Skopje, 27 August 2026 – The Agency for Audio and Audiovisual Media Services (AVMU) rejects as inaccurate and unfounded the claims made by the Macedonian Media Association (MMA) and Macedonian Radio Television (MRT) concerning the alleged improper treatment of the programme services Arena M1, Arena M2, and Arena M3 Premium as foreign programme services retransmitted in the Republic of North Macedonia.
The Agency acts exclusively within the scope of its legally defined competences, in accordance with the Law on Audio and Audiovisual Media Services. The Agency’s actions in this particular case are based on the relevant documentation submitted, as well as on information and data obtained from competent institutions in the Republic of North Macedonia and from relevant foreign entities.
Based on the available documentation and the information obtained, the programme services in question are treated as foreign programme services that are retransmitted, rather than as domestic television services broadcasting programmes on the territory of the country, taking into account that their originating signal is not broadcast on the territory of the Republic of North Macedonia.
The Agency particularly rejects the insinuations that its actions enable the circumvention of legal obligations or that there is any illegality in the actions of the Agency and its officials.
If MMA and MRT have any alleged evidence of unlawful conduct by the Agency, we invite them to submit such evidence to the competent institutions. In the meantime, we point out that it is unacceptable to disseminate unfounded allegations and insinuations solely in pursuit of one’s own interests, thereby creating the impression that the regulator is acting unlawfully or arbitrarily.