Digital single market

UK to seek continued broadcast deal but plans to leave Digital Single Market

The UK should seek options that will allow continued ‘transfrontier broadcasting’ following Brexit but will not remain part of the EU’s Digital Single Market, according to Prime Minister Theresa May. In her speech on Friday on the UK’s future economic partnership with the European Union, May addressed the ‘country of origin’ principle that currently allows TV companies […]

EC calls for finalisation of Digital Single Market strategy

The European Commission has urged the European Parliament and member states to finalise key legislation and complete its Digital Single Market strategy by 2018. In its mid-term review of the 2015 Digital Single Market plan, published last week, the EC said that “good progress has been made” overall, and that it has delivered 16 key […]

EC sets out 100Mbps target for all European homes

The European Commission has set a target of providing connectivity offering a download speed of at least 100 Mbps, which can be upgraded to Gbps. To accompany EC president Jean-Claude Juncker’s state-of-the-union address, the Commission also said that schools, universities, research centres, transport hubs, all providers of public services such as hospitals and administrations, and enterprises […]

EC’s Oettinger: European project in ‘grave danger’

The European project is in “grave danger” following the UK’s vote to leave the European Union, according to the European Commissioner for digital economy and society. Speaking at an informal Competition Council meeting in Bratislava, Günther Oettinger said that the UK Brexit decision made it clear that distrust of the EU is “one of several […]

Industry group warns of €9bn loss from digital single market plan

The proposed introduction of a digital single market in the European Union would have a huge negative effect on investment in TV and film, according to new research from a collection of companies and associations including the Independent Film & Television Alliance. The report – The impact of cross-border access to audiovisual content on EU […]

Security and data handling key to Digital Single Market

Reinforcing trust and confidence in handling data is a fundamental part of the EU’s strategy to build a Digital Single Market in Europe, according to Andrus Ansip. Speaking at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the European Commission vice-president in charge of the Digital Single Market said that the EU’s aim is to bring the benefits of […]

IFTA raises concerns over EC copyright plans

The Independent Film & Television Alliance (IFTA) has raised fears over the European Commission’s Digital Single Market plan to allow cross-border access to online content. The alliance claims that plans to allow consumers to access online content acquired in one country in other European states threaten companies’ power to produce and distribute content, echoing concerns […]

Oettinger: no move to pan-Europe licensing, possible concessions on geoblocking

The European Commission does not want to impose pan-European content licensing as part of its Digital Single Market proposals, and the audiovisual industry could benefit from certain exemptions to restrictions on geoblocking to enable them to continue to license on a territory-by-territory basis, according to Günther Oettinger, European Commissioner for the digital economy and society.  […]

EC sets out stall on digital single market

The EC has set out a 16-point plan to enable the creation of a digital single market, highlighting the need for new rules to enable access to digital goods across borders, a level playing field for digital networks and measures to maximise the growth potential of the digital economy. Highlights with potential relevance for the […]

Denmark ‘most digital country’ according to EU stats

Denmark is ‘the most digital country’ in Europe, according to new stats released yesterday by the European Commission, which has made moving to a “fully-fledged digital single market” one of its top priorities. According to the Digital Economy and Society Index, Denmark had an overall score of 0.68 (out of 1) and ranked first of the 28 EU […]