European Parliament reprieves audiovisual sector from geoblocking ban

Source: European Parliament

The European Parliament has given the audiovisual sector a last-minute reprieve from inclusion in legislation to ban geoblocking within the EU.

An amendment introduced by MEP Sabrine Verheyen, who sits on the Parliament’s culture committee, was adopted by the parliament at the eleventh hour.

The amendment highlighted the likelihood of loss of revenue to media companies of ending geoblocking of content based on territory within the EU, potentially leading to loss of investment in new content and reducing cultural diversity in content production and distribution.

It said that inclusion of audiovisual content would lead to fewer distribution channels and lead to consumers paying more.

The adoption of the Verheyen amendment does not mean that the audiovisual sector will be excluded from the geoblocking ban indefinitely, however. MEPs indicated that they want more cross-border catalogue availability and cross-border access and findability to sports events through streaming services. They also want the European Commission and member states to carefully assess all options to reduce the prevalence of what they describe as unjust and discriminatory geo-blocking barriers.

The MEPs called for more assessment of the potential impact extending the rules would have on the audio-visual sector. They also advocate for a realistic timeframe so the audio-visual sector can adapt and ensure the preservation of cultural diversity and content quality.

The Parliament’s voted to ensure the full application of rules allowing consumers to shop online and access services across borders without restriction and called on them to be exgtended to digital services offering copyrighted content such as e-books, music, software and online games.

Parliamentary rapporteur Beata Mazurek said: “When shopping online, consumers must be able to take advantage of the best deals and pay with their bank card, just like a local would. We are doubling down on efforts to fight price discrimination and want to make it easier to receive or arrange delivery across borders. It is also time to meet the demands of citizens by making it easier to access movies, series and sporting events in their native language. The Commission should carefully assess the options for updating the current rules and provide the support the audio-visual sector needs.”