Streaming platforms Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon's Prime Video said on Monday they have filed appeals with French authorities to challenge new rules requiring them to allocate 20 percent of audiovisual content investment to animation, documentaries and live performances.
"These new rules suddenly double our obligation to invest in these genres, target streaming services exclusively and end up dictating our content offerings without taking audience expectations into account," Pauline Dauvin, vice president of Netflix France, said in an opinion column published Le Monde daily.
The platforms separately filed appeals for "abuse of power" before the Council of State, France's supreme administrative court, after seeing an informal appeal to the prime minister’s office turned down, they told AFP, confirming a report by Satellifacts website.
They are seeking an amendment to a government decree which, since 2021, has required foreign video streaming platforms to finance French audiovisual production and cinema with a slice of their revenue.
Starting in January of this year, the updated version of the decree requires that 20 percent of the required audiovisual sector investment be allocated to animated programming, documentaries and live performances, to bolster the diversity of genres.
