Cecile Lacoue (CBC), Sarah Hemar (Unifrance) and Emmanuelle Jouanole (Terranoa)
As part of the 31st edition of the Unifrance Rendez-Vous in Le Havre, the Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée (CNC) and Unifrance have presented their annual report on the export of French audiovisual programs, showing that in 2024, sales of French audiovisual programs exceeded the €200 million threshold for the fourth time in 30 years, reaching €209.6 million, a slight increase of 3.0% over one year (previously in 2017 with €205.2 million, in 2022, with €214.8 million, and in 2023, with €203.4 million).
French audiovisual programs continued to export well despite an increasingly tense international economic climate: restructuring of companies in the sector and job cuts; decline in commissions and acquisitions of programs worldwide, particularly in the North American market; less risk-taking on the part of buyers and longer negotiations between partners; the growing importance of strong, well-known IPs, making sales more difficult for small exporters.
The total export value of French audiovisual programs, including sales, pre-sales, and co-production contributions, reached a record high in 2024, settling at €401.2 million (+29.7% compared to 2023) thanks to a strong rebound in foreign pre-financing. This trend, visible across all genres, was driven both by co-production contributions, which grew to €116.2 million (+58.7% compared to 2023), and by foreign pre-sales, which reached €75.4 million (+131.2% compared to 2023).
The strong performance of French program exports reflects the dynamism, diversity, and quality of French production across all genres. France remains the second most represented European nation internationally in subscription video on demand and in the programming of foreign TV channels. Revenues from the exhibition of French programs on platforms abroad have become an increasingly important source of income: 40.9% of export revenues in 2024 (11.2% in 2015). Linear broadcasters (television channels) nevertheless remained the leading buyers of French audiovisual programs: TV rights (including 360 rights) accounted for 52.7% of total program sales in 2024 (11.1% in 2015).
FICTION AND DOCUMENTARIES AT HIGH LEVELS
The success of French fiction exports continued in 2024 with €75.2 million in sales, making it the second-best year after 2022 (+0.9% compared to 2023). It consolidated its status as the leading export genre for the third consecutive year, accounting for 35.9% of total sales. In 2024, French fiction was largely driven by “light crime” series (light-hearted procedural dramas) such as "Deadly Tropics" or "Bright Minds", as well as event series such as "Cat's Eyes" or "The Trigger."
Documentaries performed well in terms of exports, with sales of €44.3 million in 2024, down from 2023 (-6.2%) but above the decade average (€40.5 million). While European TV broadcasters remained the main buyers of French documentaries, the year saw a decline in the number of linear slots dedicated to documentaries and a growing focus on local topics. The diversity and quality of French documentaries remained internationally recognized, particularly in the fields of history, science (with, for example, the series "Supernature"), exploration, sports, and society (with "Broken Kids", "The Untold Story of Young Athletes"), and other programs on current affairs.
Animation sales were down again, achieving €46.1 million in 2024 (-9.9% compared to 2023). While highly popular French animation programs such as "Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir", "Mystery Lane", "Grizzy and the Lemmings", and "Molang", continued to circulate around the world, the genre suffered from buyers' reluctance to take risks on new projects and from the rationalization of investments. This situation was mainly due to a drop in sales in North America (-36.8% year-on-year) to €2.7 million, the lowest level since 2008. However, animation remained the second most exported genre with a 22.0% market share, and it is worth noting the strong recovery in pre-sales in 2024 (+104.1%).
WESTERN EUROPE REMAINED THE LEADING MARKET FOR FRENCH WORKS
Western Europe remained by far the leading market for French audiovisual programs, with €90.5 million, representing 43.2% of global revenues (-3.6 points year-on-year). Central and Eastern Europe showed some momentum and became the second-largest market for program sales, with €16.6 million, or 7.9% market share (+1.5 points). North America ranked third with €16.5 million and a 7.9% market share, its lowest level ever. The Asia/Oceania region stood at €13.0 million and a 6.2% market share, its lowest level since 2008.
For the second consecutive year, Belgium remained the leading buyer of French audiovisual programs, with sales of €24.4 million, a sharp increase (+53.2% compared to 2023). The Germany/Austria zone was the second largest buyer of French programs, with €12.6 million, ahead of Italy with €12.5 million. The USA, which was the leading buyer in 2022, fell to sixth place in 2024 with €7.7 million (€19.2 million in 2022).
Multi-zone rights (including worldwide rights) rose, reaching €57.9 million (+25.1%), returning to the record level of 2022. Fiction was the leading genre, with 30.6% of multi-zone rights sales, followed by animation at 29% and documentaries at 13.3%. This growth was driven in particular by AVOD, with revenues doubling in one year to €16.6 million. It should be noted that while multi-zone revenues in SVOD grew, worldwide rights became scarcer in favour of more targeted acquisitions in a few territories.