Audiovisual Media Services Directive - AVMSD

The EU's Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD) governs EU-wide coordination of national legislation on all audiovisual media — traditional TV broadcasts and on-demand services. 

The first review of the AVMSD was carried out in 2018. To help Member States with the implementation of the new AVMSD the Commission has adopted three sets of guidelines:

1. guidelines on video sharing platforms
2. guidelines on European works
3. guidelines on the scope of Member States’ media literacy reports

A call for evidence was launched in November 2025, to feed into a new evaluation of the AVMSD planned for 2026. The review of the AVMSD is part of the Commission’s commitments in the recently presented European Democracy Shield, which pursues a stronger and more prominent EU media sector for the resilience of our democracies.

Goals of EU coordination

• Providing rules to shape technological developments
• Creating a level playing field for emerging audiovisual media
• Preserving cultural diversity
• Protecting children and consumers
• Safeguarding media pluralism
• Combating racial and religious hatred
• Guaranteeing the independence of national media regulators

Areas of EU coordination

The AVMSD governs EU-wide coordination of national legislation in the following areas:

• general principles
• incitement to hatred
• accessibility for people with disabilities
• principles of jurisdiction
• major events
• promotion and distribution of European works
• commercial communications
• protection of minors

Further Reading

Reports of targeted consultations

• On the method of calculation of the share of European works and the exemptions for low audience and low turnover (Art. 13(7) Directive (EU) 2010/13) — published 18/06/2020
• On the practical application of the essential functionality criterion of the definition of video sharing platform services (Recital 5 of Directive 2018 /180) — published 18/06/2020

Download documents

• AVMSD - 2010/13/EU - Codified version (All languages)
• Corrigendum to Directive 2010/13/EU ( OJ L 95, 15.4.2010 )
• Guidelines on the method of calculation of the share of European works and the exemptions for low audience and low turnover (Article 13(7) Directive (EU) 2010/13)
• Guidelines on the practical application of the essential functionality criterion of the definition of video-sharing platform services (Recital 5 of Directive (EU) 2018/1808/EU)
• Guidelines on the scope of Member States’ reports concerning measures for the promotion and development of media literacy skills (Article 33a(3) of Directive (EU) 2018/1808)