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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.
the EU have already stated that the beeb will be exempt to the rules due to the way it is funded
Well - it's a disadvantage - and an advantage. But the primary problem is not really the national broadcasters. It's when you actually want to pay for something to view like Netflix - or buy a DVD/BluRay.
National broadcasters can select if they want to provide streams of their shows to other viewers or not. Many countries in Europe have the same system as the UK - public funding.
If builders built buildings the way programmers wrote programs, then the first woodpecker would destroy civilization.
For those bot getting the "joke", GEMA is pretty much the German equivallent of the RIAA in the US.
They are notorious for geoblocking in Germany videos from youtube which contains content under their licensing rights... Even youtube channels from the artists themselves.
The infamous message "this content is blocked because it contains material owned by GEMA" is a nightmare for youtube users in Germany
And this is where this joke becomes insightful. Once you open the markets in the EU and ban geoblocking, how do you deal with this type of geoblocking? Will they address geoblocking only in a commercial transaction (what would actually be much worse for GEMA in the business model they drive) or address geoblocking in all its forms?
The BBC is funded by a tax on the UK citizens, enforced by the criminal code. Your assertion is completely wrong.
Ah, so in Britain the government isn't involved in tax collection and enforcement. They don't do the collecting, they don't penalize people who don't pay, and they don't get involved in picking and choosing who receives those funds, or have any say, whatsoever, over how that money is allocated. That is an interesting system indeed! Who handles all of that, if not the government?
Don't disappoint your bird dog. Go to the range.