French TV Productions Maintain High Sales Despite Higher Risk Aversion, Contraction in North America Deals

Audrey Fleurot in HPI

“[A]mbitious, innovative series with strong intellectual properties, such as ‘HPI,’ ‘Marie Antoinette,’ ‘Bardot’ and ‘B.R.I.’ [“The Brigade”] and French expertise in procedural series, such as ‘Deadly Tropics’ and ‘Astrid: Murder in Paris’” are behind the international success of French dramatic fiction”, the CNC and Unifrance stated.

Documentaries likewise “continued their excellent international sales momentum,” per the report, reaching €47.2 million ($51.9 million), down just 3% compared to the previous record year. Programs echoing current events and hybrid works combining several genres, such as science and history, performed particularly well last year, among them “Hunting the Russian Oligarchs,” “The Sunken Secrets of Iznik’s Basilica” and “Cobalt Rush: The Future of Going Green.”

Animation saw a much tougher environment, with sales falling 11.2% to €51.2 million ($56.3 million). While high-profile French toons continued to air around the world, “the genre suffered from the rationalization of buyers’ investments,” the report noted. A 69.7% drop in North America to €4.3 million ($4.7 million) and a 6.6% drop in worldwide rights to €12.9 million ($14.2 million) in particular propelled the plunge. Animation, however, remained France’s No. 2 export genre with a 25.2% market share.

Regionally, sales rebounded in Western Europe, historically the leading market for French works, where it accounted for a 46.8% of worldwide revenue, up 6.1 points year on year, and sales of €95.1 million ($104.6 million). North America came in second with €22.3 million ($24.5 million) and a market share of 10.9%, followed by Asia/Oceania at €14 million ($15.4 million, a 6.9% market share). Acquisitions from Central and Eastern Europe amounted to €13.1 million ($14.4 million) and a share of 6.9%.

With sales of €17.1 million ($18.8 million), Belgium became the leading buyer of French shows, mainly dramatic fiction. The U.K. and Ireland followed with combined sales of €12.9 million ($14.2 million), ahead of Germany and Austria with €12.1 million ($13.4 million).

The U.S., the leading country in 2022, dropped to fifth place among buyers of French programs in 2023, at €9.5 million ($10.5 million) , down from €19.2 million ($21.1 million).

After reaching a record high in 2022, world rights sales fell 20.1% to €46.3 million ($50.9 million), returning to a level close to that of 2021.

At €105.8 million ($116.4 million), foreign pre-financing was stable compared to 2022. Co-production contributions rose 34.5% to €73.2 million ($80.5 million), while foreign pre-sales fell 35.6% to €32.6 million ($35.9 million), impacting all genres. The opening of the automatic support fund to delegated production works intended for global SVOD services last year may have affected pre-sale figures, the reported stated.

Co-production investment rose by 54% to €36.3 million ($40.0 million) in animation and by 50.8% to €20.2 million ($22.2 million) in dramatic fiction but was down 8.4% to €14.3 ($15.7 million) for documentaries. Western Europe remained by far the leading co-production partner, accounting for 84.3% of total contributions.

Looking forward, Raphaëlle Mathieu, co-head of SEDPA, the French association of TV distribution companies, said Asia could offer greater opportunities. While she noted that “we are currently and probably in one of the biggest crises of the industry, and this is tricky,” Mathieu sounded optimistic about prospects in the East.

“I believe that the rise of Asia, whether Japan, Korea, Indonesia, the Philippines, China, is something that is growing, is something that we should work on.” Regardless of the genres in which they specialiize, documentary, fiction or animation, French companies should be looking to Asia, she added. “I think this is probably the global area where the perspective — if we work hard enough — could be interesting in a few months and years.”

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Source link : https://finance.yahoo.com/news/french-tv-productions-maintain-high-180752635.html

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Publish date : 2024-09-03 03:06:00

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