The German government plans to introduce an investment obligation requiring streaming platforms and TV broadcasters to invest 8% of their German revenue in local content. The Ministry of Culture also announced that it has committed to nearly doubling funding for the local film industry.
“This is not a symbol, but a real investment stimulus for jobs, value creation and creative excellence,” Culture Minister Wolfram Weimer said in a statement. Weimer is likely to discuss the changes at the opening of the Berlin Film Festival next week.
Under the government’s proposal, streamers and broadcasters would be exempt from a number of regulations, including the requirement to produce films in German, if they invested at least 12%.
The government also announced an increase in funding for local film production to 250 million euros ($295.2 million) a year, almost double the previous amount.
“Right now, the ball is with the streamers and broadcasters on the one hand, and with the producers on the other,” Weimer said.
Michel Müntefering, CEO of the German Producer Union, which represents producers, welcomed the measures and in particular the government’s commitment to seek to preserve producer rights.
Müntefering said: “An investment commitment with rights retention will be made. This means that the planned funds will be released from the Federal Treasury under the guidance of Federal Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil. The German film industry has been waiting for this signal for a long time, because a good story requires not only creativity, but also reliable framework conditions for turning an idea into a real work.”
