Georgia

[GE] Broadcasting Act Amended

IRIS 2011-10:1/22

Andrei Richter

Comenius University (Bratislava)

A number of important amendments were recently introduced into the Statute of Georgia “On Broadcasting” of 23 December 2004 (see IRIS 2005-7/24).

The first set of changes was adopted by parliament on 8 April 2011 and promulgated on 2 May 2011 (Statute No. 4525). Article 37 of the broadcasting law is amended to prohibit a broadcasting license from being held by a legal entity registered in an off-shore zone, and/or a legal entity, whose share/stock is directly or indirectly owned by a person registered in an off-shore zone. The Statute also adds Article 37-1 that obliges applicants for a license to disclose information about the owners, board members and managers of the company in order to prove that the applicants or their beneficiaries do not constitute entities banned from holding broadcasting licenses. Amendments also make more information on the broadcasters and the licensing body available online.

Another set of changes adopted on 19 April 2011 and promulgated on 5 May 2011 (Statute No. 4546) grants the broadcasters an increased time for commercials and possibilities for more frequent interruptions of programmes by commercials. They also increase the length of commercial breaks, e.g., in news and public affairs programmes from 120 to 300 seconds. The amendments clarify the provisions of Articles 63 and 64 on advertising and teleshopping and are aimed at bringing particular norms of the national broadcasting law into line with the EU directive on audiovisual media services.