Mediaset challenges AGCOM political bias ruling

Italian broadcaster Mediaset is to challenge a penalty imposed by regulator AGCOM for failure to modify its election coverage and give more airtime to opposition parties.

AGCOM found that Mediaset’s Tg4 (Rete 4) and Studio Aperto (Italia One) news programmes, along with public broadcaster Rai’s Tg1, had given disproportionate time to government figures, with Tg4 programmes giving 72% of available airtime to government parties.

Mediaset claims that AGCOM changed the rules mid-way through the campaign and applied its penalty on the basis of only two days’ programming. The broadcaster is challenging AGCOM in the Tribunale Ammisitrativo Regionale (TAR) court.