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An online survey carried out by pollster YouGov in late January discovered that a plurality of UK respondents would like to strike from TV ads for cigarettes, payday loans, gambling, abortion providers, personal injury lawyers, cosmetic surgery providers, prescription drugs and debt refinancing. TV ads for universities, children’s toys, fast food, political parties and politicians, laser surgery and alcoholic drinks are OK…almost. (See YouGov presser here)
Responses from men and women didn’t differ much. Women were a bit more negative toward alcoholic drinks, payday loan and gambling ads. There’s some logic to that…or sociology. Londoners were generally less negative about the naughty TV ads and less positive toward the nice stuff. (JMH)
We obviously can’t get enough Scandinavian TV drama. After The Killing, Wallander and Borgen there’s now Lilyhammer, produced by Norwegian production house Rubicon TV. BBC Four will air the edgy drama within their expanding Scandinavian schedule.
Lilyhammer debuted on Norwegian public TV channel NRK1 (January 23) to a stunning 57% audience share. Counting cable and Web audience over a million Norwegians tuned in. The drama stars Stevie Van Zandt, once co-star of The Sopranos and almost always guitar player with Bruce Springstein’s E Street Band, and is produced in Norway with local producers, directors, writers and actors. Scheduling on BBC Four hasn’t been announced but it can be seen on Netflix, which optioned the original production. SevenOne International, part of ProSiebenSat.1 Media Group, markets the series in Europe. (See SevenOne International presser here)
The Killing – Forbrydelsen in Danish – originally appeared as 20 episodes in 2007 on Denmark’s public TV channel DR1, which produced the series. The first series migrated to other Scandinavian channels, then throughout Europe, eventually on BBC Four. It was remade to air on US cable channel AMC. The second series of ten episodes was originally broadcast on DR1 in 2009, the rest of the world following. In 2011 The Killing won the BAFTA award for best international series. Series three of The Killing is in production.
Also a Danish production is the acclaimed drama series Borgen. It’s initial ten episode season drew 40% audience shares in Denmark and traveled to the rest of Scandinavia and beyond. The Swedish hit drama Wallander started the gold rush of Scandinavian TV exports in 2005. (JMH)
When Christopher Baldelli took over as chairman of RTL Group’s French national radio channels in 2009 there were more than a few groans. He was a TV guy and, well, TV people tend to see everything through that screen prism, right? With challengers all around, main general interest channel RTL continues to hold top ratings. He gave his views on the channel, competitors and radio in general to Les Echos (February 6).
On coming to radio from TV land, he admitted “a preconceived idea” that radio is “a less modern medium.” But now “I think the opposite.”
On record-breaking 2010 audience figures: “This is an indicator of the health of radio. It’s rare that a (market) leader can continue to progress. Radio is more competitive than television.”
The French nation music channels suffering in the Médiamétrie audience surveys is neither “inevitable,” Baldelli observed, nor “due to the consumption of music on the internet.” Nor would he blame French music quotas, the “most proactive” for national artists in Europe. The music channels “must somehow go through ups and downs, believe in (their) formats and not change every time a difficulty arises.” RTL Group also owns and operates two national music channels – pop-rock RTL2 and dance-oriented Fun Radio. (See more on media in France here)
RTL aspires to be “popular but not populist,” he explained, noting the “indisputable” gains of competitor RMC. “We will not imitate a (channel) that is not our direct challenger.”
Along with the other big French radio operators, he remains less than thrilled with the idea of a new digital platform. “I believe in digital radio but not in terrestrial digital radio (DAB, et.al.) in which, obviously, an economic model has not been found. Two reports commissioned by the government reached this conclusion. In Europe, there is not one big country where (digital radio) has been able to grow effectively. In France, it is not viable because the radio ‘park’ is enormous.”
French radio broadcasters are gather in Paris this week for the annual Le Radio expo, conference and celebration. (JMH)
Portuguese public radio RDP Antena 1 morning current affairs program Este Tempo was pulled from the air last week (January 23). The cancellation following a string of unflattering reports about the Angolan government by journalist Pedro Rosa Mendes was, said some Portuguese media watchers, not a coincidence. The program’s producers and reporters were told of the decision two days earlier. Public broadcaster RTP Director-General Luís Marinho said the decision had been made “some time ago,” reported Publico.pt (January 25).
Sr. Rosa Mendes has been a constant critic of the Angolan regime, winning awards for his writing and broadcasts as well as defamation lawsuits from Angolan president José Eduardo dos Santos and Russian billionaire Arcadi Gaydamak, who holds honorary Angolan citizenship. The January 18th commentary on Este Tempo criticized a special broadcast from Angola by public television channel RTP1. “Angola is one of the taboo subjects in Portugal,” he observed.
Speaking to a European Parliament conference on the relationship between austerity economics and press freedom (February 1), Sr. Rosa Mendes called the decision to end the program by RTP director-general Luís Marinho an “act of censorship.” In a statement, RTP denied the charge.
RDP Antena 1 deputy news director Ricardo Alexandre resigned (February 2), which RDP sources, quoted by Publico, say was unrelated and also planned for some time. The Portuguese Parliament as approved, but not moved forward on privatizing public broadcasting channels because of the country’s dire economic situation. (JMH)
The owner of Telenor Arena in Oslo, Norway has handed a bill for NOK “four to five million” to public broadcaster NRK, reports Kampanje (February 3), for damages during the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest. Operator of Telenor Arena, Euforum, specially built a floor to cover the Astroturf for the event at a cost of NOK 5.4 million (about €700,000) and was unable to recover the costs due to damages. (See more on the Eurovision Song Contest here)
“We disagree on both the extent and degree of responsibility for us as well as the consequences for the floor's residual value after the (event),” said NRK program director Per Arne Kalbakk. Off to court they will go in mid-February.
Meanwhile, preparations for the May 2012 ESC in Baku, Azerbaijan are moving forward. Construction of the Crystal Hall venue, specially designed for the event, continues as part of an urban renewal project near the city’s National Flag Square. Human Rights Watch observers in Azerbaijan have complained about pensioners being evicted from homes to make room, reported AFP (February 1).
“Certain groups are intentionally politicizing unrelated issues and trying to link them to the Eurovision Song Contest,” said a government spokesperson to AFP.
Smaller Olympic sports are “threatened” by the shift from public to commercial television said nearly two dozen Swedish sports association directors in a formal complaint to the government, reported Dagens Media (February 2).
The sports associations want the government to submit a list of events in the national interest to the European Commission (EC), including the Olympic Games, forcing full coverage on free-to-air television. The Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMS) allows Member States to submit a list of such events that, once approved, must be broadcast on free-to-air television. World and European football governing bodies FIFA and UEFA challenged the AVMS “crown jewels” provision at the European Court of Justice (ECJ) and lost (February 2011). The EC has approved “crown jewels” lists for eight Member States. (See more on sports rights here)
“During the Olympic Games, we learn the names of performers we would never know unless we saw them on TV,” said the letter. “These sports have their place and inspire children and young people who have not yet chosen a sport for life. This is now threatened.”
Modern Times Group (MTG) acquired full rights for Sweden in June 2011 to the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi and 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. “If the IOC trusts us,” said MTG sports director Per Tellander, “so should the sports associations.” He also said criticism of MTG’s forthcoming Olympic Games coverage is understandable because it will be a change from public broadcaster SVT, which has held Olympic Games broadcast rights since 1960.
The Swedish Olympic Committee (SOK) lobbied the International Olympic Committee (IOC) against the rights transfer from SVT “right up to the last minute,” reported sportbladet.se. In its agreement with the IOC, MTG will offer a minimum of 100 hours from the Sochi Winter Olympics and 200 hours from Rio.
The IOC sold media rights to marketing agency SportFive for 40 regions in 2009, which brokers rights in individual countries. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) previously held Olympic Games rights, assuring public broadcasters dominance in this and other major sporting events. SportFive is a wholly-owned subsidiary of French media house Lagardère. (JMH)
From Last Weeks ftm Tickle File
Fewer ad complaints reported
“significant evolution”
Portuguese television broadcasters were more careful about advertising rules in 2011, said a report from regulator ERC. For the entire year there were but 12 complaints for exceeding ad limits. The regulator called this a “significant evolution,” reported Publico.pt (January 30).
In 2009 the regulator flagged 224 violations for too many TV ads and that number dropped to 54 in 2010. Public broadcaster RTP is allowed six minutes per hour on its main channel RTP1, none on RTP2. Commercial broadcasters are constrained to 12 minutes per hour. (JMH)
Colorful characters seek Spanish audience
news, film, ranting
The Iranian government has added a satellite channel in Spanish to its compliment of English, Urdu, French, Arabic and Turkish news channels. HispanTV launched (January 31) with a hearty “Vive Latin America” from Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who recently visited his pal, Venezuela’s presidente Hugo Chavez. Both presidents have engaged the broadcast medium with long and relentless ragings about “the West.”
HispanTV will, according to its official launch statement, offer news, films, documentaries and more. It’s been in test-mode for several weeks. Now it’s on 24/7.
Iran’s English language, West-haranguing Press TV was booted from satellite distribution in the UK (January 20) when the Iranian government “indicated it is unwilling and unable to pay” a £100,000 fine levied by regulator OFCOM. Last year Press TV was fined for broadcasting an interview “under duress” with Channel 4 and Newsweek journalist Maziar Bahari conducted in his prison cell in 2009. OFCOM cited UK rules requiring news organizations broadcasting into the UK to have some sort of responsible person in the UK.
News Corporation, principally owned by the Murdoch family, will launch a satellite channel targeting Latin America, the company announced last week (January 23). A joint venture with RCN Television, MundoFox will hit the airwaves in the second half of the year. A decision on editorial policy – whether or not it will follow fire-breathing US channel Fox News – has not been determined, said a spokesperson to News Corp owned Wall Street Journal.
German international broadcaster Deutsche Welle, not known for rantings or ravings, announced (January 31) expansion of its television services to Latin America from 2 to 20 hours per day. (JMH)
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Being number one means never having to explain the small things. Reaching into page view, audience and circulation figures for that competitive edge is risky. Like everybody else in this 140 character new media world, media people want just the headline. Details are so messy.
Newspaper publishers, almost universally, adore the tablet devices as wonderful new content distribution points. Access to the tablets – like Apple’s iPad – has, however, conditions. A crisis meeting is in order.
Legislators, members of parliaments and their lawyers have faced the digital onslaught with new laws intended to sort out the complications brought about by new media and the internet. Every stakeholder, through argument and lobbyist, has pushed their perceived need and favorite solution. New laws, though, run afoul of old laws.
