In this Green Paper the Commission stressed the significance of the sector for the whole society as regards economic development, job creation as well as cultural identity and social impact. The main result of the public consultation organised by the Commission was that the convergence of technological platforms and network infrastructure is a reality. The industry is already faced with the challenges of European content production, distribution and availability in the digital environment. As we have stated in the Forum description, contained in the programme, the European audiovisual industry is not in a position to fully benefit from the growing demand for content. Immediate action is therefore needed in our opinion.
Immediate action means positive measures.
I should add, that recent trends of horizontal amalgamation and vertical integration are changing the landscape of the industry. The European industry is based on small and medium-size companies. The establishment of huge entertainment conglomerates unbalances market structure and practically eliminates real competition. I don't know whether anything can be done to restore the situation. Digital television will open up new opportunities for the broadcasters, distributors, producers, network operators, equipment manufacturers etc.