Swiss viewers should not have to pay extra to see important (sporting) events. The Federal Department for the Environment, Traffic, Energy and Communications ("DETEC") has adopted the 1st august 2000 a list of events that should remain free-of-charge in our country and should not be offered as "Pay-per-View" TV pro-grammes. This list corresponds closely to the lists drawn up by other countries.
The individual events included in the list - almost exclusively sporting events - may not be offered in Switzerland as Pay-per-View TV programmes, but must be available to a significant proportion of the viewing public free-of-charge.
European initiative
The regulatory list stems from a European initiative. The starting point is the fact that commercial pressure in TV is increasingly inducing commercial broadcasters to acquire the exclusive rights to transmit events with mass appeal - and this applies in particular to broadcasters of pay-TV. This results in a danger for the public that the most important sporting and cultural events can no longer be received in the form of a television programme that is free to all.
Based on these considerations, the Council of Europe and the EU have decided on appropriate protective legislation and called upon their Member States to advise them of the events they judge to be of considerable social significance. The aim is to draw up a consolidated list at European level which will be respected by the members of the Council of Europe and of the EU, in order that any circumvention can be prevented. As a member of the Council of Europe, Switzerland is also bound by this regulation process.
The legal basis for the list created by DETEC is Article 73 of the Federal Radio and Television Act (RTVA dated 24 March 2006 (RS 784.40)) in conjunction with Article 71 of the Radio and Television Ordinance (RTVO) dated 9 March 2007 (RS 784.401). The list is managed in Annex 2 of the DETEC Ordinance on Radio and Television dated 5 October 2007 (RS 784.401.11).
Last modification 31.10.2012
