Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Weimer Demands Digital Levy and Reinvestment From US Streaming Giants to Protect German Media

The plans aim to counter what he calls an existential threat to German opinion diversity posed by American streaming platforms.

Overview

  • Culture Minister Wolfram Weimer warned that US streaming platforms risk creating “de facto American media monopolies” and invited their representatives to the Chancellery for talks.
  • He renewed his proposal for a 10 percent digital levy on major online platforms, a measure currently only under review under the coalition agreement.
  • He put forward plans to require foreign streaming services operating in Germany to reinvest part of their local revenues into German film productions under European law.
  • The federal government will allocate over €100 million to film funding this year and has raised incentive funding to 30 percent of production volume.
  • Coalition partners remain split on binding reforms, limiting the government’s commitment to evaluating a platform levy rather than immediate implementation.