Search results : 93

On 6 December 2022, the National Electronic Mass Media Council of Latvia issued a decision cancelling the broadcast permit issued only a few months earlier, on 6 June 2022, to TV Rain - an independent Russian channel - for the production of the TV Rain programme. This final decision followed the initiation of several administrative procedures and decisions by the Council. The Council’s first decision from 10 November 2022 concerned mere compliance with the “Basic operation conditions” of the electronic media’s broadcast permit. It pointed out that the programme was not...

On 24 September 2022 amendments to the Electronic Mass Media Law entered into force. The purpose of the amendments is to strengthen the safety and protection of the Latvian information space and to promote greater transparency on the identity of the real beneficiaries of electronic mass media to prevent the possibility of hidden influence. Specifically, the new amendments prohibit issuing broadcasting permits for television programmes that are excluded from the list of audio and audiovisual programmes to be rebroadcasted in Latvia on the basis that the country of jurisdiction of the programme...

On 6 June 2022, the National Electronic Mass Media Council of Latvia (NEPLP) blocked 80 Russian TV channels in Latvia, thereby prohibiting all Russian TV channels from broadcasting in Latvia. The Parliament of Latvia has further expanded the powers of NEPLP by amending the Electronic Mass Media Law several times as a result of which the number of banned broadcasting channels continues to increase. Since the beginning of April 2022, three sets of amendments to the Electronic Mass Media Law have been introduced. The first set of amendments, which entered into force on 21 April 2022, grants the...

As already reported, at the beginning of 2022 (Iris 2022-2/10), the National Electronic Mass Media Council of Latvia (NEPLP) banned the distribution of nine Russian television programmes in Latvia which, in NEPLP’s view, disseminated content and appeals that endangered national security. Since then, Latvia has continued to restrict content endangering national security. Media monitoring by NEPLP has resulted in new bans, as well as legislative changes. Since 24 February 2022 - the beginning of the war started by Russia in Ukraine - NEPLP has prohibited the retransmission into Latvia of...

Recently the Latvian media regulator, the National Electronic Mass Media Council (NEPLP) has taken a more active enforcement stance against unregistered on-demand audiovisual media services, as well as promoting compliance with the relevant rules, by issuing guidelines. On 2 December 2021, the NEPLP announced that it has decided to penalise natural persons involved in the unlawful provision of an on-demand audiovisual media service – Brīvvalsts TV. According to the announcement, the NEPLP carried out a thorough examination of their website to assess its conformity with the features of...