Streamers behind 14% of European scripted shows in 2023, report claims

Global streamers commissioned fewer than one in six scripted shows produced across Europe in 2023 and just 5% of scripted hours over the same period, according to new research revealed today. 

The European Audiovisual Observatory’s report found that 14% of fiction titles (TV films and series) produced in 2023 had been commissioned by global streamers, with public broadcasters accounting for 55% and private broadcasters standing at 31%. 

Private broadcasters did, however, commission the greatest number of scripted hours produced last year, with 57% of the total, largely because of a preference for daily soaps and telenovelas. 

Public broadcasters commissioned 39% of scripted hours produced, with global streamers standing at 5%. 

Dramatic decline 

The report, Audiovisual Fiction Production in Europe – 2023, also found that there had been a 6% drop in the number of scripted titles produced in 2023 compared with 2022, alongside a 6% reduction in the number of episodes. 

Hours were down 3% when compared with the previous year. 

The report, which covers the EU27 as well as the UK, Norway, and Switzerland, revealed that more than 2,000 production companies/groups produced at least one fiction title between 2015 and 2023. However, only 3% of them did so for each of the last nine years. 

Telenovelas/soaps accounted for the bulk (61%) of hours produced, with more than half (58%) of all titles produced being series with 13-episodes-or-less per season. 

The UK with 159 titles in 2023 was the main producer of shows with 13 eps or less per season, ahead of Germany (119), France (92), Italy (58) and Spain (58). 

BBC, Netflix, Amazon, ZDF and ARD were the five main commissioners of series with 13-episodes-or-less-per-season. 

The report, written by EAO analyst Dr. Agnes Schneeberger, added that co-productions made up 10% of all TV fiction titles produced in Europe in 2023.