Streaming almost without borders: No more geoblocking from March 20th in EU countries

Films, sports, music, e-books or video games - anyone who wants to pass the time with an online subscription while staying in another EU country can now use the paid service in the respective country without any additional costs: from April 1st Paid streaming services eliminate country restrictions – so-called geoblocking.

“However, the use of services that have already been paid for is limited to a temporary stay. In order to eliminate the country border, streaming providers must also first check the user’s country of residence.”

The North Rhine-Westphalia consumer advice center the most important changes. The consumer advocates explain what will apply to users for streaming paid online subscriptions in the future:

Data transfer via subscription has so far only been limited to:

“This content is not available in your country!” – online customers have often had to accept this notice when they watch series, films or football broadcasts for which they regularly pay from streaming providers such as Netflix, Sky Go, Amazon Prime or Maxdome. also wanted to see when traveling. Streaming films, series, music or entertainment programs was only possible in the country in which customers had concluded a contract for the provision of such online offers as a subscription.

Reason for the block: According to copyright law, sought-after films and photos were only allowed to be shown in the country for which the providers had obtained permission for use from the rights holders.

Limitless streaming possible in the future:

The so-called Portability Regulation, passed by the European Parliament in May last year, is now paving the way for borderless streaming of content within the EU from April 1st: Copyright law does not change here. But now, for paid subscriptions to streaming services, data transfer is considered use in the country of residence during temporary stays in another EU country. This means that music, series, films or live broadcasts must be offered online in the same way that they would be available to subscribers at their place of residence.

However, the regulation does not specify exactly what constitutes a temporary stay and for how long. But anyone who spends a vacation of several weeks or a few semesters in another EU country can access the streaming subscription from their home country there. The new rules expressly only apply to temporary stays in the European Union. If you go on vacation to the USA, Switzerland or Turkey, you cannot use your German subscription there.

Verification of residency:

In order to be able to determine where users are and where they actually live, providers of online services can use customer data such as place of residence, credit card numbers or IP addresses when concluding or extending a contract. In general, two ways are permitted to check the subscriber's Member State of residence. For this purpose, providers can also request the presentation of a valid identification document. If you do not want to reveal more about yourself than necessary during this procedure, you should black out personal data that is not necessary for verification purposes.

No additional costs:

Streaming providers are not allowed to charge additional fees for the use of services in other EU countries. Attention: If users stream offers via foreign mobile networks in other EU countries, additional costs may arise for data transfer. Subscription customers can save data volume by accessing the content via a WiFi connection.

Online offers abroad:

The new rules do not apply if users want to access cheaper or more extensive offers from a streaming service in another country. If you want to use the service of a French provider, you can't avoid concluding a contract with them too.

If you have problems concluding and using streaming services in an EU country, the local advice centers of the North Rhine-Westphalia Consumer Center offer legal advice and help. Contact addresses for appointments and costs online at www.verbraucherzentrale-nrw/beratung .

Note: Due to the subsequent adjustment of the regulation, the start of the Portability Regulation (end of geoblocking in the EU) has been postponed to April 1st.


If you enjoyed this post and value the importance of well-founded information, become part of the exclusive Mimikama Club! Support our work and help us promote awareness and combat misinformation. As a club member you receive:

📬 Special Weekly Newsletter: Get exclusive content straight to your inbox.
🎥 Exclusive video* “Fact Checker Basic Course”: Learn from Andre Wolf how to recognize and combat misinformation.
📅 Early access to in-depth articles and fact checks: always be one step ahead.
📄 Bonus articles, just for you: Discover content you won't find anywhere else.
📝 Participation in webinars and workshops : Join us live or watch the recordings.
✔️ Quality exchange: Discuss safely in our comment function without trolls and bots.

Join us and become part of a community that stands for truth and clarity. Together we can make the world a little better!

* In this special course, Andre Wolf will teach you how to recognize and effectively combat misinformation. After completing the video, you have the opportunity to join our research team and actively participate in the education - an opportunity that is exclusively reserved for our club members!


Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )