Alejandro Echevarra asks to the canon of cinema and compensation for the second digital dividend

Alejandro Echevarr a asks to the canon of cinema and compensation for the second digital dividend President UTECA requests the Government to DTT operators receive compensation for the release for telephony 5G 700 Mhz band as a result of the second digital dividend.

President of the Union of Commercial Television Partners (UTECA), Alejandro Echevarria, defended Tuesday in the New Communications Forum "elimination" of the legal obligation on private television channels to invest in cinema.

Echevarria attended the breakfast briefing organized by New Economy Forum, and reeled battery requests that make the new government from the employer which groups private broadcasters nationwide.

To UTECA, it is time to end the so-called canon of cinema that were "imposed" on television in 1999 and is now regulated by the Audiovisual Law. Under that assessment, the chains have to allocate a percentage of their annual income to finance European and Spanish (5% in the case of private television and 6% for public) film.

Las televisiones privadas han cumplido esa financiaci n obligatoria y han destinado desde su implantaci n m s de 2.000 millones de euros al cine. En los ltimos a os hab an rebajado el tono de su rechazo al canon, pero ahora vuelven a la carga coincidiendo con el inicio de la nueva legislatura.

Lo hac a d as atr s el presidente de Atresmedia Cine, Mikel Lejarza, que asegur que, pese a los xitos de taquilla logrados por las producciones de las televisiones, a su compa a le gustar a que no existiera un m nimo obligatorio de inversi n y avis de que si siguen aumentado los ingresos de las televisiones, el canon va a ser dif cil de cumplir. Mientras las majors' americanas estrenan ocho o nueve pel culas al a o, nosotros vamos a acabar estrenando 20, y no tenemos capacidad para manejar ese volumen , reconoci Lejarza, que admiti que si no existiera el gravamen har amos menos cine .

Tuesday, UTECA president, who is also chairman of another major investor in film broadcasting group Mediaset Spain, was more categorical in demanding the end of the canon. "We demand that this imposition was not done in very different times and that there is freedom of action on the possibility of producing films is removed," he said.

According to Echevarria, if that tax is not repealed, at least the government should change the existing framework and impose the same obligations for investment to new pay-TV operators. "We deserve different treatment, and although we give it now, we will continue vindicating, because were very stubborn," he said.

duopoly

In his lecture, President of UTECA exposed the rest of vindications the new government that private broadcasters have decided to defend in conjunction with other agents and institutions through the platform Television Broadcasting, which last week met with the Committee on Industry Congress.

Such demands include DTT operators receive compensation for the release for telephony 5G band 700 Mhz to be done as a result of the second digital dividend. "That is not done as the first dividend, which spoke of 1,400 million euros, which then were reduced to 200 million," he said Echevarria.

Echevarria rejected criticism of the duopoly have Atresmedia and Mediaset in control of the television market, on whose existence has called for a "reflection" the president of the Commission Markets and Competition (CNMC), Jos Mar a Mar n Quemada.

"It is a similar concentration to that found in European countries, where two or three operators have a dominant position. In other sectors such as radio also exists any intervention to change this would be improper of a democratic society "," Echevarria, who warned that stated ".

Prime time

En el coloquio posterior a la conferencia le preguntaron a Echevarr a por una hipot tica vuelta de la publicidad a TVE. Asegur que este es un asunto ya recurrente en cada legislatura pero no cree que vuelva, porque ni la cadena p blica tiene la misma audiencia que hace a os ni eso arreglar a las dificultades presupuestarias de Prado del Rey. A su juicio, lo que hace falta es un cambio en el modelo de gesti n, porque el actual es insostenible .

A Echevarria was also asked an opinion on the demands of the television at night overtake the beginning of his prime programming. In his view, that is not feasible today because "viewers do not want it". "We can not do anything you do not want the society, as we will not put dinner time at six in the afternoon," he said. "The day schedules change throughout society, we will. Now we lose audience and advertising. "

LINK:	http://www.panoramaaudiovisual.com/en/2016/11/30/alejandro-echevarria-...
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