EU adopts revised Audiovisual Media Services Directive with 30% European quota

In November 2018 the European Union adopted a revised Audiovisual Media Services Directive, the bloc's main rulebook for television and video services. The update was agreed by the European Parliament and the Council, which represents member state governments, after negotiations that began with a proposal from the European Commission in 2016.

The key change extended rules once aimed mainly at broadcasters to video-on-demand platforms such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. These services were required to reserve at least 30% of their catalogues for European works and to ensure those works were given prominence, meaning they should be easy to find in the service's interface.

The directive also covered video-sharing platforms and tightened some rules on protecting minors and on hate speech. The aim was to support European film and television production and cultural diversity, and to create fairer conditions between traditional broadcasters and global streamers.

Because it was a directive, each member state had to transpose it into national law, leaving countries to decide how to define prominence. That national implementation is the step later taken by individual governments, including Spain.