V-chips set to be dropped in favour of televised sport

Date: 06/03/1997

By Simon Coss

IT SEEMS increasingly unlikely that European televisions will be equipped with so-called 'V-chips' - controversial devices capable of screening out violent or pornographic material from television transmissions.

Arguments over the desirability of using V-chips, along with a parallel dispute over the broadcasting of key sporting events, have sparked a round of conciliation talks between the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers which are set to get under way this month.

Initially, MEPs were keen for the Union to follow the North American example and introduce the chips, while the European Commission and member states opposed the move.

But as the talks draw closer, the Parliament looks set to devote its energies to the sporting issue and to drop the V-chip question.

“I do not think the Parliament will be prepared for a fight to the death over V-chips. Sport broadcasts are seen as the more pressing issue,” said one expert closely involved in parliamentary preparations for the meeting.

Opponents of the V-chip say the device, which recognises encoded ratings in television signals similar to the current age ratings for cinema films, ultimately absolves broadcasters of the responsibility for monitoring what they transmit.

In addition, argue both the Commission and ministers, the cultural differences between member states would make it very hard to achieve an EU-wide ratings system for programmes.

This opposition is echoed by the broadcasters themselves, who argue that efficient self-regulation is the best way forward.

On the sports issue, the Dutch EU presidency has come up with a plan which seems to bridge the gap between the Parliament and member states.

Both sides have always agreed on the basic principle that key sporting events constitute an important facet of European culture and so should be available to the widest possible television audience. This means that the rights to broadcast them should not be sold to pay-TV channels such as France's Canal± or UK-based Sky.

The dispute has centred on how to define such 'key' events, with MEPs calling for an EU-wide list to be drawn up while ministers argued this would not take into account differing national tastes.

While an international cricket match featuring England may be of great cultural interest in the UK, they said, there was no reason why the event had to be available on a non pay-TV service in Spain, where interest would not be especially high.

The Commission made an attempt to reconcile these differences by suggesting member states compile lists of key national events and agree to recognise each other's preferences.

The Netherlands' new plan is understood to build on this 'mutual recognition' principle, but with the added proviso that member states would be allowed to include events taking place in other countries on their 'key' list.