‘If you can’t beat them…’: AVMSD policy-making for Portuguese audiovisual production in the context of the small markets and of multistakeholderism

Abstract

ABSTRACT The revision of the Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD) unlocked possibilities to legally frame the video-on-demand (VoD) services in Europe. This process put pressure on national systems and Member States. In Portugal, the initial governmental proposal for implementation did not contemplate a financial contribution from VoD to the national fund that supports Portuguese works. After a period of public consultation, the law included a 1% tax on those services’ revenues. Drawing on the Portuguese case, we discuss and critically analyse the policy-making process of the AVMSD implementation, assessing its outcomes and the perceptions of the stakeholders. Results indicate limitations and fragility of multistakeholderism. We argue that the smallness of Portuguese market is related to the State failing to implement an overarching policy concerning the cycle of film and TV production and to the fact that Portuguese cinema is now mostly left in the hands of VoD service providers.