Europeans will be able to access subscription media services based in their own country when they are “temporarily abroad,” according to proposals put forward as part of the European Commission’s digital single-market strategy.
The proposals, which would affect pay-television sports subscriptions, are expected to be implemented in 2017.
“Today's proposals will give more rights to consumers online – allow them to enjoy products and services from other EU countries in full confidence,” Andrus Ansip, the vice-president for the Digital Single Market, said. “Businesses, especially the smallest ones, can grow across borders at less cost, with a common set of EU rules instead of a patchwork of national laws. Now the Digital Single Market is under way, improving the daily life of people, where digital is everywhere.”
The definition of being “temporarily abroad” has not been clarified yet.
Richard Scudamore, the executive chairman of football’s English Premier League, told the Guardian newspaper in the UK: “One unresolved issue is the absence of any time limit on the period that applies to portability. The Premier League’s new European contracts [will] already permit portable services, a market-led solution that didn’t need to wait for this new proposal from the commission.
“We therefore welcome the proposal in principle, seeking as it does to strike a sensible balance by introducing a portable solution for consumers when they travel cross-border for temporary periods, while still keeping the significant benefits to consumers of selling rights territory by territory.”