Analysis : Europe leads Crime & Thriller production
Western Europe hit a record volume of Crime & Thriller production orders from leading global streaming platforms in 2024 : 94 titles . That ’ s equivalent to a 43 % share of all commissions by major streamers in the genre , more than the North American ( NAM ) and Asia Pacific ( APAC ) regions combined . The main beneficiary has been the UK which matched the US for commissions of new crime series for the first time in 2024 . With Crime & Thriller an extremely popular genre with subscribers , the streaming giants look set to continue to increase spending on the content .
Key findings : W Europe secured a record share of streamers ’ Crime & Thriller commissions last year
• Western Europe set a new benchmark for Crime & Thriller content production in 2024 , with major global streamers ’ commissions at a record 94 title orders locally . The region ’ s share of streamers ’ Crime & Thriller commissions has seen consistent growth , climbing from 28 % in 2020 to 43 % in 2024 — surpassing the combined totals of North America and Asia-Pacific . In contrast , North America ’ s share of the streamers ’ commissions in the genre has declined , dropping by half over the same period to just 19 % of orders in 2024 .
• While the US leads crime commissioning volumes on a country basis overall , orders of first-run series ( excluding renewals and movies ) in the genre saw the UK match the US in title orders for the first time at 21 new series each . As an Englishspeaking territory with a highly skilled workforce , high-end production facilities , and attractive tax incentives , the UK is the primary international production hub for streamers .
• Global streamers have been increasingly shifting scripted commissions abroad across all genres , with NAM volume share dropping from 55 % in 2020 to 31 % in
2024 . Western Europe has benefited most , securing 29 % of their global production orders by 2024 across all scripted genres
• The Crime & Thriller genre is a cornerstone of global streamers ’ commissioning strategy , dominating scripted commissions , surging from 20 % share of all their Scripted titles in 2020 to 32 % in 2024 . As streamers reappraise their content investments , they are capitalising on the genre ’ s broad international appeal and strong cross-household engagement
• Among notable upcoming titles ordered for production in 2024 were the UK-produced Netflix / BBC Film cocommissioned movie adaptation of the hit series Peaky Blinders and Season 5 of Apple
TV + hit series Slow Horses as well as Season 2 of the Spanish-produced Netflix Money Heist Berlin spin-off . Cyrine Amor , research manager at Ampere Analysis , commented : “ Crime & Thriller titles consistently dominate viewership charts on platforms like Netflix , with Ampere ’ s research showing the genre is key to subscriber growth and retention — critical as streaming markets mature . Given how well the genre travels across borders and demographics , and with rising production costs in the US , it makes sense for the streamers to shift more Originals in this genre beyond North America . Western Europe , with its rich tradition in Crime & Thriller storytelling , and the UK , the streamers ’ key international production hub , are leading the way . But as streamers continue to expand their global footprint and seek cost-effective commissioning and production opportunities , we can expect other production regions to start playing more of a role in this genre as well .”
Report : Europe lags in 5G SA
Network intelligence company Ookla has published research on the global reach and performance of 5G Standalone ( SA ) and Europe ’ s digital competitiveness in the deployment and commercialisation of 5G SA networks .
Developed in collaboration with Omdia , the report , A Global Evaluation of Europe ’ s Digital Competitiveness in 5G SA , focuses on Europe ’ s competitiveness in the technology , progress in monetising the 5G core for consumer and enterprise use cases , and successful government policies , forming part of a flagship global report on 5G SA commercialisation progress .
Key takeaways include :
• While Europe has set the most ambitious 5G infrastructure targets of any advanced liberal economy , it currently features the poorest outcomes in terms of 5G SA performance among major regions . The interplay of earlier deployments , a more diversified multi-band spectrum strategy , and greater operator willingness to invest in the 5G core to monetise new use cases have driven rollouts at a faster pace in regions outside Europe .
• At the operator level , BT ’ s EE has adopted a highly diversified spectrum strategy in the UK , allocating as much as five or six spectrum carriers to its 5G SA deployments across large parts of major cities . By aggregating multiple carriers across low- and mid-band spectrum , EE has executed one of the most comprehensive 5G SA deployments in Europe .
• Within Europe , while 5G SA rollout progress remains highly varied , the best outcomes have been observed in countries that have actively mobilised policies to incentivise 5G SA deployment . Germany , the UK and Spain – all four-player markets benefiting from targeted 5G SA-specific fiscal stimuli or coverage obligations – lead Europe in terms of 5G SA rollout across multiple operators .
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