The government of Flanders, the Flemish-speaking region of northern Belgium, wants to adopt a law that would force video-sharing platforms such as YouTube and TikTok to invest part of their revenues in local television networks. It is the first time that a country considers the possibility of obliging similar platforms to allocate a percentage of their profits to strengthening the local television service and if the measure came into force it would create an important precedent.
The proposal, drawn up by the Flemish Minister of Culture Benjamin Dalle, requires these platforms to pay between 2 and 4 percent of their profits to the Audiovisual Fund of Flanders, the body that manages the public television and radio service in the region , or to a local production. It is essentially a matter of extending the taxation to which streaming services such as Netflix, Disney+, cable television and broadband providers are already subjected, which in 2023 paid a total amount close to 7 million euros.
The law will be voted on in the next few weeks by the Flemish parliament: Dalle claims that, if it came into force, it would strengthen the local public service and give further impetus to the Flemish entertainment sector, which in recent years has produced series much appreciated by the public such as Knock Off e Rough Diamonds.
In an interview given to GuardianDalle stated that Michael M. Adler,
the US ambassador to Belgium expressed some concern about the possible entry into force of the measure, and that he had received letters from several “technology companies” alarmed by these developments.
Dalle also said he intends to use the role of Belgium, which has assumed the six-month presidency of the Council of the European Union since January 1, to ensure that similar laws are adopted by all European countries.