As I reported last Monday, the new EU streaming media regulations came into effect at the start of April. These require paid-for streaming services to continue to provide access to people who are temporarily away from their home member states in other EU member states. In other words, if you’re away from your home in the UK on holiday or on business for less than 30 days, you should still be able to watch Netflix in France, Germany, et al.
The operative words there are ‘paid for’ and ‘should’, since free services don’t have to comply with these regulations and as with any new regulations, there are usually teething troubles. So I decided to do some actual science to work out which ones worked and which ones didn’t.
Aim
To test a whole bunch of both free and paid-for streaming services last week while I was in France, to see whether there were some unexpected failures or even unexpectedly generous free services.
Method
I ran the tests on an iPad and a Roku Streaming Stick with the correct UK streaming apps/channels installed and pre-configured. Internet access using UK cellular roaming and a French MiFi gadget using a French SIM were both tested.
Results
Worked first time, every time
- Now TV
- Sky Go
- Netflix
Didn’t work at first, but then started working for some reason
- Amazon Video
Worked once and then never worked again
- iPlayer
- iPlayer Radio
Didn’t work not ever
- All 4
- ITV Hub
- My5
Conclusion
So that means pretty much everything was as expected – everyone’s in compliance and everyone who doesn’t have to comply isn’t bothering to.
Further research
Let everyone know in the comments below if there are other services you’d like me to try the next time I’m away, or if you’ve had greater/less success on your own travels with the same or other services.
