The European Union plans to introduce stricter rules for major media companies seeking to acquire smaller businesses.
According to Reuters, the Media Freedom Act will aim to ensure media pluralism and safeguard editorial independence across TV and radio companies, on-demand audiovisual media services, and providers of video-sharing platforms.
The new rules are said to have been driven by concerns over media freedom in Poland, Hungary and Slovenia.
“Editorial independence safeguards should consider undue interference by owners, management or governance structures,” the document reportedly states.
Should the Act make its way into law, it would require regulators to examine whether the merging companies would remain economically sustainable without the proposed deal.
The proposal will now be discussed by members of the Commission and could take up to a year to become law.
