Parliament Wants to deepen Digital Market by Banning Geo-blocking of Audio-Visual Content

Festivals Audiovisual - Film, TV & Radio

Film and TV companies, festivals and sports teams disagree with the proposed lifting of the ban on geo-blocking for audiovisual content, which is currently exempt from the 2018 EU regulation. Parliament believes it will improve the digital single market. The industry believes it will affect their business models on the cost of quality.

By Creatives Unite Newsroom
December 13, 2023
Save as PDF
You can download this article in PDF format here!
The European Parliament is expected to vote today (Wednesday 13 December) on a proposal to include audiovisual content - from Hollywood movies to French TV series to English football matches - in EU rules banning the use of geo-blocking technology to enforce territorial exclusivity for film and TV content.

More than 600 film and TV companies from across Europe, as well as representatives of Hollywood studios, sports leagues, film festivals and film and TV markets, have signed a letter opposing the proposed legislation. The EU banned geo-blocking for most services in 2018, arguing that it violated the principle of a digital single market - a strategic plan of the Union. However, audiovisual content was initially exempted from the ban.

Now, the European Parliament will vote on whether to adopt a proposal that would include audiovisual content in EU rules banning the use of geo-blocking technology to enforce territorial exclusivity for film and TV content. 

The film and TV industry argues that territorial exclusivity is key to their business models and that a ban on geo-blocking would lead to a reduction in the number and range of films and audiovisual content produced, as well as a rise in prices for consumers.

Prominent filmmakers have also warned against the move, predicting that it would disrupt the industry's business model and lead to "bland films aimed at the lowest common denominator". 

The Creativity Works! coalition, which includes the MPA, ACT and the Premier League, claims that geo-blocking technology is vital to Europe's creative and cultural industries. They argue that ending the exclusive territorial licensing of geo-blocking would threaten 10,000 European cinemas, access to over 8,500 European VOD films and up to half of European film budgets.

However, the European Parliament's IMCO Committee is seeking to include copyrighted works in the scope of the geo-blocking regulation. The proposals do not include the abolition of all territorial licences in the EU but are mindful of the potential impact on the industry. The current geo-blocking regulation prohibits unjustified geographical restrictions on the sale of goods and services within the EU but includes an exemption for film and television.