The European Broadcasting Union has said talks with Romanian government officials over the future of Televiziunea Română (TVR) have been constructive following the suspension last month of the public-service broadcaster’s EBU membership privileges.
The EBU on Friday met with Romania’s Finance Minister Anca Dragu, Chair of the Competition Council Dr Bodgan Chiritou, and Senator George Severin, President of the Senate Culture and Media Committee, to discuss the future of TVR.
The broadcaster last month lost its EBU membership privileges after failing to pay debts totalling CHF16m (€14.5m/$16.5m). The suspension leaves TVR without access to EBU member service Sports News Exchange, and the broadcaster also loses the right to broadcast sporting events whose rights are held by the consortium.
The Romanian government, which the EBU claimed is legally obliged to underwrite TVR’s debt, failed to meet the final deadline of April 21 by which to reach an arrangement for the debts.
Dragu said that he felt a meeting with the EBU was “necessary” to find a solution in order to avoid new sanctions.
The meeting covered TVR’s outstanding debt, as well as the “more systemic problem of governance and lack of sustainable funding for TVR”, an EBU statement read. Both parties agreed that the latter problem needed addressing to avoid similar issues arising in the future.
Government officials explained that a new media law is in the process of being drawn up. The EBU agreed to provide an analysis of the law based on best practice within its member countries. The EBU added that further discussions would take place as soon as possible.
TVR’s financial problems come with the broadcaster having yet to strike a rights deal for the Uefa Euro 2016 national team football tournament, in which Romania will compete. Uefa, European football’s governing body, has so far agreed a deal with Telekom Romania. The telco has acquired rights to all 51 matches at the tournament, but only 28 will be on an exclusive basis.
Uefa has held back a package of 23 matches, on a non-exclusive basis, for a free-to-air broadcaster. TVR held rights to Euro 2012 as part of its membership of the EBU. TVR’s main sports-rights properties are: the Fifa World Cups in 2018 and 2022, which it acquired via the EBU, and European Qualifier matches of the Romanian national team from 2014-15 to 2017-18, also acquired via the EBU.