Article 20 of the Law on the Audiovisual media (adopted in 2020) defines the release/outlet data of the television and radio companies, as well as the mandatory procedure for making them public. Whilst applying for licences, television and radio companies submit full packages of data about themselves to the relevant body, which is the Television and Radio Commission. However, the products of television and radio companies are consumed in the online domain too via their official websites and social network pages. Moreover, there are television and radio companies, which in addition to their official websites and social network pages, also have online media. For example, the official website of the Public Television 1tv.am and the news portal 1Lurer.am, the official website of Shant television company shanttv.am and its news portal shantnews.am. The radio company Aurora in addition to its official website has a news portal auroranews.am. The television company Free News broadcasts its products to the online audience not via a separate website but the online media outlet freenews.am, which had been operational much earlier and its various social network platforms. In fact, in Armenia too the former differences between television and radio companies and classic online media outlets in the online domain are gradually reducing[1].
There are 41 television and radio companies with state coverage and local/marz companies and they all have different levels of online presence. 78% of them (32 television and radio company) offer their online products via at least 1 official website and 2-3 social networks, whereas 22% (9 television and radio companies) offer their online products via social networks only. These companies either do not have official websites (yet) or their websites are not operational. The most used social network is Facebook (with 42 (95%) out of 44 websites having a presence here). Next in the order of reduction comes the YouTube (27 websites – 61%), Instagram (17 websites -39%), Twitter (13 websites-30%), Telegram (4 websites -9%), OK (3 websites -7%), VK (2 websites – 5%), and Linkedin (2 websites – 5%). Not only audiovisual media with state coverage but also a number of local/marz media have wide online presence. However, this kind of online presence is not directly proportional to the level of transparency of the audio-visual media. According to the referred research (Indication and Transparency of Audio-visual media, by “Region” research centre), 20% of audio-visual media in Armenia are identified as transparent, 55% – partly transparent and 25% – non-transparent media [2].
Although Armenia has been through different periods of limited and free democracies, the audiovisual and interactive media have never been seriously under ideological pressure and their freedom of expression was generally observed. However, in the periods of limited democracy the access to public funds for some sphere actors might be artificially limited.
[1] Identification and Transparency of Audiovisual Media in the Online Domain – 2021
[2] Identification and Transparency of Audiovisual Media in the Online Domain – 2021
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