Notably, the recently approved General Audiovisual Media Law ushers in a new model for the protection of minors and the rating of content through a co-regulation model, to which all providers of audiovisual communication services will be subject, both linear free-to-air and pay services, as well as on-demand services. This model eliminates special watersheds by ensuring that advertisements that are not aimed at children are never broadcast or are inserted in blocks that are positioned before or after programmes and content that are specifically or primarily aimed at children.

The new law also maintains the existing prohibitions for providers of free-to-air linear television services on the broadcasting of content with scenes that include gratuitous violence and/or pornography, and has established a general protection band for minors that prohibits content classified as >18 from being broadcast between 06:00 and 22:00.

Meanwhile, the new law and resulting model of co-regulation of content has meant that the system of selfregulation for complaints handling has been suspended. This suspension is effective from the end of the second four-month period, which means that there are no complaints during this period. Therefore, while 14 complaints were filed in the first eight months of 2022 (compared to 31 of the total received in 2021)10, none were related in form or content to Atresmedia.

It should be noted that the recommendations channel available on www.tvinfancia.es is not currently supported because, as per the public announcement made, work is currently being carried out on a new space for receiving complaints about audiovisual and television content.