Culture Minister criticizes imbalance on streaming platforms like Netflix

Minister of State for Culture Wolfram Weimer (non-party) has identified drastic shifts in the media and film industry linked to digitalization and wants to take countermeasures. "We have structural distortions in the entire media system due to digital platforms and streaming providers," explained the publicist in an interview with the Rheinische Post. "We are experiencing a revolutionary process because almost the entire media business, from development to production to evaluation, is facing massive changes."

This transformation is "changing and distorting the market", says Weimer. At the same time, it is putting many players under pressure and causing existential worries, says the 60-year-old, referring to publishers, filmmakers and TV groups, for example. This is creating "de facto media monopolies" of US origin: "The diversity of opinion in Germany is under threat, which is why we need to address this."

Weimer therefore wants to sit down with streaming providers at a summit in the Chancellery next week to discuss possible solutions. He has noticed: "Amazon, Disney and Netflix generate high revenues here." They should therefore also make a contribution to Germany as a production location. Because: "An imbalance has arisen," criticizes the minister. "We can't let that happen."

"Lex Netflix" on the way

Specifically, Weimer wants to ask "the streamers" to pay: "Anyone doing business in Germany in future, benefiting from the German market and tax-financed funding, should be obliged to invest in German film productions again." This would be compatible with EU law. The politician did not initially specify an exact quota. In France, streaming providers have had to invest at least 20 percent of the revenue they generate there in the financing of European productions in the original French language since 2021. Switzerland already has a similar "Lex Netflix". The former German government made a similar proposal last year, which was opposed by the digital industry in particular.

The Audiovisual Media Directive, which was reformed in 2018, stipulates that 30 percent of the content in programs on TV channels and streaming platforms such as Prime Video, iTunes, Netflix, Joyn and RTL+ must be European. This is intended to increase cultural diversity and encourage video-on-demand platforms to invest in in-house productions made in Europe.

Weimer also wants to stick to his controversial proposal for a digital levy: "We are in intensive talks on this." However, his cabinet colleague, Economics Minister Katherina Reiche (CDU), does not think much of such a "platform tax". The EU Commission's new multi-year budget framework plan also does not include a digital tax for tech giants.

(vbr)