In their quest for global domination, Netflix and Amazon view Europe as a key battleground. Both companies have dramatically ramped up operations on the continent in recent years to woo subscribers, creatives and talent.
But tensions over content, costs and consequences for the region’s legacy players have been building, and in some cases have boiled over. Europe’s lawmakers are stepping in to regulate the streaming behemoths’ activities, while traditional players gear up, and even unite, to check the rise of upstart companies that some of them have been only too happy to work with.
Looming large over the U.S. streamers is a new requirement that 30% of their content be sourced from within Europe. The quota was approved in October by the European Parliament amid fears over the level of investment in European fare as American players gain ground.
