'Hyper-distribution' can be scary, but it is leading to real advantages and increasing the international reach of shows on a wide range of channels and platforms, Pélisson notes The French audiovisual sector is gearing up for the Unifrance Rendez-Vous in Le Havre, not only France’s premiere TV programming market but also an industry confab offering a clear assessment of how business trends and global developments are reshaping the domestic playing field, from evolving distribution models to programming increasingly tailored for export. Speaking to Variety ahead of the event, which runs Sept. 7-10 in Normandy’s famed port city, Unifrance President Gilles Pélisson discusses the pressing issues facing French distributors and producers and the continuing strength of local content on the international market. The changing landscape for French TV distribution in the wake of increasing consolidation and streaming dominance is one major topic du jour that is affecting industries across Europe.
We worked with our distributors in June to preview their expectations, and the message is clear: French production keeps offering exceptional diversity, with relevant content for every kind of buyer.” The changing distribution landscape has, in the face of streaming dominance, seen the rise of “hyper-distribution.” Discussing the strategy at last year’s Mipcom, Glance, the TV and video market intelligence division of French audience measurement company Médiamétrie, stated: “[T]he need to distribute content everywhere while collaborating with rivals often creates a winning strategy.” Pélisson agrees: “Hyper-distribution can be scary, yet it’s showing some true benefits. It can clearly expand reach: A hit like ‘Miraculous’ can be present simultaneously on a wide range of channels and platforms across many countries, more than what was possible or even thinkable a decade ago. But simple presence does not guarantee to be seen.” Indeed, when the same content is available everywhere simultaneously, “it can disappear into the catalogue just as easily as it can stand out,” Pélisson emphasizes.
Animation remains our flagship in terms of sheer volume on foreign linear channels, carried by evergreen franchises like ‘Miraculous’ and ‘Grizzy & the Lemmings.’” The story is different on streaming, however, where fiction leads the way and, in value terms, drama has become France’s leading export genre over the last two years. Documentary, meanwhile, remains “a strong, steady genre, with real festival and platform presence.” Looking at emerging markets, Pélisson points out that “it is more about volume than value: buyers are very price-sensitive and increasingly digital-driven, so animation and formats do well there.” Overall, animation leads the way in global sales, “with ‘Miraculous’ enjoying by far the widest international footprint of any French title, alongside strong travelers like ‘Grizzy & the Lemmings’ and the ‘Totally Spies!’ revival.” On the fiction side, Pélisson notes that older titles are still doing well abroad: Federation’s hit espionage thriller “The Bureau” has continued its remarkable international journey, while series like Studio TF1’s profiler crime drama “Profilage” (“The Paris Murders”) and Film & Pictures’ mystery miniseries “Un Soupçon” (“The Black Widow”) have found substantial audiences on major channels and platforms across Europe. Among documentary shows that have reached strong global audiences on streaming are Balanga’s “Miyazaki: The Spirit of Nature,” about Oscar-winning animator and filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki, and Netflix’s “Tour de France.” Despite an increasingly challenging environment, animation remains France’s top audiovisual export due to a number key factors, Pélisson says.
First, streamers — and French broadcasters too — are ordering fewer new projects and fewer new IPs.
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