BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 24
By Elchin Mehdiyev – Trend:
The detailed analysis of the situation associated with the entities in the audiovisual industry in Azerbaijan showed that the pace of development of this sphere does not coincide with the general pace of socio-economic progress recently observed in the country, Trend reports on June 24 referring to the report entitled "Audiovisual industry in Azerbaijan: analysis of 2019 indicators, current situation, forecasts and tasks" and developed by National Television and Radio Council.
One of the important factors hindering the development of the industry is the outdated legislative framework, the work on updating of which is one of the important tasks for the Council in 2020. The lack of high-quality measurements of television ratings and mechanisms for measuring the operation of radio channels negatively affects the development of the sphere, said the report.
As a result of the decline in the economic activity of the population amid the COVID-19 pandemic, losses from 15 percent to 30 percent of the advertising market on TV and radio channels are expected to be observed in 2020 depending on the duration of the quarantine measures.
There is a slight decrease in the subscriber base in the sector of the paid TV services due to the widespread availability of free viewing of foreign satellite channels, the activity of illegal providers rendering the paid TV services due to the incomplete regulation of the sphere and the technical problems occurred in housing cooperatives while transmitting a signal to the end user, the council stressed.
The most underdeveloped segment of the industry, except for the production of series, is the production of television content by independent production groups. The main reason for the weak development of the sector is such a negative practice as the acquisition of airtime for a long time by the production groups.
Meanwhile, the legalization of labor relations between employees and companies as well as commercial income is a positive trend being observed in the industry in 2019-2020.
According to the report, solving of the existing problems requires a comprehensive operational and professional approach based on the consideration of positive experience in the development of the sector in the countries with which Azerbaijan may be compared from a demographic and socio-economic points of view.
Moreover, the international practice must be gradually used through the state support taking into account the local specifics.
Currently, over 120 entities operate in the Azerbaijani audiovisual industry, including 25 TV channels, 16 radio channels, 15 active advertising agencies working in the TV sector, 14 production groups that prepare video content for radio programs and internet users, and 40 licensed operators rendering the paid TV services.