In terms of broadcasting, the task of the Ministry of Culture is to create favourable conditions for the development of both the public-service and private broadcasting sector.

Media and broadcasting-related issues are a rather unconventional area both in culture generally and in the Ministry. Firstly, it is a new, rapidly changing and not yet fully established domain differing from the so-called classical cultural fields in both essence and functioning mechanisms. Secondly, the Ministry participates in the planning and coordination of national media policy but it does not directly administrate any authority or organisation. Neither does it control any activity through budgetary means. The Ministry’s primary tasks are drafting legislation, monitoring its implementation, issuing broadcasting licences and elaborating the overall strategy for this area.

For many years, the main issues in the field of broadcasting have been the creation of a well-functioning broadcasting system, regulation of the broadcasting landscape and the establishment of a legal framework. The Broadcasting Act was passed as early as 1994, but it was amended several times between 1999 and 2003. One of the objectives of these amendments has been to bring Estonian legislation into line with the requirements of European audiovisual policy. Cultural issues in the European Union are, as a rule, tackled on a local level. Nevertheless, an exception is made in the case of the media. The European Union has a clearly defined audiovisual policy that has to be adhered to by all member states.

Estonian Radio and Estonian Television form the Estonian public-service broadcasting sector. In addition, broadcasting licences have been issued to two nationwide commercial TV channels and more than twenty commercial radio channels. Regardless of the fact that Estonian broadcasting legislation has been updated and improved constantly, it is a continuous process and further improvements will be made in the near future. In order to follow the rapid development of both traditional and new media in the era of digitalisation, the legal framework as well as monitoring system have to be flexible and promptly changing and we are making an effort to achieve that.