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Clifford Chance

Clifford Chance

Briefings

Commission Proposes Update to Audiovisual Media Services Directive

27 May 2016

On 25 May 2016, the European Commission has published its proposal for a revised Audiovisual Media Services Directive (Directive 2010/12/EU) ("AVMS Directive") aimed at strengthening the promotion of European cultural diversity, ensuring the independence of audiovisual regulators and offering more flexibility to broadcasters over advertising. The AVMS Directive regulates all audiovisual media services across the EU, which includes the transmission of on-demand services (including Netflix and Amazon Prime) as well as traditional TV broadcasting.

The reform package, which should be viewed in the context of the EU Digital Single Market Strategy, follows a period of public consultation during the summer of 2015 and its proposals will now be reviewed by the European Parliament and EU Member States.

In this briefing note we outline the Commission's key policy proposals, detail the next steps in the reform process and discuss the potential impact these legislative changes will have on our clients.

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