Monitoring of audiovisual programs
One of the directions of activity of the Audiovisual Council of the Republic of Azerbaijan is to regulate the audiovisual media sector and monitor compliance with applicable regulatory legal acts.
According to Article 47.1.11 of the Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan "On Media", when signs of administrative violations are detected in the field of audiovisual media, it is the duty of the Audiovisual Council of the Republic of Azerbaijan to take measures in accordance with the Code of Administrative Offenses.
In order to carry out the aforementioned activities and duties, monitoring of audiovisual programmes is implemented. The Department of Monitoring and Analysis of Audiovisual Programs of the Audiovisual Council of the Republic of Azerbaijan monitors programs and regularly prepares analyses, references, and reports.
Monitoring of audiovisual programs determines the compliance of the broadcast content with the following regulatory and legal acts:
§ The Law “On Media”;
§ The Law “On Public Television and Radio Broadcasting”;
§ The Law “On Protection of Children from Harmful Information”;
§ The Law “On Advertising”;
§ The Law “On the State Language in the Republic of Azerbaijan”;
§ The Law “On Restriction of the Use of Tobacco Products”;
§ The Cabinet of Ministers' decision “On approval of the rules for the presentation of advertising broadcast with a running line”;
§ Decisions of the Audiovisual Council of the Republic of Azerbaijan;
§ Other regulatory and legal acts.
Monitoring is carried out in the following forms:
§ Regularly planned monitoring;
§ Monitoring based on citizen complaints;
§ Monitoring based on applications received from other government agencies, as well as public organizations;
§ Unscheduled monitoring based on information disseminated on online resources and social media about programs or parts thereof that may violate the law.
Monitoring is carried out in the following ways:
§ Monitoring of the program’s video recording by experts;
§ Determining the volume of advertising content using special software;
§ Determining words and expressions with immoral lexical (profanity) content using special software.
Only free-to-air television channels with the status of a nationwide terrestrial television broadcaster and a platform broadcaster performing satellite transmission are involved in regularly scheduled monitoring.
Programs of other broadcasters (radio broadcasters, platform broadcasters not performing satellite transmission, on-demand media service providers) are monitored only based on complaints.