The European Audiovisual Observatory (EAO) has published a new report titled “How Do European Films Perform on TV?”, offering fresh insights into the performance of both theatrical films and TV movies on European television. Based on 2023 data from 141 TV channels in 18 EU countries, the study reveals that film content accounts for an average of 13% of total TV viewing time across the European Union, with notable differences between countries.

(L'articolo continua qui sotto - Inf. pubblicitaria)

According to the report, EU films tend to outperform expectations in terms of audience share. Although they constitute 33% of all movies broadcast on television, they gain 41% of total film viewing time, highlighting their strong appeal to domestic audiences. This is even more pronounced in the case of national films, which dominate both the volume of broadcasts and their respective viewership figures. In contrast, non-national EU films are less successful, showing lower audience shares despite similar levels of availability.

The analysis also shows that UK films, while representing a modest 6% of broadcasts, perform slightly less strongly with a 5% share of viewing time. This figure spikes in countries such as Ireland, Finland and Sweden, likely due to cultural proximity (and linguistic proximity in Ireland’s case). When narrowing the focus to theatrical films alone, EU works account for just 26% of total film viewing time, suggesting a stronger presence of EU productions in the non-theatrical (primarily TV movie) segment. These made-for-TV or direct-to-TV films, particularly documentaries, tend to be more recent and are often backed by public broadcasters, especially in markets like France.

The genre breakdown confirms that fiction dominates the television landscape, accounting for over 90% of both broadcasts and viewership. However, EU documentary films show strong performance relative to their availability, while EU animation struggles, both underrepresented in the catalogue and underperforming in viewership.

Looking across individual markets, the share of EU films in total film viewing time varies widely, from 16% to 74%. Higher shares are typically found in countries with a strong tradition of broadcasting national films. Cross-border linguistic ties, such as between Austria and Germany or Belgium and France, also play a significant role in the success of non-national EU titles.

The report also compares TV performance with that of theatrical exhibition and SVoD platforms, noting a relatively lower visibility for EU films on TV. Notably, SVoD services tend to host a higher proportion of non-national EU content, thanks to pan-European catalogues, whereas national broadcasters remain more focused on domestic titles.

Primetime scheduling further influences film visibility. Although only 25% of film broadcasts occur in primetime, this slot accounts for 47% of total film viewing time. EU films are relatively more successful in this period, indicating strategic programming choices that maximise audience reach.

Finally, recent productions hold a substantial share of viewing time: films made in the past five years account for 32%, with newer documentaries standing out due to their broadcaster-driven production models.

As the report underlines, European films – particularly national ones – continue to hold a prominent place in TV programming, despite stiff competition from international content and changing consumption habits. Their consistent performance reaffirms the relevance of public support and strategic scheduling in promoting European audiovisual works on traditional media.

You can download the full report here.