How can Europe promote its films, series and TV programmes in the face of fierce international competition? Screen time and eyeball time are becoming harder and harder to ensure for European content, not to mention the challenge of being found and accessed among the tsunami of audiovisual content now available on all platforms. Europe has introduced its Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD) which specifically includes provisions to help boost European content. It was fully implemented in 2020. But has it fulfilled its promise, and does it still remain adapted to future challenges?
To find out, join the European Audiovisual Observatory, part of the Council of Europe, for the tenth edition of its annual public Brussels conference: The promotion of European works according to the AVMSD: where do we stand?
This free entry public conference will take place in Brussels on Wednesday 29th of November.
A networking buffet lunch will be held from 12.00 to 13.00 and the actual conference takes place from 13.00 – 15.00.
The event will take place at the Representation of the Free State of Bavaria to the European Union, 77, rue Wiertz, 1000 Brussels.
Participation is free but registration is compulsory. (Link to the registration form.)
The working language is English.
Link to the conference programme
The Observatory will provide its traditional European scene-setting and then dive deeper into each topic with a host of distinguished panelists.
On the occasion of this conference a new Observatory publication, the AVMSDigest will be launched and distributed to all participants. This new report will be produced annually, and each edition will unpack a specific aspect of the AVMSD. This first edition will examine the provisions of the Directive aimed at promoting European works.
The Observatory’s Executive Director, Susanne Nikoltchev, stated that “the time is ripe to look at what Europe has done to ensure an audience for its films and programmes and to analyse whether shared policy goals have been achieved.” She added that the conference would allow participants to get a handle on the promotion measures included in the AVMSD both from a legal and economic point of view.
The legal panel of the conference will be moderated by Francisco Cabrera Blázquez, Senior legal analyst from the Observatory’s Department for Legal Information. Data from the AVMSDigest will be provided by Eric Munch, Analyst from the same Department. They’ll be talking to Karim Ibourki, Board member of ERGA, Ivana Kostovska, Media economics researcher at SMIT-VUB (Vrije Universiteit Brussel) and Svitlana Buriak, Asst. Professor at Amsterdam University’s Centre for Tax Law
The market and economic panel of the conference will be co-moderated by Gilles Fontaine, Head of the Observatory’s Department for Market Information and Francisco Cabrera Blázquez. They will be in conversation with Marianna Scharf, Senior Director, EU Public Policy at Netflix, Heiko Zysk, Vice President Governmental Relations and Head of European Affairs of the ProSiebenSat.1 Media Group, Bérénice Honold, Adviser for International Affairs at the German Federal Film Board (FFA) and Chair of EFAD Policy and Strategy Working Group and other speakers yet to be announced.
The conference is aimed at audiovisual professionals, decision-makers, interest groups, journalists and academics.
For further information contact: Alison.hindhaugh@coe.int
+ 33 (0) 3 90 21 60 10 (direct)