The European Commission will be policing EU member states to make sure its directive allowing only 12 minutes of advertising per hour on television is being enforced.

In some states the 12-minute limit of advertising spots is regularly breached

Malta is among the vast majority of member states that have correctly adopted the directive, according to the first implementation report on the EU’s Audiovisual Media Services Directive.

However, it seems that not all its provisions are being implemented correctly and many member states are lax on enforcement. A study by the Commission has revealed that advertising rules are being regularly breached.

Under the directive, advertising and teleshopping spots on TV may not exceed 12 minutes per hour but different forms of advertising have arisen to try to circumvent the rule, the study found.

“In a number of member states the 12-minute limit of advertising spots is regularly breached,” the report concludes without singling out any member states in particular.

“The Commission will continue to monitor member states’ compliance with the advertising rules and, if necessary, initiate infringement procedures,” it warned.

In Malta, advertising on TV is continuously monitored by the Broadcasting Authority, which issues regular charges followed by fines to programmers who fall foul of the law.

New forms of broadcasting, particularly through the internet, are also expected to become a priority for the Commission.

The EU executive said that it would be launching a new consultation on TV sets with internet access, known as Smart TV or Connected TV, to be able to regulate this emerging market.

Although many of the TV sets sold now are connectable, only 20 to 30 per cent are actually online. With more citizens having access to higher internet speeds, and the increase of connected devices and available content, it can be expected that Connected TV will grow relatively fast over the next few years.

The Commission said that its consultation process will be aimed to ensure that European citizens take full advantage of this new service and enjoy quality access to audiovisual works through connected devices while being adequately protected.