MedienInvestVG (federal investment obligation for audiovisual services), draft

What it requires

As printed in Bundestag paper 21/7820 and summarised by the Bundestag on 9 September 2026, all domestic and foreign providers of audiovisual media must invest 8% of annual net turnover. At least 60% of that investment must go to the production of European audiovisual works and at least 80% to productions in German original language; at least 70% must go to works by independent film producers. The culture ministry's May 2026 summary had described the quotas more loosely, as 80% for works with a German cultural imprint and 60% for new works. Qualifying investment extends beyond production to acquiring rights in existing works, script and project development, accessibility work for viewers with hearing or sight impairments, dubbing and subtitling, talent development in the film and media industry, advertising, and participation in film festivals in the EU and the wider European Economic Area. Providers investing at least 12% of annual net turnover voluntarily may depart from certain detailed provisions of the act. The Filmförderungsanstalt calculates and monitors the obligation and may levy a compensation charge of 75% where it is not met. The bill is a federal statute, distinct from the Länder media state treaty reform that carries platform regulation and AI accountability, and it is accompanied by an additional EUR 250m a year of film funding.

Why it bears on this field

The obligation is drawn by turnover and service type, not by format. Neither the government bill as summarised by the culture ministry nor the Bundesrat's opinion of 10 July 2026 refers to short-form, vertical or micro formats, and the Bundesrat requested no de-minimis threshold, revenue floor or scope carve-out. Because the exemption runs to providers below €10m of turnover, the bill reaches only larger services; whether a vertical-drama catalogue would count toward the required investment, and how such a provider would be classified, is not addressed in either document. The Bundesrat called the quota architecture balanced by European comparison and endorsed the rights-retention provision in section 8.

Open questions

• Will the bill be amended in committee? THE SPOT reported on 25 September 2026 that coalition speakers said the rules could be amended there.
• When does the obligation begin for a service that starts operating after the law takes effect? The ministry's summary and law-firm commentary differ: the third calendar year, or the 25th month.
• Would a short-form vertical catalogue count toward the investment obligation, and would a vertical-drama app be treated as an audiovisual media service for these purposes?
• When will the Committee for Culture and Media report the bill back to the Bundestag for its second and third readings?
• The European Commission has submitted comments on the bill in the notification procedure. Points reported include the sub-quotas, rights reversion, the data basis for the 8% rate, and the absence of any distinction between advertising-funded and subscription services or between niche and full catalogues. A spokeswoman for culture minister Wolfram Weimer said on 9 September 2026 that the law needs no formal EU approval, that the comments are a routine step rather than a detailed opinion, and that the draft will be reviewed in their light. The text of the comments has not been published.

Timeline

• 2026-05-05Ministerial draft (Referentenentwurf) circulated. Source (opens in a new tab)
• 2026-05-22Germany notifies the draft to the European Commission under Directive (EU) 2015/1535 as notification 2026/0260/DE. The standstill period is set to run to 26 August 2026. Source (opens in a new tab)
• 2026-05-27The federal cabinet approves the government bill. Source (opens in a new tab)
• 2026-06-16The Commission asks for supplementary information. Germany answers on 30 June 2026. Source (opens in a new tab)
• 2026-06-26The Bundesrat committee recommendation (324/1/26) is published. The economic affairs committee proposed raising no objections; the lead culture committee proposed a substantive opinion, which the plenary followed. Source (opens in a new tab)
• 2026-07-10The Bundesrat adopts an opinion at its 1067th sitting, item 29 (Beschlussdrucksache 324/26(B)). It welcomes the bill, calls the quotas balanced by European comparison, endorses the rights-retention provision in section 8, and asks for producer-side changes: a substantive rather than shareholding-based definition of the independent producer in section 2(5), differentiation for children's film, investments under section 6 nos. 7 and 8 to count toward the sub-quotas, studio infrastructure to be examined as eligible, and Länder film funding to count as the producer's own contribution. Source (opens in a new tab)
• 2026-08-06The Commission delivers comments under Article 5(2) of Directive (EU) 2015/1535 as C(2026) 5785 final, signed by Roberto Viola, director-general of DG Connect. The accompanying message states that the observations do not have the effect of extending the standstill period. This is the lightest of the three instruments in the procedure; only a detailed opinion under Article 6(2) extends the standstill, and none was issued. The comments question the evidential basis for the 8% obligation, describe the 60%, 80% and 70% sub-quotas as rigid, call the three-to-seven-year rights reversion short for international exploitation, and note that the draft does not differentiate between categories of service. Source (opens in a new tab)
• 2026-08-26The standstill period ends without extension, leaving no EU-law impediment to adoption. Germany must communicate the definitive text to the Commission once adopted, under Article 5(3) of the directive. Source (opens in a new tab)
• 2026-09-02The government bill is printed as Bundestag paper 21/7820. Source (opens in a new tab)
• 2026-09-09The Bundestag's news service sets out the bill's requirements: 8% of annual net turnover, at least 60% to European audiovisual works, at least 80% to productions in German original language, at least 70% to independent producers, a voluntary 12% option allowing departure from certain detailed provisions, and a 75% compensation charge levied by the Filmförderungsanstalt. Source (opens in a new tab)
• 2026-09-09A spokeswoman for culture minister Wolfram Weimer says the European Commission's comments in the notification procedure are a routine step, that the law needs no formal EU approval, and that the draft will be reviewed in their light to make it more legally robust. Source (opens in a new tab)
• 2026-09-24The Bundestag held the first reading as agenda item 24 of its 96th sitting: a 20-minute debate, per the stenographic record, with speeches by Wolfram Weimer, Ronald Gläser (AfD), Martin Rabanus (SPD), Sven Lehmann (Greens) and Anja Weisgerber (CDU/CSU) and a written contribution by David Schliesing (Die Linke). The bill was referred to the Committee for Culture and Media as lead committee, with the Committee for Economic Affairs and Energy co-advising. Source (opens in a new tab)
• 2026-09-25Trade outlet THE SPOT (Blickpunkt:Film) reported that the Committee for Culture and Media has scheduled a public hearing on the bill for 14 October 2026, and that coalition speakers said the rules could be amended in committee. Source (opens in a new tab)
• 2026-10-14The Committee for Culture and Media held its public hearing on the bill and the film industry. Experts included VAUNET, Bitkom, the Produktionsallianz, PROG, MDR for ARD and ZDF, and ver.di; written statements were also submitted by Uwe Boll and VTFF. Source (opens in a new tab)