What is radio and television service? Classification of radio and television services in Vietnam

What is radio and television service? Classification of radio and television services in Vietnam (Internet image)

1. What is radio and television service?

Radio and television service means a service that provides domestic channels, foreign channels, on-demand radio and television contents, contents of value-added services added to broadcasting infrastructures to users in an intact manner.

Radio and television services may be directly provided to users without storage devices, slow motion switch machines (for online radio and television services) or upon particular requests of subscribers (on-demand radio and television services)

(According to Clause 1, Article 3 of Decree 06/2016/ND-CP, as amended at Point a, Clause 1, Article 1 of Decree 71/2022/ND-CP)

2. Classification of radio and television services in Vietnam

Article 4 of Decree 06/2016/ND-CP stipulates the classification of radio and television services as follows:

(1) Radio and television services are specified as follows:

- Terrestrial television service: a type of radio and television services in which broadcasting signal is transmitted by digital terrestrial broadcasting to users;

- Cable television service: a type of radio and television services in which broadcasting signal is transmitted by cable broadcasting infrastructure to users, including services of analog cable television, digital cable television and Internet protocol television (IPTV);

- Satellite television services: a type of radio and television services which broadcasting signal is transmitted by satellite broadcasting infrastructure to users;

- Mobile television service: a type of radio and television services in which broadcasting signal is transmitted by broadcasting infrastructures of mobile terrestrial television, mobile satellite and mobile terrestrial telecommunications networks to users;

- Internet radio and television service: a type of radio and television services that is broadcast online via websites having domain names or defined URL managed by the Socialist Republic of Vietnam; (amended by Clause 2, Article 1 of Decree 71/2022/ND-CP)

(2) Radio and television services specified in clause 1 hereof shall be free or fee-based broadcast to the users. To be specific:

- Free radio and television service (hereinafter referred to as “free broadcasting service”) means a type of services freely provided to users by eligible providers without any control , management or restrictions on conditions for signal reception;

- Paid Radio and Television Service (hereinafter referred to as “subscription services”) means a type of services provided to users by licensed providers to which technologies for control, management and limitation to signal reception are applied.

3. Policies on management of radio and television services in Vietnam

The policies on management of radio and television services are as follows:

- Expand free broadcasting service nationwide to facilitate public access to national and local radio and television channels (hereinafter referred to as “channel”) serving essential political propagation.

- Develop paid subscription radio and television market; create fairly competitive environments in order to mobilize social resources with the aim of satisfying the needs of healthy creation and contributing to political propagation.

- Facilitate the mobilization and utilization of social resources for production of Vietnamese channels that serve the purposes of raising people’s awareness, satisfying the needs for spiritual enjoyment; protecting and upholding Vietnam’s history and culture.

- Manage provision of information contents on radio and television services according to regulations of the law on press; control broadcasting infrastructure according to regulations of the law on telecommunications;

Manage provision and use of radio and television services in Vietnam, including radio and television services on the Internet that have been provided across borders to users in the Vietnamese territory according to regulations of this Decree and relevant laws.

- Inspect and evaluate effectiveness of information contents, the quality of radio and television services by application of digital technology, making of legal deposit, audience measurement, sociological investigation and technical testing

- Facilitate the effective operation of Subscription Television Association and service providers in order to boost radio and television markets in the line with policies and guidance of the Communist Party and laws of the State of Vietnam.

- Maintain current status of provision of analog cable television services; terminate provision of analog cable television services according to market demand.

(Article 5 of Decree 06/2016/ND-CP, amended in Decree 71/2022/ND-CP)

Thanh Rin

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