From Sunday 1 April it will be possible for European citizens to access online content wherever they are in the EU.
It means an end to geo-blocking, allowing viewers will be able to access pay-TV subscriptions to Canal+, Sky Sports, Netflix, etc with them when on business or on holiday. The rules apply to online subscriptions and not the reception of encrypted channels by satellite.
In a joint statement, European Commission Vice-President Andrus Ansip, Commissioner Mariya Gabriel, Bulgarian Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications Ivaylo Moskovski and Members of the European Parliament Pavel Svoboda and Jean-Marie Cavada explained that the rules applied to paid-for-services, but providers of free content would be able to opt in.
“Removing the boundaries that prevented Europeans from travelling with digital media and content subscriptions is yet another success of the Digital Single Market for our citizens, following the effective abolition of roaming charges that consumers all over Europe have enjoyed since June 2017.”
However, not everyone is happy with the new rules. The Federation of German Consumer Organisations has criticised the fact that free-to-air broadcasters are not compelled to follow the directive, while the movie industry fears it will erode their ability to sell titles on a market-by-market basis.
The EU estimates that at least 29 million people, or 5.7% of consumers in the EU, could make use of cross-border portability, and many more in the future – up to 72 million people by 2020.
Source: https://www.broadbandtvnews.com/2018/03/29/europe-opens-up-pay-tv-subscriptions/