Search results : 1372

In May 2004, the Gemeinsame Stelle Digitaler Zugang (Joint Digital Access Office - GSDZ) of the Landesmedienanstalten (Land media authorities) published a paper on the navigator standards set out in Art. 53 of the Rundfunkstaatsvertrag (Inter-State Broadcasting Agreement). The Agreement defines navigators as "systems ... which control the selection of television programmes and which are used as user interfaces for all services offered via that system". According to the GSDZ document, they therefore include all navigation systems which act as user interfaces once the viewer has switched on their...

In a ruling of 24 June 2004, the Bundesgerichtshof (Federal Supreme Court - BGH) confirmed that a so-called television advertising blocker was admissible under competition law (see IRIS 1999-10: 7). The dispute between a private TV broadcaster funded through commercial advertising and the defendant concerned a device produced and sold by the latter, which could be connected to a TV or video recorder. This device automatically switches to a channel without advertisements whenever there is a commercial break on the selected channel. At the end of the advertisements, the device switches back to the...

In line with the announcement made in the run-up to the re-enactment of the Film Support Act (FFG) as amended, the revised version of which came into effect as early as 1 January 2004 (see IRIS 2004-1: 10 and IRIS 2003-5: 14), the directors of the Public Service Broadcasting Union of the Federal Republic of Germany (ARD) at a meeting on 31 March 2004 in Saarbrücken, decided to increase the funding paid to the German film industry. The directors gave their consent to the conclusion of the 8 Film and Television Convention with the Film Support Authority (FFA) in accordance with § 67, Paragraph 1,...

According to press releases from the parties involved, the public broadcasting stations ARD and ZDF have come to an agreement with the Swiss Infront agency on 17 May 2004 on the granting of TV and radio broadcasting rights for the FIFA World Cup 2006, at a price of nearly EUR 230 million plus VAT. The agreement covers on the one hand the live broadcasting rights for 48 or 49 matches (a total of 64 World Cup matches will take place), which have been exclusively granted to the Germany-wide free TV stations ARD and ZDF. These rights cover all matches played by the German national team, the opening...

To ensure diversity of opinion, German television programme stations with full national coverage are obliged pursuant to article 25, section 4 of the Rundfunkstaatsvertrag (German Interstate Broadcasting Agreement, RStV) to broadcast so-called "window programmes" in conformity with provincial legal provisions. These time-limited programmes should be adapted in such a manner as to contain information directly related to the region concerned. Pursuant to article 25, section 2 of the RStV the broadcaster will be granted a bonus of 2% upon reaching legally-significant media concentration threshold...