Rules surrounding the right of the consumer to view pay-TV content in any European territory have been officially approved.
Regulation (EU) 2017/1128 entered into law on Thursday and will become officially enforceable as of March 20, 2018.
It means EU citizens can use online services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, Spotify and Deezer while in another EU country for holidays, studies or business.
Access is limited to online services such as films, TV series, music, games, or sporting events, which they have paid for in their home country, and does not include cross-border reception of satellite-delivered services.
However, public service broadcasters, which are financed by broadcasting fees, may decide to enable its subscribers who are temporarily present in a member state to access and use the online content service on condition that the provider verifies the subscriber’s member state of residence in accordance with this regulation.
The regulation provides for a residence check and data protection. Online content service providers may take “effective and reasonable” measures to verify that the subscriber has not permanently moved to another EU country as required copyright licenses may differ between countries.
The European Parliament approved the rules last May.
