This new benchmark gives an overview of whether national governments can advertise on linear television, outside election periods. Two aspects are covered: ‘paid political advertising’ and ‘government communication’ which refers to public service announcements (usually free of charge). The question of 'political advertising' is important since government advertising can be a significant source of revenue for broadcasters and can also be a vehicle to promote/explain governmental actions/orientations.
Our research shows a split situation between some liberal countries (such as Finland and Poland) which allow political advertising on television against a payment, and other countries (such as France and Germany) which ban paid political advertising. It also shows that in the selected countries government communication is more generally allowed than political advertising, although the distinction between the two is sometimes difficult to make.
This new benchmark has been published in the scope of our European Media service.
more news
14 July 25
How are EU member states transposing NIS2?
Our benchmark tracks the transposition status of the directive on measures for a high common level of cybersecurity across the EU (NIS2) in the 27 member states. 14 countries adopted national legislation to transpose NIS2.
10 July 25
WhatsApp and other communication apps must allow legal interception in less than half of the EU countries
Our new pan-European benchmark examines national rules of lawful interception obligations for number-independent interpersonal communications service providers, such as WhatsApp.
09 July 25
Countries tighten IoT rules with new security, numbering and device measures
Our Quarterly Regulatory Update on IoT and M2M Services (Q2 2025) highlights how national regulators are shaping the future of IoT and M2M services in areas such as cross-border connectivity, device regulation, and security.