15 months after the film’s theatrical release, Netflix France issued an open letter denounced the injustice of the country’s current windmill system, requiring streamers to wait before they become available to subscribers.
In a letter released today (April 11th) in a French newspaper L’InciunsPauline Dauvin, vice president of content at Netflix France, described the company as “a player that is more than a streaming service and is fully integrated into the French cultural ecosystem.”
Dauvin cited an EUR 250 million investment in French production over the past four years. She said she donated 1.7 billion euros to the French economy and helped hire 25,000 people. Netflix’s investments have largely come as a result of the EU Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD), which has been mandating the allocation of local content for global streamers across the continent since 2022.
In the letter, Doubin cited the global success of Netflix France Productions Under Paris, Lupin and Class Method Similarly, their contributions to the restoration of classic films such as Lafemis, Les Goberin and Lassine Fabrice, as well as local film schools.
Netflix currently invests more than 50 million euros per year in French films and is the funding partner for the three films selected for this year’s Cannes Film Festival. Dalloway, the wealthiest woman in the world and Marcel Panor’s magnificent life. All three are the bis in front of the second window after the theatrical release by local distributors.
The company was the first and only streamer to sign the country’s original 2022 media chronology, and was given leg ups to other streamers with a 15-month window. “But today we must stand up to a system that is not in contact with current reality,” Dobin writes. “Our demand has not changed since 2022. It’s to shorten this time frame for films that can be used to current investment levels.”
The ecosystem swayed earlier this year when Disney+ signed a deal with a local guild, agreeing to invest 25% of annual net sales that occurs in France in exchange for a nine-month theatre window that fell from 17 months. This has a 6-month window, just three months more than Canal+, the shortest of any broadcaster or streamer.
Disney+ has not revealed the exact financial commitments it provided in exchange for window cuts, but local news outlets are currently reporting that it will fall into the 35 million euro range for under 50 million euros on Netflix.
Before today’s letter, Canal+ announced in early March that it had planned to cut its investment in local film production from 600 million euros to 480 million euros over the next three years, while maintaining the window for six months. Both seem to be a direct response to Disney+’s reduced window.
According to a report on French production in 2024 from CNC The National Film Body earlier this week, Netflix is donating 80% of the total streamer’s investment in French feature film production.
In an industry letter, Doubin asked to bring “a balanced rule that reflects both new viewing habits and a huge contribution to France’s creation.”
(TagStoTRASSLATE)France (T)Netflix
