The distribution of TV shows in France is shifting as SVOD service Lionsgate+ and SALTO close down and new services from Paramount and Warner emerge in the market.
Show Tracker reveals that the number of show premieres has increased in the last year with Paramount releasing almost three times the number of shows in 2022 as a result of the launch of their studio SVOD service (now home to Showtime).
In addition to being available directly to customers via the app, Paramount+ has also partnered with Canal+ for it to be available with the French streamers Cine Séries package along with nine ViacomCBS networks E.g, Nickelodeon, Paramount Channel, Comedy Central) on the Pay TV provider.
The biggest buyer of Warner shows in France was OCS (now owned by Canal+) duly in part to its exclusive volume deal with Warner for HBO content which expired at the end of last year. WarnerTV is also no longer available on Canal+ due to the two parties failing to come to an agreement, possibly in part to Warner’s plan to launch its own SVOD service in 2024.
Content from HBO and 12 Warner channels (E.g, Discovery, WarnerTV, CNN) are now available on the “Warner Pass” through Amazon Prime with new series and seasons going to the service as first windows, including a some HBO Max content. In celebration of its launch, the HBO series The Last of Us was made available on Amazon Prime for free to all subscribers.
Lionsgate+ and French SVOD service, SALTO, have closed down in France due to a strategic cost-cutting move and the failed planned merger between TF1 and M6, respectively. However, the closure of Lionsgate+ and SALTO brings an opportunity for second-window buyers to acquire shows previously on the service.
Ongoing shows such as Chucky also allow buyers to acquire first window rights for subsequent seasons of a well-known series.
With platforms entering and exiting the market, French services are given both the challenge to acquire new sources of content as studio SVODs enter the market as well as an opportunity to buy reliable content at a cheaper price with the closure of existing services.
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