COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS Europe’s Media in the Digital Decade: An Action Plan to Support Recovery and Transformation
Date: 2020-12-03
Institutions: Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology, European Commission
Subjects: EU aid, action programme, audiovisual industry, audiovisual production, cultural pluralism, digital single market, innovation, investment, mass media, pluralism in the media

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 3.12.2020  COM(2020) 784 final  COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS Europe’s Media in the Digital Decade:    An Action Plan to Support Recovery and Transformation  
 
 
1. 

INTRODUCTION  

Europe’s  news  media  and  audiovisual  sectors  have  been  critical  in  keeping  citizens 
informed  and  entertained  during  the  Covid-19  pandemic.  The  demand  for  fact-checked 
information and news has substantially increased, while films, series or videogames have 
been the main source of entertainment during the months of lockdown.  

A  free,  diverse,  and  dynamic  media  environment  is  key  to  strengthening  open  and 
democratic societies  and nurturing Europe’s cultural diversity. Europe is  an artistic and 
cultural powerhouse. Harnessing the potential of the European Single Market to nurture 
cultural  diversity  will  benefit  the  media,  audiovisual  and  the  wider  cultural  sector 
altogether. 

The European media sector 

The  media  sector  as  a  whole  covers  a  variety  of  businesses  that  produce  and  distribute 
content,  that  share  synergies,  and  whose  value  is  based  on  intellectual  property.  The 
sector  is  largely  composed  by  SMEs,  although  some  bigger  media  companies  have 
enough scale to incorporate media activities across sectors and along the value chain. The 
overall media sector contributes to job creation and growth with a turnover exceeding 3% 
of GDP1.   

This Communication focuses on the news media sector (including printed and online 
press, radio, and audiovisual services) and audiovisual entertainment – in particular 
cinema, TV, radio and video streaming as well as video games and innovative formats, 
such as virtual reality experiences.

The impact of COVID-19 

1 European Commission estimates, based on Eurostat data and other sources including EAO, Statista 

1 

 
  
 
                                                 
The culture and creative ecosystem, of which the news media and audiovisual industries 
form an integral part, has been deeply affected by the pandemic. News publishing saw its 
advertising revenues drop between 30% and 80%2 and TV by 20%3, during generalised 
lockdowns  in  the  second  quarter  of  2020.  European  media  SMEs  face  severe  liquidity 
issues, while unemployment has increased, and many media professionals and journalists 
–  particularly  those  who  are  subject  to  precarious  employment  conditions  or  are 
freelancers  –  have  found  themselves  with  no  income4.  Cinemas  suffered  a  collapse  in 
revenues5  (with  losses  estimated  at  100,000  euros  per  screen  per  month  during 
lockdown), whilst shooting of new films, programmes and TV series has been in many 
cases halted and often cannot count on insurance policies fit to cover events such a global 
pandemic6.  

In parallel, the crisis has accelerated major trends long in motion in digital technology. 
Online  platforms  have  strengthened  their  market  position,  launched  new  services  and 
attracted  new  audiences  during  the  lockdowns.  New  online  social  media  platforms  – 
largely  based  on  audiovisual  content  –  have  also  hit  records  in  downloads,  particularly 
among young users7. 

The  ambition  of  this  Communication  is  to  accelerate  the  recovery,  transformation  and 
resilience of the media industry. It is necessary to tackle the structural challenges facing 
the audiovisual and news media industries.  In the news media sector, traditional  media 
have struggled to adapt to an online market in which the majority of advertising revenues 
go  to  global  online  platforms.  With  the  onset  of  COVID-19,  advertisers  have  reduced 
their  overall  advertising  spending  in  a  context  of  economic  uncertainties,  further 
challenging  the  sector’s  sustainability  and  potentially  affecting  citizens’  access  to 
pluralistic and independent sources of information. 

In  the  audiovisual  sector,  the  greatest  challenge  is  market  fragmentation.  By  and  large, 
European  audiovisual  companies  focus  on  national  audiences,  with  a  few  exceptions. 
Within the EU, European films are exported to on average to three countries, whereas US 
films are exported to 10 countries. US films also represent 66% of the EU box-office8. As 
a  result,  even  the  biggest  European  media  players  are  noticeably  smaller  than  those  of 
their  main  global  competitors.  European  groups  account  for  11%  of  revenues  of  the 
world top 50 audiovisual groups, compared to over 70% by US groups9.   

2http://www.newsmediaeurope.eu/news/covid-19-and-the-news-media-journalism-always-comes-at-a-cost/  
3 EAO, Ampere Analysis, October 2020 
4  For  an  overview  of  the  audiovisual  sector  in  the  context  of  COVID-19  consult:  https://rm.coe.int/iris-
plus-2020-2-the-european-audiovisual-industry-in-the-time-of-covi/16809f9a46  
5  https://www.unic-cinemas.org/en/news/news-blog/detail/the-impact-of-the-coronavirus-outbreak-on-the-
european-cinema-industry/  
6  The  lack  of  adequate  insurance  has  been  highlighted  also  in  the  context  of  measures  taken  by  national 
film 
the  pandemic:  https://europeanfilmagencies.eu/news-publications/our-press-
releases/241-measures-by-efad-members-to-mitigate-the-consequences-of-the-covid-19-outbreak 
7  For  instance:  https://www.businessinsider.com/tiktok-app-2-billion-downloads-record-setting-q1-sensor-
tower-2020-4?r=US&IR=T 
8 European Audiovisual Observatory 
9 European Audiovisual Observatory 

funds  addressing 

2 

 
                                                 
The role of platforms in Europe’s audiovisual market  

A  number  of  powerful  international  video-on-demand  platforms  have  entered  the 
European market and are successfully producing content in Europe. This has represented 
both  an  opportunity  and  a  challenge  for  European  independent  audiovisual  producers 
and works.  

On the one hand, platforms can grant European producers, and artists access to a wider 
international  public,  along  with  attractive  remunerations.  These  are,  in  some  cases, 
complemented by incentives based on the exploitation of the film/series and/or bonuses 
linked to the success of their work.  

On the other hand, the application by platforms of what could be defined a “work-for-
hire” model (i.e., the acquisition of all the intellectual property rights from the producer 
and/or from  individual creators since the start,  worldwide and in  perpetuity) can “lock 
in” producers/talents with the platform in question. 

Audiovisual companies should be in a position to consider the European continent – and 
not only their respective national markets – as their native market. For this to happen, it 
is  necessary that  European players reach sufficient  scale to  go beyond national  borders 
and  invest  in  content,  talents,  promotion,  distribution,  innovation,  and  technology 
anywhere in the EU. In the news media sector, companies should be able to find enough 
viable and sustainable funding models to ensure citizens’ access to a pluralistic, diverse, 
and independent media environment, including at regional and local levels.  

The digital transformation will be the key that unlocks this true potential. This is true for 
the economy as a whole, and media is no exception. Europe has all the necessary assets 
to  thrive  in  the  Digital  Decade  with  its  Single  Market  and  450  million  consumers,  its 
talent  pool,  the  creativity  of  its  producers,  authors  and  performers,  and  quality  of  the 
European content.  

The sense of urgency  

The  combination  of  the  underlying  trends  with  the  COVID-19  crisis  could,  without  a 
strong  policy  response,  undermine  the  resilience  of  Europe’s  media  sector  and  its 
democratic role. This could weaken Europe’s cultural diversity and media pluralism.  

Europe’s  citizens  must  continue  to  benefit  from  the  richness  of  information  and 
entertainment  provided  by  the  media  sector  and  count  on  an  open  democratic  debate, 
along with media and artistic freedom. At the same time, they should be empowered to 
choose  freely  from  this  variety  of  options  and  be  able  to  navigate  the  modern  news 
environment and take informed decisions.  

Intellectual  property  (IP)10  rights  are  essential  for  the  media  sector.  The  effective 
enforcement of IP rights – and of copyright in particular – is a key element to support the 
industry, especially in the current challenging times. 

10  See  COM(2020)  760  -  Making  the  most  of  the  EU’s  innovative  potential  –  An  intellectual  property 
resilience 
action 
https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_20_2187  

recovery 

support 

EU’s 

plan 

and 

the 

to 

3 

 
                                                 
The EU has recently modernised its regulatory framework with the revised Audiovisual 
Media Services Directive (AVMSD)11 and Copyright reform12  following broad debates 
on how best to secure free expression in all its facets. This Communication builds on this 
modern set of rules and proposes further steps, combining investment with other policy 
actions, to help the media sector face the crisis and become more competitive thereafter. 
Accordingly, this Communication is built around three themes:  

a) Recover: what the Commission plans to do to help audiovisual and media companies 
to weather the current storm and provide liquidity and financial support;  

b)  Transform:  address  structural  issues  by  helping  industry  face  the  twin  transitions  of 
climate change and digitisation, in the context of fierce global competition; 

c)  Enable  and  empower:  setting  the  conditions  allowing  more  innovation  in  the  sector, 
whilst  ensuring  a  true  level-playing  field,  and  empowering  citizens  to  access  content 
more easily and take informed decisions.     

The economic recovery and competitiveness of the media sector is a precondition for a 
healthy, independent and pluralistic media environment, which in turn is fundamental for 
our  democracy.  This  Communication  complements  the  European  Democracy  Action 
Plan. This addresses risks to European democratic systems in the area of disinformation, 
integrity of elections and media freedom and pluralism. It includes a series of initiatives 
to  create  a  safer  and  better  environment  for  journalists  to  do  their  work,  as  well  as  to 
promote media literacy.  

This Communication is also fully aligned with the Commission’s upcoming proposals on 
the Digital Services Act and Digital Markets Act, which will aim at modernising the legal 
framework applicable to digital services in the EU. Together they will set out clear rules 
and  responsibilities  for  online  platforms,  and  especially  the  most  powerful  ones,  to 
ensure a level playing field online.  

A  sound  media  environment  is  crucial  also  for  democratic  and  stable  EU  Enlargement 
and Neighbourhood countries. Where feasible and appropriate, the initiatives outlined in 
this Communication – including those aimed at news media and media literacy – will be 
open to independent professional media in the countries covered by the EU Enlargement 
and Neighbourhood policies. These will complement and strengthen the actions pointed 
out  in  the  EU  Action  Plan  on  Human  Rights  and  Democracy  2020-202413.  Where 
relevant, actions will also contribute to the promotion of European media content in third 
countries.  

Actions  listed  in  this  Communication  will  take  into  account  the  need  for  an  inclusive 
European  media  sector,  reflecting  Europe’s  diversity.  They  will  be  implemented 
encouraging equal access to opportunities and resources for people who might otherwise 

11 https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/audiovisual-media-services-directive-avmsd  
12 https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/eu-copyright-legislation  
13 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=JOIN:2020:5:FIN  

4 

 
                                                 
be  excluded  or  marginalised,  for  example  including  access  to  content  by  people  with 
disabilities14.   

Existing State aid rules clarify the conditions under which public support may be granted 
by Member States. In order to facilitate support from national authorities, the Council has 
invited the Commission to evaluate the application of State aid rules to the press sector. 
The Commission is  assessing the need for  appropriate action. The Temporary State aid 
Framework also applies to sector specific measures, such as aid to the press, music, and 
audiovisual sectors15. 

2.  RECOVER 

Media companies represent critical assets for Europe’s competitiveness. It is thus pivotal 
to provide the appropriate financial support and liquidity, allowing them to weather the 
current  economic  storm.  In  this  context,  the  Creative  Europe  programme  –  and  in 
particular  its  MEDIA  strand  –  will  play  a  crucial  role.  Such  programme  has  been  the 
main  instrument  of  EU  support  for  cultural  and  creative  sectors,  including  audiovisual, 
for the last 30 years.  

Based on the political agreement on the next long-term budget and Next Generation EU, 
reached on 10 November 2020, the 2021-2027 budget of the Creative Europe programme 
would  increase  by  around  58%,  with  an  overall  envelope  of  EUR  2.2  billion  in  2018 
prices  (compared  to  1.4  billion  for  2014-2020  in  2018  prices  –  at  EU  27  level).  Also, 
based  on  the  Commission’s  proposal  and  pending  finalisation  of  negotiations,  the 
programme  will  include  for  the  first  time  actions  focused  on  media  freedom  and 
pluralism, journalism, and media literacy.   

The Commission has already initiated a number of actions throughout 2020. Flexibility 
measures  for  the  Cultural  and  Creative  Sectors  Guarantee  Facility16  have  been 
introduced, notably an increase of the guarantee coverage up to 90% for individual SMEs 
and a guarantee cap up to 25% for financial intermediaries, together with credit holidays. 
Support to the network of European cinemas will be increased by 5 million euros in the 
first quarter of 2021.  

14 This will be done taking into account the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 
(CRPD): https://www.un.org/development/desa/disabilities/convention-on-the-rights-of-persons-with-
disabilities.html  
15  Further,  to  facilitate  support  to  the  press,  and  enhance  the  transparency  and  predictability  of  State  aid 
control  in  this  sector,  the  Commission  has  made  and  will  regularly  update  an  online  repository 
(https://ec.europa.eu/competition/sectors/media/sa_decisions_to_media.pdf) 
case 
practice.  Regularly  updated  information  on  aid  granted  by  Member  States  is  also  accessible  in  the 
transparency  register.  Importantly,  to  enable  Member  States  to  support  businesses  in  the  context  of  the 
covid-19 outbreak, on 13 October 2020, the European Commission has decided to prolong and extend the 
scope of the State aid Temporary Framework adopted on 19 March 2020. Aid granted under the Temporary 
Framework may be cumulated with aid under de minimis Regulations (Commission Regulations (EU) No 
1407/2013,  No  1408/2013,  No  717/2014,  and  No  360/2012.),  which  is  exempt  from  the  notification 
obligation,   provided  the  provisions  and  cumulation  rules  of  those  Regulations  are  respected.[SA.59106 
(2020/N) Compensation scheme for the Danish media sector related to COVID-19 – Denmark; SA.57530 
(2020/N)  –  COVID-19-Aid  scheme  for  audio-visual  production  companies  –  Luxembourg;  State  Aid 
SA.58801 (2020/N) – Italy COVID-19: Aid to small book publishers and State Aid; SA.58847 (2020/N) – 
Italy COVID-19: Aid to music.] 
16 https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/creative-europe/cross-sector/guarantee-facility_en  

containing 

relevant 

5 

 
 
                                                 
European Structural and Investment Funds17 have the potential to play an important role 
in  supporting  the  media  sector.  This  is  also  already  eligible  for  support  under  the  two 
packages of the “Coronavirus Response  Investment  Initiative”, which  redirects  existing 
cohesion funds to crisis response measures, such as providing working capital to SMEs18.  

Additional  cohesion  funding  is  also  made  available  through  REACT-EU  19,  where  the 
culture sector is recognised as a priority and support will be focused on short-time work 
schemes and the self-employed, as well as support to SMEs. . 

The  temporary  Support  to  mitigate  Unemployment  Risks  in  an  Emergency  (SURE)  is 
also  an  important  instrument  available  for  Member  States  that  need  to  mobilise 
significant financial means to fight the negative economic and social consequences of the 
coronavirus outbreak on their territory20.  

The Recovery and Resilience Facility is a major opportunity for Member States to invest 
in  the  twin  digital  and  green  transitions  and  strengthen  the  resilience  of  our  industry. 
Each  National  Recovery  and  Resilience  Plan  will  earmark  a  minimum  level  of  20%  of 
expenditure  for  digital.  Measures  to  boost  the  production  and  distribution  of  digital 
content, such as digital media, will count towards this target.  

Under the recovery and resilience plans and in compliance with State aid rules, national 
reforms and investments can also contribute to strengthening European news media and 
audiovisual  digital  capacities,  including  through  multi-country  projects,  such  as  co-
productions  of  European  content,  EU  media  data  space  infrastructure,  or  equity 
investment  to  foster  European  audiovisual  production  or  distribution  (see  Action  2 
below). 

In  this  context,  as  outlined  in  the  Commission’s  Annual  Sustainable  Growth  Strategy 
2021,  Member  States  should  pay  attention  to  sectors  that  play  a  key  role  for  our 
democracies,  “especially  the  media  sector  where  support  should  be  provided  in  a  way 
that respects and promotes media freedom and pluralism”, also initiating sharing among 
the Member States best practice of public support mechanisms 21.   

ACTION 1 –Easier access to EU support  

  A  new  interactive  tool  guiding  media  companies  through  the  various  support 

instruments  

For:  all  EU  media  companies,  regardless  of  their  field  of  activity  (audiovisual,  news 
media etc.) and size    

The  Commission  will  work  to  ensure  that  media  companies  can  access  EU  support 
opportunities from all instruments and programmes available. Therefore, it will develop – 

17 https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/en/funding/  
18 https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/en/newsroom/coronavirus-response/  
19 https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/IP_20_2140 
20 https://ec.europa.eu/info/business-economy-euro/economic-and-fiscal-policy-coordination/financial-
assistance-eu/funding-mechanisms-and-facilities/sure_en  
21 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/en/TXT/?qid=1600708827568&uri=CELEX:52020DC0575  

6 

 
 
                                                 
in close coordination with the single EU gateway to EU funding opportunities22 – a new 
interactive  tool,  tailor-made  for  the  media  sector.  This  will  offer  guidance  on  how  to 
apply  for  relevant  EU  support,  in  the  context  of  the  2021-2027  Multiannual  Financial 
Framework, but also through national recovery and resilience plans.  

The  tool  will  bundle  all  relevant  EU  funding  opportunities  for  audiovisual  media,  and 
those for news media. In just a few clicks, any European media company – regardless of 
the  size  and  the  focus  –  will  be  directed,  depending  on  the  features  and  needs  of  the 
company, to the most appropriate source of EU support. The companies will also be able 
to access information on the various calls, and on the opportunities for assistance in the 
application process.    

This will build on existing tools and the experience of the Enterprise Europe Network23, 
which  provides  support  and  guidance  to  companies,  including  in  the  media  and 
audiovisual sectors.  

ACTION  2  –  MEDIA  INVEST  aimed  at  boosting  investment  in  the  audiovisual 
industry  

  A  dedicated  equity  investment  platform  to  foster  European  audio-visual 

productions and distribution strategies  

  Developing  an  investment  pipeline  through  capacity  building  for  investors  and 

investment readiness for companies 

For: EU audiovisual production and distribution companies  

The  European  audiovisual  industry  is  characterised  by  a  large  number  of  highly 
innovative and  creative independent  production and distribution companies with  a high 
growth  potential.  They  often  however  lack  the  financial  strength  to  compete  on  a 
European and global level.  At the same time, European investors remain largely unaware 
of  the  potential  of  those  companies.  They  often  associate  investments  in  such  ventures 
with high risks due to lack of track record of successful productions and to assets being 
mainly intangible in character.  

A  significant  contribution  to  increasing  access  to  lending  has  been  made  through  the 
Cultural and Creative Sectors Guarantee Facility24. This type of support will be continued 
through InvestEU.  

However, there is also a gap in equity financing for audiovisual, as well as other creative 
sectors,  estimated  at  399-648  million  euros  per  year25.  That  is  why  a  new  initiative  to 
support  equity  finance  is  needed  to  boost  an  independent  audiovisual  production 
capability  in  Europe,  able  to  create  quality  works  for  the  international  market  coming 
from all parts of Europe. European companies must have access to  the financial means 

22  https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/home  
23 https://een.ec.europa.eu/  
24 https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/creative-europe/cross-sector/guarantee-facility_en  
25 Ex-ante evaluation of new financial instruments for SMEs, mid-caps and organisations from the cultural 
and creative sectors, SQW, 2019 

7 

 
                                                 
to  become  more  autonomous  and  exploit  the  intellectual  property  of  the  content  they 
produce.   

The Commission will support the setup of a dedicated investment platform, kick-started 
by funds coming, inter alia, from Creative Europe MEDIA and InvestEU. It will aim at 
mobilising private investors and will be open to collaboration with national promotional 
institutions  and  industry  associations.  It  will  support  audiovisual  ventures  that  could 
produce high-end works for the European and international markets, coordinating rights 
exploitation and distribution across territories. 

The investment platform will help audiovisual companies to scale up to the international 
level,  so  that  they  can  take  higher  risks,  develop  structured  collaborations  with 
distributors or other media outlets, and manage and exploit their catalogues. In turn, by 
strengthening the companies’ own funds, the latter can invest in bigger productions that 
will have greater chances of reaching wider audiences and box-office.  

The  target  is  to  leverage  investments  of  400  million  euros  over  a  7-year  period,  thus 
making  a  significant  contribution  to  addressing  the  gap  in  equity  financing26.  It  might 
also, under certain conditions, be combined with Member State Recovery and Resilience 
Plans financed through Next Generation EU27.  

The  investment  platform  will  be  complemented  with  capacity  building  activities  for 
investors  aimed  at  increasing  their  knowledge  of  global  production  and  distribution 
markets  and  their  associated  risks,  and  providing  them  with  market  intelligence.  An 
Investor Conference will be held in 2021 to gather and mobilise the investor community. 

In  addition,  building  on  the  experience  of  the  Cultural  and  Creative  Sector  Guarantee 
Facility, investment readiness actions will be offered to audiovisual companies interested 
in  this  type  of  investment.  These  will  receive  tailor-made  guidance  adapted  to  their 
business strategy to attract investors and identify the most promising projects.   

ACTION 3 - ‘NEWS’: an initiative to bundle  actions and support for the news media 
sector 

  Better access to finance, through loans and a pilot equity initiative  
  Capacity building among investors and media  
  Support for news media to work on collaborative transformation  
  A European News Media Forum 

For: European news media companies, journalists, and related organisations 

26 There is a gap in equity financing for audiovisual, as well as other creative sectors, estimated at 399-648 
million euros per  year. Source: Ex-ante evaluation of new  financial instruments  for SMEs,  mid-caps and 
organisations from the cultural and creative sectors, SQW, 2019 

27  In  line  with  Commission  proposal  for  a  Regulation  establishing  a  Recovery  and  Resilience  Facility 
COM(2020) 408 final. Article 8 provides that support under the Recovery and Resilience Facility shall be 
additional to the support provided under other Union funds and programmes.  Article 22 provides that the 
Commission and the Member States shall ensure effective coordination between the RRF and other Union 
programmes. 

8 

 
                                                 
 
News media are an economic sector as well as a public good. It requires time, stability 
and resources for news media outlets to produce independent, trustworthy content. This 
includes  the  need  for  increased  capacity  for  media  to  analyse  and  reflect  scientific 
information  on major societal issues, such as health and climate change. However, over 
the last few years, the news media sector has been facing continuous change because of 
evolving revenue models and the digital shift. Facing monetisation difficulties, in some 
cases,  media  outlets  –  in  particular  at  the  local  and  regional  level  –  have  had  to  close 
down,  potentially  exposing  small  markets  to  ‘news  deserts’.  There  has  also  been  a 
decline  in  media  outlets  sending  staff  correspondents  abroad,  which  can  have  a 
detrimental effect on in-depth analysis and professional reporting. The COVID-19 crisis 
might  accelerate  these  trends,  while  at  the  same  time  European  citizens  are  relying  on 
news  media  more  than  ever  before,  as  reflected  by  growing  readership  and  audience 
numbers28. 

The  Commission  will  launch  a  ‘NEWS’  initiative  to  bundle  actions  and  support  to  the 
news media sector. This initiative will look holistically at the challenges facing the news 
media  industry  and  provide  a  coherent  response,  bringing  together  different  funding 
instruments  under  a  common  banner.  This  will  increase  the  coherence,  visibility,  and 
impact  of  actions  supported  under  different  funding  streams,  while  fully  respecting  the 
independence of the media.  

The  Commission  will  facilitate  better  access  to  finance  by  stimulating  loans  as  well  as 
equity finance: 

-  For news media in search of liquidity, access to loans will be facilitated thanks to 
the  backing  of  the  InvestEU  guarantee,  building  on  the  experience  with  the 
Cultural  and  Creative  Sectors  Guarantee  Facility  and  the  European  Fund  for 
Strategic Investments.  

-  For  news  media  requiring  investment,  the  Commission  will  aim  to  establish  an 
equity-based  pilot  through  InvestEU  that  can  support  inter  alia  the  news  media 
sector in  innovative ways, co-investing with  funds coming from  philanthropists, 
foundations, and other private partners.  

These  actions  will  be  complemented  by  capacity-building  services  that  aim  to  increase 
the knowledge of the European news media market among investors as well as media and 
support  investment  readiness  among  European  media  outlets,  in  particular  local  media. 
This  will  create  dialogue  and  engagement  with  potential  investors  and  facilitate 
investment.  

Furthermore,  dedicated  support  will  be  provided  in  the  form  of  grants  under  the  cross-
sectoral strand of Creative Europe for collaborative news media partnerships. Grants will 
support the testing of new business models, in particular, local media, assisting media in 
developing  their  business  and  editorial  standards,  promoting  collaborative  and  cross-
border journalism, training and mobility of professionals , and sharing of best practices. 
Networking among the selected projects will be facilitated to maximise impact.  

The Commission will engage in regular exchanges with the industry to  work towards a 
news media innovation agenda that can help the sector thrive in the digital economy and 

28https://ec.europa.eu/commfrontoffice/publicopinion/index.cfm/Survey/getSurveyDetail/instruments/STA
NDARD/surveyKy/2262  

9 

 
                                                 
society.  To  this  end,  the  Commission  will  establish  a  European  News  Media  Forum  to 
engage  with  stakeholders,  including  media  regulatory  authorities,  representatives  of 
journalists, self-regulatory bodies (media/press councils), civil society, and international 
organisations.  

3.  TRANSFORM 

The objective of this section is to encourage the long-term resilience and competiveness 
of  Europe’s  media  industry,  accompanying  in  particular  the  twin  digital  and  green 
transitions.  This  is  also  important  to  support  the  crucial  role  of  the  sector  in  meeting 
societal needs and fostering European values.  

As for many industrial sectors, data technology is at the centre of the transformation of 
the  media  sector.29  In  particular,  audience  data  in  fields  in  which  Europe’s  global 
competitors  are  well  positioned  –  such  as  personalised  content  development  and 
promotion –allows for new business models based on a more direct relationship with the 
customers30. A key example is advertising, where the Internet overtook TV as the main 
channel  in  2015  and  has  steadily  consolidated  its  lead  since  then.  In  2018,  Internet 
advertising  totalled  over  50  billion  euros,  whilst  TV  advertising  reached  less  than  40 
billion euros31.    

At the same time, the availability of consumer data continues to increase in step with the 
use  of  smart  phones.  The  proportion  of  readers  accessing  news  from  smartphones  has 
risen  from  39%  in  2014  to  48%  in  2020.  This  offers  new  opportunities  for  creating, 
promoting, and distributing content in formats that are tailored to readers’ needs.  

In  this  context,  the  respect  for  data  protection32  is  essential  to  strengthen  individuals' 
fundamental  rights  in  the  digital  age  and  facilitate  business  by  clarifying  rules  for 
companies and public bodies in the digital single market. 

The  emerging  area  of  immersive  content  is  also  a  sector  whose  potential  is  largely 
unexplored, and where synergies could be built between the media sector and other key 
European industries.   

Europe’s media sector must not lag behind in the green transition. Therefore, in line with 
the European Green Deal33 objectives – reaching climate-neutrality by 2050, decoupling 
economic  growth  from  resource  use,  restoring  biodiversity,  and  cutting  pollution  – 
actions will be established to reduce the environmental impact of the sector. 

ACTION  4  Unleashing  innovation  through  a  European  media  data  space  and 
encouraging new business models  

  Create  a  media  data  space  to  support  media  companies  in  sharing  data  and 

developing innovative solutions 

29 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:52020DC0066&from=EN  
30 https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2020-06/DNR_2020_FINAL.pdf.  
31 European Audiovisual Observatory 
32 https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/law-topic/data-protection/data-protection-eu_en  
33 https://ec.europa.eu/info/strategy/priorities-2019-2024/european-green-deal_en  

10 

 
                                                 
  European Media Outlook: a report to analyse media trends   

For:  European  publishers,  broadcasters,  radios,  advertising  companies,  media  SMEs, 
technology  providers,  content  and  tech  start-ups,  content  creators,  producers, 
distributors  

In order to become more innovative and competitive European media companies should 
be  empowered  to  make  better  decisions  and  deploy  more  advanced  solutions  based  on 
insights gleaned from data. The Commission proposes to bring this about by fostering the 
creation of a European “media data space”. This initiative builds on the European Data 
Strategy34 and will be carried out in full respect of data protection legislation.  

Data  spaces  can  change  the  way  in  which  creators,  producers,  and  distributors 
collaborate.  They  host  relevant  media  data  such  as  content,  audience  data  and  content 
meta-data  as  well  as  other  types  of  data  on  users’  behaviours  that  might  be  useful  to 
create content better tailored to consumer needs and distribute it more efficiently.  

The media data space initiative, financed through the Horizon Europe and Digital Europe 
Programmes (DEP), will support press publishers, broadcasters, other media companies 
and technology providers in the creation of a data space dedicated to media applications.  
DEP will help the deployment of the data infrastructure and define a data interoperability 
strategy. In line with the European Data Strategy and the new horizontal data governance 
initiative35,  it  will  also  integrate  state-of  the  art  tools  and  services  needed  for  the 
management and processing of the data, define the conditions for sharing and using the 
data, including  IP, data protection privacy, and competition rules. The initiative will be 
set out taking into account the inputs of the broad stakeholder community.  

The data infrastructure should be available to both public service media and commercial 
media  operators,  whether  large  or  small,  start-ups  or  established  players.  For  example, 
several  EU  news  publishers  could  pool  together,  in  a  pro-competitive  manner  and  in 
respect  of  data  protection  rules,  their  content  and  customer  data  to  produce  news 
targeting their own national audiences, with the relevant content automatically translated 
into their own languages. The data space could also provide valuable insight to services 
aiming  at  increasing  the  findability  of  media  content  (news  and  entertainment  content) 
across borders, as well as facilitating access to computing resources for creative SMEs. 
Furthermore, it could allow for exploitation of synergies with datasets produced by other 
creative  industries  (e.g.,  data  spaces  for  cultural  heritage)  and  industrial  sectors  (e.g., 
retail, automotive).  

In addition, Horizon Europe will support innovative applications and technologies in the 
media domain. Investments in modular and open-source infrastructure media components 
could facilitate the emergence of new business models and their uptake by traditional and 
new media, thereby improving citizens’ access to broadly sourced information. 

In order to enhance its knowledge base and inform future policy initiatives, the European 
Commission  will procure a report,  the  ‘Media  Industry  Outlook’ every two  years. This 
will  explore  media  trends  –  from  technology  advances  to  emerging  production  and 

34 https://ec.europa.eu/info/strategy/priorities-2019-2024/europe-fit-digital-age/european-data-strategy_en  
35 https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_20_2102  

11 

 
 
                                                 
consumption patterns – and analyse their potential impact in the European media market 
and business models.  

ACTION  5  –    Fostering  a  European  Virtual  and  Augmented    Reality  (VR/AR) 
industrial coalition  

  VR/AR  industry  coalition  to  stimulate  cooperation  across  industry  sectors  and 

ensure European leadership  

  Launch a VR Media Lab on projects for new ways of storytelling and interacting 

For:  European  Virtual  and  Augmented  Reality  companies  and  professionals  and 
industries using VR/AR applications  

Immersive technologies and high-quality content allow creating new applications and use 
cases  as  well  as  new  ways  of  engaging  with  audiences.  Immersive  technologies  create 
more  appealing  and  immersive  experiences  in  different  domains  such  as  media, 
entertainment,  culture,  healthcare,  design,  architecture,  manufacturing,  education, 
tourism, fashion, training or retail shopping.  

By  2030,  Virtual  Reality  (VR)  and  Augmented  Reality  (AR)  have  the  potential  to  add 
about 1,3 trillion euros to the global economy, up from 39 billion euros in 201936.  

While  most  of  the  big  players  are  currently  in  Asia  and  the  US,  Europe  also  has  great 
potential to become market leader in this technology37. EU research funds have supported 
more than 450 projects dedicated to VR and AR, for a total of over 1 billion euros since 
the 1990s.  

Europe has a distinct competitive advantage when it comes to content thanks to its large 
cultural diversity: leading cultural players such as the ARTE, the Venice Film Festival, 
and the Centre National du Cinema are actively exploring and supporting the potential of 
VR.    Europe  also  has  highly  skilled  workers  capable  of  3D  modelling  and  creating 
computer-generated (CG) content for the gaming industry and VR animation. 

Building  on  Europe’s  creativity  and  strong  research  base,  VR/AR  content,  technical 
solution  and  applications  have  the  potential  to  trigger  innovations  in  other  industrial 
sectors,  such  as  manufacturing  industries,  by  improving  product  development  and 
processes.  Besides,  they  play  an  important  role  in  driving  the  transformation  of  the 
tourism sector and helping creative industries such as fashion or architecture, to develop 
new  business  models,  make  production  more  efficient  by  reducing  waste,  and  enhance 
costumers’ experience. 

However, the European VR/AR sector suffers from fragmentation across sectors, players, 
and  applications.  The  Commission  therefore  proposes  to  launch  a  VR/AR  Coalition  to 
stimulate  cooperation  and  cross-fertilisation  across  sectors  and  ensure  European 
leadership  in  this  crucial,  growing  market.  The  VR/AR  Coalition  would  provide  a 
platform for synergies, by fostering joint actions and commitments.  

36 https://www.pwccn.com/en/tmt/economic-impact-of-vr-ar.pdf  
37 https://ec.europa.eu/futurium/en/system/files/ged/vr_ecosystem_eu_report_0.pdf  

12 

 
                                                 
The  Coalition  will  be  based  on  a  broad,  cross-sectorial  approach  involving  industries, 
technology  providers  and  creatives.  The  Coalition  would  reflect  this  diversity  of  skills 
and consist of prominent players of the various sectors, ranging from content production 
and  distribution,  to  the  availability  of  technology,  as  well  as  innovation  and  business 
development.  It  would  include  members  representing  national  or  regional  VR/AR 
associations,  various  industry  representatives  that  could  benefit  from  the  wider  use  of 
VR/AR technologies for content creation and use.  

The Coalition would present, by end 2021, a strategic paper setting out a) the extent to 
which VR/AR are deployed in the media sector; b) objectives for optimum deployment 
of VR/AR in the media  sector to be reached by 2026; c) concrete commitments on how 
the industry will contribute to meet these objectives.  

A  VR  Media  Lab  will  also  be  launched  to  support  creative  cooperation  on  projects  for 
new  ways  of  storytelling  and  interacting,  through  virtual  and  augmented  reality.  It  will 
enable  joint  work  and  mutual  learning  between  people  representing  a  range  of 
professional groups (journalists, filmmakers, game designers, programmers, researchers).  
The funded projects will focus on content for entertainment, culture and news, as well as 
virtual  reality  applications  in  other  industries,  such  as  tourism,  and  fields  such  as 
education.  

ACTION 6 - Towards a climate-neutral audiovisual sector  

  A structured exchange of best practice with the industry and (sub)national film 

and audiovisual funds 

For: European audiovisual companies and professionals  

The  environmental  impact  of  the  media  sector  is  significant.  Unlike  many  other 
industries in Europe, the CO2 emissions of this industry in Europe are on a continuous 
rise  also  because  of  the  constant  increase  in  media  consumption,  particularly  through 
streaming platforms.  

In  the  audiovisual  sector,  estimates  range  from  35  MtCO2e  (metric  tons  of  carbon 
dioxide equivalent)  for a TV series episode to  1000 MtCO2e for  a feature film38.  One 
European feature film on average producers 192 Tonnes of CO2. Large international (co) 
productions could have a much bigger impact of up to several thousand tonnes of CO2. 

In  line  with  the  EU  objective  of  climate-neutrality  by  2050,  the  Commission  will 
collaborate  closely  with  the  industry  and  (sub)national  film  and  audiovisual  funds  with 
the objective of sharing  existing best  practices39 and agree on common tools  and green 
standards.  Online  streaming  platforms  –  whose  share  of  carbon  footprint  is  growing 
given  the  rise  in  consumption  –  will  also  be  invited  to  put  forward  their  ideas  and 
initiatives.     

38  Greening  the  European  Audiovisual  Industry  –  The Best  Strategies  and  their  costs  (to  be  published  in 
2021) 
39  One  of  the  relevant  sources  of  good  practices  and  a  platform  for  cooperation  will  be  the  European 
Climate Pact to be launched by the European Commission in December 2020 

13 

 
 
                                                 
The  Commission  will  be  working  on  a  best  practice  guide  for  green  production  and 
provision  of  services.  The  approach  will  be  gradual,  with  the  aim  of  raising  awareness 
and  nudging  the  industry  to  start  to  implement  more  sustainable  solutions.  It  will 
complement  the  Commission  actions  in  the  Digital  Strategy40  on  making  infrastructure 
such  as  data  centres  and  telecommunication  networks  climate  neutral,  energy  efficient 
and sustainable. 

4.  ENABLE AND EMPOWER 

.  

Europeans should be the protagonists of the Digital Decade. Recent European legislation 
–  such  as  the  revised  AVMSD  and  the  Copyright  reform  –  contributes  to  ensuring  an 
enhanced responsibility of all media actors, including online platforms, for the protection 
of vulnerable groups of media users, particularly minors. It also reinforces the  rights of 
Europe’s creators.  

Building on this  solid regulatory  environment,  this  section sets  out  initiatives to  enable 
European  media  companies  and  talents  thrive  in  European  and  global  markets.  These 
initiatives  take  into  account  the  need  for  citizens  to  be  able  to  find  and  choose  diverse 
quality  content  online  and  be  able  to  navigate  smoothly  and  effectively  within  the 
modern media environment. 

Whilst  specific  attention  will  be  devoted  to  Europe’s  youth,  Europeans  from  all 
backgrounds  and  generations  –  including  the  elderly  –  will  be  empowered  to  be  active 
and critical users of media content.  

ACTION 7 – Towards a broader availability of audiovisual content across the EU 

  Launch a dialogue with the audiovisual industry in  order to  agree on concrete 
steps  to  improve  the  access  to  and  availability  of  audiovisual  content  across 
borders in the EU 

For:  the  audiovisual  industry  (producers,  broadcasters,  video-on-demand  services, 
distributors,  etc.),  consumers  organisations,  and  other  interested  parties,  such  as 
national film funds  

With the COVID-19 crisis, the online use of audiovisual services at home has increased 
exponentially 
in  home 
entertainment  technologies41.  The  crisis  creates  an  opportunity  for  industry  to  reach  a 
broader  audience  online.  The  recent  Content  Portability  Regulation42  allows  European 

the  willingness  of  households 

together  with 

invest 

to 

40 https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/content/european-digital-strategy 
41  According  to  the  Pwc  Report  “Global  Entertainment  &  Media  Outlook  2020-2024”,  as a  result  of  the 
COVID 19 crisis, SVOD revenue is expected to overtake box office in 2020 and is projected to surge away 
in the coming five years, reaching more than twice the size of box office in 2024. At the same time, the 
worldwide turnover of streaming services has increased by 26% in 2020. 
42 Regulation (EU) 2017/1128 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 June 2017 on cross-
border portability of online content services in the internal market. 

14 

 
                                                 
citizens to travel with the content that they have bought or subscribed to across the EU 
and has already provided practical benefits43.  

When it comes to availability of audiovisual content online, there is significant potential 
for increase: the Report on the review of the Geoblocking Regulation44 shows important 
differences  among  the  audiovisual  catalogues  across  Member  States  On  average,  only 
14% of films are available on the video-on-demand services of all Member States45.  

A recent Eurobarometer survey indicates that over a third of Internet users are interested 
in  accessing  audiovisual  content  across  borders46.  These  findings  are  confirmed  by  the 
latest data from the European Audiovisual Observatory, according to which EU films are 
made available on average in not more than three EU27 countries on video on demand 
platforms47. This represents a trove of unexploited potential and diversity to be enjoyed 
by Europeans.  

The audiovisual industry should be able to benefit from Europe as its native market and 
take advantage of the new consumption trends by making more works available online in 
the different Member States.  

In order to  accompany  the audiovisual industry in this transformation,  the Commission 
intends to launch a dialogue with the sector. This dialogue will contribute to agreeing on 
concrete steps to improve access to and availability of audiovisual content across borders, 
as a follow-up to the Geoblocking Regulation review. This would allow the industry to 
scale up and reach new audiences, and benefit European citizens by giving them a wider 
choice. 

The  dialogue  will  gather  representatives  from  the  audiovisual  industry  (producers 
broadcasters,  video-on-demand  services,  distributors  etc.),  consumers  organisations  and 
other interested parties, such as national film funds, and will take place in the course of 
2021. Possible specific targets to increase the circulation of audiovisual works across the 
EU and ways to achieve them could be defined in the dialogue.  

The Commission, will monitor the progress in the achievement of the specific targets in 
cooperation  with  the  audiovisual  sector  and  decide  on  the  follow-up,  assessing  various 
options, including legislative intervention.  

43 Europeans who travel often confirm the importance of the rules for their journeys. Nearly half (49%) of 
Europeans who have a free of charge or paid subscription for online content services and have travelled in 
the  EU  have  tried  to  access  it  when  visiting  another  EU  country.  2019  Eurobarometer  477a  “Accessing 
content online and cross-border portability of online content services - survey on cross-border portability”. 
44  Report  from  the  Commission  to  the  European  Parliament,  the  Council,  the  European  Economic  and 
Social  Committee  and  the  Committee  of  the  Regions  on  the  first  short-term  review  of  the  Geo-blocking 
Regulation.  Available  at:  https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/news/commission-publishes-its-
short-term-review-geo-blocking-regulation 
45 There are significant differences by country, as for example, viewers in Greece have access only to 1.3% 
of the films available online in the EU, while those in Germany have access to 43.1%. Source: Commission 
staff working document on the first short-term review of the Geo-blocking Regulation. 
46 Flash Eurobarometer 477b, 2019 
47 European Audiovisual Observatory, Report “Film and TV content in VOD catalogues 2020 Edition”  

15 

 
                                                 
 
At the same time, cinemas should remain cultural venues offering enhanced opportunities 
for social interaction. To this end, the Commission will explore, through Creative Europe 
MEDIA, ways to encourage cinemas to enhance further the experience of cinemagoers.  

ACTION 8 – Fostering European media talents  

  New mentoring programmes for Europe’s media talents  
  MEDIA  boot-camps  providing  hands-on  intensive  training  for  young  media 

professionals  

  Campaign on diversity in front & behind the camera  
  MEDIA market gateway to scout Europe’s most promising start-ups active in the 

media sector and help them thrive 

  Creative Innovation Labs open to start-ups and scale-ups 

For: European audiovisual professionals, innovative European media companies (from 
the audiovisual sector and beyond)  

Talents in the media industry, regardless of the sector and of where they are located in 
Europe, are at the core of its competitiveness.  

However, some professions are still perceived as inaccessible by groups in society. This 
is  illustrated,  for  example,  by  the  under-representation  of  women  in  decision-making 
positions in the audiovisual industry48.  

The  Commission  will  mainstream  the  mentoring  practices  that  have  been  emerging  as 
highly successful  in  the training projects  supported in  the last  years for the audiovisual 
sector through Creative Europe MEDIA49. Such mentoring programmes will develop in 
diverse formats, exploiting all the creative and business opportunities offered by digital 
technologies.  

In addition,  a communication campaign will be launched to  foster diversity not  only in 
front of but also behind the camera, in order to improve diversified representations and 
add  new  ideas,  stories,  and  voices.  The  campaign  will  underpin  the  Commission’s 
Communication ‘A Union of equality: EU anti-racism action plan 2020-2025’50, as well 
as  the  EU  Strategy  for  LGBTIQ  equality51,  and  the  EU  Roma  strategic  framework  for 
equality, inclusion and participation52.  

Highlighting  inspiring  role  models  is  an  essential  step  in  promoting  access  to  these 
professions  through  a  greater  diversity  of  profiles.  The  campaign  will  thus  aim  to 

48  According  to  the  EU  Gender  Equality  Strategy  2020-2025,  the  Commission  will  continue  supporting 
projects promoting gender equality under Creative Europe, including under Music Moves Europe, and will 
present a gender equality strategy in the audio-visual industry as part of the next MEDIA sub-programme, 
including financial support, structured dialogue, mentoring and training for women film-makers, producers 
and screenwriters. 
49 https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/creative-europe/actions/media/training_en  
50  https://ec.europa.eu/info/policies/justice-and-fundamental-rights/combatting-discrimination/racism-and-
xenophobia/eu-anti-racism-action-plan-2020-2025_en  
51 https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_20_2068 
52 https://ec.europa.eu/info/policies/justice-and-fundamental-rights/combatting-discrimination/roma-
eu/roma-equality-inclusion-and-participation-eu_en 

16 

 
                                                 
spotlight  European  professionals,  in  order  to  promote  a  wide  range  of  professions  and 
encourage women and disadvantaged groups in society, such as people with disabilities 
or people with a minority racial or ethnic background to consider these careers. 

Furthermore, skills development initiatives under Creative Europe will be reinforced by 
the organisation of intensive training courses (MEDIA boot-camps), where young media 
talents    from  across  Europe  can  gain  practical  experience  in  areas  such  as  innovative 
storytellers, new business models, new post-production technologies, along with skills to 
deliver accessible content.  

Creative  Europe  MEDIA  will  also  join  forces  with  other  initiatives  –  such  as  the 
Innovation  Radar53,  Startup  Europe54  and  the  Media  Motor  Europe55  CSA  –  to  scout 
Europe’s most promising start-ups active in  the media environment.  To that end, a call 
for  expression  of  interest  targeting  the  creative  and  media  tech  communities  will  be 
launched under Startup Europe to map out promising ventures.  

Creative  Europe  MEDIA  will  also  provide  a  breeding  ground  for  those  companies  and 
help them thrive in a rapidly changing audiovisual sector. Such companies could benefit 
from  a strengthened access  to  market  support  from  Creative  Europe MEDIA through a 
so-called  “MEDIA  Market  Gateway”.  This  will  involve  active  preparation,  including 
trends  and  positioning,  business  plans, 
coaching  and  mentoring  on  market 
commercialisation strategies, to make the most of a combined physical/virtual presence 
in the most important global media markets (Berlinale, Cannes, Venice, GamesCom, VR 
Days etc.) under the European label. 

Start-ups and scale-ups will have the possibility to participate in the Creative Innovation 
Labs, a new initiative under the cross-sectorial strand of Creative Europe. This will bring 
together media  and other creative sectors (e.g., music, publishing) and experiment with 
data, virtual and augmented reality and other technologies to develop new content, new 
business  models,  new  skills,  to  promote  diversity  inclusion,  and  sustainability  and  to 
boost audience engagement. 

It  is  important  to  note  that  innovative  media  start-ups  and  SMEs  will  also  be  able  to 
apply  for  Horizon  Europe  support  under  the  European  Innovation  Council56  and  the 
European Institute of Innovation and Technology57. 

ACTION 9 – Empowering citizens  

  Practical  application  of  the  new  media  literacy  obligations  of  the  AVMSD 

(media literacy toolbox and guidelines to Member States) 

  Support the creation of alternative media content aggregation services 

For: European citizens, in particular younger people; video-sharing platforms 

53 https://www.innoradar.eu/   
54 https://startupeuropeclub.eu/  
55 https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/871552  
56 See EIC pilot: https://ec.europa.eu/research/eic/index.cfm 
57 https://eit.europa.eu/  

17 

 
 
                                                 
Media literacy is critical to empower citizens in today’s media environment and it should 
be  supported  across  various  programmes  and  initiatives,  as  outlined  in  the  European 
Democracy Action Plan. This underlines the importance of media literacy in combating 
disinformation and promotes cooperation in this regard. 
Media literacy includes all technical, cognitive, social, civic and creative capacities that 
allow citizens  to  access  the media, to  have a critical  understanding of it and to  interact 
with it. Media literacy is also critical to empower consumers to take informed decisions 
and  to  support  them  in  embracing  a  more  sustainable  and  environmentally  friendly 
consumption. Media literacy should be integrated in school curricula to enable children 
to use media services responsibly and to be better equipped to face the threats of online 
violence and disinformation. 

The  revised  AVMSD  has  set  out  specific  measures  to  help  improve  citizens’  media 
literacy  skills.  The  Directive  provides  that  Member  States  should  promote  and  take 
measures for the development of media literacy skills (and report on such measures to the 
Commission,  on  the  basis  of  the  Commission’s  guidelines  defining  the  scope  of  such 
reports);  and  that  video-sharing  platforms  should  put  in  place  effective  media  literacy 
measures and tools and raise users' awareness of those measures and tools. 

The  effective  implementation  of  these  AVMSD  provisions  is  of  key  importance  for 
further development  of media literacy skills  and to  improve the accessibility of content 
across Member States. Therefore, to ensure practical application of the new obligations, 
especially  in  the  online  sphere,  the  Commission,  together  with  the  European  Group  of 
Audiovisual Regulators (ERGA) and other experts, as well as and in dialogue with video-
sharing  platforms,  will  develop  a  toolbox  to  improve  users’  awareness,  improve  their 
critical  skills  and  choices  and  to  help  users  reach  a  greater  variety  of  media  content 
available on video sharing platforms. 

This initiative is expected to be particularly beneficial for younger users, who should be 
fully involved in its development. For this reason, the Commission will set-up an ad hoc 
sounding  board  composed  of  students  and  young  journalists  to  test  and  promote  the 
toolbox.  The  board  will  be  gender-balanced,  inclusive,  and  diverse.  Such  an  approach 
will  make  sure  that  the  toolbox  addresses  effectively  the  needs  of  younger  users  and 
further empowers them in the online environment, including tackling stereotypes built on 
gender, culture, religion or sexual preferences. Implementation of the toolbox will also be 
part  of  AVMSD  media  literacy  reports,  the  scope  of  which  will  be  determined  via 
Commission guidelines to be issued in 2021. 

As  part  of  these  actions,  the  Commission  will  also  scale  up  its  efforts  within  the  next 
edition of the European media literacy week, with a view to make it even more impactful 
and inclusive. In this context, the Commission will explore potential further cooperation 
with relevant international organisations.  

The  proposed  actions  will  be  fully  aligned  and  complementary  to  the  objectives  of  the 
Digital Education Action Plan 2021-202758, which will aim to make education even more 
responsive  to  helping  learners  to  develop  the  ability  to  critically  approach,  filter  and 
assess  information,  notably  to  identify  disinformation  and  to  manage  overload  of 
information as well as develop financial literacy59. 

58 https://ec.europa.eu/education/education-in-the-eu/digital-education-action-plan_en  
59  The  importance  of  media  literacy  was  also  underlined  in  the  2020  Skills  Agenda  for  Europe,  which 
envisaged that the Commission, together with Member States, will work on new priorities for the European 

18 

 
 
                                                 
 
The  Horizon  Europe  programme  will  also  contribute  to  improve  citizens'  political 
participation by fostering critical digital literacy, and access to pluralistic media content. 

To complement these actions, the Commission will support research and innovation for 
advanced methods of search, discovery and aggregation, in order to facilitate the creation 
of independent alternative news aggregation services capable of offering a diverse set of 
accessible information sources.  

The  awareness  of  audiences  –  particularly  young  audiences  –  about  European  content 
will be raised in the context of the 30th anniversary of Creative Europe MEDIA in 2021. 
A  campaign  will  be  launched  spreading  the  word  to  younger  generations  about  the 
richness  and  diversity  of  European  content  by  showcasing  success  stories,  projects  and 
talents supported by the programme.  

ACTION 10 – Ensuring the functioning of the European media market 

  Strengthen the cooperation framework among European media regulators within 

the European Regulators Group for Audiovisual Media Services (ERGA)  

For:  European  media  regulators,  European  audiovisual  media  industry  and  market 
players 

Establishing  a  true  level  playing  field  for  all  audiovisual  media  players  and  a  fair 
environment for creators and those investing in content have been the central goals of the 
revised AVMSD and the modernised copyright framework.  

For  example,  to  ensure  fair  competition  between  broadcasters  and  video-on-demand 
platforms in promoting and investing in European content, the revised AVMSD requires 
the latter to ensure a 30% share of European works in their catalogues.  

The effective and consistent implementation of the revised AVMSD and copyright rules 
at national level will be key in order to make sure that they deliver. At the same time, it 
will be crucial to ensure that the intangible assets of media players are protected through 
an effective enforcement of their IP rights.  

As regards the revised AVMSD, Member States, and in particular their media regulators, 
must  adequately  monitor  the  correct  application  of  the  new  rules,  and  enforce  them 
where necessary60. This will require, in particular, the following: 

Agenda for Adult Learning. This will aim to complement the renewed European cooperation framework in 
education and training and to support the achievement of United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal. 
60 In addition to the new rules,  Directive 2005/29/EC on unfair business-to-consumer commercial practices 
in the internal market (‘the UCPD’) applies to unfair commercial practices occurring in audiovisual media 
services,  such  as  misleading  and  aggressive  practices,  to  the  extent  that  they  are  not  covered  by  the 
provisions  of  the  AVMS  Directive.  The  Consumer  Protection  Cooperation  (CPC)  Network  under 
Regulation (EU) 2017/2394 ensures enforcement of EU consumer law in case of intra-Union and Union–
wide infringements. 

19 

 
 
 
 
                                                                                                                                                 
  The  consistent  implementation  of  the  share  obligations  for  European  content  in 
on-demand  catalogues  (also  based  on  the  Guidelines  recently  issued  by  the 
Commission)61; 

  The coherent application of the new rules on the prominence of European works, 
by issuing additional practical guidance, and encouraging common approaches on 
prominence of general interest content62; 

  The effective enforcement of the new obligations for video-sharing platforms. 

In this regard, the Commission will assess whether the cooperation within the Regulators 
Group for Audiovisual Media Services (ERGA) needs to be reinforced in order to ensure 
that its  format and scope contributes to  effective  functioning of the new  media rules in 
practice  and  is  able  to  address  new  challenges  in  the  media  markets.  To  this  end,  the 
Commission  will  continue  to  take  stock  of  best  practices  in  cross-border  cooperation, 
closely  monitoring  the  performance  of  the  ERGA’s  Memorandum  of  Understanding 
(MoU), to be put in place by end of the year.  

The  MoU  is  a  sectorial  and  voluntary  cooperation  mechanism,  based  on  the  unique 
expertise  of  the  European  media  regulators.  It  will  contain  specific  cooperation  and 
information  exchange  mechanisms  for  the  European  media  regulators  in  view  of 
addressing  practical  issues  and  cross-border  cases  related  to  the  implementation  of  the 
revised  AVMS  Directive  that  fall  within  their  competences.  This  initiative,  focusing  in 
particular  on  the  above-mentioned  regulatory  novelties  of  the  revised  AVMSD,  will 
complement the horizontal governance system for online services to be established by the 
Digital Services Act. The Commission will, by end of 2021, assess the functioning of the 
MoU and propose improvements, if necessary.  

Furthermore,  in  cooperation  with  Member  States,  their  Film  Funds,  and  ERGA,  and 
involving  the  on-demand  platforms,  the  Commission  will  explore  further  ways  of 
fostering  more  diversity  in  video-on-demand  catalogues.  In  line  with  the  goal  of  the 
AVMSD  to  encourage  broadcasters  to  include  an  adequate  share  of  co-produced 
European works or of European works of non-domestic origin in their services, the aim 
will be to agree on voluntary targets for increased presence of such works also in video-
on-demand catalogues. This will mutually reinforce the goal of Creative Europe MEDIA 
to boost presence of such works on all distribution platforms. 

Ensuring  the  good  functioning  of  the  European  media  market  also  requires  addressing 
piracy  of  copyright-protected  content,  which,  despite  a  slight  decline,  remains  a 

61Guidelines pursuant to Article 13(7) of the Audiovisual Media Services Directive on the calculation of 
the share of European works in on-demand catalogues and on the definition of low audience and low 
turnover;   https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/EN/TXT/?uri=uriserv:OJ.C_.2020.223.01.0010.01.ENG&toc=OJ:C:2020:223:TOC  
62  Article  7a  of  the  revised  AVMSD  recognises  that  Member  States  may  take  measures  to  ensure  the 
appropriate prominence of audiovisual media services of general interest, to meet objectives such as media 
pluralism,  freedom  of  speech  and  cultural  diversity.  Regarding  this  provision,  a  specific  subgroup  of 
ERGA  was  set  up  in  2020  to  facilitate  a  common  understanding  of  its  scope  and  potential  regulatory 
approaches Member States can take in this area. 

20 

 
                                                 
significant  problem  63.  The  emergence  of  new  infringing  business  models  constitutes  a 
serious threat for the industry64. 

The Commission is committed to ensure a more effective enforcement of IP rights in the 
digital  environment,  as  outlined  in  the  IP  Action  Plan65.  In  particular,  the  Commission 
will engage in discussions with the industry to see how existing remedies to fight against 
piracy, such as  injunctions, can be made more efficient and easier to  obtain, notably in 
order  to  cope  with  the  dynamic  and  borderless  nature  of  online  commercial-scale 
infringements. In this context, building on the IP Action plan, particular attention will be 
paid  to  fostering  the  cooperation  amongst  national  enforcement  authorities  and  cross-
border enforcement. 

5.  CONCLUSION 

With this Communication, the Commission is setting out a comprehensive vision for the 
media sector for exploiting the potential of a true European media market and embracing 
the Digital Decade.  

The actions will be implemented in close cooperation with Member States, the European 
Parliament,  the  media  industry  and  all  interested  stakeholders.  In  this  respect,  this 
Communication will constitute a concrete roadmap for media as part of the culture and 
creative  ecosystem 
its 
competitiveness 

to  reap  benefits  of  digital 

transformation  and  foster 

63 Between 2017 and 2018, overall access to pirated content declined by 32% for music, 19% for films and 
8% for TV content. Source: European Union Intellectual Property Office, “Online copyright infringement 
in the EU. Music, films and TV (2017-2018), trends and drivers”. November 2019.  

64  In  the  European  Union  (EU28),  3.6  %  of  the  population  —  representing  13.7  million  persons  —  is 
estimated  to  watch  internet  streamed  TV  from  unauthorised  online  sources.  The  unauthorised  IPTV 
subscription market is estimated to generate EUR 941.7 million annual revenue in the European Union in 
2018. Source: “Illegal IPTV in the EU”, EUIPO, November 2019. A better enforcement of IP rights will 
also  contribute  to  address  the  specific  challenges  created  by  the  piracy  of  sport  audiovisual  content.  See 
Commission’s  declaration  on  sport  event  organisers,  attached  to  the  European  Parliament’s  legislative 
resolution 
Single  Market. 
copyright 
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-8-2019-0231_EN.html 
65 https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_20_2187  

Directive 

Digital 

the 

the 

on 

on 

in 

21 

 
 
 
                                                 
– APPENDIX- INDICATIVE TIMELINE  

Action 

Sub-action  

Indicative timeline  

ACTION 1 –Easier access to EU support  

  A new interactive tool 

  Q1 2021 

ACTION 2 - MEDIA INVEST aimed at boosting 
investment in the audiovisual industry 

ACTION 3 – ‘NEWS’: an initiative to bundle  
actions and support for the news media sector 

ACTION 4 – Unleashing innovation through a 
European media data space and encouraging new 
business models 

ACTION 5 – Fostering a European Virtual and 
Augmented  Reality (VR/AR) industrial coalition 

ACTION 6 - Towards a climate-neutral media 
sector  

ACTION 7 – Towards a broader availability of 
audiovisual content across the EU 

ACTION 8 – Fostering European media talents 

guiding media companies 
through the various support 
instruments 

  A dedicated equity 

  As of H1 2022  

investment platform to 
foster European audio-visual 
productions and distribution 
strategies; 

  Developing an investment 
pipeline through capacity 
building for investors and 
investment readiness for 
companies. 

  Better access to finance, 
through loans and a pilot 
equity initiative  

  Capacity building among 
investors and media  
  Support for news media to 
work on collaborative 
transformation  

  A European News Media 

Forum 

  Create a Media Data Space 
to support media companies 
in sharing data and 
developing innovative 
solutions 

  European Media Outlook  

  VR/AR industry coalition to 
stimulate cooperation across 
industry sectors and ensure 
European leadership  
  Launch a VR Media Lab on 
projects for new ways of 
storytelling and interacting 

  A structured cooperation 

Forum with the industry and 
(sub)national film and 
audiovisual funds 

  Launch  a  dialogue  with  the 
audiovisual industry in order 
to agree on concrete steps to 
improve  the  access  to  and 
availability  of  audiovisual 
content across borders in the 
EU 

  New mentoring programmes 
for Europe’s media talents 

  MEDIA boot-camps 
providing hands-on 
intensive training for young 

22 

  As of H2 2021  

  As of H1 2022 

  As of H2 2021 

  As of H2 2021 

  As of H1 2021 

  As of H1 2022 

  As of H2 2021  

  H2 2021 

  As of H1 2022 

  As of H1 2021  

  As of H1 2021 

  As of H2 2021 

  As of H1 2022 

 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
media professionals 

  Campaign  on  diversity  in 
front & behind the camera  
  MEDIA market gateway to 
scout Europe’s most 
promising start-ups active in 
the media sector and help 
them thrive 

  Creative Innovation Labs 

open to start-ups and scale-
ups 

  Practical  application  of  the 
new 
literacy 
media 
obligations  of  the  AVMSD 
(media  literacy  toolbox  and 
to  Member 
guidelines 
States) 
  Support 

the  creation  of 
alternative  media  content 
aggregation services 
  Strengthen the cooperation 

framework among European 
media regulators within the 
European Regulators Group 
for Audiovisual Media 
Services (ERGA)  

  As of H2 2021 

  As of H1 2021 

  As of H2 2021 

  Q4 2021 

  As of H2 2022 

  As of Q1 2021 

ACTION 9 – Empowering citizens 

ACTION 10 – Ensuring the functioning of the 
European media market 

23