“Quotas obligating Netflix, Amazon and other streaming services operating in the European Union to dedicate at least 30% of their on-demand catalogs to local content are set to become enshrined in law soon,” Nick Vivarelli reports for Variety. “Roberto Viola, head of the European Commission department that regulates communications networks, content and technology, said the new rules, which will also demand visibility and prominence of European product on streamers, are on track to be approved in December. ‘We just need the final vote, but it’s a mere formality,’ he told Variety at the Venice Film Festival.”
“Netflix, Amazon and other streamers will be required to fund TV series and films produced in Europe by commissioning content, acquiring it or paying into national film funds through a small surcharge added to their subscription fee, something which is already happening in Germany,” Vivarelli reports. “Netflix tried unsuccessfully to fight the German surcharge in court.”
Vivarelli reports, “Viola said that, starting in December, the EU’s 28 member states would have 20 months to apply these new norms and that countries ‘could choose to raise the quota from the 30% minimum to 40%.'”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: So, Apple, Netflix, Amazon, etc. can simply commission a boat load of crap “documentaries” made on the cheap that nobody besides the producer and his/her parents will ever watch and throw them into the catalog until the magical percentage is met. Voilà!
what a useless law.. it will get them next to nothing.. lets have one on paint drying, or which way the wind blows. the EU really needs to go away, it served little purpose when founded and does nothing but waste $$
Every country in the world except the USA has had similar quotas for broadcast content for decades. Otherwise their local culture and values would be swamped by American pop culture. As people cut the cable, an extension to streaming was inevitable.
I suppose whether the EU served a purpose when it was founded depends on whether you regard avoiding the European rivalries that led to two world wars as worthwhile.
So true. I know my country, the UK, has had a quota for many years. I’m glad of this because although there are many good productions from the US I don’t want my viewing totally swamped by their programs.
True, too, about the EU preventing wars in Europe. There had been European wars for centuries culminating in WWII. The idea of economic & political intergration to prevent this happening again is worth all the negatives in my mind. Think about that the next time anyone from the US wants to slag off the EU because without it you may be dragged into another war with hundreds of thousands of you dying.
It is all a part of the tariff mentality. The MDN take could easily be overcome with an amendment to the law.
Can’t they just make 70/30 available in the EU – just don’t give them the good shows.. LOL
This article is click bate.
Take Netflix Italy. Is all there content US made? I would suspect it would have a lot of Italian production, because they speak Italian.
After Brixit Ireland and Malta will be the only countrys speaking English as the primary language. So a lot of content will have to be in the language of the market. So maybe Europe is not wrong here.
By the way Macinfo, Europe does not waste any $$ at all. They only waste €€.
Currentinterest, as for the tariff mentality, just look at the new tariffs Trump is emposing. I am sure we would all agree that tariffs are not good in the long run.
You’re forgetting that any country that doesn’t speak English can easily dub into their local language.
MDN take “…simply commission a boat load of crap “documentaries” made on the cheap…”
What a stupid idea. What does that do for a company’s reputation? Why should the rest of the world be served a 100% US view of the world? And is much of what is regarded as ‘American’ even produced in America by Americans?
Netflix has almost zero European films and the only foreign language films are Japanese or Korean mainly.
Seen another way, it’s an opportunity to invest in local talent to broaden what is on offer – to everyone’s benefit.
This site’s egregious Americentrism and American exceptionalism is getting tiresome and is pretty much not in Apple’s best interests.
Protecting their own, as always like the Koreans or the Chinese.
That’s what we need. More films about life in Spain with French audio and German subtitles. Will add to my Neflix favorites. Thank you EU.
There are a lot of Netflix subscribes who might see this new law in a different light…
http://bit.ly/2NKJn9f
MDN take: “Let them eat cake!”
A decade ago I recall hearing of a French law requiring a certain percentage of French music be broadcast on the radio. Apparently most of the quota was filled during the middle of the night when few listen.
Yes, I need my original Nordic shows….
Wow. Isn’t that wierd that the European Union defends countries that are in the European Union. That is so novel idea. /s
“So, Apple, Netflix, Amazon, etc. can simply commission a boat load of crap “documentaries” made on the cheap that nobody besides the producer and his/her parents will ever watch and throw them into the catalog until the magical percentage is met. Voilà!”
The crap documentaries are always made in the US. Absolutely the best documentaries are made in the UK by the BBC with the cooperation with other National Broadcasting companies in the Europe.