The Spanish Government is planning to set up a single regulatory body that would oversee the TV and telecoms markets under the umbrella of the current Telecommunications Market Commission (CMT).

Initially, the Administration announced the creation, later in 2011, of an Audiovisual Council (CEMA) to oversee the TV market, separately from the CMT, with an estimated cost of €20 million. But now, CEMA is to
become part of the CMT in a new body, with one president and 12 members of the board (half of them specialising in TV and the rest in telecoms).

The initiative will be studied by the Senate, with the launch of the new body in the second half of the year. The Audiovisual Council would ensure that TV content is in accordance with child protection regulations, that advertising limits are met and that the operators invest five per cent of their revenues on cinema, among other remits.

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