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EU To Move Ahead With Cultural Quotas For Streaming Services (techcrunch.com)
An anonymous reader quotes a report from TechCrunch: The European Union is set to move ahead with a plan to enforce pan-European quotas on streaming services like Amazon Prime Video and Netflix to support production of locally produced film and video content. Roberto Viola, the European Commission's directorate general of communication, networks, content and technology told Variety that the new rules are on track to be approved in December. The proposals will require that streaming services give over at least 30% of their on-demand catalogues to original productions made in each EU country where a service is provided (individual EU Member States could choose to set the content bar even higher, at 40%).
Streaming services will also have to ensure visibility and prominence for local content -- so no burying the 'European third' in a dingy corner of the site where no one will find it, let alone stream it. The EU lawmakers' intention is to stand up for cultural diversity against the might of Hollywood and the flattening power of platforms -- in the latter case by making platforms invest in local content production rather than just doing the easy thing of fencing yet more Marvel superhero movies.
Streaming services will also have to ensure visibility and prominence for local content -- so no burying the 'European third' in a dingy corner of the site where no one will find it, let alone stream it. The EU lawmakers' intention is to stand up for cultural diversity against the might of Hollywood and the flattening power of platforms -- in the latter case by making platforms invest in local content production rather than just doing the easy thing of fencing yet more Marvel superhero movies.
How long before companies just stand up and say "No" to this kind of buttinsky BS?
Won't happen. Because money.
We've already seen how companies are all too willing to bend over for the Chinese govt in order to gain access to that huge market. I'm sure this will be the same. Netflix or Prime won't want to give their competitors an edge in the EU market.
Irony: Agile development has too much intertia to be abandoned now.
There is no demand, but some people think that there is need.
You know, my three year old would only eat fruit bars and drink fruit juice if given the choice, but my wife and I insist that she eats actual fruits, yogurt, vegetables, and meat, once in a while.
Am I saying that European politicians look at their constituents the way adults look at toddlers? Maybe.
Do I want someone regulating what I watch? No.
Do I think that making content providers waste resources on something that their customers don't want will make their profit margins lower? Yes.
Do I think that the content created because of law prescribed quota will be any good? Not really.
Do I have a plan on how to balance appealing to the lowest human drives and elevating the human spirit? If I did, I would probably run for office.
But I don't... so I will stick to writing code, tsk-tsking at EU's legislation, and wondering whether I will live to see which of Idiocracy, Elisyum, Terminator or Metro 2033 will end up being prophetic.
No good deed goes unpunished...
Only in that country though. Germany, 30% German 70% anything else. France, 30% French 70% anything else. Italy, 30% Italian 70% anything else. Spain 30% Spanish 70% anything else.
You can't have Sweden 30% Swedish + 30% German + 30% French + 30% Italian + 30% Spanish +...+
Just logically there are more than 4 countries in Europe, so the total would be over 100%.
Even EU bureaucracy isn't quite that bad,
yet.