French Exports Slip 5 Percent

The sale of audiovisual programs from France hit €203.4 million ($224.5 million) in 2023, a 5.3 percent reduction on 2022, according to a new report from the CNC and Unifrance released at the 30th Unifrance Rendez-Vous.

While exports slipped, they remained above the €200 million ($221 million) threshold amid a landscape of reduced acquisition budgets and the contraction of streamer needs in the U.S. That high was previously hit in 2017 and then again with the €214.8 million ($237.2 million) peak in 2022.

Across sales, presales and co-pros, revenues hit €309.2 million ($341.5 million), a 3.3 percent reduction in 2022 and down just 1.7 percent on the ten-year average.

Sales to international platforms accounted for 31.3 percent of export revenues last year, down from 43.1 percent in 2022. Linear TV channels remained the biggest buyers, with TV rights accounting for 54.2 percent of all sales, up from 49.1. percent in 2022.

Drama sales hit €74.5 million ($82.3 million), 7.7 percent down on 2022 and accounting for 36.6 percent of all exports. Documentaries brought in €47.2 million ($52.1 million), a 3 percent reduction. Animation took the biggest hit, falling 11.2 percent to €51.2 million ($56.5 million), led by a 70 percent plunge in the U.S. and a 6.6 percent drop in worldwide rights. Animation still remains France’s second-biggest export after drama, with a 25.2 percent market share.

Western Europe remains the biggest region for French fare, accounting for almost 47 percent of global revenues at €95.1 million ($105 million). North America had a 10.9 percent share at €22.3 million ($24.6 million), with Asia/Oceania at €14 million ($15.5 million), a 6.9 percent share, and CEE at €13.1 million ($14.5 million). By market, meanwhile, Belgium is the biggest buyer of French audiovisual exports, followed by the U.K./Ireland, Germany/Austria and the U.S.

Worldwide rights deals brought in €46.3 million ($51.1 million), a 20.1 percent fall on 2022, with drama accounting for 29.6 percent and animation 27.9 percent. International pre-financing, meanwhile, was stable, with co-pro contributions soaring by almost 35 percent to €73.2 million ($80.8 million), while presales dropped by 35.6 percent to €32.6 million ($36 million). Presales were down almost 70 percent in drama, 5.4 percent in animation and 36.4 percent in docs. Almost 60 percent of presales were animation. Co-production investment rose by 54 percent to €36.3 million ($40.1 million) in animation and by 50.8 percent in drama to €20.2 million ($22.3 million), but fell 8.4 percent in docs to €14.3 million ($15.8 million).