Broadcasting

Estonian broadcasting industry includes the Estonian Public Broadcasting (ERR), private TV and radio stations plus companies that produce TV programmes and series for several channels. 

The Ministry of Culture is responsible for broadcasting policy. Thus, it participates in a number of transeuropean policy making processes and work groups.
 
Pursuant to the Audiovisual Media Services Directive of the EU, media policy, its regulation and supervision are separate from one another. In Estonia, the role of an independent media services controller is given to the Estonian Technical Surveillance Authority under the administration of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications.
 

Estonian TV landscape

Free-access TV stations are the public channel of the Estonian Public Broadcasting and Tallinn Television. The number of cable-TV channels is much bigger.
 
On 27 September 2015, the Russian language channel ETV+ was launched.
 

Statistics

 

  • The broadcasting sector consists about of 90 businesses, which employ almost 1,500 people. 
  • In 2017, the Estonian Public Broadcasting system ERR employed 675 people full-time.
  • In 2017, the total accrual based revenue in the budget reached 37 048 455 million euros.
 

Legislation

 

The broadcasting sector is governed directly by the Media Services Act and Estonian Public Broadcasting Act and indirectly by the Copyright Act.'
 
The applicable EU legislation includes the Audiovisual Media Services Directive.
 

Media services and the European Union

In the European Union context, during the EU Council presidency period, the most important issue is the renewal of the Audiovisual Media Services Directive. Participation in the liaison committee for the Audiovisual Media Services Directive is also significant. The liaison committee implements the directive and analyses the development of audiovisual media in Member States, as well as the needs for further developing the directive.

The European Council Steering Committee on Media and Information Society issues pan-European recommendations that focus primarily on media freedom and human rights topics.

 

 

     

     

    Main partners

     

    Estonian Technical Surveilla​nce Authority
    The Authority organises competitions for activity licences in media services and oversees that the licences are not violated. The Ministry of Culture lays down the condtions for these competitions.

    Estonian Public Broadcasting
    The Estonian PublicBroadcasting (ERR) is a legal entity governed by public law. ERR broadcasts two TV and five radio programmes plus a number of specialised portals. The framework and main duties of ERR are provided for in the Estonian Public Broadcasting Act. 

     

    Siim Rohtla
    Adviser (Audiovisual Field)

    Phone +372 628 2238
    siim.rohtla@kul.ee

     

    Last updated: 2 June 2020