Latvian television channel LTV7 plans to drop national minority content

As of 1 January 2021 Latvian television channel LTV7 will no longer broadcast national minority content, as chairman of the National Electronic Mass Media Council (NEPLP) Ivars Āboliņš explained at an online discussion on 29 May.

He said national minority content has a place on public media, he said, at the same time adding that as of 1 January 2021 LTV7 will no longer broadcast national minority content.

According to him, LTV7 will become a channel broadcasting in Latvian language. National minority content will be transferred to the internet, where a national minority platform will be created based on lsm.lv.

Āboliņš explained that television ratings «could have been better» and «looking at the channel’s quality of journalism», he believes it will be possible to reach national minority audience using this multimedia platform. Additionally, the council chairman mentioned the decision was influenced by the change of residents» viewing habits.

According to LETA’s archive, in the second half of 2019 NEPLP member Aurēlija Ieva Druviete said at a meeting of the Saeima’s Strategic Communication Sub-Committee that creation of a multimedia platform for the Russian-speaking audience based on lsm.lv platform would require funding of EUR 440 000.

At the time, the sub-committee discussed the development of public media to reach out to national minority members. Druviete said the new platform will provide varied content in Russian language, too. She explained that already the Russian-speaking audience of lsm.lv reaches half a million.

NEPLP representative added that because if public media find finances in their internal reserves, the project’s implementation may commence in autumn 2020. If not, finances may be allocated from the 2021 state budget.