Online subscription content accessible in any EU country

The inability to access online content outside of the subscriber's home country was due to their being protected by copyright or by not having licences abroad, as is the case with major sporting events.

But the European Union has been working on an agreement with companies and other interested parties to axe these barriers by enabling authorisation for content to be obtained anywhere within the EU-28.

The aim is for the EU to become a single digital market and for citizens crossing borders within the bloc to be able to carry on as though they were still at home.

Access to online content via mobile phone, tablet, laptop or desktop computer only applies during temporary stays, since otherwise residents in one member State could sign up to services in another to benefit from lower prices.

To prevent this, content providers will check in advance which member State the subscriber is resident in and, if he or she cannot or does not wish to reveal this, the supplier is authorised to block access to the service.

Verification of country of residence will involve no more than two documents or types of data – such as a credit card, bank account number, utility bill or national ID number.

Copyright-holders can, however, allow access to their creations without obliging the user to register their country of residence.

Public channels of information will be required to verify country before service is provided.

Around 30% of European Union citizens who watch films, serials and other videos online pay for the privilege of doing so via a subscription or one-off purchases of specific content.

Until now, over half of these were unable to access services such as live sports event broadcasts when they travelled outside their home nation, and over 40% was unable to keep up with their favourite serials or films.

Suppliers of free content can sign up to the cross-border access without having to apply for licences in each and every country their customers travel to, but this is optional, whereas paid-for content providers are required to open up their services across the EU.

This means that, until the United Kingdom formally leaves the EU, expats in Spain and elsewhere in Europe can keep up with their favourite programmes even on home visits.