The European Commission has published a new proposal that would force streaming media services to invest in content created in Europe, alongside other video-related rule changes that would affect services including YouTube, Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, and others. Initially leaked
last week, the directive would require online streaming services to ensure at least 20 percent of its catalog provided to European subscribers is made up of European-origin content.
According to the European Commission's
proposal, broadcasters on the continent typically invest 20 percent of their revenue into new locally-produced content, but by comparison streaming services such as Netflix only put one percent into European-origin content.
The Guardian reports the Commission also wants streaming services to provide "good visibility" to European content.
To add to the extra pressure on streaming services, a tax levied by EU member states against broadcasters to help "contribute financially" into new European movies and TV shows could also be applied by governments against streaming services, potentially as payment into a central fund, or by investing in their own European programming.
In some cases, major streaming firms are already abiding by the Commission's proposal. According to an EC study, 21 percent of both Netflix and iTunes film catalogs stem from the EU, and while Netflix claims to have invested "hundreds of millions" of euros on productions in the EU already, including partnerships with regional broadcasters, Amazon has also taken steps to pay for European-sourced content, with the former
Top Gear cast producing a new motoring show for the service.
The proposals also cover another area of streaming, namely protecting younger users. The Commission wants services to put in place measures including "tools for users to report and flag harmful content, age verification, or parental control systems," to prevent children from seeing unsuitable content. While these do apply to on-demand subscription services including Netflix, it also applies to free services including YouTube.
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