Moves by public sector broadcasters within the EU to expand their activities into new areas, such as mobile TV and video on demand, would still be subject to prior independent scrutiny under revisions to controversial proposals published by Brussels on Friday.

The European Commission is in the process of revising its 2001 guidelines for applying EU state aid rules to public service broadcasting. The current rules have become increasingly outdated as technologies have changed; in particular, with more distribution opportunities available, broadcasters generally have been keen to diversify.