A new benchmark on foreign media ownership restrictions shows that three countries out of the 12 countries surveyed have restrictions in place which prevent entities or citizens based outside the European Union (EU) or the European Economic Area (EEA) from acquiring full control of a media company established on their territory.
These countries choose to enact these regulations to help preserve the “national character or community” of the nation, and/or to safeguard media pluralism and freedom of speech.
The benchmark shows that at the moment, France is the country with the strictest thresholds. Non-EU/EEA companies/citizens cannot directly or indirectly hold more than 20% of the capital share or voting rights of a TV/radio channel broadcast in French on digital terrestrial networks.
In Poland, a highly controversial draft law is being debated in Parliament which proposes to prevent a foreign entity based in an EU/EEA country from being granted a broadcasting licence in Poland, if it is a subsidiary of a foreign company registered outside the EU/EEA.
For more information and access to the full benchmark, please click on “Access the full content” - or on “Request Access”, in case you are not subscribed to our European Media service.
more news
30 October 26
Many governments around the globe rely on legal mechanisms to compel communications apps to cooperate in law enforcement investigations
Cullen International's latest Global Trends benchmark for number-independent communications apps regulation found that nearly all of the 13 surveyed jurisdictions around the world provide some legal mechanism to make these apps assist law enforcement in criminal investigations. There are requirements to verify user identities, compel disclosure of stored content, make encrypted content accessible, and duties to detect illegal content within private communications.
22 October 26
IoT regulation: new operational requirements reshape global connectivity
Cullen International's Quarterly Regulatory Update on IoT and M2M Services (Q3 2026) highlights how national regulators around the globe are shaping the future of IoT and M2M services.
21 October 26
Americas countries require satellite service providers to obtain a spectrum licence
Cullen International’s latest benchmark compares satellite regulation across the Americas, including service and spectrum licensing, registration requirements, spectrum allocations and fees, interference rules, migration between frequency bands and recent regulatory developments.