In future, streaming providers will have to pay to use digital infrastructure. This was announced by the EU Commission in August 2022. What does this mean for subscribers to Netflix, Amazon Prime and co.
For many people, a cozy evening watching TV on the couch at home is part of a well-deserved evening off. Streaming services are often used to watch their favorite series or an exciting film. These are usually subject to a charge - and could soon become significantly more expensive. According to the EU Commission's plans, market participants will have to contribute to the costs of the digital infrastructure in future. Netflix and Amazon Prime could pass these costs on to their end customers.
Reproach: Network operators invest, platform operators monetize
Around 52.5 billion euros per year(source): This is the amount that European network operators are investing in the expansion of 5G, fiber optics and cable networks. The idea of sharing these costs with platform operators is not new. EU Digital Commissioner Margrethe Vestager announced the so-called internet toll at the beginning of 2022. Large corporations such as Google and Meta should not only benefit from the existing systems, but "also contribute to enabling this data traffic", according to Vestager. It is their "social responsibility" to contribute to the costs incurred.
Cost sharing also for Netflix and Co.
What is new, however, is that streaming services will also be asked to pay. A large proportion of data traffic is generated by the use of popular providers such as Netflix, Amazon Prime and Disney+. Consumer associations are sounding the alarm: subscribers would also feel the additional costs. "Some streaming providers could even disappear from the market due to the increased costs," fears Ramona Pop, head of the Federation of German Consumer Organizations.
Consumer centers call for talks
It is currently unclear whether, when and in what form the internet toll will be introduced. Existing proposals have already been rejected by the consumer associations as "damaging to competition". Instead, they are calling for a public hearing in order to enter into discussions with the streaming providers involved in advance and jointly develop a concept for implementing the internet toll.
