New regulation sets the European audiovisual quota at 51% of broadcasting

Royal Decree 980/2026, of November 11, develops for the first time the legal regime for the obligation to promote European audiovisual works and linguistic diversity provided for in Law 13/2022, of July 7, General Law on Audiovisual Communication. The text was approved by the Council of Ministers at its meeting on November 10 and is published in the Official State Gazette (BOE) no. 283, of Friday, November 13, 2026, in section I of general provisions. The regulation specifies the broadcasting and catalog quotas, the advance financing obligations, and the supervisory sanctioning regime, which will be assumed by the National Commission on Markets and Competition (CNMC).

The royal decree develops Chapter III of Title VI of Law 13/2022 and replaces Royal Decree 988/2015, of October 30, which is hereby repealed. It consists of 39 articles organized into a preliminary title and three titles, four additional provisions, one repealing provision, and three final provisions. It is issued under article 149.1.27.ª of the Spanish Constitution and was reported on by the CNMC and the Council of State. The text appears signed by the King on November 11, 2026, and countersigned by the Minister of the Presidency, Justice and Relations with the Courts, Félix Bolaños García.

The regulation inherits the community tradition initiated by Directive 89/552/EEC, known as “Television without Frontiers,” and updated by Directive (EU) 2018/1808. In Spain, Law 25/1994 reserved 50% of broadcasting time for European works for the first time, and Law 22/1999 introduced 5% of revenue for financing. The new regulation relies on the Constitutional Court Judgment 35/2016 and the Commission Communication of July 2020 (2020/C 223/03) to modulate obligations according to audience and business volume.

Quotas: 51% in linear television and 30% in catalogs

Linear providers shall reserve at least 51% of annual broadcasting time for European audiovisual works, while on-demand services must dedicate 30% of their program catalog. In both cases, half of that quota shall be reserved for works in the official language of the State or in the official languages of the autonomous communities.

The regulation completes the obligation with these minimums:

• 10% of the total broadcasting time, in the linear case, for works by independent producers, with half of that percentage produced within the last five years.
• 15% of the sub-quota in co-official languages for the state linear public service provider, with a minimum of 10% for each language.
• 40% of the sub-quota in co-official languages for state-level on-demand services, also with a 10% minimum per language.
• The exclusion of news programs, sporting events, games, and audiovisual commercial communications from the calculation.
• The obligation of prominence in catalogs, through a dedicated section, visibility on the home page, search engines, commercial campaigns, or advertising.

Services dedicated exclusively to news, sports, games, advertising, or teletext, those with an average annual audience of less than 2% of the market, and those earning less than two million euros are exempt from the quota. Thematic services, understood as those that dedicate more than 70% of their programming to a single genre, may request exemption or flexibility from the CNMC.

Advance Financing: 6% for public service and 5% for private services

The state-level public service provider shall allocate 6% of its computable income annually to finance European audiovisual works, with a minimum of 70% for independent producers and 45% for cinematographic films, in addition to 12% for animation and documentaries. Private providers, whether linear or on-demand, shall contribute 5% of their income.

Obligated entities with income of 50 million euros or more must allocate 70% to independent producers —with 15% for co-official languages and 30% for works directed or created exclusively by women— and 40% to cinema. For those between 10 and 50 million euros, the minimum for independents remains at 70%. Providers with income below 10 million, local providers outside the national network, those dedicated to “X” rated films, and those with an audience of less than 2% in linear or 1% on-demand are exempt.

The obligation may be fulfilled through direct participation in production, acquisition of exploitation rights, or contribution to the Cinematography Protection Fund and the Promotion Fund for co-official languages. The purchase of rights for already completed works is limited to 10% of the obligation —extendable by 15 points if in co-official languages or female authorship— for large operators, and to 30% for those between 10 and 50 million. It is also permitted to accumulate obligations of up to 400,000 euros for a maximum of three fiscal years, with a ceiling of 800,000 euros per year.

Calendar and CNMC Control

The CNMC will assume control and monitoring, following a report from the Institute of Cinematography and Audiovisual Arts (ICAA); it will publish the population weights of each co-official language before January 31 and prepare an annual impact report. It will also make public the titles benefiting from advance funding.

Obligated parties must submit their quota and prominence declarations before February 1 and those regarding funding before April 1, a deadline that moves to July 31 if their fiscal year does not coincide with the calendar year. The CNMC will have six months to notify compliance; after four months without a response regarding the quota, the provider may consider the obligation fulfilled.

The royal decree will enter into force on November 14, 2026, one day after its publication, but Title I —quotas and prominence— will apply from July 1, 2027, and Title II —advance funding— from January 1, 2028, based on the income accrued in 2027.

The impact will be direct on television stations, platforms, and independent production companies: for the first time, the European quota has closed calculation rules and a staggered requirement schedule, which provides legal certainty to the sector but also introduces a mandatory investment effort in co-official languages and in works directed by women that operators must reflect in their annual accounts audited before the CNMC.

Source: Official State Gazette, no. 283, of November 13, 2026, section I. General provisions, page 153038 (official reference: BOE-A-2026-23759).