Several media companies have decided to boycott Telia's newly launched mobile service Surf Open. The Swedish Newspaper Publishers' Association is supporting the boycott because the service affects newspaper websites, both in regard to content and form, without the consent of the publishers.
Anna Serner, managing director of the Swedish Newspaper Publishers' Association, has demanded in a letter to Indra Åsander, who is responsible for TeliaSonera's mobile content services on the European market, that Telia modify its newly launched mobile service.
"It's always the publisher who determines the content of a newspaper's print edition, online edition and the edition for mobile phones - regardless of whether it concerns editorial material or advertisements. This is supported both by the Swedish freedom of speech act and the freedom of the press act," says Anna Serner.
She also brings up an additional aspect of the new mobile service: "Everyone realizes that it is unreasonable that a distributor - in this case Telia - should make money off of advertising space that other parties - the newspapers - have already sold. A reputable company such as Telia should surely be able to generate revenue in a more responsible manner."
How Surf Open works:
When a user visits a newspaper's site via the Surf Open service, the original page is not displayed, but rather a page with a Surf Open header and a matching menu footer. Moreover, the advertisements placed by the newspaper are replaced by advertisements from Telia. It is the advertisements that newspaper publishers have not been given the opportunity to approve. This creates a difficult situation with newspapers' own advertisers. If Surf Open inserts an advertisement of questionable character at a newspaper's site, users will complain to the publisher rather than to Telia. Moreover, the unreasonable situation arises in which Telia as a distributor, makes money off of advertising space that other parties - the newspapers- have already sold.
Source: TU, Swedish Newspaper Publishers´ Association 19 Feb 2008
Anna Serner, managing director of the Swedish Newspaper Publishers' Association, has demanded in a letter to Indra Åsander, who is responsible for TeliaSonera's mobile content services on the European market, that Telia modify its newly launched mobile service.
"It's always the publisher who determines the content of a newspaper's print edition, online edition and the edition for mobile phones - regardless of whether it concerns editorial material or advertisements. This is supported both by the Swedish freedom of speech act and the freedom of the press act," says Anna Serner.
She also brings up an additional aspect of the new mobile service: "Everyone realizes that it is unreasonable that a distributor - in this case Telia - should make money off of advertising space that other parties - the newspapers - have already sold. A reputable company such as Telia should surely be able to generate revenue in a more responsible manner."
How Surf Open works:
When a user visits a newspaper's site via the Surf Open service, the original page is not displayed, but rather a page with a Surf Open header and a matching menu footer. Moreover, the advertisements placed by the newspaper are replaced by advertisements from Telia. It is the advertisements that newspaper publishers have not been given the opportunity to approve. This creates a difficult situation with newspapers' own advertisers. If Surf Open inserts an advertisement of questionable character at a newspaper's site, users will complain to the publisher rather than to Telia. Moreover, the unreasonable situation arises in which Telia as a distributor, makes money off of advertising space that other parties - the newspapers- have already sold.
Source: TU, Swedish Newspaper Publishers´ Association 19 Feb 2008