Spain to force streaming platforms to use regional languages

Spain’s co-official languages are Catalan, Galician or Basque

Streaming platforms such as Netflix will be made to air shows in regional languages (AFP via Getty Images)

The Spanish government will pass a new 5 per cent tax on audiovisual production and force streaming platforms, such as Netflix, to air shows in regional languages.

Catalonia’s separatist party Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC) made the announcement on Tuesday.

The measures come in exchange for ERC’s critical support for the leftist coalition government’s 2022 budget bill.

They will include an obligation that 6 per cent of the streaming platforms’ content is in Spain’s co-official languages.

These are: Catalan, Galician and Basque, ERC’s lawmaker Gabriel Rufian told reporters.

He did not specify if that would require original content or simply dubbed or subtitled.

Reuters