English
The main national broadcasters, which are unitedi n teh Macedonian Media Association (MMA), joined by the public television MRT, are demanding that the regulators investigate whether the operation of the sport channel Arena – M1, M2 and M3 Premium is abusing Macedonian laws. The Arena channels were extremely popular during the World football cup.
In a joint statement, MMA and MRT accuse the popular Serbian based regional network that they have material evidence that these channels have been operating for a long time without a domestic license, while the AVMU media regulator treats them as foreign program services that are rebroadcast in the country. Both organizations claim that the production, journalists, commentators and guests hired by Arena are based in Skopje, the studio shows are produced in the country, and the program is broadcast in the Macedonian language, making them a domestic television product. Additionally, they point out that Arena M1, M2 and M3 Premium channels are not recorded in the register of the Serbian regulator REM, which is why, according to MMA and MRT, they cannot be treated as domicile Serbian channels.
MMA and MRT demand that the investigation determine whether this behavior circumvents the legal obligation to obtain a license, whether financial damage has been caused to the budget due to possible non-payment of the license, as well as whether there is any responsibility on the part of the owners and responsible persons of the television services, as well as on the part of officials at AVMU. The statement also requests that any unauthorized use of premium sports television rights be reviewed as a possible case of TV piracy.
AVMU responded with a statement saying that the Arena channels are foreign program services that are rebroadcast in Macedonia, and denies claims from MMA and MRT that the regulatory approach is mistaken.
The Agency acts exclusively within the framework of its legal competences in accordance with the Law on Audio and Audiovisual Media Services. The Agency’s actions in this specific case are based on relevant submitted documentation, as well as information and data received from competent institutions in the Republic of Macedonia and from relevant foreign entities, AVMU said in a statement.