Sweden

[SE] Renewed license for terrestial broadcaster TV4 in Sweden

IRIS 1997-2:1/22

Helene Hillerström

TV4 AB

other texts are available yet. TV4, the only terrestrial private commercial TV channel in Sweden and the Swedish Government agreed on a new broadcasting licence which took effect on 1 January 1997. The new licence is formulated as a permission to broadcast rather than an agreement between two equal parties as was the case before.

The changes in substance as compared to the previous licence agreement are as follows:

- The previous detailed quotas on programming have been abolished. The quotas have been replaced by less detailed obligations, such as the obligation to widen TV4's responsibility for the promotion of Swedish culture. TV4 will no longer be obliged to maintain the present 16, often loss making, editorial offices and staff on different locations in the country, but its programming is not to be dominated by Stockholm views and events, the place where TV4 is mainly established. Its programming is to continue to present the views and events of other places in the country.

In addition, the news and current affairs programmes are to present the different views and interests, for example, in the fields of religion and science. The only quota rule which remains is the obligation to broadcast at least five hours of children's programmes. At least half of these have to be produced originally in Swedish or any other Nordic language. The change regarding to this quota rule is that a programme originally produced for more than 50% in the Swedish language is eligible to be considered as a Swedish programme.

- The obligation of presenting a variety of programming of high quality recognises the fact that TV4 is a private commercial company. The programming of TV4 will no longer be compared to the programming of Sweden's public television broadcasting service which is financed by means of a licence fee and different other funds.

- Ownership control of TV4 will be less strict under the new licence. The new licence stipulates that ownership and influence in TV4 must not substantialy change to the extent that concentration of ownership in the Swedish media sector increases.

The license will be made available in Swedish at the Observatory upon publication of the official version, which will be announced in IRIS.