Will Contract Conflicts Disappear? Tomorrow's Public Debate on 'Improving Broadcast Channel Fee Assessment'

[Asia Economy Reporter Seulgina Jo] The Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korea Communications Commission announced on the 28th that they will hold a public forum on the "Improvement Plan for Broadcasting Channel Fee Assessment" at 2 p.m. on the 29th at the International Conference Room of the Bankers Hall in Jung-gu, Seoul.

The forum will be based on the discussion results of the "Broadcasting Channel Fee Assessment Improvement Council," jointly operated by the two ministries along with academic experts and industry stakeholders. Professor Kim Doyeon of the Department of Media and Communication at Kookmin University, who served as the council chairman, will lead the session, and Dr. Kwak Donggyun from the Korea Information Society Development Institute (KISDI), who acted as the secretary, will present a summary of the progress and discussion outcomes.

Eleven panelists will attend the forum, including representatives from companies recommended by broadcasting operators' organizations, academia, civic groups, and department heads from the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korea Communications Commission. To gather a wider range of opinions, feedback will also be accepted on-site.

At the forum, the "Platform Operators' Channel Evaluation Improvement Plan," which includes measures such as reflecting viewership ratings, disclosing evaluation results, and verifying evaluation data to enhance the fairness of channel contracts, will be presented. Additionally, the "Channel Transaction Procedure Improvement Plan," which includes improvements such as channel termination, contract timing, dispute and prohibited act system improvements, and enhancement of content fee payment scale to provide subscribers with excellent content, will be discussed.

Cho Kyungsik, the 2nd Vice Minister of the Ministry of Science and ICT, emphasized, "The foundation for the survival and growth of the paid broadcasting market is the viewers," adding, "Since conflicts between operators can restrict viewers' right to watch, the rules for broadcasting program transactions and contracts must be set in a way that protects viewers' rights."

Kim Hyun, Vice Chairman of the Korea Communications Commission, stated, "The more complex the competition and interests among operators, the more important it is to provide subscribers with excellent content and a fair competitive environment," and added, "We will comprehensively review the opinions raised at the forum and consider policy measures that can benefit the entire broadcasting ecosystem."

Based on the results of the forum, the Korea Communications Commission and the Ministry of Science and ICT will soon jointly finalize and announce guidelines containing the basic matters related to channel contracts and evaluations, as well as the "Standard Plan for PP Evaluation Criteria and Procedures" discussed in the Ministry of Science and ICT's win-win council. Additionally, the Ministry of Science and ICT plans to finalize and announce the "Channel Regular Reorganization Improvement Plan," discussed in the win-win council, within this year.