Financing YLE operations through digital TV smart card gets support

Ministry of Justice to examine use of pay-TV registries for enforcing licence fee compliance

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Use of a pay-TV smart card for the financing of operations of the Finnish Broadcasting Company (YLE), Finland's public service broadcaster, is getting more support.
      Centre Party MP Antti Kaikkonen, the Vice Chair of the Administrative Council of YLE, mentioned such an arrangement as an alternative worthy of consideration by the Parliamentary committee that will ponder the future of YLE from 2010. Kaikkonen presented his thoughts in an article in Apila, the online publication of the Centre Party.
      Under the model, digital YLE broadcasts would be available only to those who have paid for the smart card.
      Finland converted to digital television in September this year, and since then the number of households not paying the mandatory TV licence fee has increased. The licence fee is YLE's main source of revenue.
     
The difficulty with the model is that not all digital decoders have slots for pay-TV cards, and Kaikkonen says that it would be unreasonable to require people to buy new equipment to implement the change.
      "The device should be included in the price of the TV fee", Kaikkonen said to Helsingin Sanomat.
      YLE Administrative Council Chairman, MP Kimmo Sasi (Nat. Coalition Party), also felt that the option was "relevant".
      "It is likely that technology will develop so that all digital set-top boxes will have a card slot", Sasi pointed out.
     
Also taking a positive view of the idea is Pekka Karhuvaara, CEO of YLE's commercial competitor MTV3. "Such a model is in use in Norway. We could live with it", he says.
      Karhuvaara also hints at the possibility of making YLE television channels a cluster of services that would be available to those who buy a TV card costing what a TV licence costs now, while commercial channels would be seen for free.
      "I would certainly buy the YLE package right away", Karhuvaara insists.
      In Parliament, meanwhile, MPs noted that the TV licence fee applies to all channels - as part of an arrangement in which YLE is committed not to take advertising revenue.
     
Parliament debated a report on YLE activities submitted by the YLE Administrative Council on Thursday evening. During the debate it was noted that an estimated 200,000 - 300,000 viewers have not paid the licence fee.
      Minister of Communications Suvi Lindén (Nat. Coalition Party) says that the Finnish Communications Regulatory Authority (FICORA) should be allowed to use the pay TV registry to ascertain who are watching television without paying the licence fee. A bill on the matter might come before Parliament in the spring.
      Minister of Justice Tuija Brax (Green) said that the matter will be examined from the point of view of the protection of privacy.
      She noted that the matter is a sensitive one with regard to fundamental rights. Under present legislation, the use of the registries for such a purpose is not possible.
     
There was also intense discussion on the importance of YLE's public service role. Many complained that other media deal with YLE matters so much - and in a critical tone.
      MP Mikko Alatalo (Centre), a member of the YLE Administrative Council, suggested that SanomaWSOY, the owner of a number of media - including Helsingin Sanomat, the tabloid Ilta-Sanomat, and the television network Nelonen, and Bonnier, which owns MTV3, should start broadcasting in Swedish, if they are so concerned about the future of YLE's Swedish-language broadcasts.
      "In the print media, kicking YLE in the head has been one branch of journalism for a long time", lamented YLE Administrative Council member Ilkka Viljanen (Nat. Coalition Party), saying that other media appear to see YLE as a threat.
      There have also been complaints in the past that the competing media outlets use their own papers - Ilta-Sanomat and Iltalehti - as vehicles for flagrantly puffing their own television programming, something that YLE is unable to do.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Radio Extrem spared, TV channel Extra to be axed in YLE cost-cutting operation (28.11.2007)
  Many immigrants favour satellite TV, not bothering with digital decoders (18.11.2007)
  Sharp decline in number of TV licences after switch to digital TV (6.11.2007)

Links:
  Finnish Broadcasting Company (YLE)

Helsingin Sanomat