IHK Reutlingen
Gesamtinteressenvertretung der Gewerbetreibenden der Region Neckar-Alb, Übernahme hoheitlicher Aufgaben, Services/Dienstleistungen für Unternehmen aus Industrie, Handel und Dienstleistungen der Region Neckar-Alb
ID: 389320895837-35
Lobbying Activity
Response to Evaluation of the Geo-blocking Regulation
10 Mar 2025
Submission to Call for Evidence Geo-blocking Regulation: Evaluation It is essential for the film and audiovisual sector to remain exempt from the Geo-blocking Regulation. The Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI) Reutlingen serves as the spokesperson for media policy/media economy on behalf of the twelve CCIs in Baden-Württemberg, which represent 650,000 companies, and coordinates the specialized work in this field. Additionally, the CCI Reutlingen manages the Media and Film Economy Committee, which speaks on the behalf of film and media professionals across the region, articulating them in position papers and discussions with policymakers. We agree with the following statement made by the Spitzenorganisation der Filmwirtschaft e.V. (SPIO) and support their position. Furthermore, we urge the Commission to revise the Geo-blocking Regulation and carefully consider the interests of both consumers and companies. 'Territorial exclusivity, supported by geo-blocking, plays an indispensable role in securing funding for content development, creation and production, as well as providing for the optimal marketing, distribution and exploitation of the finished film, TV and other audiovisual content across all distribution channels (theatrical, physical carriers, all forms of broadcasting and all forms of online distribution). A ban on the use of geo-blocking to support territorial exclusivity for film and audiovisual content and services would severely jeopardize the creative and economic sustainability of the film and audiovisual sector in Europe. This would result in a drop in the number and range of films and audiovisual content produced, with a smaller variety of languages. Distribution and circulation would be drastically reduced across the EU. Exclusive windows of theatrical releases would no longer apply. This would have a direct and negative impact on consumer welfare: significant reduction of choice in content, distribution, and access options as well as a surge in prices. The importance of territorial exclusivity for the European film and audiovisual sector is widely documented in case studies illustrating that up to 60% of financing is often raised through territorial exclusivity such as co-production arrangements between different countries and pre-sales of future distribution rights. Co-productions and pre-sales of future distribution rights offer win-win strategies to share financial risk in production, favour greater multi-territory incubation and increased circulation/distribution that in turn ensures local marketing and tailoring - ultimately driving content awareness and demand across territories. This has also been recognised by EU Member States in consecutive Council conclusions. Consecutive impact-assessments and independent economic analysis have concluded that erosion of territorial exclusivity through a ban on the use of geo-blocking in the context of financing and distributing films and audiovisual content would erode the economic value of the rights concerned with a direct and negative impact on the financing and distribution opportunities as well as on recoupment of investments. Erosion of territorial exclusivity would also have a direct and negative impact on consumer welfare resulting in less choice in content, distribution, and access options as well as higher prices. The impact of including AV in the EU Geo-blocking Regulation, by Oxera, indicates that erosion of territorial exclusivity would have a significant short-term impact on industry and consumers, with up to 9.3bn of welfare lost per annumas well as medium- to long-term outcomes that would be worse than they are today (a welfare loss of up to 4.5bn per year. The EU markets enjoy a dynamic, diverse and rich offer of content, services and access options as documented in research by the European Audiovisual Observatory and by the European Parliaments Research Service.'
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