A game changer

A new media solution will enable the Luxembourg Independent Media Authority (ALIA) to monitor television and radio services under its supervision more effectively. With this platform, the staff at the regulator are now in a position to monitor more than 70 services in real time and to save and view the content of these channels for a 30-day period at the click of a button. If a spectator lodges a complaint, ALIA can find the programme easily and archive it locally while it carries out its investigation into the merits of the claim and takes a decision.

“This system is a game changer for our monitoring activities. It gives us complete independence from audiovisual service providers, enabling us to carry out random monitoring of sections of programmes, especially with an eye to the protection of minors and advertising,” explains Thierry Hoscheit, Chairman of the Board of Directors. “Since the Authority was set up more than two and a half years ago, it has been looking for a media solution that would meet its very specific needs. I am delighted that we finally have this much needed and sought-after tool.”

The web interface is a bespoke product developed jointly by POST Luxembourg and the Dutch company ArborMedia. The latter has provided the LogDepot software, which is used to view TV channels and radio stations and perform searches in recorded programmes, while POST picks up all the relevant media services by various means (satellite, digital terrestrial television, internet via streaming or IP via TERALINK), hosts the web solution, provides the connectivity and generally manages the platform.

“This project is important for us because it is a flagship project that could be of interest to the monitoring authorities in other countries in future. It may also interest public channels or bodies, such as parliaments or municipal councils, which are looking for a way to manage recordings of their public debates,” explains Alain Berg, Head of the Business Solutions and Presales Department at POST.

As the Authority rolls out its new monitoring tool, it is also calling for independent experts who are interested in watching specific programmes and writing viewing reports. The languages in which these programmes are broadcast are currently Hungarian, Macedonian, Dutch, Serbo-Croat, Slovenian and Turkish. Applicants interested in carrying out this supervisory work can contact ALIA by emailing info@alia.etat.lu or by calling 247 82089.