The final text of the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) - Regulation (EU) 2024/1083 of 11 April 2024.



Preamble 61 to 70

(61) Without prejudice to the application of the Union’s competition and State aid rules and national measures taken in compliance with such rules, it is key that the Board, where national regulatory or administrative measures are likely to significantly affect the operation of media service providers in the internal market, is empowered to issue opinions.

The opinions of the Board should focus on national measures that have the potential to disrupt the activities of media service providers in the internal market, for instance by preventing or obstructing their operation in such a way that the provision of their media services in a given market is seriously undermined.

That could be the case where a national administrative measure is addressed specifically to a media service provider providing its services to more than one Member State or where it concerns a media service provider that, because of, inter alia, its market shares, audience reach or level of circulation, has a significant influence on the formation of public opinion in that Member State, and it prevents such a media service provider from effectively operating in a given market or entering a new one.

The Board can issue such opinions on its own initiative and should issue such opinions at the request of the Commission. The Board should also issue opinions on such measures at the request of individually and directly affected media service providers. To that end, the media service provider concerned should submit a duly justified and reasoned request to the Board.

In its request, the media service provider concerned should, in particular, indicate whether it has already exhausted all the available national remedies by challenging the contested measures before national courts or other competent national authorities or bodies and the type of decision or decisions that resulted therefrom. The request should indicate the reasons for which the media service provider concerned considers that the contested measure or measures significantly affect its operation in the internal market and the reasons for which it considers that such measure or measures directly and individually affect its legal situation.


(62) Media market concentrations are assessed differently across the Union from a media pluralism standpoint. The rules and procedures related to the assessment of media market concentrations vary across the Union. Some Member States rely on competition assessments only, whereas others have dedicated frameworks for specific media pluralism assessments of concentrations. In the latter case, there are considerable differences.

In some cases, all media transactions are scrutinised, irrespective of whether they reach certain thresholds, while in other cases an assessment is conducted only when specific thresholds are exceeded or certain qualitative criteria are met. For instance, for the purposes of such an assessment, some Member States apply revenue multipliers in order to ensure that competitive threats do not pass undetected and are brought under scrutiny even when the outlets involved have low revenues. Where they exist, there are also differences in the procedures applicable to the scrutiny of market transactions for media pluralism purposes.

That scrutiny is often carried out independently by the media regulator through a self-standing assessment or by the competent authority with the involvement of the media regulator by means of an opinion, which could be a stand-alone contribution or take the form of written views or comments in the context of an ongoing assessment. Certain national rules enable ministries or governmental bodies to intervene in the scrutiny of media markets on non-economic grounds, ranging from the protection of media pluralism to the safeguarding of public security or other general interests.


(63) The divergence and lack of coordination between Member States’ rules and procedures applicable to media market concentrations can result in legal uncertainty and regulatory, administrative or economic burdens for media undertakings willing to operate across borders, thus distorting competition in the internal market for media services. In some cases, national measures in the area can effectively prevent a media undertaking established in the Union from entering another national market, without being genuinely aimed at promoting media pluralism.

Ultimately, instead of achieving greater media plurality, that might reinforce the oligopolistic dynamics in the media market. In order to reduce obstacles which hinder media service providers’ ability to operate in the internal market, it is important that this Regulation set out a common framework for assessing media market concentrations across the Union.


(64) Media play a decisive role in shaping public opinion and providing citizens with information which is relevant for actively participating in democratic processes. That is why Member States, independently from competition law assessments, should provide for rules and procedures in national law to allow for the assessment of media market concentrations that could have a significant impact on media pluralism and editorial independence.

In that context, media pluralism should be understood as the possibility to have access to a variety of media services and media content which reflect diverse opinions, voices and analyses. National rules and procedures can have an impact on the freedom to provide media services in the internal market and need to be properly framed and be transparent, objective, proportionate and non-discriminatory.

Media market concentrations subject to such rules should be understood as covering those which could result in a single entity controlling or having significant interests in the market concerned and thus having a substantial influence on the formation of public opinion in a given media market in one or more Member States. An important criterion to be taken into account is the reduction of competing views within that market as a result of the media market concentration.


(65) National regulatory authorities or bodies, which have specific expertise in the area of media pluralism, should be involved in the assessment of the impact of media market concentrations on media pluralism and editorial independence where they are not the designated authorities or bodies themselves. The involvement of those national regulatory authorities or bodies should be substantive, for instance by ensuring that their views are taken into account in the competition assessment.

In order to foster legal certainty and ensure that the national rules and procedures that allow for the assessment of media market concentrations that could have a significant impact on media pluralism and editorial independence genuinely aim to protect media pluralism and editorial independence, it is essential that objective, non-discriminatory and proportionate criteria for notifying and assessing the impact of media market concentrations on media pluralism and editorial independence be set out in advance.


(66) Where a media market concentration constitutes a concentration falling within the scope of Regulation (EC) No 139/2004, the application of this Regulation or of any rules and procedures adopted by Member States on the basis of this Regulation should not affect and should be distinct from the application of Article 21(4) of Regulation (EC) No 139/2004.

Any measures taken by the designated national regulatory authorities or bodies or the national regulatory authorities or bodies involved on the basis of their assessment of media market concentrations that could have a significant impact on media pluralism and editorial independence should therefore aim to protect legitimate interests within the meaning of Article 21(4), second subparagraph, of Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 and should be in line with the general principles and other provisions of Union law. This Regulation should be without prejudice to more detailed national rules applicable to media market concentrations occurring, in particular, at regional or local level.


(67) The Board should be empowered to provide opinions on draft assessments by the designated national regulatory authorities or bodies or draft opinions by the national regulatory authorities or bodies involved, where the media market concentrations are likely to affect the functioning of the internal market for media services.

That would be the case, for example, where such concentrations involve acquisitions by or of an undertaking established in another Member State or operating across borders or result in media service providers having a significant influence on the formation of public opinion in a given media market with potential effects on audiences in the internal market.

Where a media market concentration has not been or could not be assessed for its impact on media pluralism and editorial independence by the relevant authorities or bodies at the national level or where the national regulatory authorities or bodies have not consulted the Board regarding a media market concentration that is considered likely to affect the functioning of the internal market for media services, the Board can provide an opinion on its own initiative and should provide an opinion at the request of the Commission. In that context, the Commission should retain the possibility to issue its own opinions.


(68) With a view to ensuring pluralistic media markets, the national authorities or bodies and the Board should take account of the elements provided for in this Regulation. In particular, the national authorities or bodies and the Board should consider the expected impact that media market concentrations have on media pluralism, including, in particular, the effect they have on the formation of public opinion, taking into account the online environment.

In that respect and particularly where relevant in order to assess the possible impact they have on the formation of public opinion in significant parts of a given media market, the national authorities or bodies and the Board should take into account the geographical reach of the entities involved in media market concentrations.

Concurrently, they should consider whether other media outlets that provide different and alternative content would still coexist in the given market or markets if the media market concentration in question is implemented. When assessing safeguards for editorial independence, the national authorities or bodies and the Board should examine the potential risks of undue interference by the prospective owner, management or governance structure in the editorial decisions of the acquired or merged entity. The national authorities or bodies and the Board should also take into account the existing or envisaged internal safeguards which aim to preserve ethical and professional standards as well as the independence of editorial decisions taken within the media undertakings involved.

In assessing the potential impact of media market concentrations on media pluralism and editorial independence, the national authorities or bodies and the Board should consider the effect of the concentration in question on the economic sustainability of the entity or entities involved in the concentration. They should also consider whether, in the absence of the concentration, the entity or entities involved in the concentration would be economically sustainable, in the sense that, in the medium term, they would be able to continue to provide and further develop financially viable, adequately resourced and technologically adapted quality media services in the market.

Where applicable, the national authorities or bodies and the Board should also take into account the commitments that any of the parties involved might offer in order to ensure that the relevant media market concentration guarantees media pluralism and editorial independence. Where relevant, the national authorities or bodies in their assessments and the Board in its opinions should also take into account the findings of the Commission’s annual rule of law reports related to media pluralism and media freedom.


(69) Audience measurement has a direct impact on the allocation and prices of advertising, which represents a key revenue source for the media sector. It is a crucial tool for evaluating the performance of media content and understanding the preferences of audiences in order to plan the future production of content.

Accordingly, media market players, in particular media service providers and advertisers, should be able to rely on objective and comparable audience data stemming from transparent, unbiased and verifiable audience measurement solutions. In principle, audience measurement should be carried out in accordance with widely accepted industry self-regulatory mechanisms. However, certain new players that have emerged in the media ecosystem, such as online platforms, do not abide by the industry standards or best practices agreed through relevant industry self-regulatory mechanisms and provide their proprietary measurement services without making available information on their methodologies.

That could result in audience measurement solutions that are not comparable, information asymmetries among media market players and potential market distortions, to the detriment of the equality of opportunities for media service providers in the market. Therefore, it is important that audience measurement systems and methodologies made available on the market ensure an appropriate level of transparency, impartiality, inclusiveness, proportionality, non-discrimination, comparability and verifiability.


(70) Relevant market players have traditionally agreed upon a set of measurement methodologies in order to carry out audience measurement in a transparent and reliable manner and develop impartial and trusted benchmarks to be used when assessing the performance of media and advertising content.

Those measurement methodologies are either reflected in relevant industry standards and best practices or are organised and consolidated by self-regulatory bodies, such as the Joint Industry Committees, which are established in several Member States and bring together all the key stakeholders operating in the media and advertising industry.

In order to enhance the verifiability, reliability and comparability of audience measurement methodologies, in particular online, transparency obligations should be laid down for providers of proprietary audience measurement systems that do not follow the relevant industry standards and best practices or do not abide by the industry benchmarks agreed within the relevant self-regulatory bodies. Under those obligations, such actors, where requested and to the extent possible, should provide advertisers and media service providers or parties acting on their behalf with information describing the methodologies employed for the measurement of the audience.

Such information could consist in providing elements such as the size of the sample measured, the definition of the indicators that are measured, the metrics, the measurement methods, the measurement period, the coverage of measurement and the margin of error.

To ensure an adequate level of effectiveness of those transparency obligations and to foster the trustworthiness of proprietary audience measurement systems, the methodologies and the way in which they are applied should be subject to independent audits on a yearly basis.

Furthermore, in order to help achieve a level playing field and foster the clarity and contestability of the relevant information that is provided to the market, it is also key that the audience measurement results be made available. For that reason, media service providers should be able to request providers of proprietary audience measurement systems to provide information on the audience measurement results concerning their own media content and services.

In particular, providers of proprietary audience measurement systems should ensure that that information is provided in an industry-standard form, includes the relevant non-aggregated data, is of high quality and is detailed enough to allow the requesting media service providers to carry out an effective and meaningful assessment of the reach and performance of their media content and services.

The need to increase the transparency and contestability of proprietary audience measurement systems should be reconciled with the freedom of providers of audience measurement systems to develop their own measurement systems as part of their freedom to conduct business. In particular, the transparency obligations imposed on providers of audience measurement systems by this Regulation should be without prejudice to the protection of the trade secrets of providers of audience measurement systems as defined in Directive (EU) 2016/943 of the European Parliament and of the Council.

The obligations imposed by this Regulation should also be without prejudice to any obligations that apply to providers of audience measurement systems under Regulation (EU) 2019/1150 or Regulation (EU) 2022/1925 of the European Parliament and of the Council (19), including those concerning ranking, self-preferencing or providing access to performance measuring tools and the relevant data.


Note: This is the final text of the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) - Regulation (EU) 2024/1083 of 11 April 2024.