Dar, who currently chairs EU-level media ministers as a member of the Belgian Council Presidency, wants this to be replicated across the region. The Flemish government will raise the issue at the next EU media ministerial meeting in May.
Streaming platforms such as Netflix and Amazon Prime are already required to invest in so-called European productions through the EU’s Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD). AVMSD is intended to support local media productions that compete for attention with primarily U.S. productions and platforms.
The Flemish bill, which is currently being passed by the region’s parliament and is expected to come into force in January 2025, extends that idea to short-form media and online media platforms. These companies will be required to transfer up to 4% of their sales in Flanders, either by investing in local films or series or by putting money into an audiovisual fund.
Dal said that while broadcasters themselves upload content to the platform, content creators use snippets of Flemish works “very often”.
“We hope they respect the new law. If they don’t, all sanctions are possible,” Dar said, adding that the bill even suggests platforms could face regional bans. He said there was.
The new law, which is the first of its kind internationally, will do little to hurt online media giants’ profits, according to Dar. Just under 7 million residents account for only a small portion of the media consumption of these platforms’ global reach.