on advertising in off-the-air media, and first of all for regional TV channels of Russia (and probably for all Russian TV channels of off-the-air broadcast).