Emily's in Paris. Macron Wants a Netflix There Too.
Information is power and so is entertainment. With Trump now threatening tariffs on films, an Airbus of streaming might have wings.
Actress Lily Collins, star of the Netflix series Emily in Paris.
Photographer: Valerie Macon/AFP/Getty Images
Seven months after French President Emmanuel Macron praised the success of Emily in Paris but bemoaned the lack of homegrown European broadcasters and distributors on par with series creator Netflix Inc., Germany's Friedrich Merz — whose road to becoming chancellor is proving rockier than expected — has made a similar proposal for “the establishment of a European media platform.”
European media platforms already exist, in a way: They’re called Walt Disney Co., Apple Inc. and Netflix. Their deep pockets and global reach have made them the go-to places for continental content from Emily in Paris to Banijay Group NV’s show about the great chef Antonin Careme. With nascent European rivals struggling in the streaming wars — recent casualties include France’s Salto and Italy’s government-funded ITsART — politicians like Macron have been instead pushing US platforms to fund more local content.