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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.
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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.
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
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.
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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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.
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"
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.
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(*) 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.
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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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.
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???