A no-deal Brexit could be a significant headache for British travelers heading into the European Union.
Government documents revealed on Friday showed that access to services like Spotify, Netflix, online sports, video games, and even ebooks could be affected.
The current EU-wide portability regulation makes it possible for travelers to access entertainment accounts while traveling through any of the 27 member countries. Spotify and Netflix are just two services that could be affected, as any cloud-streaming service would be subject to revised regulations.
The current regulation covers a wide variety of streaming and digital entertainment, including “films, sporting events, video games, and music services.” The regulation would be eliminated in a no-deal Brexit, making travelers rely on local UK libraries rather than full content available in the EU.
“UK consumers may see restrictions to their online content services when they temporarily visit the EU,” the government paper warns.
Another unintended side effect of a no-deal Brexit is that EU retailers will be able to discriminate between UK and EU customers. The EU’s new Geo-Blocking regulation is set to go into effect this December, preventing members from discriminating against customers in any of the 27 member countries.
The UK’s withdrawal from Brexit would mean that EU retailers would be able to discriminate against UK customers. UK retailers hoping to do business in the EU must follow the geo-blocking regulation, so a UK retailer could not discriminate between EU customers from different countries.
Brexit is looking like an increasingly bad deal for fans of music and even artists themselves. One of the other side effects of a no-deal Brexit is the need for a traveler’s visa to perform in the EU. Artist advocates are hoping to cement an easy way for musicians, singers, and other live entertainers through a touring visa for British artists.