Wild liberalisation of TV advertising market to hit consumers and children
Today's European Parliament vote on the updating of a 1989 law known as Television without Frontiers was denounced by Italian GUE/NGL MEP, Umberto Guidoni as "a dangerous move towards the complete commercialisation of television."
Guidoni protested that the TV without Frontiers directive risks reducing the viewer to nothing more than a consumer and abandoning audiovisual creation to the law of the market, ignoring its cultural value. He pointed out that it included "no provision for a daily limit to teleshopping, no hourly limit for telepromotions, general authorisation of isolated commercials and the dangerous introduction of product placement."
While some GUE/NGL proposals were accepted by Parliament, the overall result of today's vote is negative.
"Children will be affected by this absurd liberalisation" Guidoni said, pointing out that although a GUE/NGL amendment that requires advertisers to respect the UN convention on the rights of children was approved, "children will still be exposed to increased advertising while statistics show a correlation between infantile obesity and advertising." Parliament also approved a GUE/NGL amendment on media pluralism. "Member States will have to adopt the necessary measures so that the pluralism of the broadcasting system is guaranteed" Guidoni explained.