National rules on appropriate prominence of general interest content

It is well-known that platforms increasingly moderate content, demoting it or granting preferential treatment to their own services or that of third parties against payment. The spread of disinformation is another phenomenon linked to major platforms. The revised Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD) recognises that prominence rules for general interest content may help counter these developments.

The updated Directive acknowledges that Member States are free to take measures to ensure appropriate prominence of audiovisual media services of general interest (Art. 7a AVMSD). To enlighten our understanding of prominence, we held a practical workshop on 20 June in which EBU Members presented their experiences and provided examples of how PSM content is managed on user interfaces in TV distribution (e.g. smart TVs and app stores).