Popular American comedy and drama shows have yet to conquer Europe as most programmes broadcast in the EU are still locally made, the bloc's executive arm said on Tuesday.
Figures from the EU showed schedules on average contained 63 percent of European works in 2004, with 31.5 percent of output made by independent producers. The latest numbers were not much changed from the previous year, when 65.2 percent of programmes were made locally and independents supplied 31.4 percent, though they reflect the market in the expanded EU which admitted 10 new members in 2004.
Under the EU's television without frontiers rules, at least half of programming in the 25-nation bloc should be made in Europe where practicable. The EU rules also state that least 10 percent of programming should also be made by independent producers in Europe.
The quotas were drawn up in the 1980s when there were concerns that new channels would just show American soaps and drama, squeezing out local language production.
"You wonder why we bother keeping these rules in place," said Ross Biggam, director general of the Association of Commercial Television in Europe. As advertising markets matured in the member states, they were able to raise enough money to fund local programmes, Biggam said.