The European Commission proposed revising the Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD) to reflect how audiences were shifting from broadcast TV to on-demand and online video platforms. The goal was to modernize rules on viewer protection and advertising while keeping a single EU framework for cross-border audiovisual services.
The EU adopted Directive (EU) 2018/1808, the 2018 revision of the AVMSD. It expanded the framework beyond traditional broadcasters to also cover video-on-demand services and video-sharing platforms, and strengthened rules on issues like protection of minors and hate speech.
Directive (EU) 2018/1808 was published in the Official Journal, which is a key step that makes the final legal text publicly authoritative. Publication also clarified the timeline for when the new rules would start applying across the EU and when countries needed to implement them in national law.
As the September 2020 transposition deadline neared, monitoring reports showed many member states were not on track to implement the revised AVMSD. This highlighted practical obstacles—like complex national media structures and legislative delays—in translating EU-level rules into enforceable national obligations.
EU member states were required to transpose the revised AVMSD into national law by this date. The deadline mattered because it was the point when new EU-wide expectations—such as protections around video-sharing platforms and cultural diversity measures like European-works requirements—should have been fully reflected in national legal systems.
Germany brought key parts of the revised AVMSD into its legal framework through the Medienstaatsvertrag (State Media Treaty). Alongside transposition, it also added rules for digital “findability” and prominence on interfaces such as media platforms and intermediaries, addressing how users discover content in the streaming era.
After the deadline passed, the European Commission launched infringement procedures against 23 member states for failing to transpose the revised AVMSD. This escalated the issue from policy coordination to formal legal enforcement, putting pressure on national governments to finalize and notify their implementing measures.
France transposed the revised AVMSD using an ordonnance (a government measure authorized by Parliament), updating the long-standing 1986 law on freedom of communication. This step helped align French rules for on-demand services and video-sharing platforms with EU requirements while preserving national cultural policy tools.
The Netherlands’ Media Act (Mediawet) continued to be updated through amendments that supported implementing EU audiovisual rules in national law. Having a consolidated, in-force statutory text is important for practical enforcement, because regulators and platforms can point to the operative legal language rather than draft proposals.
The Commission followed up infringement cases by sending reasoned opinions to several member states that still had not notified complete transposition of the revised AVMSD. A reasoned opinion is a formal step in EU infringement proceedings and can be a prelude to taking a case to the Court of Justice if non-compliance continues.
By late 2021, the EU’s implementation tracking indicated that most member states had notified complete transposition measures, though some remained incomplete. This period marked the shift from “passing laws” to “running the system,” as regulators began applying rules to streaming catalogues, video-sharing platforms, and cross-border services.
Although the 2018–2021 period saw major national implementation steps, the overall EU picture remained uneven afterward. The European Parliament later noted that Ireland—where many video-sharing platforms are established—was the last member state to notify transposition measures, doing so in February 2023, underscoring how implementation timelines extended beyond the original deadline.
EU Audiovisual Media Services Directive implementation across member states (2018–2021)