French TV international programming sales last yr remained high despite worsening market conditions, slipping just 5.3% yr on yr to €203.4 million ($224.7 million), in response to the annual report on audiovisual exports by France’s National Center of Cinema (CNC) and film and TV promotional org Unifrance.
Indeed, 2023 marked just the third time in 30 years that sales exceeded the €200 million mark, following 2017 with €205.2 million ($225.7 million) and 2022, a record yr with €214.8 million ($236.3 million).
Presenting the newest figures on the Unifrance Rendez-Vous TV market in Le Havre, the CNC’s Cécile Lacoue and Sarah Hemar of Unifrance noted that the export performance of French programs has held up well in a difficult international environment characterised by lower acquisition budgets and a contraction of the North American market specifically, less risk-taking on the a part of buyers, and longer negotiations between partners.
Commenting on the figures, Unifrance President Gilles Pélisson stressed the €200 million mark in total sales was an enormous accomplishment “in a really difficult environment.”
“We must always all remember that this figure is critical and represents thoroughly how complicated it’s to fight in such a highly concentrated market. … It means you’re coping with just a few players that are very big, they usually’re getting greater and greater. What it means is that it’s a really highly competitive market and so to sell is just a serious, major achievement.”
Total exports of French programs, including sales, pre-sales and co-production contributions, fell 3.3% in comparison with 2022 to €309.2 million ($340.1 million), consistent with the minus 1.7% average of the last 10 years.
The report attributed the strong performance of French program exports to “the standard and variety of audiovisual works in all genres, which proceed to appeal to the international market. France is the second best-represented European nation in international VOD and in foreign TV channels’ programs.”
Indeed, sales of French programs to foreign platforms continued to be a serious income despite dropping 11.8 percentage points to 31.3%. Linear channels remained the principal buyers for French shows, with TV rights (including all-media rights) accounting for 54.2% of all program sales in 2023, up on 2022 (49.1%).
Scripted drama maintained its high level, raking in €74.5 million ($82.0 million), down 7.7% year-on-year but nevertheless its second-best yr and well above the €54.9 million average of the past 10 years. Accounting for 36.6% of total sales, it remained the leading export genre for the second yr running.
Courtesy of TF1
“[A]mbitious, revolutionary series with strong mental properties, similar to ‘HPI,’ ‘Marie Antoinette,’ ‘Bardot’ and ‘B.R.I.’ [“The Brigade”] and French expertise in procedural series, similar to ‘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% in comparison with the previous record yr. Programs echoing current events and hybrid works combining several genres, similar to science and history, performed particularly well last yr, amongst them “Hunting the Russian Oligarchs,” “The Sunken Secrets of Iznik’s Basilica” and “Cobalt Rush: The Way forward for 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 world wide, “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) specifically propelled the plunge. Animation, nevertheless, remained France’s No. 2 export genre with a 25.2% market share.
Regionally, sales rebounded in Western Europe, historically the leading marketplace for French works, where it accounted for a 46.8% of worldwide revenue, up 6.1 points yr on yr, and sales of €95.1 million ($104.6 million). North America got here 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 amongst 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 near that of 2021.
At €105.8 million ($116.4 million), foreign pre-financing was stable in comparison with 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 automated support fund to delegated production works intended for global SVOD services last yr could 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 firms, said Asia could offer greater opportunities. While she noted that “we’re currently and possibly in one among the most important crises of the industry, and this is difficult,” Mathieu sounded optimistic about prospects within the East.
“I imagine that the rise of Asia, whether Japan, Korea, Indonesia, the Philippines, China, is something that’s growing, is something that we must always work on.” Whatever the genres by which they specialiize, documentary, fiction or animation, French firms must be trying to Asia, she added. “I believe this might be the worldwide area where the attitude — if we work hard enough — might be interesting in just a few months and years.”
