The European Union has taken a major step towards
allowing people to use online entertainment subscriptions such as Netflix or
Amazon Prime all across Europe, according to officials. Europeans spend about one billion nights in other EU
countries every year but face a frustrating inability to access subscription
services while outside their home country.
The European Commission, the bloc's executive arm which
proposed the change, reached a compromise late last night with negotiators from
the European Parliament and the European Council of 28 member states, virtually
guaranteeing that the measure will succeed.
Once formally approved, EU consumers on the move will be
able to enjoy entertainment as if at
home in early 2018, the commission said."Today's agreement will bring
concrete benefits to Europeans," said Andrus Ansip, the commission's
vice-president for the Digital Single Market.
"People who have subscribed to their favourite
series, music and sports events at home will be able to enjoy them when they
travel in Europe."As it stands, a subscriber to the Netflix in Ireland,
for example, will only have access to the service as it is available in a
country they are visiting, where the movies or series often drastically differs
to their home version.
In another example, digital subscribers to Sky Sports are
unable to access Premier League football matches on their iPads or laptops when
travelling abroad. "This is very good news for EU consumers," said
Monique Goyens, head of Brussels-based the European Consumer Organisation.
"Artificial barriers blocking you from using your
online video, music or game subscription contradict the very principle of a
single market." Crucially, the measure puts a zero limit on the amount of
time travelling Europeans can enjoy their home-based subscriptions.
This is unlike the EU's free roaming promise for mobile
phones that comes into effect in June, but comes with a list of restrictions. The new rules are set to come
into force across the region by the beginning of 2018, though the regulation
still needs to be formally confirmed by the Council of the EU and the European
Parliament.
It’s
the first agreement reached by negotiators of the European Parliament, the
Member States and the European Commission related to the latter’s proposal to
modernise EU copyright rules.
A wider reform of the EU copyright framework,
remains in train though a draft proposal published last September was criticized
as regressive and a missed opportunity for proper modernization of the rules. Another
long sought for component of Commission’s DSM strategy an end to mobile roaming
fees was finally agreed earlier this month, and is due to come into effect
across Europe in mid June.
0 Comments