The Swedish Broadcasting
Authority
11th October 2012
Baltic meeting in Riga
The Swedish Broadcasting Authority
• Issues licenses to broadcast radio and TV to all but
Public Service
• Supervises that ‘non-content’ regulation and conditions
are followed by the license holders
• Is led by a director-general, appointed by the
government
• 25 employees, three sections
• A broadcasting commission within the authority
supervises content
Organization
The Swedish
Broadcasting
Commission
General
Supervision
Licensing
Director
Advisory Council
Support
The Swedish Broadcasting Authority
Our goal is to promote a media landscape that is:
• Open
• Diverse
• Responsible
The Swedish Radio and Televison Act
• Requires licenses only if there is a scarcity of capacity
(terrestrial TV and radio)
• Shall comply with applicable rules of content
• May include different conditions
• Broadcasting through other platforms (satellite, cable,
ip) does not require licenses but shall be registered at
the Swedish Broadcasting Authority.
• Shall comply with applicable rules of content in the act.
• A decision to register does not include any conditions.
The Swedish Radio and Television Act
What is registered?
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Name of the media service provider
Contact information
What type of broadcast
Where the broadcast is directed
A channel name/designation
Date of registration
What are the legal implications of a decision to
register a broadcast?
• The Swedish Broadcasting Authority has found that the
broadcast is within its jurisdiction.
• The media service provider shall comply with
applicable rules of content.
• The Swedish Broadcasting Authority has the
responsibility to supervise the broadcast.
Registration process of Rossija RTR
• Why jurisdiction?
• The service provider, NCP RUSMEDIACOM is
established outside the EEA-area (Moscow).
• A Satellite up-link in Sweden is used (which is certified
by the operators).
• Rossija RTR is a special version of RTR Planeta.
• The editorial content shall be the same to all Baltic
countries
- except that local advertisement may be inserted.
• One media service was registered at our Authority.
• The decision is based on information from the service
provider.
Organization
The Swedish
Broadcasting
Commission
General
Supervision
Licensing
Director
Advisory Council
Support
SwedisDepartment of supervision
h Broadcasting Commission?
• Review the content of the
broadcasts
- Handles complaints to the broadcasting commission,
i.e. watches or listens to the programme and oversees
its compliance with the rules.
- Only review of programs that are already broadcast.
• Other supervision
- All supervision that is not related to the content of the
broadcasting
The Swedish Broadcasting
Commission
The Swedish Broadcasting
Commission
• An independent broadcasting
commission within the authority that
supervises content.
Swedish Broadcasting Commission (SBC)
• Consists of commissioners appointed by
the government
• The chairman and the vice-chairmen are
judges with high judicial offices. Other
members have broad experience in the
social, cultural and media fields
The starting point for the review
• Complain from the public
• Initiative of the SBC
Complaints
• About 2 000 complaints per year (tv and radio)
• For efficiency reasons, the Commission do not review
all the programs that have received complaints.
• Complaints are regarded as tips / ideas and the
Commission prioritize the complaints that is likely to
contribute to efficient control and a good compliance
with the Broadcasting Act.
Content rules
Content rules
• Provisions in the Radio and Television act
-based on the AVMS-directive
• Terms and conditions in the licences for
terrestrial broadcasts
Different rules for different types of
broadcasting
• Public service broadcasters
• Commercial radio and TV
• Community radio and TV
Public service and DTT - rules
• Public service have stricter rules in their broadcasting
permits, e.g. ban of advertising, privacy, rules on
accuracy and impartiality, protection of minors
• Commercial digital terrestrial broadcast have fewer
stricter rules in their broadcasting permits, e.g.
accuracy, protection of minors and privacy but no rules
of impartibility
• - however the broadcasting companies with at
jurisdiction in other European countries don´t have
these conditions since Swedish law is not applicable to
those broadcasts.
The Radio and Television Act
- implements the AVMS-directive
A media service provider shall ensure that
the overall media services reflect the
fundamental concepts of a democratic
society, the principle that all persons are of
equal value, and the freedom and dignity of
the individual.
The Radio and Television Act
- implements the AVMS-directive
Information in a television program or in
Teletext, which is not commercial
advertising and which is transmitted by
means other than cable shall be corrected
when this is justified.
The Radio and Television Act
- implements the AVMS-directive
Information in a television program or in
Teletext, which is not commercial
advertising and which is transmitted by
means other than cable shall be corrected
when this is justified.
The Radio and Television Act
- implements the AVMS-directive
Unless there are special reasons to the contrary, a natural or legal
person that broadcasts television other than through cable shall
ensure that the following requirements are satisfied:
1. More than half the annual transmission time shall be reserved for
European works;
2. At least ten per cent of the annual broadcasting time or at least ten
per cent of the programming budget will be used for European works
created by producers who are independent of broadcasters. The
proportion of programs produced during the preceding five years
should be as high as possible.
Television broadcasts in accordance with the first paragraph, unless
there are special reasons to
the contrary, are to contain a considerable proportion of programmes
in the Swedish language, programs with Swedish artists active in
Sweden, and works by Swedish authors active in Sweden.
The Radio and Television Act
- implements the AVMS-directive
A channel name which has been approved
by the Broadcasting Authority must be
displayed at least once per broadcasting
hour, or, if this is not possible, between the
programs.
The Radio and Television Act
- implements the AVMS-directive
• The Radio and Television Act contains
rules regarding
 Advertising
 Product placement
 Sponsorship
 Undue prominence
The Radio and Television Act
- stricter rules than the AVMS-directive
• Stricter rules in Sweden
Programs primarily aimed at children below 12 years of
age may not be interrupted or surrounded by advertising.
Nor may these programs contain product placement.
The Radio and Television Act
- stricter rules than the AVMS-directive
• Stricter rules in Sweden
Marketing of alcoholic beverages to consumers is not
allowed in television programs.
Programs in television broadcast may not be sponsored
by any party whose principal activity is the manufacture or
sale of alcoholic beverages or tobacco products.
The Radio and Television Act
- implements the AVMS-directive
Violence and pornographic content
• Programs containing portrayals of violence of a realistic
nature or pornographic images which are broadcast on
television must either be preceded by a verbal warning
or contain a warning text continuously displayed on the
screen throughout the broadcast.
• Such programs may not be broadcast at times and in a
manner that would create a considerable risk of
children viewing the programs unless the broadcast is
nevertheless defensible on special grounds. Watershed
is at 21:00.
The Radio and Television Act
- implements the AVMS-directive
Sanctions
• Breaches against rules regarding advertising,
sponsorship and product placement can be
sanctioned by fees. The fee is decided by the
courts system.
• Breaches against other rules may result in
orders to follow the rules. An order may be
subject to a conditional fine.
Media use in Sweden
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Time spent on media per day: 6 hours or 367 min.
Top three: Internet 95 min, TV 95 min and radio 81 min.
Web TV: 5 min.
TV access: 98%
Radio access: 99%
Broadband access: 85%
Daily users of Internet: 69%
Smart phone access: 36%
Ipad access: 7%
Source: Nordicom-Sverige