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European works 51 % of all content broadcast in EU
A new report , Works on television
in Europe 2023 data , has been
published by the European
Audiovisual Observatory , part
of the Council of Europe in
Strasbourg . This report provides
an analysis of films and TV
content broadcast in 2023 by a
sample of 1,663 European TV
channels from 25 European Union
countries , i . e . 436,000 single
broadcasts .
The report reveals that over
138,000 different works ( all
origins ) were broadcast in the EU
in 2023 ( works considered : films
and made-for-TV works excluding
sports ,
news ,
games ,
talk
shows ,
reality
shows ,
music ,
education ,
religion .
For TV
series : 1
season = 1
work ). This figure includes over
88,000 different European works .
On average , over 12,000 different
works ( including almost 6,500
European works ) were broadcast
in a given country .
Further key findings include :
• European works accounted
for 51 % of all works
broadcast in the EU in 2023 ,
surpassing US works ( 40 %).
( This report does not intend to
measure the quotas foreseen in
the AVMS directive . In particular
it focuses on the number of films
or TV show seasons and not
duration ). Regarding European
works , EU27 works accounted for
75 % and other European works
( mainly originating from the UK )
made up 25 %.
• A higher share of
European works for single
documentaries , a lower
share for films .
The share of EU27 works
was generally higher for
documentaries than for
fiction works and , among
documentaries , the share was
higher for one-offs than for
series . Among fiction works ,
the share of EU27 works was
higher for series than for films .
Documentaries tended to be
primarily national works , while
the majority of films were
EU27 non-national .
• In most countries ,
European non-national
works prove to be key to
the share of European
works .
Generally speaking , highproduction
countries ( France ,
Germany , Poland , Italy )
had a higher-than-average
share of European works ,
and of national works among
European works , but Spain
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Origin of works broadcast on TV in the EU ( 2023 )
was an exception . Other
smaller production countries
such as Austria , Finland and
Sweden also achieved a higherthan-average
proportion of
European works . In most
other countries , European
non-national works were key
to the proportion of European
works , whatever this level was .
• A higher share of
European works on public
TV channels .
The share was also higher for
TV channels with an audience
share of 1 % or more .
• European coproductions
circulated
significantly better than
100 % national works .
All types of works included ,
a European co-production
was broadcast on TV in 2.8
countries vs . 1.4 for a 100 %
national work .
• The exports of European
works in the European
Union are led by three
countries : UK , France and
Germany .
The UK is by far the primary
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exporter of European
documentary and fiction
series ; France leads films
exports and Germany unitary
documentaries exports .
• The top 20 of the most
exported works mostly
includes theatrical films .
Nine out of the top 20 most
exported films were directed
or produced by Luc Besson ’ s
EuropaCorp . Twelve of the 20
most exported EU27 TV fiction
series were children animated
TV series , of which 11 had
France as the main production
country . 15 of the 20 most
exported EU27 documentaries
were historical documentaries .
British humour draws young Europeans to UK content
The British sense of humour is a
key reason why young Europeans
watch UK-made television shows
and films , research has revealed .
A report , led by researchers
at King ’ s College London ,
found that ‘ humour ’ was the
word most associated with
UK television shows and films
when 16 – 34-year-olds in
Denmark , Germany , Italy and
the Netherlands were asked to
describe them in a few words . In
all four countries , interviewees
described British humour with
the same words : ‘ unique ,’ ‘ ironic ,’
‘ eccentric ,’ ‘ black ,’ ‘ subtle ,’
‘ irreverent ’ and ‘ intelligent ’.
The report also found the UK ’ s
sense of humour was seen as
better than that of America , even
though US content was the most
watched across all four countries .
“ There was a broader
consensus across countries that
British humour is preferable to
American humour ,” the report
authors noted . “ Many described
American humour as more ‘ basic ’
and ‘ simplistic ’ ‘ less subtle ,’ and
less ‘ intelligent ’ than British
humour .”
The research also revealed
how humour-driven social media
posts are now key for spreading
the word and aiding discovery of
British shows . This is especially
true of 16-19-year-olds , who are
drawn to niche shows such as
Northern Ireland sitcom Derry
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Girls , and mockumentary Cunk on Earth by user-created memes that create a buzz .
The research , Screen Encounters with Britain , was led by Professor Jeanette Steemers , of the Department of Culture , Media and Creative Industries at King ’ s , and Professor Andrea Esser , Professor Emerita of King ’ s .
Esser said young Europeans enjoy a wide range from comedy dramas such as Sex Education , Fleabag , Skins , and After Life , sitcoms such as Derry Girls , and mockumentaries such as Cunk on Earth , as well as stand-up and classics such as Monty Python and Mr Bean . “ The idea that humour doesn ’ t travel well due to cultural differences doesn ’ t hold true for many young audiences ,” she said . “ Those proficient in English especially appreciate UK screen content for its humour . Young viewers , spurred on by social media , crave humour and increasingly watch with the original English-language soundtrack to ‘ get the joke ’.”
In two countries , Netherlands and Denmark , British humour came out as the top reason ( 70 % and 68 % respectively ) for watching UK shows and films . In Germany it came second ( 64 %) as a reason for watching UK content . In Italy , by contrast , the main reason for watching UK shows was learning English .
The report found that nearly half of survey respondents felt they could relate to themes and characters in UK content . However , interviews revealed that these perceived values are almost entirely driven by a small number of scripted shows available on streaming services , which are seen as more youth-oriented and different to what is offered on domestic platforms .
The research also found that many young people ( 58 % in Germany and 59 % in Italy ) tuned into UK-made content because they enjoyed the settings , landscapes and people .
Steemers said the report showed ‘ classics ’ such as Sherlock , Harry Potter and Notting Hill , as well as youth-oriented series on streaming platforms increase the desire to visit the UK , including
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