European Commission approved a significant plan today that will allow TV and radio broadcasters to use their existing broadcasting licenses for simulcasting as well. Simulcasting is a webcasting method where a traditional radio or TV broadcasters streams the exactly same content over the Net that they transmit over the radiowaves.

Earlier, each broadcaster willing to simulcast their content, had to obtain licenses for each and every program, music track, sports event, etc for webcasting. Also, each country's own recording industry body or other copyright content owners' body, was the only place where that country's broadcasters could obtain licenses. This has lead to seriously weird situations -- worst example is probably our home country, Finland, where there isn't even a single commercial simulcasting station available anymore, due Finnish recording industry's bodies (Teosto and Gramex) intention to squeeze enormous amounts of money out of radio stations. In Finland, radio stations pay already full royalties for aerial transmissions (unlike in States where RIAA doesn't get a penny from radio stations) and copyright owners wanted basically to double that amount if broadcasters wanted to set up a simulcast.

The plan changes this and allows broadcasters within European Economic Area (European Union added with Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein) to obtain licenses from any copyright owner's body within the EEA area, putting all broadcasters to the same level. I'm anxiously waiting to see the boom of TV simulcasts within Europe..

Source: News.com