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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.
They will quickly find, much to their chagrin, that people will still end up watching Marvel movies rather than some movie about everyone in a French village being struck with a devastating plague of ennui.
These aren't anything like tariffs, so it's perfectly fine to get red in the face at Trump over those.
W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
Such quotas can be enforced in two ways: increasing the amount of local contents (as desired by the EU) or reducing the amount of foreign content.
I predict massive reductions in the catalogue of Netflix in most European countries.
cancon has been around for long time even saga channel had to have it.
Canada had something similar in place 30 years ago - it gave us such gems as SCTV's "Great White North" and the movie "Strange Brew". Thanks to that I learned the difference between back bacon and side bacon, and developed an appreciation for Molson's!
Take off, you Hollywood Hosers!
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I don't understand why technically Netflix is supposed to "give over" anything - can't they just ALSO host EU content? Is this rule really mandating that Netflix stop streaming some content even though technically they could steam any amount of content with enough server space?
I mean, over here in America I'd love to see this content also, let everyone see it!
I look forward to the new category in the Netflix TV app - right next to "Violent TV shows", or "Feel Good Reality TV" (both actual Netflix categories), they can add a new one "Dreck the EU Made Us Show You".
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Question is, if european sourced content is so great, why bother with mandating netflix consume it? If the demand exists, why not create or fund a european service that sources primarily european entertainment?
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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.
I can't see how this can possibly work in eg Malta, Luxembourg and Cyprus, countries which are very small so will have almost no local content either back catalogue or current production. Just means Netflix etc will never do business there.
As long as the foreign content is from the UK. They actually produce the best content.
these are quotas on locally produced content. I'm not surprised the EU would want them. It's not hard to see why smaller local studios can't compete with (let's be honest mostly US based) mega corporations.
And it's not so much that nobody watches the local content as it's that nobody'll produce it because why spend money making content for 2 markets when you can do it for one and folks will watch by default.
Hell, I wish we'd do this in America. Lately the dialog and plots in American movies suck balls because they have to be watered down to get past Chinese censors and/or be easy to dub over.
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So in the short-term, Netflix and Amazon will just disable whatever percentage of their library until they hit the magic number required. This will definitely reduce the amount of content available until original content from each country starts to show up.
In the long run this could in theory help get production companies going in each member state. Only time will tell how well that will work out. In the short term, the least watched content will get chopped down so that netflix can claim that now offer 30% EU content.
I'm pretty sure that, in EU parlance, "locally created" is shorthand for made in Italy or France.
My Other Computer Is A Data General Nova III.
Face value shows no more than 3 non EU players. With a billion and one loopholes and exceptions...
You can't expect them to create anti-Islamic programming; That would cause people to get killed.
And worse, cause elected officials to lose re-election.
"Must Carry" was the FCC approach to local channels in the U.S. It gave the cable carriers a mandate that, if the local channel wanted, they could force the cable carrier to carry their channel... at no cost.
Or... if the local channel insisted on being paid - keep in mind that the same channel is on the airwaves for "free", sponsored by advertising - then the cable carriers are not under that compulsion.
Of course the local channels get in battles over the carriage fee, and instead now want a large payment, resulting in regular black-outs during contract negotiations.
This EU mandate may result in, essentially, the equivalent of the old Public Access programs. Good local content won't be available, because it costs money and really nobody cares. But mediocre podcasts might be, by artists hungry for free exposure. Netflix will just have to add a local YouTube-like content area.
Europe isn't a backwater, although I doubt you can find it on a map.
I can find it just fine. It's the plot of land between Norway and Africa, between the Atlantic Ocean and Russia. It's the continent that's slowly being colonized by Islamists...
So, if it isn't a backwater now? Just wait a generation. It soon will be.
Chas - The one, the only.
THANK GOD!!!
In the 1920s, UK cinema was suffering from competition from the USA. In response, cinemas were told that 20% of films had to be British. The result of this was simple: companies started producing "quota quickies". Really low budget films that cinemas could buy cheaply and show, just to hit the quota. There's no reason Netflix won't do the same. Go to a company like Gaumont or Pathe and ask what they've got going cheap. Lousy films everyone has forgotten that were made in the 1950s and they'll put them on. Quota ticked.
Alex Jones? Is that you? You don't have to be shy, you can post under your usual handle (transLoverButCloseted).
Only I can judge you.
There are actually examples of good European "super hero"-movies, like for example Lo chiamavano Jeeg Robot, which has more character depth and plausibility than any of the Marvel "super hero"-movies.
(Turkey is not part of the EU, and also currently has a terrible movie industry, not least because it serves the exaggerated nationalism of the Erdogan regime.)
That's because their "pussy ass" cops are brave enough to go mano-a-mano with armed suspects/citizens. They are much better trained and those few who are trained to wield guns are much more experienced and know when not to use them (most of the time).
They don't "fear for their lives" and empty their guns into an 88 year old 70 lb woman (like 'murican cops would) because she was hobbling toward them in an threatening manner, US cops are the pussies, you're just too enamored with seeing them as "heroes" to recognize what cowards they are.
Only I can judge you.
Maybe that's why some US shows are filmed in Canada?
Only I can judge you.
Such quotas can be enforced in two ways
Actually, there is only one way: you HAVE to cut content. The EU currently has 28 member countries and so if each of them has to have 30% local content then the ONLY way you can manage that is to restrict the content available in each country because if all the content you make is available in every country then any one country's share will be a lot less than 30%.
To make matters worse the EU has very strict rules against restricting services between countries so, if you only allow a show to be seen in country X and not in country Y you may well get into trouble. I suppose one way around this would be to have multiple streaming services each of which plays the same local content to make the 30% requirement and then programming from two plus a third other country's content but I can't help getting the idea that someone did not think these new rules through from a simple mathematical perspective...
fuck drumpft! And fuck you too!
Only I can judge you.
Hollywood has been spreading anti-religous bigotry for many decades. Also, Western Europe has been moving away from Christianity for generations. Neither has made people more egalitarian or happy.
really?? see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... 17 countries ranked higher than the US. 12 of them were from europe.
drumpft?
Only I can judge you.
Why are you assuming that they don't want to watch local content? It isn't as if Hollywood produces the highest quality entertainment on the planet. It is the most expensive, like our health care, expensive and shitty outcomes.
Only I can judge you.
Aren't there EU laws regarding not being allowed to geofence their service?
How do you give "30% local" to every EU country when you can't restrict the content by country?
Buy enough 30% decades old EU content. Hours of 1960-70's EU nation movies. Add in a few new low cost EU crime dramas that don't need as much support.
Then the EU law makers will start demanding that the content has to be "new" productions to ensure more EU wide employment.
Streaming services will create the lowest cost soap opera, dramas and EU home renovation reality shows. In different EU nations to spread the new gov enforced work around.
The EU will then demand a quality of EU nation "culture" has to be included in more shows. No more low price content. The EU will demand art and academic experts support production.
Finally EU gov workers will sit in on all new EU productions to give culture and quality guidance.
Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
Netflix gets into the porn business in EU countries.
There are decades of "local" porn out of current EU members countries, and for all I know, lots of new ones being produced.
in that regard and pretty famous for it. And they make no bones about it, they don't want to lose French culture to the melting pot of globalization (waste of time in the Internet age if you ask me). I don't see that's what the EU is doing here. It just looks like an honest attempt to make sure home grown content doesn't get crushed by slick Hollywood production values.
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This is quite funny because there are several British TV shows I'd love to get here in the US but can't because of licensing issues. I'd love me some Red Dwarf but can't get it here in the US.
I tried to go the UKTV streaming service and could get it here is Western US because their registration process requires a valid GB mail code.
errr....umm...*whooosh* *whoosh* Is this thing on ?
Ranked on a self selected response to a survey question.... How stupid do you have to be to think that is measure of anything real?
Because if everyone wanted to watch local content, they wouldn't have to force Netflix to carry it at gunpoint.
If there's enough demand for something, Netflix will carry it, just to make money doing so. You'll only have to force them if what you're requiring is that they show something that will lose money....
"I do not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it"
But the Red Green show is AWESOME!!!
Hold up. 30% of their content must come from each EU country.
28÷3 = 9.3
So either each country’s originals are banned from viewing in other countries, this law needs amending, or the math says they need ten times more content, without increasing their supply of content. The math simply can’t work as presented in the summary.
From Variety,
Okay, so we’ve got the option to make that third entirely handled within the country. Yet even that is ambiguous — is it a third of Netflix’s catalogue has to be made in Europe, or a third in every single of the twenty eight member countries? ‘Cause that’s sure what everyone seems to say, and that’s mathematically impossible.
Hmm. I don't recall Netflix _ever_ sending me a survey asking me what I want to watch. They post stuff, I either watch it or I don't, they really really have never asked me. If they don't put up the content, they won't know if anyone wants to watch it. I think it is very provincial to assume that everyone on the entire planet wants to watch 'murican shows.
Only I can judge you.
What the EU intends: TV shows that remain faithful to the vision of each country's own distinct culture.
What will really happen: Netflix films 20 new TV shows based on... what else... Marvel or DC Comics, but has them produced in the EU instead of the US or Canada. Except they all follow Hollywood norms, have casts fluent in English & are produced IN English(*) so they can be directly monetized as-is in the US and internationally, and end up practically extinguishing what's left of that country's "culturally distinct" film industry (because everyone involved with the country's film/tv industry ends up being too busy chasing after Netflix's money).
Oh... and lots of low-budget reality-TV and game shows, because they're just about the only kind of show you CAN profitably make if your total market and language community only has a few million potential viewers.
The thing lots of people overlook is that "Hollywood" isn't a place. It's not even necessarily AMERICAN anymore. It's a business model that has proven over time to be wildly profitable & has spread over the globe.
Case in point: how would you classify the nationality of a TV show like "Game of Thrones"? Most of its cast members are European. Practically every scene was filmed in Europe. The CGI and production are done in Europe.
---
(*) Or possibly, shoot scenes involving visibly-spoken dialogue twice, back to back... once in English, and once in the country's official language. It would cost more, but not THAT MUCH more since you'd be using the same cast (they're all bilingual, remember), the same CGI, and could do the editing workflow in parallel... and you'd end up with two versions, both of which were a first-quality original shot in their respective languages.
I can't cite any specific examples, but I'm pretty sure this is ALREADY happening with big-budget Hollywood films co-produced with Chinese studios... two directors & casts [possibly with a few actors shared by both], shooting back to back using the same sets, extras, and CGI.
Radios in France have a quota of 40% of French "speaking" music, and although you could argue the quality of French "pop" (it's bad), it did keep the industry alive. Of course, the quota of French songs on radio tends to revolve around a small number of tunes in constant rotation but that's the way commercial radio works.
Because quotas worked out so well for the BBC.
"Nine times out of ten, starting a fire is not the best way to solve the problem." - my wife
He can't have much free time if he's an entire department by himself.
Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
A lot of US shows are filmed in Canada because certain Canadian cities have made themselves friendly to filming, and certain American cities have made themselves obnoxious.
Apparently a lot of New York scenes are filmed in Toronto or Montreal because the images of many buildings in New York are copyrighted.
necessity is the mother of invention. Doctor Who was fantastic and made on a shoe string. The Michael Bay Transformers movies are $100+ million a pop and some of the worst drivel I've ever seen. I'd like to see some small local talent get a shot. They're likely to be constrained in ways that a big production is not, and those constraints will make them more interesting.
It's like a garden full of Dandelions. They look nice and all but they're still weeds and they'll crowd out the rest of your followers.
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Not sure if this law actually got passed here or not, but I had a simple suggestion for Netflix. Just allow locals to post their own videos in a YouTube like section on the site. It won't take long to get thousands of videos that fill the quotas that the government wants. If you want local culture, then local people should produce it.
All Goosio, all the time.
Maybe they rejected your review because they know you only watched 3 minutes of it and that's not very useful.
The BBC produces a plethora of worthwhile content that not only stands and competes on its own merits; but is so sought-after that many people don't even wait for it to be legitimately available.
Even in the '90s, before moving large video files around on the internet was feasible; things like Red Dwarf and old-school Doctor Who had huge and thriving bootleg PAL to NTSC converted VHS scenes. And when they re-introduced Doctor Who in 2005? Well, more than a few people started using BitTorrent that year, because BBC America was not available in their cable market at the time. Then there's Top Gear, Torchwood, Broadchurch, AbFab, Graham Norton, and Downton Abby, the original versions of The Office, Queer as Folk, and Skins, and of course the various iterations of BBC News.
But no, EU; don't bother producing good content that can stand on it's own. Abuse the law to force crap content that no one wants on people. I'd bet if you find the money trail and follow it; there'd be some nicely large campaign contributions at the end.
Imagine all the people...
Guess Crunchyroll's going to get kicked out of the EU. They're over 90% Japanese.
Also, with shit like this, doesn't it put a lie to globalism?
If we're all "one world", why does the government need to FORCE a content-oriented business to make localized content in this manner?
Chas - The one, the only.
THANK GOD!!!
Step 2: due to scarcity of films, local film makers demand premiums from NetFlix so NetFlix can make its quotas.
Step 3: To break that stranglehold, NetFlix opens (or subsidizes) studios in each country, churning out cheap, abundant schlock that meets the 30% local criteria.
Step 4: European commission updates standards qualifying what is and is not artistic and local enough.
Step 5: Local film innovation gets squeezed out by formulaic film makers, OR local film makers have to (discretely) bribe commission members to approve their films by offering 'film debut trips' to exotic locations, 'film opening galas' with lots of free booze and schmoozing with glamorous actors who are told they need to be 'friendly', etc.
Yeah and cancon is pretty much reviled by most people in Canada, because it produces nothing of worthwhile. It's simply a waste of tax dollars to create/promote culture. Something that in and of itself is organic.
Om, nomnomnom...
Requirement will be for 30% EU content, not for specific country content. Some countries may require part of this to be their local productions, but its optional.
"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%.” EU nations can each choose whether the 30% includes sub-quotas on original productions in their countries and whether they want to follow the German model of adding a small surcharge on streamer subscription fees to support the national production fund."
source:
https://variety.com/2018/film/...
" Germany, 30% German 70% anything else" the way I read it is different , it would be " Germany, 30% EU sourced 70% anything else".
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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%).
It could just be sloppy wording, and you may be right. But to me, why use the phrase 'original productions made in each EU country' if they just meant '30% EU original productions to provide services in the EU'. Why mention countries at all?
Also seems unlikely Germany would be happy with 30% French TV and vice versa. Germany already has a quota for German content, and they probably don't want that changed over to French under the new rules.
Please stop this now!
Coming from a relatively small country that produces only boring dramas and cheap, cheesy wannabe-hollywoodesque crap, this would be the end of all decent programming. Since my country is so small, there isn't enough titles to form the 30%, so Netflix and HBO would have to make up for it by removing existing titles and replacing it with utter shite.
NOOO!!!!
Lemon curry???
This is a crazy leftist plan that will result in either hosting complete cultural rubbish to match the quota, or artificially limiting the catalog to match a quota. For god's sake, end this totalitarian EU before its too late.
The British grew up with bombings. Except they were being done by people with light coloured skin and Celtic bloodlines.
The British have been knifing each other for centuries. Even the current issues are related to poverty and have very little to do with skin colour.
The British have fewer traffic accidents than almost any other nation on the planet. They also deal with them extremely calmly - e.g. https://www.independent.co.uk/...
Areas of the UK may be turning into total shitholes, but I can at least hope they'll never drop so far that you'll feel at home in them, using such childish slurs as 'mudscums'.
You may want to look at those statistics.
Mass murders/shootings and gun crime per capita are much higher in the EU (UK, Netherlands and France are in the top 20) than the US (which takes 30th).
You just hear about the US more because we have a 24h media cycle to feed and a leftist-statist anti-gun platform to promote.
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The police only tazed the old woman. But they did have guns drawn.
I mean, she was stealing dandelions while brandishing a deadly weapon. Her slow manner was obviously a guise, she was probably a ninja.
As well, the police were afraid, that by moving back to give her space, one of them might trip and accidentally discharge a service weapon. This is a very common problem in the US and only further reinforces the legitimacy of their "taze the old woman" decision.
Me, I would have turned and run (maybe 10ft/3m or so, and then reassessed the situation).
You do know, that in Britain, there are gangs of old ladies that attack people? And left turn signs that do the same? At least it was a problem back in the early 1970s:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
BlameBillCosby.com
Corner Gas
The Red Green Show
That's more or less the only two good TV shows ever made in Canada.
#DeleteFacebook
I think the EU is thinking in similar lines, but they see it as "it will force Netflix/Amazon/Apple/etc to come finance TV shows and movies here instead of only investing in the U.S.A."
#DeleteFacebook
Are you trying to tell me Dan for Mayor isn't funny?
Why not just leave it up to the countries to decide the quota?
I can imagine France and Germany wanting to apply something like this, but as many people here have stated, some nations just don't produce content that's very good to begin with.
I tend to rant.
Actually, the only people reviling cancon are Conservatives...if you are in the content creation business, be it movies, music or art, you *love* the cancon policy. As for producing nothing worthwhile..what about Rush? What about SCTV? What about Bryan Adams. What about Denis Villeneuve? What about Robert J. Sawyer? What about Shania Twain?
Canadian great Oscar Peterson was virtually unknown, except in select music circles, and would have been just an obscure pianist....but cancon has made him a household name!
Just because you can't see it working doesn't mean that it is not doing anything.
CAN-CON 2019 - Ottawa's only book oriented Science Fiction Convention! October 18-20, Sheraton Hotel, Ottawa, Canada h
If people love it so much why do you need to pass all these laws and take all this tax money to promote it?
but when all the content is American gets a bit boring after awhile. There are some great foreign language shows on Netflix (Okkupert) but not enough of them. Can be hard to break into the scene now that everyone is moving away from TV.
You expect anyone to believe you hadn't commented for weeks, but this topic was so important to you you just had to say something.
But you didn't bother to read the summary...
You clearly didn't read the article...
You didn't understand or read my comment properly...
You didn't read the comment I was responding to either...
And now you want me to explain to you why you don't understand anything?
Do your homework. Come back with a sensible question. And maybe you can have a sensible answer.
Okay, the rule for XYZland is that you have to cut your balls off to do business in the country. But natives don't.
We're talking about logic and reason here.
These institutions want to use GOVERNMENT FORCE to MAKE content providers to make a set portion of their content localized.
So, if you're a streaming provider in France, they want to FORCE you to make sure X% of your content was produced in France.
The same for Germany. And Belgium. And Austria. And Finland. And Ireland. And Italy. And...
Currently there are TWENTY EIGHT member states in the EU.
And the EU wants to set the bar at 30-40% of total content PER MEMBER STATE...
The EU is supposed to be about globalism right? We're all "citizens of the world", right?
If so, what the hell is going on with these protectionist localization requirements?
Sorry, it's bullshit.
Chas - The one, the only.
THANK GOD!!!
We pass those laws because we are protecting ourselves from the Giant to the south. If we don't protect our cultural identity, we would have American culture overrun us.
As for why we take all those taxes...so people don't have to go bankrupt if they get sick, to start out with...
CAN-CON 2019 - Ottawa's only book oriented Science Fiction Convention! October 18-20, Sheraton Hotel, Ottawa, Canada h
I'm not "making shit up" dumbass.
I presented you with an educational example, stripped of partisanship-inducing terms.
Yet you still don't get it.
Okay, strike 3. You're out.
Chas - The one, the only.
THANK GOD!!!
I've explained it to you. Several times.
If you can't comprehend it at this point, I'm not translating it into sign language for you.
Howsabout we reverse it.
Why SHOULD streaming providers be FORCED to produce local/localized content? Why is VOLUNTARY production not good enough? And why must percentages be set?
And "Because you gotta to follow the rules" isn't an answer. Because I'm questioning the purpose and ideology BEHIND the rule.
Chas - The one, the only.
THANK GOD!!!
Translation: You can't justify it with anything other than chauvinism. Fair enough.
Chas - The one, the only.
THANK GOD!!!