The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has expressed its disappointment at the European Parliament’s decision to reject most of the so-called Sat Cab proposal regarding territory-by-territory licensing of films and TV shows across the EU.
The European Commission has been pushing for a single digital market across the union’s 28 member states, allowing access across the EU for films and TV, unhindered by geo-blocking.
The EBU said the opportunity to “lay down one of the building blocks of the Digital Single Market has unfortunately been disregarded.”
EBU head of European affairs Nicola Frank said: “The Sat Cab Regulation was originally devised to enhance the circulation of content in Europe and enable both consumers and Europe’s audiovisual sector to reap the benefits of the Digital Single Market. Today’s vote goes against these intentions, maintaining a fragmented European audiovisual market and turning down enhanced access to European culture for citizens.”
She added: “We salute the European Commission for taking a brave step to submit this proposal and respond to the expectations of citizens and consumers. The procedure is not over and we hope that upcoming milestones in the adoption of this regulation will lead to a better outcome.”
