Markets

At the 31the edition of Rendez-vous au Havre (September 1–5, Docks), Unifrance and the CNC (Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée)  Cécile Lacoue (CNC), Sarah Hemar (Unifrance) and Emmanuelle Jouanole (Terranoa) unveiled the annual study on the export of French audiovisual programs. The 2024 results show a resilient market holding above €200 million for the third consecutive year, with fiction remaining the top-selling genre, animation reinforcing France’s global cultural presence, and documentary exports holding steady despite heightened competition.

The CNC and Unifrance opened the presentation by highlighting the fragile context in which international sales are made. The sector faces a degraded economic environment marked by corporate restructuring, reduced commissioning, and the non-renewal of specialist acquisition roles — particularly in North America. Buyers are more cautious, taking fewer risks and applying longer decision-making processes. SVoD platforms, for example, are increasingly avoiding broad “all rights” deals, instead focusing on targeted acquisitions.

For French exporters, this means more marketing investment and effort is required to secure sales. Smaller exporters face additional challenges as buyers focus on established IP. Many companies are adopting volume strategies — relying on a greater number of smaller deals — to compensate for the disappearance of high-value contracts. AVoD (advertising-supported video-on-demand) is gaining importance as a complementary revenue stream.

The report’s methodology combines CNC and Unifrance surveys of audiovisual exporters, both members and non-members of Unifrance, with CNC data on pre-sales and co-productions of supported programs.

Genre Performance in 2024

Fiction remained the leading export genre, dominating sales in Western Europe and, for the second year in a row, North America. Flagship exports included Astrid & Raphaëlle (JLA Production, France tv distribution), Tropiques Criminels (Federation Studios), Cat’s Eyes (Big Band Story, Newen Connect), L’Éclipse (Carma Films, Étoile Rouge Productions, About Premium Content), La Fièvre (Léon Productions, Quad+ Ten, STUDIOCANAL), L’Art du Crime (Gaumont Télévision), and Tom et Lola (DEMD Productions, Mediawan).

Animation continued to be a major cultural ambassador for France, especially with young audiences worldwide. Hits included Molang (Millimages), Mystery Lane (Hari International), Miraculous: Les aventures de Ladybug et Chat Noir (Mediawan Kids & Family), Les Super-Pouvoirs du Vivant (Moonworks Productions, Dandelooo), and Les Trois Bricochons (Xilam Animation). Animation proved especially strong in Asia/Oceania.

Documentary exports reached €44.3 million in 2024, slightly down (-6.2% year-on-year) but above the decade average (€40.5 million between 2015 and 2024). Competition has intensified, as broadcasters favor local subjects and reduce documentary slots in linear schedules. The share of SVoD in multizone sales dropped to 11.1% (-6.7 points), while AVoD increased significantly (60.1%, +21.1 points compared to the 2021–2024 average). Over half of French documentary sales (54.5%) went to Western Europe. Standout titles included Futurs Champions, le prix de la gloire (Cinétévé), Supernature (TV Only), Enfants sous influence, surexposés au nom du like (Babel Doc, Together Media), Kate Winslet, résolument actrice (Une prod à soi, ARTE Distribution), and Le temple d'Hatchepsout, reine d'Égypte (INA).

Other genres — formats (games, variety shows) and music/live performance — retained smaller shares of the total but contribute to a diverse French export offer.

Geographical and Market Trends

Western Europe remains the largest export region, with Belgium as the single top buyer of French programs. North America’s share fell to a historic low, despite strong fiction performance. Asia/Oceania and Eastern Europe held steady, while Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa maintained smaller but consistent levels.

Multizone rights sales rebounded to €57.9 million, matching the record of 2022. This reflects a renewed appetite among global distributors for packages covering multiple territories.

Platform Evolution

The growing importance of AVoD is reshaping international strategies. It serves both as an additional outlet for new content and as a monetization tool for catalog titles. Alongside this, France continues to perform strongly in subscription streaming: it is now the second most represented European producer in international SVoD catalogs. French series circulate widely across Europe, Australia, and Canada, supported by partnerships with foreign broadcasters — particularly impactful in animation.

@photo Unifrance Jeremy Charbaut