In 2024, Europe’s audiovisual industry achieved revenues of approximately €142 billion ($164.7 billion), primarily fueled by consumer spending. Over 50% (€72 billion) of this revenue came from streaming subscriptions, pay-TV, cinema tickets, and home video, establishing consumer spending as the key growth driver.
The European Audiovisual Observatory unveiled its latest insights from the film and TV industry in the newly released Key Trends 2026 report, providing a comprehensive view of the sector’s evolution. This includes aspects such as the creative workforce, production trends, changing viewing habits, market dynamics, and international competition.
The 11th edition of the Key Trends report delves into changes in advertising, pay services, broadcasting, and production.
Notably, European film production reached an unprecedented level in 2024, with 2,523 feature films produced across 36 markets. This growth marks a strong recovery and continued expansion since the pandemic, driven by both fiction and documentary films. Production budgets have also seen an upward trend across much of Europe, the report indicates.
Regarding SVOD and television, the European Audiovisual Observatory found that European audiences dedicate most of their streaming time to series rather than films, with a 78% preference for episodic content over 22% for films. This highlights the dominance of series storytelling in the streaming market.
The report further observes that while SVOD services constitute a crucial part of the European audiovisual landscape—making up about 60% of all pay-service subscriptions in 2024, compared to 40% for pay TV—this segment seems to be nearing maturity. The growth in the SVOD market is attributed more to tariff hikes and the introduction of ad-supported tiers than to an expanding subscriber base, the report notes.
Another important finding is that streaming services are increasingly investing in European content. Global streaming platforms boosted their spending on original European programming from 8% in 2020 to 24% in 2024. This reflects both regulatory incentives and a heightened demand for local content globally.
Between 2015 and 2023, 14% of Europe’s scripted films and series were adaptations, amounting to 1,524 adaptations. On average, Europe produces over 160 titles and more than 1,400 hours of audiovisual fiction adaptations annually.
When looking at European TV and SVOD fiction adaptations, a significant 88% are based on original European works. The majority of these adaptations originate from the U.K. (23%), Germany (17%), France (10%), and Spain (7%). Only 12% of European audiovisual fiction adaptations are based on non-European works, with 6% originating from the U.S.
However, the European Audiovisual Observatory found that despite a thriving domestic industry, European entities account for only 12% of international entertainment sector revenue. In contrast, the U.S. maintains a dominant position in the global market.
Major international platforms such as Netflix, YouTube, and Meta have emerged as leading audiovisual players within Europe.
