Exports of French TV programs reach record high in 2020 despite health crisis

The study shows a strong increase in exports of TV programs (international sales and foreign pre financing) over one year (9%), which represents a financial flow in 2020 of €354.8 million, its  highest level for the past 25 years.

'Despite the health crisis, 2020 was a very good year for exports of fiction, documentaries and  animation programs, which shows the capacity of our professionals to respond to international  demand. We must capitalize on this success, pursue our quest to dominate the international  markets, and maintain our advantage. The new UniFrance, which we have just created, will help us  take the ambition of our professionals further and around the world', said Dominique Boutonnat,  President of the CNC.

'The health crisis that rocked the international TV market in 2020 created issues with obtaining new  programs, extended decision-making times, and caused uncertainty among broadcasters, but it also  created opportunities for sellers', added Hervé Michel, Vice-President of UniFrance. 'An increase  in consumption of content during the lockdowns, the greater need for TV programs, the reinforced  role of platforms and also our members’ extraordinary capacity to adapt to this challenging context,  enabled them to extend even further the impact of French TV creation throughout the world'.

High sales figures

• Despite the crisis, international sales of French TV programs are stable compared to  2019 and remain high at €196.9 million (+0.7 %).

• French animation is still the number one genre sold abroad at €74.7 million. Over10years, sales have doubled (+110 %). With its enormous diversity and strong brands that are recognized worldwide (Molang, Simon, Ladybug, Oggy and the cockroaches), animation represents 38% of  sales in all genres; its top buyers being Germany and the USA.

• Over 10 years, sales of fiction, the second biggest genre for export, have  increased by 135%. Very slightly up on 2019 (+1.5 %), sales reached €47.1 million in 2020, particularly with series such as The Art of Crime (L’Art du crime), Call my Agent!  (Dix pour cent) and The Bureau (Le Bureau des Légendes).

• The documentary genre - Megapolis, Trees: A global superpower (Le Génie des  arbres), The Deep Med (Planète Méditerranée), set a new record in 2020 with sales of  €46 million, up 4.5 % on 2019. French know-how, particularly respected in history,  science, exploration and investigation, has pushed sales up 70% in the last 10 years.

• Worldwide rights sales remain high (€41.2 million, 20.9% of total exports), due to the  role played by international platforms. This increase is particularly high in animation  (+24.1% compared to 2019) and documentary (+30.1% compared to 2019).

• France among the top nations in subscription video on demand (SVOD)  With 746 programs available on at least one SVOD platform, France is the second most present  European country on SVOD platforms internationally, behind the UK. It is the sixth nation  worldwide.

• French programs in excellent shape on international order books In terms of number of programs ordered over the last 12 months**, France is number three in  Europe for fiction, and world number three for animation and documentaries.