EU Lawmakers Target Geoblocking in Streaming Services
The European Union is evaluating whether to expand its anti-geoblocking regulations to include streaming audio-visual content, a move that could significantly impact services like Netflix across member states. Currently, access to these platforms remains restricted by national borders, preventing users from accessing content available in other EU countries.
The Geoblocking Challenge in the Digital Single Market
- Current Limitations: EU citizens often face barriers when trying to access their subscriptions after moving to another member state or attempting to view content libraries available elsewhere in Europe.
- Single Market Conflict: This practice directly contradicts the EU’s vision of a frictionless Digital Single Market, where digital services should flow freely across borders.
Commission Takes Action
The European Commission has launched discussions with the audio-visual industry to improve cross-border access to copyrighted content. These talks will inform the upcoming Media and Audiovisual Action Plan, designed to help European content creators scale and reach wider audiences.
“Increased access and circulation of audiovisual content will benefit an increasing demand across-borders, including in border regions and with linguistic minorities,” stated the Commission in its review of the Geo-blocking Regulation.
Stark Content Disparities Across EU
Recent data reveals significant inequalities in content availability:
- On average, EU consumers can access only 14% of films available online across all member states
- Greece has access to just 1.3% of EU online films
- Germany enjoys access to 43.1% of available content
Growing Consumer Demand
Interest in cross-border content has nearly doubled from 5% in 2015 to 9% in 2019, particularly among younger demographics. A 2019 Eurobarometer survey confirmed this growing trend.
Progress and Challenges
The current Geo-blocking Regulation (in force since December 2018) has already achieved:
- Reduction of location-based restrictions from 26.9% to 14% across surveyed websites
- Decrease in cross-border website access blocks to just 0.2%
- 1.6% increase in cross-border delivery purchases since 2015
What’s Next?
While the Commission acknowledges these improvements, it remains cautious about extending regulations to other copyrighted content like music, e-books, and videogames, citing:
- Homogeneous catalogues (often over 90% similar) across member states
- Potential impacts on service pricing variations
Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton emphasized: “We will further monitor its effects and discuss with stakeholders… to ensure the industry can scale up and reach new audiences, and consumers can fully enjoy the diversity of goods and services in the different EU Member States.”
The coming months will reveal whether these discussions lead to meaningful changes or face resistance from content rights holders, continuing the longstanding tension between digital freedom and copyright protection.
