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On 27 February 2023, the Bundesministerium für Ernährung und Landwirtschaft (Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture – BMEL) presented the key elements of a proposed bill prohibiting the advertising of foods with high sugar, fat or salt content. The BMEL’s initiative follows the discovery that food advertising aimed at children very often promotes highly processed foods that contain excessive levels of these ingredients. Excessive consumption of such foods contributes to diet-related diseases (e.g. obesity, diabetes) that have high societal costs. Food advertising has a lasting...

On 2 March 2023, the Kommission zur Ermittlung der Konzentration im Medienbereich (Commission on Concentration in the Media – KEK) published its opinion of 14 February 2023 on the draft European Media Freedom Act (EMFA). Although it supports the objectives of the EMFA in principle, it points out that protecting pluralism is a task to be carried out at member state level, independently of state authorities. It believes this is not reflected in the current proposal. The KEK is a joint organ of the 16 German state media authorities. It is responsible for guaranteeing plurality of opinion...

On 15 February 2023, the Verband Privater Medien (German Association of Private Media – VAUNET), the umbrella organisation of audio and audiovisual media companies in Germany, published its annual report on media consumption for 2022. The report shows that, although the use of audio and audiovisual media accounted for a slightly lower proportion of the total media time budget, of users aged 14 and over in Germany, than the previous year’s record level, it remained very high at almost 90%. Average daily usage of such content was 9 hours and 43 minutes in 2022. Daily video consumption...

On 13 December 2022, the German Landesmedienanstalten (state media authorities) published a joint position paper on the European Commission’s proposal for a Regulation establishing the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA). They welcomed the proposal and its general aim to take into account the fundamental values of the European Union in the media sector and protect media freedom and independence. Nevertheless, the media authorities had serious concerns about the lack of independence and freedom to make decisions for the proposed European Board for Media Services and the low level of differentiation...

The GIM market research institute has published a study entitled “Transparenz-Check” (transparency check), commissioned by the Direktorenkonferenz der Landesmedienanstalten (Conference of State Media Authority Directors – DLM). Based on an online representative survey, the study investigates social media users’ ability to identify commercial content and the importance of labelling commonly used on popular platforms. It clearly shows that, for half of those who responded, clear labelling is the most important factor in their ability to recognise advertising. People who are...