The Future of Television Companies Is Uncertain

The newspaper "Zhoghovurd" writes that today in the hall of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia, parliamentary hearings will take place regarding legislative changes in the field of audiovisual media services, initiated by the permanent committee on science, education, culture, diaspora, youth, and sports.

Changes in this sector have been discussed multiple times before. The newspaper learned that the authorities wish to have this law come into effect before 2021. The reason is that a new licensing competition for television companies will be held that year, and they intend to conduct this competition under new criteria. It is possible that many television companies will not meet the criteria and will simply close down.

As it is known, television companies are currently licensed, but the new project may stipulate that licenses will primarily be issued to multiplexors, meaning the entities that provide digital broadcasting. Furthermore, each television company must have at least five channels, which include 24-hour news, children's programming, cultural and educational content, and entertainment.

This, of course, requires significant financial investment, which not all currently operating television companies will be able to provide. Predictions suggest that after the adoption of the law, only 3-4 television companies will remain, one of which is the Public Television Company.

For more details, refer to today’s issue of the newspaper.