Subscription-Based VOD Nearly Doubles in France

Bolstered by Netflix, subscription-based VOD in France hit €173 million ($205 million) during the first nine months of 2017, nearly double that of the same period in 2016, while video-on-demand sales overall skyrocketed to €350 million ($415 million), a nearly 37% year-on-year increase, according to a new report.

The report by GfK Consumer Choices and NPA Conseil, released by France’s National Film Board (CNC), anticipates that VOD sales will reach more than €500 million for all of 2017, up by a third from 2016.

On the strength of market leader Netflix, subscription-based streaming hit €173 million from January to September, a 98.3% increase. Netflix beefed up its library by 46% to 2,905 titles as of September, a catalog that includes “Stranger Things” (pictured). By comparison, Amazon Prime Video, which launched at the start of the year, has only 558 titles in France. In terms of volume, Altice’s SFR Play, Canal Plus Group’s Canal Play and Wild Bunch’s Filmo TV rank second, third and fourth, respectively.

For the first time, revenues from subscription-based VOD accounted for more than half of all VOD sales and rentals in France in 2017, said the CNC. There are 16,000 movies available on VOD in France, according to the GfK report.

Pay-per-view sales also increased by 5% to €177 million, while VOD rentals reached €123 million.

Film sales accounted for €88.4 million euros in 2017 through September, followed by TV programs, which generated €6.2 million. Series represented 74% of all TV program sales, compared with 70% during the first nine months of 2016.

U.S. movies dominated VOD sales with €48.7 million, a 10% year-on-year increase. Homegrown French movies ranked second with €30.6 million, a 7.7% increase. Movies from other nations dropped by 10.4% to €9.2 million.

“There are no more boundaries between an old world, where only films and TV existed, and a new world driven by Internet and digital consumption. We must take into account all the aspects of the digital revolution and the evolution of users’ consumption habits,” CNC President Frederique Bredin said.

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