For the first time in the history on Italian television broadcasters, the nine principal ones, which are Rai, Mediaset, La7, Sky, Discovery, Fox, Disney, Viacom and De Agostini, signed a letter together against the legislative decree to modify art. 44 of the Tusmar (Testo Unico dei Servizi di Media Audiovisivi e Radiofonici), whch will arrive to the Counsil of ministers’ attention on Friday.
In the letter, addressed to the Minister of Cultural Heritage Dario Franceschini, the television groups explain they have just seen the draft and only by chance, and they are opposing to the change of the broadcasters’ obligatory investment shares in Italian and European independently produced works, which for commercial TV would increase from the current 10 per cent to 15 per cent in 2018 and 20 per cent by 2019, while for Rai it would go from the current 15 per cent to 20 per cent in 2018 and 30 per cent in 2019.
The broadcasters are claiming the fact that investments in the independent field in the last ten years, which amount to roughly ten billion euros, have offered work to almost twenty thousand people with an indirect employment of ninety thousand employees total.
The ministry is instead arguing that the channels have always been involved in the conversation, but it’s not to be excluded that in the final document the percentage will still be slightly modified to accomodate even so slightly the requests coming from the TV groups, which are claiming they have to satisfy a market and a public more attracted to U.S. productions.
The TVs are also criticising the system of sanctions for disregarding the planned shares, which appear even harsher than the ones for violating the protection of minors.
