Europe’s audiovisual sector will generate approximately €142 billion ($164.7 billion) in revenue in 2024, with consumer spending the main driver of growth, with over 50% (€72 billion) of this coming through streaming subscriptions, pay TV, movie tickets and home video.
The European Audiovisual Observatory on Wednesday released the latest data for the film and television sector in its new Key Trends 2026 report, providing a snapshot of how Europe’s audiovisual sector is evolving, from creative workforce and production trends to changing viewing habits, market dynamics and global competition.
The 11th edition of the Key Trends Report specifically examines developments in advertising, paid services, broadcasting and production.
Key takeaways include: European film production hit a record high in 2024, with 2,523 feature films produced in 36 markets, confirming the strong recovery and continued growth since the pandemic. According to the report, this increase was driven by both fiction and documentary productions, while production budgets also continued to increase in most regions of Europe.
In the area of SVOD and TV, the European Audiovisual Observatory found that European viewers spend most of their streaming time watching series rather than movies (78% vs. 22%). This highlights how episodic storytelling has become the dominant form in the streaming economy.
The report also notes that while “SVOD services have become an integral part of Europe’s audiovisual landscape, accounting for around 60% of all paid service subscribers in 2024, compared to 40% for pay TV” and are the only growth segment, they now appear to be nearing maturity. “The SVOD market is being driven more by price increases and the launch of ad-supported tiers than by subscriber base growth,” it added.
Another key takeaway is that streaming services are investing more in European content. Global streaming platforms increased the share of spending on European original programming from 8% in 2020 to 24% in 2024, reflecting both regulatory incentives and increased demand for local content across global markets.
Of all scripted films and series produced in Europe between 2015 and 2023, 14% were adaptations, which equates to 1,524 film and TV series adaptations. On average, more than 160 titles and more than 1,400 hours of audiovisual fiction adaptations are produced in Europe each year.
Looking at European TV and SVOD fiction, the majority (88%) are based on original European works, with more than half coming from the UK (23%), Germany (17%), France (10%), and Spain (7%). Only one in ten (12%) of European audiovisual fiction adaptations is based on a non-European work, of which 6% originates in the United States.
Even more alarming, the European Audiovisual Observatory found that despite a thriving domestic industry, European players account for only 12% of international entertainment sector revenues, far behind the United States, which dominates the global market.
Meanwhile, major global platforms such as Netflix, YouTube, and Meta are among the major audiovisual players currently operating in Europe.
