EU in furious Netflix row as bloc attempts to CUT British TV shows from European streaming platforms
The EU has become embroiled in a row after France began pushing for Britain to be excluded from European streaming categories
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The EU has become embroiled in a row after France began pushing for Britain to be excluded from European streaming categories.
Paris has been pushing for the UK to lose its "European status" when it comes to the streaming of TV shows and films, meaning some titles could not be streamed on the continent.
The UK currently counts towards the EU's quota of content on streaming platforms - 30 percent of which must come from inside the bloc.
While Britain has continued to be included in this post-Brexit, France is urging the bloc to change the UK's status, meaning it would no longer count towards the quota.
France is urging the bloc to change the UK's status, meaning it would no longer count towards the quota
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This could force streaming platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime and Disney+ to remove some of its British-made content.
The rule change to remove British shows from the "European' category is backed by Greece, Austria, Italy and Spain.
But Germany has pushed back against France, warning the country against "shutting the door" on the UK's output.
German MEP Sabine Verheyen said: "Especially now that many British people are starting to recognise that Brexit wasn’t the best idea, we should be leaving doors open, not shutting them.
"While we are seeking a close cooperation with the UK in areas like education or musicians’ abilities to work across borders, it makes absolutely no sense to have a different stance on film."
Britain is one of the most significant contributors to streaming platforms, with content watched across the EU.
A policy paper from the European Commission seemed to agree with France's position, suggesting that the UK should not be included in the "European" quota as a result of Brexit.
The rules will be revised next year.
The paper, seen by Politico, said: "The need to re-define the concept of European works has been raised in the context of Brexit.
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A policy paper from the European Commission seemed to agree with France's position
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"It is arguable that, since the UK is no longer a member of the EU, works originating in the UK should no longer be considered as European."
British shows accounted for approximately 28 per cent of the platforms’ European investments in 2021, according to European Audiovisual Observatory figures.
German programmes made up around 21 per cent, while France made up 15 per cent.