Last week, we talked about Apple’s first French original production here — the spy drama “liaison”, starring Eva Green (“penny Dreadful”) I Vincent Cassel (“beauty and the Beast”Now, it looks like Apple will need to invest even more in movies and series produced in the country.
According to Variety, o French government recently passed a decree that would force foreign streaming companies to invest 20% e 25% of its revenue generated in the country in local production. This, of course, goes for Apple TV+ and all of its competitors are operating in French territory, such as Netflix, o amazon prime video this is Disney+.
The agreement also includes the acquisition of the rights to screen French films by the streaming platform. Companies that choose to dedicate 25% of their annual revenue to France will be entitled to access to films produced in the country for 12 months after their theatrical release; Meanwhile, those who choose to dedicate 20% of their revenue will have access to films with releases exceeding 12 months.
This news is significant because, currently, streaming services can only acquire the rights to French films 36 months after their release in theaters. And France’s focus is actually on film production: 80% of the total amount invested by platforms can be devoted to audiovisual productions in general, while 20% can be invested exclusively in theaters released. will need to do.
It is true that these access windows can still be changed if the government does not strike a deal with companies and distributors. For example, Netflix announced its intention to invest 20% of its local revenue and had access to movies released less than a year ago; French TV networks, on the other hand, believe the shortage could favor streaming platforms and put local broadcasters in a vulnerable position.
The fact that Apple is starting to enter an area is being discussed – France is the first country to pass such regulation for streaming platforms, but the UK has already expressed similar interest. And other countries are also discussing. Subject. Let’s see where it leads.
Via PCMag
