Korea is reigniting long-stalled efforts to overtake its broadcasting rules, in search of to ascertain a complete media regulation that displays the speedy rise of streaming-era platforms and brings conventional broadcasting and digital streaming platforms underneath one regulatory framework.
The Korea Media and Communications Fee (KMCC) is about to carry a roundtable with outdoors consultants on Jan. 19 to debate the path for a unified media authorized framework. The assembly goals to assemble views on how you can redesign the regulatory system to higher match the present market that has shifted away from digital platform convergence and on-demand viewing.
The initiative, shelved quite a few instances over the a long time resulting from political disputes and jurisdictional conflicts, is elevating expectations for renewed momentum because the media panorama evolves quickly.
The present Broadcasting Act, enacted in 2000, has largely retained its unique kind regardless of a surge of recent media sorts reminiscent of web protocol TV, internet-based streaming and free ad-supported tv (FAST).
Regardless of these new developments, a complete authorized framework was lacking, leaving new media providers to function underneath fragmented authorized requirements with no clear oversight construction.
This has sparked long-standing requires regulatory reform from conventional broadcasters, which declare they face regulatory disadvantages in contrast with digital opponents as they continue to be topic to strict guidelines whereas newer platforms function outdoors the formal framework.
The envisioned complete regulation seeks to ascertain a horizontal regulatory system, making use of the identical guidelines constantly throughout platforms for a fairer and extra predictable enterprise atmosphere for all gamers.
Korea Media and Communications Fee (KMCC) Chairman Kim Jong-cheol speaks throughout an annual kickoff assembly at Authorities Complicated Gwacheon in Gyeonggi Province, Jan. 2. Courtesy of BMCC
Nevertheless, the duty of merging media-related legal guidelines — presently scattered throughout a number of statutes, together with the Broadcasting Act, Web Multimedia Broadcasting Providers Act and Telecommunications Enterprise Act — poses appreciable challenges.
Integrating them right into a single framework is more likely to set off conflicts of curiosity amongst broadcasters, telecom operators and platform corporations. There are additionally considerations that prematurely imposing guidelines on streaming providers, earlier than regulatory ideas are absolutely established, might undermine enterprise predictability.
One other long-standing impediment is coordinating a number of authorities ministries, as broadcasting and media oversight is cut up among the many KMCC, the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Ministry of Tradition, Sports activities and Tourism. Previous reform makes an attempt repeatedly stalled over jurisdictional disputes.
This time, with the ICT ministry’s broadcasting coverage capabilities having been transferred to the communications regulator final yr, the push for reform now has a greater probability of shifting ahead with a extra streamlined governance construction.
Including to the momentum, BMCC Chairman Kim Jong-cheol has pledged to modernize rules, get rid of outdated promoting and programming restrictions, saying this yr will probably be a yr of reform.
“Final yr, BMCC, which had overseen broadcasting and communications coverage for 17 years, was reorganized and relaunched to ascertain an built-in framework for broadcasting and media coverage,” he stated throughout an annual kickoff assembly earlier this month. “It’s time to tackle a extra proactive position than ever and lead a basic transformation of the media trade ecosystem.”
