Foreign circulation of series and films for TV and VOD
Total title and hour volume of italian tv and vod series and films that circulated in foreign markets
(Units)
Source: eMedia for APA
Between 2017 and 2021[1], the number of produced titles and hours that circulated abroad have increased considerably.
The growth is due both to the production/distribution of titles for/on global platforms and to a greater ability of these TV titles to find distribution opportunities on international markets.
TV and VOD titles that circulated in foreign markets
(Units)
Source: eMedia for APA
Between 2017 and 2021, the number of titles produced for TV with foreign circulation went from 15 to 24.
Half (24 out of 48) of the total Italian original titles (series and fictional films) circulating abroad are produced for/by global VOD operators. The titles that haven’t circulated abroad are titles produced for the domestic VOD platforms.
Estimate of the overall aggregate economic value generated by foreign circulation of series and films produced for TV and VOD
(€ mln)
Fonte: eMedia per APA
The aggregate value generated by the foreign circulation of Italian titles (series and films produced for TV and VOD) depicted below is the sum of several factors: the investments of foreign operators in co-productions or co-participations, distributors pre-purchase of rights or «Guaranteed minimum»; the sale of rights for distribution on foreign markets. As discussed in the following tables, an additional factor lies in the investments of global VOD operators within the production of original titles that circulate on foreign markets through those same platforms.
This aggregate value constitutes the economic value generated by the foreign circulation of original Italian titles and can be considered the “export value” of domestic titles (TV and VOD series and films). For 2021, it is estimated at approximately € 94 – 100 million with an increase of 169% or 186% compared to 2017.
Valore aggregato derivante dalla circolazione estera di serie e film prodotti per la TV
(€ milioni)
Fonte: eMedia per APA
Based on the data provided by producers and distributors and on the estimates relating to the foreign circulation of those titles lacking precise data, the 2021 aggregate value of foreign circulation of domestic titles (TV and VOD series and films) is estimated € 82 million, a strong increase compared to previous years.
It should be noted that this is an estimate that may be subject to revision in case precise data should be retrieved for all titles produced/distributed. Furthermore, many titles produced in 2021 will have foreign circulation in the months following the closure of this research.
The role of global VOD platforms in the foreign circulation of domestic titles
(€ mln)
Fonte: eMedia per APA
The growing weight of SVOD platforms on the series and fiction market raises the problem of estimating the value generated by the foreign “circulation” or exploitation of Italian titles. Actually, this value is fully incorporated in the production investments made by GVPs which are considered also full-fledged investments for the acquisition of foreign rights (multi-territorial or “global rights”) of the titles produced.
Non è stato possibile nel corso della presente ricerca definire questo valore la cui misura non risulta determinabile During this research, however, this value was not determined, as it cannot even be assessed by the producers themselves. Most likely, this value can be between 10 and 15% an average of the total production cost of a title, which is approximately that of productions made for TV with a focus on foreign circulation, considering, moreover, that in the best of cases these productions do not reach global diffusion on 200 markets-territories. Thus, the below value is entirely indicative, and it has been displayed mainly to underline the fact that it cannot be equal to zero.