Cultural Diversity on VoD Platforms [Edited Policy Brief]

This policy brief is an addendum to DETECt Deliverable 6.3 Diversity and Transculturality on Transnational VoD Platforms. Drawing from that collaborative document, the following discussion addresses the promotion of cultural diversity on Video on Demand (VoD) platforms from three related angles: regional and minority languages (RMLs), dubbing and subtitling of national languages, and the role of public service media (PSM). European popular media products — especially TV series — are crucial vehicles for the dissemination of diverse representations and the generation of a transcultural ethos among audiences. We show that policy measures in the areas of RMLs and dubbing/subtitling of national languages can help increase exposure diversity, that is, the degree to which different European audiences are exposed to a diverse array of audiovisual media content from different countries and cultures. Connected to this, we deal with the broader issue of the relationship between PSM and private media in Europe. Although RMLs protection and dubbing are often seen in an antagonistic relationship, we argue that digital technology and the intervention of PSM might resolve this tension.