On 29 October 2012, the Swedish Broadcasting Commission (SBC) decided in four cases that video sections on newspaper websites were to be considered as audiovisual media services under the Swedish Radio and Television Act.
The cases concerned websites of newspapers Helsingborgs Dagblad, Aftonbladet, Dagens Nyheter and Norran. The Swedish Broadcasting Authority asked the SBC to determine if the video sections of these newspapers were to be qualified as on-demand TV.
The SBC found that the part of the video programmes on the concerned newspapers’ websites was not insignificant compared to other content, and that the video sections were separate services in relation to the other content on the websites. The programmes were available to the general public where users could choose the time when to watch the programme. The programmes were also organized in catalogues such as “Sports” and “News”. The SBC therefore found that the video sections on the newspapers’ websites qualified as on-demand TV and were covered by the Swedish Radio and Television Act.
The SBC also decided that Aftonbladet web TV contained an advertisement that was not properly marked by optical and acoustic means as is required by the Swedish Radio and Television Act.
Press release (in Swedish)
SBC decisions: Helsingborgs Dagblad, Aftonbladet, Dagens Nyheter, Norran (in Swedish)