After removing Disney+ from Canal+’s cinema bouquet (from January 1, 2025), the American giant is attacking its former partner head-on. Disney should in fact quadruple its investments in French cinema, if we are to believe the information Echoes. The amount of financing would increase from 13 to 55 million euros per year. With these investments Disney could circumvent the limitations of the media timeline.
New situation for French cinema
Media chronology is a complex mechanism, unique in the world, which governs the release windows of films after their theatrical release. Through its investments, Disney aims to obtain a release window at nine, or even six months after the theatrical releasewhile she is currently at seventeen months. This offensive strategy is part of Disney CEO Bob Iger’s new strategy, which seeks to optimize the profitability of its streaming service while maximizing the value of each broadcast window.
For the French film industry, this initiative could represent an opportunity to diversify funding sources. The emergence of a second major “window” would allow producers to no longer depend exclusively on Canal+, until now the leading financier with 210 million euros annually. This new dynamic could create a more competitive environment, where producers would have more negotiating power.
Netflix in ambush
The situation becomes more complex with the position of Netflix, which already injects around 50 million euros per year into French cinema. The streaming giant, which currently has a fifteen-month window, could be tempted to follow the movement initiated by Disney. However, such a development would require increasing its contribution from 4% to 7.5% of its French turnover, an effort that Netflix does not seem ready to make at the moment.
Canal+, for its part, finds itself in a delicate position. Faced with this market reconfiguration, the group could consider reduce its contribution to French cinema to a floor of 120-130 million euros. This prospect comes as the French competition authority is already examining the conditions of the agreement linking Canal+ to cinema producers.
The negotiations which are opening for the renewal of the media chronology, the current version of which expires in February, promise to be particularly tense. The stakes are high since it involves redefining the rules that will structure the French cinema economy for years to come, in a context where streaming platforms are gaining influence. For users, on the other hand, these negotiations promise to be beneficial with the release of films on several platforms within shorter periods than before.
- Disney plans to quadruple its investment in French cinema to obtain faster distribution of its films
- Canal+ could reduce its contribution to French cinema in reaction to these changes
- The French media timeline is about to undergo its biggest overhaul, with major implications for all players in the sector, but also for users
