Last month the German Commission for Admission and Supervision (ZAK) classified the livestreams of YouTuber PietSmietTV as a broadcasting station, which requires an expensive license, as from the point of view of the German authority the channel is in the same category as television and radio.
The application for a permit isn't that easy and can cost up to €10,000 (about £8,500), depending on the audience size and a couple of other factors. There are also other regulations in place. For instance, no content may be transmitted before 10 PM which would be unsuitable for an audience younger than 12 years, and in addition to this the broadcasters are obliged to make up an ongoing program plan, which must be followed.
The German authorities admit they need to reform the laws, as they were not created with new broadcasting methods in mind (and have been in place since 1946), and as the ZAK writes, they have repeatedly called for a reform of media law in recent years in order to adapt the laws. Do you agree that reforms need to be made?