Thanks to technology and the internet, anyone can broadcast and share content with a press of a button. We have platforms such as Facebook Live, Twitch, YouTube, and so on, all of which allow users to share live streams from their phones, tablets, or computers with relative ease. However over in Germany, the government wants to regulate these streams.
Before our readers in Germany get too worried about these restrictions, it seems that this only applies to streams that run for extended periods of time. Regulators have recently gotten in touch with 24-hour let’s play channel PietSmietTV and told them that they will need to apply for a broadcasting license by the 30th of April if they want to keep operating.
While it is not operating through traditional means such as TV or radio, apparently it meets the legal definition of what is considered a broadcaster, and as such are subject to the rules and regulations of being one, one of which is requiring a broadcasting license. The channel’s founder Peter Smits appears to be in agreement with the regulators and will not be contesting the decision.
However it does set a precedent for other streamers in the future where Germany could tweak its laws and broaden the definition of what can be thought of as a broadcaster. If this is the case, things could get more expensive for streamers as these licenses are said to cost between €1,000 to €10,000.