Brussels, 08/11/2005 (Agence Europe) - The European Audiovisual Observatory is soon to publish, in the IRIS Special series, three studies on the so-called “must-carry” obligation by (cable) television networks to “carry” certain programmes judged to be catering for public interests. The studies result from a workshop organised on this subject in April this year by the Observatory and University of Amsterdam. Participants above all examined the justification (or otherwise) of must-carry rules and looked at their eventual replacement by must-offer rules, which would oblige certain broadcasters to make their programmes available to network operators rather than obliging the network operators to carry the programmes. The first study focuses on the situation in Europe, giving details of the rules in force in various States. The second looks at the must-carry obligations in the United States as imposed on cable and satellite operators. The final study tackles the future of must-carry, identifying a number of gaps in current must-carry regimes and putting forward a model for constructing must-carry obligations in the digital age. (IRIS Special, 2005 Edition, “To Have or Not To Have - Must-carry Rules”, 50 pages, EUR 58.50). Information: http: //http://www.obs.coe.int ).