Irish broadcasters screening 55pc European content


23 Sep 2010

Irish broadcasters currently show 55pc European content, which is more than the EU minimum, a new report published today suggests.

The report, which monitors the promotion of European works on TV throughout the EU, found that more than two-thirds of programming and more than one-third of independent programmes watched by European audiences are of European origin.

EU television broadcasters devoted 63pc of their total air time to programmes made in the EU between 2007 and 2008, according to the report, and fall in line with the EU’s Audiovisual Media Services (AVMS) Directive, which rules on the minimum proportion of works produced in the EU or made by independent European producers that every European broadcaster has to screen.

Making the grade

Ireland has been credited with broadcasting 55pc of European programming in 2007 and 56.4pc in 2008 and European works by independent producers constituted 21.9pc in 2007 and 23pc in 2008, according to the report.

The directive requires member States to ensure that more than 50pc of programming time should be made up of European works and 10pc of either the transmission time or of the broadcaster’s programming budget should be devoted to independent productions.

While Ireland just about matched the EU directive, three member States – Cyprus, Slovenia and Sweden – did not meet its requirements, while Britain just about made the grade at 50.7pc. Television channels in most member States showed more European works than the minimum required by EU rules.

The Commission publishes a report every two years on monitoring the promotion of European works on TV throughout the EU – one of the aims of the AVMS Directive.