Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps she is taking to ensure continued export of (a) satellite TV signals licensed in the UK to the countries of the EU and (b) the continued export of UK television programmes and films to the EU after the transition period.

After the transition period, the UK will continue to be a signatory to the European Convention on Transfrontier Television (ECTT). This means that the 22 countries that are co-signatories must allow freedom of reception of services under UK jurisdiction.

However, UK-based audio-visual media service providers may need to comply with the rules of a Member State to have access to the EU market in which they would want to provide their services. Similarly, EU providers wishing to supply services in the United Kingdom may need to abide by UK rules.

Broadcasters and on-demand programme services providers have been encouraged to seek legal advice and contact EU media regulators to check whether their current licence will continue to be accepted in the EU countries where the service is available, or if a separate licence or authorisation will be required.

Europe remains the second biggest territory for UK TV exports worth an estimated £470m in 2018/19. The UK's European Works (EW) status is valued by our Audio-Visual sector and our European partners who value access to the UK's world class content on their screens.

As a signatory to the ECTT framework, UK content will continue to hold the status of EW with guaranteed access to the EW quota within the EU. The government is implementing the recent updates to the Audio-Visual Media Services Directive (AVMSD) in our domestic regime, which will extend quotas for EW to on-demand content, underlining the government's ongoing commitment to the EW framework for film and television.