London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 24, 2025

Anger & alarm as EU proposes reducing UK's 'disproportionate' share of Eurozone's post-Brexit market for film and video broadcasts

Anger & alarm as EU proposes reducing UK's 'disproportionate' share of Eurozone's post-Brexit market for film and video broadcasts

The EU has kicked off a storm after reportedly looking to curb the “disproportionate” influence of British TV and film programming by excluding its content from quotas protecting the “cultural diversity” of European productions.

The EU’s ‘Audiovisual and Media Services Directive’ (AVMSD) mandates that European content must account for the majority of airtime on TV channels. As well as this, at least 30% of the catalogue on video-on-demand (VOD) platforms like Netflix and Amazon must comprise European titles.

Despite becoming a “third country” outside the Eurozone after Brexit, films and TV series produced by the UK’s entertainment industry have continued to enjoy privileges since they are still classified as “European works” under the AVMSD’s definition.

“The high availability of UK content in VOD services, as well as the privileges granted by the qualification as European works, can result in a disproportionate presence of UK content within the European VOD quota and hinder a larger variety of European works (including from smaller countries or less-spoken languages),” noted an internal EU document accessed by The Guardian.

The leaked document, which was tabled with EU diplomats on June 8, reportedly cautioned that this “disproportionality” may adversely affect the “promotion of European works and cultural diversity” as required by the AVMSD.

In line with the document’s recommendation to reassess the “presence of UK content in the aftermath of Brexit,” the European Commission is said to be preparing to order a study on the impact of British programming. Unnamed diplomatic sources told The Guardian that this would be the first step towards their reclassification.

According to the document, the classification issue can be attributed to the ‘European Convention on Transfrontier Television’ (ECTT) adopted by the Council of Europe, to which the UK “remains a party.” Under the ECTT, 20 EU countries must allow “freedom of reception” to British films and shows.

The AVMSD, which currently defines European works on the basis of the ECTT, is due for a mid-term review in three years – at which time, unnamed EU sources told The Guardian, changes to the definition may come into force.

However, those sources also suggested that France would take the initiative forward when it assumes the bloc’s presidency next January. In this, it is expected to be supported by Spain, Greece, Italy and Austria, among others.

But Steve Green, a former chair of the bloc’s European Capitals of Culture selection committee, noted that such a move would be “nothing new” since “the French did the same on languages when they last held the EU presidency.”


Green claimed that a “change in 2025/26 on definitions” would simply mean “UK media companies will need to do more co-productions/funding with EU based companies, or set up subsidiaries.”

However, the majority of social media users said the move to exclude British content would be a “devastating” blow for the UK’s entertainment industry, which brings in some £1.4 billion ($1.94 billion) in revenue from the sale of international rights to its shows.

In a series of tweets, actress Catherine Russell said the move would be terrible for the UK but made sense from a European point of view and noted that Brexit was a “present (that) really does just keep on giving.”


Other users echoed that sentiment, bemoaning the loss of British “soft power” with one person claiming the UK will “really be Little Britain soon” owing to its diminishing influence.


But some users questioned whether this was really as serious an issue as it is being made out to be, since “the internet means people can watch whatever they want.”

A number of people also criticised the EU for indulging in “petty” politics, with one person claiming this was one more example of how the bloc was “nationalism upscaled to the regional level.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
×