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‘Primul in Moldova’ and TVR Moldova Obtained the Right to Broadcast on National Frequencies Until 1st March 2020

30 December 2019
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The TV channels ‘Primul in Moldova’, which broadcasts the content of Pervii Kanal from Russia and TVR Moldova, which broadcasts the content of the TV channel TVR from Romania, won the right to use the national frequencies in analogue terrestrial format. The decision was taken by the Broadcasting Council (BC) during the meeting of 30 December 2019. Thus, ‘Primul in Moldova’ will broadcast in the state network No III, and TVR Moldova in the state network No II. The contest took place when the Republic of Moldova committed to cancel the broadcast in analogue format until March 2020 and to switch exclusively to digital broadcasting.

The BC members voted unanimously for granting the right to use these frequencies.

The representative of the TV channel ‘Primul in Moldova’ said that Pervii Kanal from Russia, the content of which will be broadcast in the Republic of Moldova, stipulates that the partner channels should broadcast on national frequencies.

The representative of TVR Moldova spoke about the intention to expand its coverage. Note that the Romanian Television Society SRTv started again to broadcast in the Republic of Moldova in 2013 following the amicable agreement on the settlement of the case SRTv against Republic of Moldova filed with ECHR in 2008 concluded between the Government of the Republic of Moldova and SRTv, after in 2007, the national frequency No II from the Republic of Moldova, which was used by TVR 1 to broadcast, was given to the TV channel 2 Plus (further Canal 2).
The BC member, Corneliu Mihalache, objected against the fact that ‘Primul in Moldova’ did not produce more shows with domestic content. Another BC member, Artur Cozma, argues that the TV channel ‘Primul in Moldova’ has national coverage, it will be forced to produce more domestic content (at least 10 hours). As regards TVR Moldova, the BC Chair, Dragos Vicol stated this was a moral debt paid for the ‘injustice committed in 2007, when the frequency was taken from this TV channel’.

In her turn, the BC member, Lidia Viziru, proposed to specify in the decision that the two stations will be able to broadcast in analogue system only until 1st March 2020, in order not to violate the legislation on the transition to digital broadcasting.

Note that the contest was conducted at the request of the Ministry of Economy and Infrastructure that invoked economic reasons. According to the BC Chair, these channels will have to pay the monthly fee of MDL 200,000 for ‘Radiocomunicatii’ SOE services.
 

Analogue networks II and III are now free after the TV channels Canal 2 and Prime stopped broadcasting in this format. Currently, the first state network is used by public TV channel Moldova 1.