ABSTRACT
To understand European regulation of digital television (DTV) it is useful to start with two notions. First, European DTV regulation is not a separate policy field, but is formulated, intertwined and in interaction with regulation and policy in many other fields. In the new converged media environment, audiovisual policy, telecommunications policy, Information Society policy, competition policy and standardisation policy have all affected the emergence of DTV. Secondly, there have been several policy makers involved in European DTV regulation, namely, the European Union (EU) itself, and the governments of the EU Member States. Overall, European communications policy is far from stable and coherent. The policy goals have been constantly on the move for the past two decades, partly because of changes in political trends and partly because of changes in media technologies. There have also been conflicting interests in the various areas of policy.
