Italy is moving ahead with controversial plans to force anyone uploading video to the internet to obtain a licence from the government, as well as other measures that could adversely affect the businesses of companies including Google and Sky Italia, as part of the Berlusconi governments new media law.
Deputy economic development minster and communications under-secretary Paolo Romani yesterday organised a series of meetings with industry representatives to explain the measures, according to press reports. The latest batch of measures proposed by Romani would restrict freedom to upload web video content as well as placing the content of online video sites under the jurisdiction of communications regulators.
The government has also reportedly proposed to ban adult content from being aired on TV during daytime hours, a measure that could affect pay-TV provider Sky Italia. Also included in the bill is a proposal to restrict advertising on pay-TV channels.
Romani has claimed that the internet video measures are necessary because of European Union restrictions on product placement in TV programmes, widely seen as a highly contentious interpretation of the EU rules.
Mediaset, the commercial broadcaster owned by a trust for the family of prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, recently won a court case against Google for airing its content on the YouTube site.Â
ICYMI: European Commission takes issue with planned French SVOD rules digitaltveurope.com/2021/04/15/eur… https://t.co/v7ZXLiCufN
15 April 2021 @ 20:00:01 UTC
ICYMI: @netflix to remain top dog in Europe, but market share is shrinking digitaltveurope.com/2021/04/15/net… https://t.co/l1i94Qw2Nb
15 April 2021 @ 19:01:00 UTC
ICYMI: Liberty Global trialling Distributed Access Architecture with Teleste digitaltveurope.com/2021/04/15/lib…
15 April 2021 @ 18:28:00 UTC
.@plex adds US$50 million in funding to boost AVOD business digitaltveurope.com/2021/04/14/ple… https://t.co/XxqLKuWlI9
15 April 2021 @ 18:00:02 UTC
SPI/FilmBox expands into Nordic market with Waoo deal digitaltveurope.com/2021/04/15/spi… https://t.co/WZBzkO5lPy
15 April 2021 @ 17:00:00 UTC