Four Key Trends in European Series Production Identified at Series Mania: ‘Streaming Is Changing the Topography of Production in Europe’
20.03.2024 - 06:25
/ variety.com
Leo Barraclough International Features Editor A panel moderated by the European Audiovisual Observatory at Series Mania Tuesday looked at four key trends in series production in Europe. Warning Signs?
Gilles Fontaine, EAO’s head of department for market information, said there were warning signs of a downward trend in the number of seasons being produced, first in the U.S.
and now, possibly, in Europe. According to figures from FX Content Research, after steady growth in the number of seasons in the U.S.
since 2015, when it stood at 422 seasons, to 2022, when it peaked at 600, last year the number slumped to 516. Fontaine asked: Was it a short-term impact of the strikes or the start of a longer downturn? In European, meanwhile, the number of seasons grew from 426 in 2015 to 873 in 2022, according to EAO figures.
Pandora Gagnon Da Cunha Teles, a producer from Ukbar Filmes in Portugal, who is vice-president of the European Producers Club, said the picture was mixed and some signs were contradictory. Although in some countries, like Poland, Germany and the Nordic countries, there were signs of a contraction, in others, such as France and Portugal, and other countries that have implemented the EU’s Audiovisual Media Services Directive, which obliges investment by the streamers in local production, there are signs of an opposite trend with a boosting in production levels.