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EU May Become a Single Digital Market of 500 Million People
RockDoctor writes: The Guardian is reporting that the EU is becoming increasingly vociferous in its opposition to "geo-blocking" — the practice of making media services available in some areas but not in others: "European consumers want to watch the pay-TV channel of their choice regardless of where they live or travel in the EU." That adds up to a block of nearly 500 million first-world media consumers. They don't necessarily all speak the same language, but English is probably the most commonly understood single language. And the important thing for American media companies to remember is that they're not American in thought, taste or outlook.
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Although I'm more or less in favour of this (details around copyright 'compensation' nonsense from the EU to sort out), it does present a problem for state-funded broadcasters such as the BBC.
I'm a UK TV license payer, therefore I fund the BBC. Someone in France, for example, is not funding the Beeb and without geoblocking would be able to pick up for free all of the programming that I and other UK license payers are making possible. Now there seems a reasonably obvious way round it - introduce subscriptions, but this is more problematic than it seems at first glance. Would still need geoblocking + subscriptions for outside the geoblock, because otherwise the current practice in the UK of not caring where and what I'm streaming to will fall apart (you'd need to verify the subscription or similar - how would my kids do that when it's just me on the license, are we talking about having to name everyone covered by the license payment etc.). Worse, if the revenue from subscriptions starts becoming a significant part of the BBC's income, then it will start to produce more content geared towards those subscriptions and become less 'British'.
I'm using the BBC as an example I'm familiar with, but there are other state broadcasters in Europe. The BBC model of license to keep it independent of government editorial control is the only funding model of its kind I can think of, but I would imagine the same issues would apply to most of them.
From TFA:
By taking on six big Hollywood names, the commission risks raising hackles in Washington, where there is already suspicion about EU trade regulation.
I'm pretty sure that Hollywood, through it's wholly-owned subsidiary the United States Congress, will soon put pressure on the EU to withdraw or water down the complaint. Slap on the wrist for the studios and then it's back to business as usual.
Smashing Geo-blocking, great stuff,but there tends to be some sort of "regulatory framework" or other attempt to synchronize laws across the block. When you've got Germany censoring anything with blood (see: Wii-U online store) and the UK's hair trigger legislative response to anything remotely pornographic (see: 1984) along with every other nations particular scruples and mores the whole thing has the potential to turn into a horrible 11pm watershed restricted reduced-choice mess.
Why not just add usernames and passwords? No geoblocking necessary.
Worldwide digital network ? global audience ?, better we divide it up into imaginary boxes and lock that shit up so we can turn the internet into TV like the old days right?.
And the important thing for American media companies to remember is that they're not American in thought, taste or outlook.
While I agree that there are differences, the EU still eats up American programming like crazy. So I'm not sure how much it matters, and it seems over time our programming is converging to be more similar, that is, what works in the US or the EU is tried in the other.
Then Germany and UK will claim Greece and Spain are free loading on the great programming created by their virtuous tax payers and demand that they too pay the wireless receiver license fees. Greek population will be limited to half an hour of TV per day and people will line up with their thumb drives in front of TV stations to download their daily quota of programs. Old pensioners without the stamina to stand at all those lines will break down and bawl like babies in front of the world TV cameras. CEOs of apparel hawking companies in USA will ship emergency supplies of programs....
Wonder why they insist on creating a fiscal/mercantile union without creating a political union. They envy the USA with its large market, but they don't seem to take the lessons of urban population putting up with the antics of Ted Cruz or the rural folks putting up with SCOTUS ruling on same sex marriages.
Yeah, we have a large unbroken market. And we paid for it in blood at places like Chancellorsville, the sunken road, the stone bridge, the corn field, multiple times at Manassas, Shiloh, Antietam, Vicksburg, Gettysburg...
sed -e 's/Chuck Norris/Rajnikant/g' joke > fact
American media companies to remember is that they're not American in thought, taste or outlook.
What is American thought, taiste and outlook.
Americans are a rather diverse group of people. Ranging from extreamly liberal to hard conservative and with a lot of points in between.
Sure we have some cultural norms, like every other country. But judging our culture from our media doesn't give a full picture.
Based off of media.
1 out of every 4 people is an aspiring actor.
80% of the population lives in California
15% lives in New York City, no one lives upstate.
4% lives in Illinois .
1% elsewhere
(There is a wide range of cultural diversity across each state, most of it isn't covered my the media)
Nearly everyone is self centered/as some odd quark.
What is called American culture is just Hollywood culture, that isn't representative of the full United States.
Heck I live next to a Mennonite community in the middle of nowhere, we have High speed internet, decent cell coverage... And a diversity of pleasant friendly people and jerks who have no regulard for others. And like real life often they are one and the same based on the situation.
If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
"And the important thing for American media companies to remember is that they're not American in thought, taste or outlook."
You're right. There is no other culture and society that is so hostile and juvenile, that produces so many ignorant, indoctrinated, and aggressive young people, as the American culture and society. This has a huge effect on the tastes and preferences for entertainment, and the European market is certainly a lot more refined than the American.
> And the important thing for American media companies to remember is that they're not American in thought, taste or outlook.
Europe, fuck yeah!
"And the important thing for American media companies to remember is that they're not American in thought, taste or outlook."
Ehhh, that's not that important to remember. You all will buy the most ridiculous, lowest-denominator American shows we make already.
It's this before or after the EU collapses from its inherent fiscal contradictions?
-Styopa
If I don't pay my insurer the money I owe for the service, they will get the UK government to enforce payment, ergo it's a tax! Go shopping and leave without paying? The shop will get the government to enforce payment, ergo it's a tax! There's ONLY tax!
Or your claim is bollocks and the BBC license fee isn't a tax just like other payments for goods and services being enforced by government law is not a tax.
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...who now potentially have 500 million people to extort TV tax out of.
Political debates have me rolling my eyes so much I think I got optical whiplash. I should sue. - Foamy The Squirrel
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