With a lack of live sport, the lockdown weighed on incumbent pay-TV platforms’ subscriptions. SVOD providers leveraged their cheap positioning—Netflix and Amazon Prime Video now rank above other subscription services in Europe, and Disney+ had a successful launch

• Incumbents—Sky, Canal+, Movistar+—all pursue a twin-track strategy. They are positioning themselves as gatekeepers thanks to service bundles, while redirecting resources away from sports towards original series
• European productions are increasingly garnering audiences outside of their home markets, regardless of the production language. Netflix is a major conduit for European exports, due to personalisation of the interface and high-quality dubbing

Contents

State of the subscription markets

Continental trends

SVOD now ahead of pay-TV

Netflix, Amazon and Disney leverage lockdown demand

Bundles and gatekeepers

Pricing: football packages unaffected by SVOD

Next auction set in Italy, then the UK

Scripted content

Demand for originals driving production

Travelling originals

Competing financing models

European production gearing up

Emerging European studios

Banijay/Endemol deal creates a new cross-border giant

Territory reviews

France: Eyes set on new entrant Téléfoot

France: Bundling delivers

Italy: Sky now competing head on with telco bundles

Italy: Serie A explores all options for 2021 and beyond

Germany: Sky reviews priorities

Germany: A fragmented SVOD offering

Spain: Telefónica reigns but Vodafone’s pivot vindicated

Spain: Originals with global ambitions

Scandinavia: Accelerated digital transition

 

List of charts/tables

Figure 1: Subscribers in top five European markets and YoY growth, latest available data (millions)

Figure 2: Estimated Netflix Subscribers (millions)

Figure 3: Estimated Amazon Prime Video subscriptions, top five European Markets (millions)

Figure 4: SVOD distribution deals with pay-TV platforms

Figure 5: Cheapest Packages, September 2020 (€/month)

Figure 6: Cost of access to all domestic and Champions League TV fixtures, September 2020 (€/month for first year)

Figure 7: Broadcast rights for top-tier domestic football and UEFA Champions League

Figure 8: Spending on ‘high-end’ TV and video production, UK (£m)

Figure 9: Growth in hourly cost of scripted content, France, 2010-19

Figure 10: UK TV content exports (YoY growth in %, total in £m)

Figure 11: Broadcaster-producer models

Figure 12: Volume of fiction titles produced in Europe by format 2015-2018, in units

Figure 13: Spain: Broadcasters’ spending on original scripted content (€m)

Figure 14: Recent production M&A deals

Figure 15: Major European studios by revenue, FY 2019 (€m)

Figure 16: Ligue 1 domestic rights (€m)

Figure 17: Téléfoot’s economics

Figure 18: Subscriptions to pay-TV and SVOD (millions)

Figure 19: Canal+ quarterly revenue growth, French TV

Figure 20: Subscribers to platforms and services (millions)

Figure 21: Sky Italia revenues, FY ending June (€m)

Figure 22: Subscribers to platforms and services (millions)

Figure 23: Sky 2020 prices for new subscribers in Germany and Austria (€/month, 12-month contract)

Figure 24: RTL’s online subscribers (millions)

Figure 25: Subscribers by operator (millions)

Figure 26: Pay-TV revenues by operator (€m)

Figure 27: Spanish broadcasters’ spending on original scripted content (€m)

Figure 28: Share of Swedish population subscribing to SVOD (%)