Smart TV: this is the home of the state

In a few months there homepage of the graphical interface of the Smart TV working in Italy will change a lot: in fact, one is on the way new section”of the State“which is imposed by law on all representatives. The basic features of this new section were decided byAGCOMwhich has just given permission to the “Guidelines on the visibility of audiovisual and radio services of general interest“.

With this guide, AGCOM is addressing one of the two problems associated with the so-called “transparency” of TV services, the one related to Smart TV software. With a similar provision in July, the Communications Regulatory Authority had already tackled the other problem, that of Smart TV remote controls.

What is transparency and why is it important

The English word “transparency” can be translated, in a television context, as “privileged position“. The whole issue of transparency in TV comes from the fact that there are new Smart TV models remote controls and graphical interface which makes the old one so accessible Traditional TV transmitted through digital land and favor, on the other hand, streaming platforms.

Many new remote controls, for example, They don’t have a numeric keypad because the TV manufacturer prefers the viewer to get the content to watch through the user interface and not by zapping.

This is because in the user interface the manufacturer shows advertising and, above all, because the same manufacturer to sell (literally) to the big streaming platforms the best roles in the interface and on the remote controls. The latter have shortcut keys, for example, to access some platforms, but not all: in practice only for those who have paid the agent to exist.

All this, clearly, it harms traditional national and local broadcasterswhich is free and can not pay​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

What are SIGs

L’AGCOM has decided, by regulation, which broadcasters and platforms should be considered as “Services of general interest“and, therefore, must be protected from the phenomenon of transparency”for payment“.

The guidelines as soon as they are approved, of course, they establish the criteria for eligibility to serve as a SIG and ask Smart TV manufacturers to create a new section on the Smart TV home page, but also decoders, dongles, consoles, smartphones, tablets, personal computers and any other device with an operating system useful for TV content and high- see floors.

As AGCOM Commissioner Massimiliano Capitanio explained on Linkedin, “Public service, information and children’s programming are the most valuable criteria” of TV and radio broadcasters requiring SIG certification.

Smart TV: the new interface

In the required new section on Smart TV home pages, as decided by AGCOM, 5 icons must be required to access these services:

• TV channels broadcast in Digital Terrestrial
• Local TV channels broadcast in Digital Terrestrial
• National TV channels broadcast in streaming (eg RaiPlay)
• TV channels broadcast via satellite (eg TivùSat)
• Radio channels broadcast in Digital Terrestrial

When the new guidelines come into effect, therefore, every time we access the home page of our Smart TV we will see, marked and in a a separate carousel from streaming platforms, also the images that lead directly to the content of Italian national and local broadcasters, both television and radio.

State remote control also arrives

In July AGCOM had agreed to a similar regulation to resolve the issue transparency of the remote controls. According to the new regulations, new Smart TVs must have at least one compliant remote control (so, apparently, in Italy they will be sold with two remote controls) and must follow 3 rules:

• Your television must have a remote control with a full numeric keypad
• Pressing a numeric key must always lead to the corresponding digital terrestrial channel (even if an app is open)
• The remote control must have a button for direct access to digital terrestrial TV (with an image established by AGCOM)

When the new rules come into effect

me Smart TV Manufacturers they need time to change the software and remote controls to bring them up to standard. For this reason, AGCOM has expected reasonably long times: for user interfaces there is time to December 6, 2024for remote controls you have to 6 December 2025.

Finally, a similar arrangement from AGCOM is expected to solve the transparency problem also on today’s vehicles Autoradio with touch screen.