must carry

Experts ask for legal reform to improve media freedom

By | December 17th, 2012|Categories: Media, News|Tags: |

TBILISI, DFWatch — A handful of media experts are calling for legislative reforms to address problems with media freedom in Georgia, and have prepared a draft bill as a first step. The bill would amend the law on broadcasting, and was presented by its authors […]

Georgian communications watchdog sabotaging must-carry

By | September 19th, 2012|Categories: Society|Tags: |

TBILISI, DFWatch – A study concludes that Georgia’s National Communications Commission is failing to cooperate effectively with society. The study was done by the must carry monitoring group, which estimates that out of the 3 621 256 voters in Georgia, over 200 000 […]

International support for extending must-carry

By | September 13th, 2012|Categories: News|Tags: |

TBILISI, DFWatch – There is growing international support for extending the must-carry and must-offer system. The system makes cable network obligated to transmit all TV stations and all TV channels to let their signal be carried is being discussed these days by a […]

Renewed call to extend must-carry

By | September 12th, 2012|Categories: News|Tags: |

TBILISI, DFWatch – Democracy groups in Georgia repeat their demand that the must-carry and must-offer principles must be extended beyond Election Day. Three campaigns consisting of NGOs and media presented a joint statement Wednesday. The three campaigns are: […]

Campaigners ask for extension of must-carry

By | September 9th, 2012|Categories: News|Tags: |

TBILISI, DFWatch – A democracy campaign in Georgia asks the government to extend the validity of the must-carry and must-offer principles and lift the seizure of satellite dishes belonging to Maestro TV. This Affects You Too, an umbrella organization of Tbilisi-based […]

Almost 200 000 households can watch government-critical TV

By | August 14th, 2012|Categories: Media, News|Tags: |

TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia’s National Communications Commission (GNCC) Monday published data about the implementation of the must-carry and must-offer principles. 193 642 subscribers are now able to watch Channel 9, an opposition affiliated TV channel, which was […]

Georgians get more TV channels, temporarily

By | August 7th, 2012|Categories: Media, News|Tags: |

TBILISI, DFWatch – The must-carry and must-offer principle is starting to have effect also around Georgia’s different regions. People living in Kutaisi, Georgia’s second largest city after the capital, report that they are already able to watch Channel 9, Maestro and Kavkazia […]

Must-carry law goes into force in Georgia

By | August 4th, 2012|Categories: News|Tags: |

TBILISI, DFWatch – Saturday morning the deadline passed for when cable companies in Georgia will have to transmit three small government-critical TV channels which for years have been unable to reach a broader audience, because cable networks have kept them off. […]

Doubts about media diversity law in Georgia

By | August 1st, 2012|Categories: News|Tags: |

TBILISI, DFWatch – Media organizations, cable operator companies, non-government organizations and the National Communication Commission (GNCC ) sat down together on Monday to discuss details and issues about the implementation of the must-carry and […]

Communications commission is violating the law

By | July 26th, 2012|Categories: News|Tags: |

TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia’s National Communications Commission (GNCC) is violating a recently amended law obliging it to inform the public as well as cable companies and TV channels directly, within one week of the must-carry and must-offer principles coming […]

Government rules out extending media diversity law

By | July 20th, 2012|Categories: News|Tags: |

TBILISI, DFWatch – The Georgian government does not intend to change its position in regards of to implementing the must-carry and must-offer principles. This means that it does not go along with the recommendation of foreign ambassadors in Georgia. These asked […]

Diplomatic pressure to extend must-carry beyond election

By | July 19th, 2012|Categories: News|Tags: |

TBILISI, DFWatch – A working group of ambassadors in Georgia calls on the government to extend the term of the temporary must-carry and must-offer principles to beyond election day. UNDP on Wednesday released a statement after the meeting of the working group […]

Georgia passes media diversity law

By | June 29th, 2012|Categories: In brief, News|Tags: |

TBILISI, DFWatch – The Georgian parliament today passed the new law which is meant to make television more diverse ahead of each election. A campaigners have been advocating the must-carry and must-offer principles for months, and two weeks ago the […]

Media diversity law could lead to social turmoil

By | June 29th, 2012|Categories: News|Tags: |

TBILISI, DFWatch – An opposion party in Georgia warns that a law meant to create diversity in media will lead to social turmoil after the election in October. Levan Vepkhvadze, one of the leaders of the opposition Christian Democrats, says introducing so-called must-carry […]

Georgia’s media diversity law contains loophole

By | June 26th, 2012|Categories: News|Tags: |

TBILISI, DFWatch – A draft law to let small and independent TV stations get national distribution contains a loophole. The text of the draft law became public Tuesday and shows that ‘technical’ problems will free cable companies from their obligations to carry all channels. ‘Technical […]

Georgian media diversity law will only last 60 days

By | June 25th, 2012|Categories: News|Tags: |

TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia will enforce media diversity, but only for sixty days, according to a new draft law. The draft envisages passing a law that will secure the population diverse access to TV channels. Currently, most of the population only have access to channels […]

EU’s ambassador to Georgia supports media diversity law

By | June 25th, 2012|Categories: News|Tags: |

TBILISI, DFWatch – A legislative initiative to provide for more diverse media in Georgia continues to gather support as the EU Ambassador says he supports it. At a meeting at the Central Election Commission today, EU Ambassador to Georgia Philip Dimitrov said it gives […]

Saakashvili government will allow media diversity, temporarily

By | June 23rd, 2012|Categories: In brief, News|Tags: |

TBILISI, DFWatch – A leading lawmaker in Georgia has modified a statement he made yesterday, that the government will support a proposal from democracy campaigners. Speaker of Parliament Davit Bakradze yesterday said he and the ruling National Movement party will vote […]

Georgian government gives in to democracy campaign’s demand

By | June 22nd, 2012|Categories: News|Tags: |

TBILISI, DFWatch – A leading lawmaker in Georgia says he is positive to a new law proposal that would diversify access to the media. Speaker of Parliament Davit Bakradze said Friday that he supports the introduction of the principles must-carry and must-offer. […]

Georgia’s ruling party answers U.S. Ambassador

By | June 19th, 2012|Categories: News|Tags: |

TBILISI, DFWatch – The ruling party in Georgia defends its policy of not interfering in the television sector to provide pluralism before the parliamentary election. Outgoing U.S. Ambassador to Georgia John Bass last week criticized the lack of plurality in Georgian […]

U.S. Ambassador: Georgian media is not diverse enough

By | June 18th, 2012|Categories: In brief, News|Tags: |

TBILISI, DFWatch – The outgoing US Ambassador to Georgia criticized the lack of diversity in Georgian television before an important parliamentary election. Ambassador John Bass criticized the current state of affairs in Georgia, saying citizens today only have […]

Democracy campaign on the streets again

By | June 4th, 2012|Categories: News|Tags: , |

TBILISI, DFWatch – A democracy campaign in Georgia is keeping up the pressure on the government to change the law to counteract pro-government bias in TV media ahead of the election in October. The campaign This Affects You Too started in February as a reaction to […]