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Media and Audiovisual Action Plan: implementation updates

The European Commission has adopted the Media and Audiovisual Action Plan to support the recovery and transformation of the media and audiovisual sector.

A digital globe surrounded by virtual screens of people interacting and using AV services online

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The Action Plan focuses on three areas of activity and 10 concrete actions, to help the media sector recover from the crisis by facilitating and broadening access to finance, transform by stimulating investments to embrace the twin digital and green transitions while ensuring the sector's future resilience and empower European citizens and companies.

The different actions will be launched and implemented throughout 2021 and 2022.

Please see the table below for more details on specific actions, phases, progress and time frames.

 

ActionUpdateTimeframe
Action 1 — Easier access to EU support
A new interactive tool guiding media companies through the various support instrumentsCompleted
Action 2 — MEDIA INVEST aimed at boosting investment in the audiovisual industry
A dedicated equity investment to foster European audio-visual productions and distribution strategies
  • Publication of the call for expression of interest for MediaInvest
Completed
Developing an investment pipeline through capacity building for investors and investment readiness for companiesCompleted
Action 3 — 'NEWS': an initiative to bundle actions and support for the news media sector
Better access to finance, through loans and a pilot equity initiative
  • Loans part updated at the adoption of 2021 InvestEU
  • Pilot equity based investment initiative under InvestEU

As of second half of 2022

As of second half of 2022

Capacity building among investors and media
  • Development of technical assistance tools under InvestEU
As of second half of 2022
Support for news media to work on collaborative transformationAs of second half 2021
European News Media ForumAs of first half 2021
Action 4 — Unleashing innovation through a European media data space and encouraging new business models
Create a Media Data Space to support media companies in sharing data and developing innovative solutionsTBA
European Media Outlook
  • Report on media trends will be produced every two years
  • The Commission plans to publish the Media Outlook Report in the second half of 2022
  • Targeted consultation planned for early July 2022
As of 2022
Action 5 — Fostering a European Virtual and Augmented Reality (VR/AR) industrial coalition
VR/AR industry coalition to stimulate cooperation across industry sectors and ensure European leadership
  • Six themed workshops held with 103 stakeholders from across Europe from September 2021 to February 2022​
  • Milestone event presenting the key findings from the market assessment and the roadmap held in April
  • Strategic paper and roadmap endorsed by industry to be published in political launch June 2022
  • Dedicated website for this action available here
As of second half 2021
Launch a VR Media Lab on projects for new ways of storytelling and interactingTBA
Action 6 — Towards a climate-neutral media sector
A structured cooperation Forum with the industry and (sub)national film and audiovisual funds
  • Structured dialogue with the audiovisual industry was launched on 30 June 2021, followed by regular meetings in 2021 and early 2022, to exchange best practices and to agree on common tools and common standards.
  • A technical working group on measurement of carbon emissions in the AV was launched. Three meetings have been held in autumn 2021 with the objective to develop a proposal to be presented to all participants to the structured dialogue, for their endorsement through a common statement. 
  • On 14th February 2022 an online workshop Towards a climate-neutral audiovisual sector  was co-organised with the European Film Market.
  • A group of organisations have agreed to work together towards the development of a unified measurement methodology of CO2 emissions, that will contribute to the reduction of carbon emissions.
As of first half 2021
Action 7 — Towards a broader availability of audiovisual content across the EU
Launch a dialogue with the audiovisual industry in order to agree on concrete steps to improve the access to and availability of audiovisual content across borders in the EU
    		Second half 2021 - first half 2022
    Action 8 — Fostering European media talents
    New mentoring programmes for Europe’s media talentsAs of second half 2021
    MEDIA boot-camps providing hands-on intensive training for young media professionalsAs of first half 2022
    Campaign on diversity: Promoting all talentsAs of second half 2021
    MEDIA market gateway to scout Europe's most promising startups active in the media sector and help them thrive
    • To be implemented through the Creative Europe MEDIA programme
    • Implementation postponed to second half of 2021 due to the cancellation of physical markets
    • Ongoing preparatory work
    		As of second half 2021
    Creative Innovation Labs open to startups and scaleups
    • Call for proposals launched (link)
    • Call under evaluation
    		As of second half 2021
    Action 9 – Empowering citizens
    Practical application of the new media literacy obligations of the AVMSD (media literacy toolbox and guidelines to Member States)
    • A media literacy toolbox focusing on video-sharing platforms prepared together with the European Group of Audiovisual Regulators (ERGA) and other experts will be adopted
    • The Commission will issue guidelines to Member States defining the scope of their media literacy reports due at the end of 2022
    		First quarter  2022
    Support the creation of alternative media content aggregation services
    • Supported through the Horizon Europe call ‘Trustworthy Open Search and Discovery’ in 2021 (project will start in 2022)
    		Third quarter 2022
    Action 10 — Ensuring the functioning of the European media market
    Strengthen the cooperation framework among European media regulators within the European Regulators Group for Audiovisual Media Services (ERGA)
    • Throughout 2021 and first half of 2022, the Commission will continue to take stock of best practices in cross-border cooperation and closely monitor the performance of ERGA’s Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
    		As of first quarter 2021

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    Last update

    20 June 2022

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