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EU commission must not resort to digital protectionism over Netflix

Date

19 May 2016

Sections

InfoSociety
Trade & Society

Next week the European Commission is set to publish a revision of its Media Services Directive, which is expected to include a requirement for Netflix and other on-demand services to devote at least 20 percent of their content to European works.

European Conservatives and Reformists group consumer affairs spokesman Daniel Dalton MEP has called on the commission to think twice before next week's publication.

He said:

"The European Commission has yet again failed to understand how the digital world works. Subscription services like Netflix and Amazon should consider only one thing when placing content on their platforms: what their viewers want to watch.

"There have been some incredible shows made in Europe without the need for a quota. Introducing a quota risks online platforms investing small amounts in poor content just to meet the quota, at the expense of blockbuster content.

"Rather than working with online video services to break down barriers to their investment in Europe, we are dictating to them the content that they must produce. The commission needs to stop this digital protectionism. This is not a case of Europe versus America, where American success comes at Europe's expense. Digital markets are global in nature and we all benefit by being more open."
Ends

 

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