Fiction on European TV channels (2006-2013) (2015)

This report analyses the broadcasting of fiction programmes on the basis of a significant sample of European television channels between 2006 and 2013.
The report covers the following countries (p=partly, figures are not available for the whole time span):
Austria, Belgium, Swiss, Denmark,  Germany, Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg (p), Netherlands, Norway, Poland (p), Portugal (p), Spain (p), Sweden United Kingdom.

Key Findings of the Report:
    • The proportion of fiction in the programming schedules of European television channels is falling
    • The proportion of European fiction has improved slightly owing to an increase in the amount of national fiction broadcast in various countries
    • Delocalised television channels broadcast a very low percentage of European works

(see the press release on the report here)

Fiction Programmes
By “fiction programmes” we understand five easily identifiable formats: films produced for television (TV films), series and soap operas, animation (excluding feature length animated films), feature-length cinema films (including animated films) and short films.

Data Source
The report combines data that has been commissioned by the European Audiovisual Observatory from the company ROVI (formerly Infomedia) since 2006. ROVI specialises in supplying the press and EPG (Electronic Programme Guide) operators with information on TV programme schedules and ROVI has a database on broadcast programmes with an index by genre and geographical origin.

Selected Channels
The report is limited to a sample of channels, which we consider important. We have tried to keep this sample unchanged since the first analysis in 2006. In principle, the sample contains the country’s main public and commercial general-interest channels and, where relevant, one or more film channels. For the major countries (France, Germany, United Kingdom) we also take into account the main special-interest channels (cultural/educational channels, children’s and youth channels, entertainment channels). The number of channels analysed rose from 126 in 2006 to 140 in 2013. The public and commercial general interest channels (41 and 34 respectively in 2013) are the two principal types of channel analysed, followed by entertainment channels (32), film channels (17), children’s channels (12) and cultural and educational channels (4).

Programme Categories
The analysis of the origin of fiction broadcast by the channels has been produced by classifying the programmes into the following categories:
   • European fiction of 100% national origin: fiction produced in the major European countries (DE, ES, FR, GB, IT) national fiction, and fiction produced in other European countries. For the five major producing countries, national fiction is recorded in the “national fiction” column to avoid double counting;
    • Co-productions between European countries, co-productions with third countries and non-European co-productions;
    • Non-European fiction: fiction produced in the United States, Japan, Australia/ New Zealand and other/unidentified countries total proportion has fallen from 53.1% of programming time in 2006 to 50.5%. The inclusion of Luxembourg and Spain from 2006 has resulted in a slight decrease.

Trilingual edition (English, French and German)