Your digital film or music subscription will travel with you through Europe
Have you paid for a subscription to digital music or film services? Or have you got a subscription for a sports or film channel? Thanks to the European regulation concerning cross-border portability of online content services in the internal market you can still enjoy your favourite music or series in another EU country, providing your stay abroad is temporary.
Good to know: If your digital subscription is free of charge it is up to the provider to decide whether or not you can access their services abroad.
Since the abolition of roaming tariffs in the EU, you are no longer charged extra when using data in Europe. That’s obviously a benefit when using your digital subscriptions, and streaming and/or downloading, in another EU country. But remember: some telecom providers apply a ‘policy of reasonable use’. Contact your operator for more information.
Provider’s obligations
Providers must comply with a number of conditions:
- They must supply the service in the same way as the member state in which you took out the subscription.
- They must accommodate the same content, series, number of devices, number of users and functionalities.
- They must not charge you extra!
A few examples
Are you paying for a subscription to Netflix, Spotify or a live-streaming service for sporting events?
If you are temporarily staying in another EU country, you will have access to your digital subscriptions. The range of series, films and music on offer will be the same as in Belgium. Netflix or Spotify will not charge you extra. You can also follow your favourite sporting events elsewhere in Europe.
Other examples include: Apple Music, iTunes, Deezer, Amazon Prime Video, UniversCiné, Stievie Premium, Yelo Play, HBO now, etc.
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