Ranko Pivljanin, editor of the Nova daily, told N1’s New Day morning program that instances where Yettel has pulled N1 and Nova S from certain users’ packages – framing it as a “pilot project” – show what could happen to the accessibility of these channels. He simultaneously highlighted the responsibility of cable operators for the media content they broadcast.
Pivljanin suggested that providers like SBB, Yettel, and Telekom should be questioned on whether they are violating media laws by broadcasting his “wonderful colleagues” who have found a home at Informer TV.
“That hotbed of media toxicity, spreading hate, indecency, banality, and everything else that is wrong – they continue to be broadcast. Why didn’t they test this experimental modular model on Informer? Why didn’t they say: Anyone who truly wants Informer can pay an extra 300 dinars? First, they humiliated our two television channels by reducing their value to a mere 300 dinars,” Pivljanin said.
He added that operators need to understand that even in a “wild” state where nothing is in order, their pursuit of profit must end the moment they are held accountable for the media content they air.
“Yettel has already carried out the orders – or rather, they’ve conducted a trial run of what can happen to us,” Pivljanin said.
For context, Yettel abruptly cut off N1 and Nova S for a segment of its users under the guise of a “pilot project.” In explanations provided to disgruntled customers, the company claimed to be testing a “modular approach” to TV packages – meaning users could choose what they want to watch and potentially pay extra for it.
The criteria used to select which users lost the channels remain unknown. It is also unclear why only Nova S and N1 – the only news channels available exclusively through SBB and Yettel—were excluded.
In response, Zoran Gavrilovic, Executive Director of the Bureau for Social Research (BIRODI), issued an open letter to the leadership and management of SBB, Yettel Serbia (e& PPF Telecom Group), and Telekom Srbija (MTS). He urged them to review the contracts and conditions under which they distribute Informer TV and to state publicly whether that channel’s content and rhetoric align with their ethical standards and corporate social responsibility policies.
Source: N1
