Spanish watchdog consults on audiovisual services regulation of video-sharing platforms

Spanish competition watchdog the CNMC has opened a public consultation on the regulation of service providers on video sharing platforms, with the goal of assessing the application of the country’s audiovisual law on such platforms.

The CNMC said that it was consulting with the objective of garnering viewpoints and information relevant t to the function of new services that have responded to technology advances and changes in viewing habits among the young.

The regulator wants to assess whether the country’s current audiovisual is sufficient to ensure effective regulation of these new services.

The CNMC said that the European Court of Justice had recognised that the scope of audiovisual regulation by member states could be extended to encompass new actors present on video sharing platforms, particularly in relation to regulation of content, age ratings, parental control and advertising.

The consultation is open until November 13.

The revised EU Audiovisual Media Services Directive that was adopted in December 2018 opened the way for regulation of audiovisual services on video sharing platforms, laying the groundwork for rules on transparency in decisions taken by platform operators.

The EC issued guidelines in July this year on the application of the directive in the case of video-sharing platforms, setting out criteria for which social media platforms should be included, based on the role that video services played within the platform.

The Commission also released guidelines on how the rule that 30% of works in video-on-demand catalogues should be applied to such platforms, in cases where they are identified as open to regulation under the terms of the directive.