Search results : 148

A Memorandum of Understanding on mutual co-operation and exchange of information between the Czech Council for Radio and TV Broadcasting, the Hungarian National Radio and TV Commission, the Polish National Broadcasting Council, the Romanian National Audiovisual Council, the Serbian Republic Broadcasting Agency and the Slovak Council for Broadcasting and Retransmission was signed on 10 December 2009 in Prague. Each signatory shall prepare a brief summary of the relevant legislation in the respective country for the regulation of the content of and advertising in TV and radio broadcasts. The purpose...

In a decision of 15 October 2009 Nemzeti Hírközlési Hatóság (Hungarian National Communications Authority - NHH) imposed a fine of HUF 40 million (approx. EUR 150,000) on the provider of national DTT and DAB services Antenna Hungária Zrt, AH. The decision was made on the basis of the assessment of AH’s compliance with the terms of its DTT/DAB licence agreements. AH concluded the licence agreements on providing DTT and DAB services with the NHH at the end of 2008 (see IRIS 2008-9: 14). By these agreements AH undertook a number of obligations beyond paying licence fees. Such obligations are for example: -...

On 30 September 2009 a new Code of Advertising Ethics entered into force in Hungary. The self-regulatory instrument was signed on 16 September 2009 by 26 professional associations covering practically the entire national advertising industry. The first Hungarian Code of Advertising Ethics was adopted by the market players in 1981 as the first of such codes in the former Eastern Bloc. Since then the code has been revised several times. However, the last revision took place in 2005 and the Hungarian advertising scene has been the subject of several changes during the past four years (IRIS 2005-10:...

On 2 September 2009 Országos Rádió és Televízió Testület (the National Radio and Television Commission, ORTT) decided to qualify TV programmes consisting of games (for prizes) where viewers can take part via telephone as teleshopping. The basis of the decision was judgment C-195/06 of the European Court of Justice. In this judgment (see IRIS 2008-1: 4) the Court inter alia expressed that “a broadcast or part of a broadcast during which a TV broadcaster offers viewers the opportunity to participate in a prize game by means of immediately dialling a premium rate telephone number, and thus in return...

On 30 June 2009 the Hungarian Constitutional Court declared a recent amendment to Act I of 1996 on Radio and Television Broadcasting (Broadcasting Act) incompatible with the Constitution. The amendment was adopted by the Parliament on 8 December 2008. The new rules would have made possible the renewal of broadcasting licences without tendering in the case of analogue programme services, given that the broadcaster concerned undertakes obligations to contribute to the process of the digital switchover. The term of such renewal was determined to be a maximum of five years, but it may not exceed the...