Increase in domestic films on VoD
According to the latest statistics compiled by the Observatory for Video on Demand (VoD) and released by the CNC, French features represent 44.5% of an estimated total of 2,466 films available by the end of 2007 on the seven main platforms (CanalPlay, Orange, TF Vision, France Télévisions, Arte, Virgin Mega and Club Internet).
Having increased by 88.1% since November 2006, films available on VoD included 127 recent releases (films distributed in theatres less than 12 months ago) last December.
Moreover, the transition of features from the big screen to VoD is advancing rapidly: 40.7% of features released in theatres between July 2006 and the end of June 2007 were available on VoD by March 10, 2008, whereas only 31.7% of titles released in 2006 were accessible on VoD at the start of August 2007. And French films are contributing to this trend in a major way, with 45.4% and 33.2% respectively.
The level of consumption per user (for all genres taken together) rose last December to 4.1 paid transactions per month and per subscriber for VoD on IPTV, compared to 2.9 in June 2007. This represents a significant increase even if VoD use remains low.
The National Centre for Cinematography (CNC) has also published a study on The Economics of VoD in France which can be downloaded on their website.
Among the different issues analysed, of particular significance is the continuing friction between legal rights holders, platform editors (whose ambition it is to become Internet distributors themselves) and distributors (who now encompass the role of editors); and the dynamic of concentration underway for the control of distribution channels through ADSL.
(Translated from French)
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