Greece Council of State upholds fine against SKAI TV

The Council of State (StE) has upheld a decision by the National Council for Radio and Television (ESR) to fine the television station SKAI. The ruling concerns content broadcast during the 2020 season of the reality show ‘Big Brother’.

The fine follows an incident during a 24-hour live stream on the station’s website, where a contestant made derogatory comments regarding sexual relations and rape. The ESR had previously imposed a fine, citing the broadcast of low-quality audiovisual content, the violation of human dignity, and the promotion of gender-based discrimination.

SKAI had challenged the penalty, arguing that the ESR lacked jurisdiction over content streamed exclusively online rather than on traditional television airwaves. However, the Council of State rejected these claims, clarifying that television stations bear the same obligations to ensure program quality and respect human dignity regardless of the medium. The court ruled that the prohibition against inciting hatred or promoting gender-based stereotypes applies to all audiovisual service providers, including content hosted on their digital platforms.