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The issue of licensing television stations remains of high political importance in Greece. As mentioned in a previous IRIS article (IRIS 2016-5/20), this procedure was not held by the competent independent authority (Ethniko Symvoulio Radiotileorasis - National Council of Radio and Television) but by a special committee the members of which were appointed by the government. The invitation to tender for the granting of four licences to content providers of nationwide, free-to-air, digital terrestrial, with general informative content, was issued at the end of May by the Minister of State Nikos Pappas....

An intense political controversy over licensing of digital television has arisen in Greece after the unsuccessful effort to nominate new members of the Regulatory Authority Ethniko Symvoulio Radiotileorasis (National Council of Radio and Television - ESR) in February 2016. According to Act 3439/2015, ESR must, first, give its opinion to the competent minister on the number and the kind of licences to be allocated and the auction’s starting price, and, secondly, carry out the auction procedure and issue licences (see IRIS 2016-1/16). However, a decision on the nomination of ESR members, which is...

A new law (the fourth since the launching of private television 25 years ago), regulating the licensing of content providers of digital terrestrial television, has been passed by the Greek Parliament on 24 October 2015. According to this law, ten-year licences shall be granted through an auction procedure to be held by the independent regulatory authority Ethniko Symvoulio Radiotileorasis (ESR). Candidates should meet requirements such as a minimum share capital (which is EUR 8,000,000 for licensees having a licence of national range to broadcast informative/general content), a minimum number of...

Α new act on public broadcasting was passed by the Greek Parliament on 25 April 2015, materialising a major pre-electoral promise of the new left-wing government elected on 25 January 2015 for the reopening the ERT. Elliniki Radiofonia Tileorasi S.A. (a state-owned company employing more than 2600 employees) had been shut down on 11 June 2013 (see IRIS 2013-6/24) and was replaced by NERIT a few months later, an entity created by Act 4173/2013 (see IRIS 2013-9/20). The key provisions of the new act are: (a) the signature of an agreement of principles between ERT and the supervising Minister for...

Two amendments to Act 4173/2013 directly affecting the status of the Greek public broadcaster NERIT, which was recently established after the shutdown of the former public broadcaster ERT (see IRIS 2013-6/24), were passed by parliament on 8 August 2014. The first amendment concerns the formation of the Supervisory Council, the body that had been instituted to ensure independence from government and political parties, and having the essential task of promoting sound corporate governance in NERIT (see IRIS 2013-9/20).  According to the new provisions, the selection procedure begins with a call for...