Non-European players have taken a strong foothold in the European audiovisual market. In fact, one in five of the top 50 TV groups and more than a third of the top 50 groups for on-demand services has a non-European parent company, according to the European Audiovisual Observatory’s latest report.
The "Audiovisual media services in Europe -2023 edition" report algo highlights that US players represent the largest group of non-European parent companies of audiovisual services in Europe. Around one in five (18%) of all private TV channels (excluding local TV) are US-owned, and over one third of all SVOD (39%) and TVOD (33%) services in Europe belong to a US company.
US players lead in the field of kids TV and entertainment SVOD. In fact, around half of all children’s TV channels in Europe are US-owned (48%). Paramount's Nickelodeon brand, The Walt Disney Company's Disney Channel, AT&T's Cartoon Network and AMC Networks' JimJam are prominent examples. US players also dominate adult online entertainment with a 59% supply share of entertainment subscription video-on-demand services.
At the same time, players from the United States have by far the largest scope of operating markets across Europe. The Walt Disney Company, for example, has a virtual European omnipresence, operating in 44 European television markets.
● ONE IN FOUR AUDIOVISUAL MEDIA SERVICES IN EUROPE IS AN ON-DEMAND SERVICE
The European audiovisual media services sector has been shaped by the development of its unique national media ecosystems, the report says. This diversity is reflected in a sector boasting a total of 12.664 audiovisual media services which are available in wider Europe (December 2022). Around three quarters of these are linear services (9.349 TV channels) and one quarter are non-linear services (3.315 VOD services and video-sharing platforms).
The content of audiovisual services in Europe reveals significant differences between linear and non-linear services. While TV programming is largely defined by thematic fragmentation, on-demand services have a clear focus on film and TV fiction content.
With regards to ownership, the European TV market is divided into a public sector with mainly generalist programming available on DTT networks and a private sector which has expanded into thematic cable, IPTV, and satellite channels. Almost all on-demand services are privately owned (97%). Public service media have entered the market as well, mostly offering catch-up of their linear programming. One in five public on-demand services are paying services, for example the international version of the BBC iPlayer.
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