Decided: No more broadcasting licences for streamers in the new media state treaty!

There is very good news for streamers today. The Media State Treaty was finally adopted, which is expected to enter into force next autumn.

Key Facts

The State Media Treaty has been adopted and is expected to come into force in the fall.
Germany is one of the first member states to implement the AVMS Directive and plays a pioneering role in Europe.
The agreement regulates the responsibility of large video sharing platforms such as YouTube in the protection of minors.
There is no licensing requirement for gaming streams if fewer than 20,000 simultaneous users are reached.
The licensing requirement for most providers will be abolished and broadcasting regulation will be focused.
The agreement strengthens the responsibility of new providers in the network through self-regulatory bodies.
Over 1,300 submissions from various groups were taken into account when drawing up the contract.

In addition to traditional broadcasting, media have developed in a wide variety of ways in the digital age. Audiovisual media services, such as platforms or streaming services, have become important and influential figures in the media market simply because of their reach. That is why it is important that the Media State Treaty implements the Audiovisual Media Services Directive, or AVMD Directive for short. Germany is one of the first member states to play a leading role in Europe.

With adjustments to the Youth Media Protection State Treaty, the new media state treaty also takes responsibility for the major video-sharing platforms, such as YouTube.

With the Media State Treaty, the countries also take care of the many new media professionals, the creatives, the influencers, the YouTubers and the gamers.

For streams from esport teams or other gaming streams, there will be no need for approval if you reach fewer than 20,000 concurrent users on average for six months or reach them in their forecast development.

Although questions may remain as to how the user numbers can be calculated accurately, especially on YouTube, this too is likely to be clarified. And even if this leads to the fact that really large streamers, with hundreds of thousands of subscribers according to the legal force of the media state treaty, are now, or even more so, subject to the authorisation requirement, the regulation for the vast majority of “normal” streamers, YouTubers and Esport teams but be a great relief.

This will probably abolish the authorisation requirement for the vast majority of providers and refocus broadcasting regulation on those areas where it is sensible and necessary. At the same time, countries have strengthened the responsibility of new online providers by creating the possibility of joining forces to form self-regulatory facilities in order to counterbalance the large, mostly US, corporations. The aim is to better take account of European standards.

In total, more than 1,300 submissions were made by broadcasters, cable network operators, press houses, associations for the disabled, the film industry, new media, gamers, youth protection institutions, sports and journalists’ associations, health facilities and especially many ordinary people.

Author: Marian Härtel

Marian Härtel ist Rechtsanwalt und Fachanwalt für IT-Recht mit einer über 25-jährigen Erfahrung als Unternehmer und Berater in den Bereichen Games, E-Sport, Blockchain, SaaS und Künstliche Intelligenz. Seine Beratungsschwerpunkte umfassen neben dem IT-Recht insbesondere das Urheberrecht, Medienrecht sowie Wettbewerbsrecht. Er betreut schwerpunktmäßig Start-ups, Agenturen und Influencer, die er in strategischen Fragen, komplexen Vertragsangelegenheiten sowie bei Investitionsprojekten begleitet. Dabei zeichnet sich seine Beratung durch einen interdisziplinären Ansatz aus, der juristische Expertise und langjährige unternehmerische Erfahrung miteinander verbindet. Ziel seiner Tätigkeit ist stets, Mandanten praxisorientierte Lösungen anzubieten und rechtlich fundierte Unterstützung bei der Umsetzung innovativer Geschäftsmodelle zu gewährleisten.