New sphere of media appearing in Azerbaijan

New sphere of media – internet television and internet radio is appearing in Azerbaijan. According to the informal reports, there are ten internet televisions and radios in Azerbaijan. As there are no obstacles for the functioning of internet television and radios, it is not excluded that “newspaper boom” recorded in Azerbaijan in 1998 will be repeated in this sphere as well.

Chairman of Azerbaijani Press Council Aflatun Amashov told APA that 25-30 million people watch internet television in Europe.

"This new kind of journalism has also appeared in Azerbaijan. There are about ten internet televisions and radios in Azerbaijan. Approximately 100,000 people listen to them. Bloggers have wide spread in Azerbaijan too. There are about 1000 personal blogs in Azerbaijan," he said.

Amashov said like social networks there is no mechanism of control over internet televisions and radios. According to Press Council, such mechanisms of regulation do not exist in Europe, either.

"First of all, these televisions should be launched, function, and then legislative acts should be prepared. It is still early. Everyone can create his own internet television and radio. It seems that these televisions and radios will have some problems with the society and as these problems increase there will be normative acts for their solution. Some experts consider that legislative acts for the regulation of this sphere of media are inevitable. Some think that the functioning of these televisions should be regulated by ethical code, not by the law. These televisions and radios should prepare rules for collecting and releasing information. They exist in a number of European countries," he said.

Chairman of the National Television and Radio Council Nushiravan Maharramli told APA that the council had no information about the TV and radio broadcasting on Internet because the question related to its legislative side remains open.

"Television is a specific sphere of activity not depending on that it is broadcasting via Internet, cable network or air. It needs to be regulated because it is a specific sphere. But the current legislation doesn’t contain any point about its regulation and therefore we can not control the activity of televisions. But I consider that this is a serious issue and we need to regulate this issue in the future".

Maharramli said the Council raised the issue to include the points about regulation of the TV activity in the legislation many times: "This issue is not under our authority. We raise this issue and every time it remains without response. The National Television and Radio Council will establish its work on the decision to be made on this issue. If it concerns the televisions, the Council will control it, despite that these televisions are broadcasting via Internet. It is same with satellite and air broadcasting. The question is that Internet televisions are amateur. They should have sustainable broadcasting, programs, subscribers and regulating mechanism to be professional televisions. This is very serious issue and needs in large financial resources. This issue is on agenda in Azerbaijan, but there are no Internet televisions abroad. People don’t watch this TV and their ratings are very low. The most popular are air, cable and satellite televisions".

Media expert Alasgar Mammadli told APA that Internet televisions and radios are broadcasting like ordinary Internet sites. “These televisions can work only under registered domains. It needs to have identity card and money to be registered. This is not a creative work of television and radio, but this is transmission of information via Internet. Modern technologies allow people to get video- and audio-information via mobile phone too.”

Mammadli said America and Europe were developing Internet televisions now. Even ordinary organizations transmit information via Internet now.”

The expert did not consider acceptable the ideas that NTRC must control internet television and radio: "Can NTRC fully control the current television and radios? First of all we need to investigate it. There are many infringements in TV space, we see it, but do not intervene in it. If there are cases of abuse of freedom of mass media, which is described by the law on “Mass media”, that is, interference to the private life, the release of state secret, the release of the other secrets protected by the government, the calls to infringe the tranquility, they will be under the control irrespective of the place where they release. Present legislation allows it. According to the law on "Mass Media", internet is also considered a mass media. The law’s article No 60 considers the responsibility for those cases. The licensing of this sphere is absurd. The licenses are given to insufficient frequencies. Anyone of the 9 mln Azerbaijani population can open a website. That’s why such kind of licensing is meaningless".

The expert said that it would not be right to think that there would be too much internet television and radios. "It is not an easy process. The placing of audio- and video-information demands minimum USD 5000. The continuous release of this project demands great amount of financial allocation. More than 3700 newspapers have been registered in Azerbaijan. But in fact, about 30 newspapers are being published. The same is with internet. 10 thousands websites can be created on the internet, but only those, which are supported by the society, will function. It is simple marketing. Who will give the better product, those will have much more consumers."


/APA/