Audiovisual fiction production

in Europe
2022 figures

Agnes Schneeberger - Gilles Fontaine

October 2023 – updated 15/11/2023

A publication of the European Audiovisual Observatory

Table of contents 2

• Introduction and methodology 3

• Key findings 6

• Production volume and formats of European audiovisual fiction 11

• Origin of European audiovisual fiction 19

• International co-productions 24

• Commissioners of European audiovisual fiction 29

• Producers of European audiovisual fiction 33

• Screenwriters and directors of European audiovisual fiction 37

• List of tables and figures 49

 3

Introduction and methodology

Introduction and methodology 4

This report provides an analysis of the production of audiovisual fiction in Europe in the period 2015-2022(*).
Audiovisual fiction is defined here as live-action fiction TV films and series commissioned by television channels or
on-demand services.

The data

o The underlying data used in this report were provided by the European Metadata Group. The European
Metadata Group systematically reviewed the programming schedules of over 200 TV channels and on-
demand services to identify original European fiction. The selected services are the respective TV and SVOD
audience leaders in the tracked countries. Although some minor channels may also produce some original
fiction, most of them are dedicated to reruns or imported programming.
o The data provided by the European Metadata Group were complemented by the European Audiovisual
Observatory.
o Other sources used for this report include IMDb, to identify the screenwriters and directors of European
fiction, and the Observatory LUMIERE database, to identify the audiovisual fiction directors also active in
theatrical films.

Definitions
o In this report, a “title” refers to either a TV film or a TV season. Each different TV season of a TV series is
counted as one title.

(*) EU27, the United Kingdom, Norway, Switzerland and Iceland

Introduction and methodology 5

o Titles have been broken down by format: TV films/collections, series with 13-episodes-or-less-per-season,
series with 14-to-52-episodes-per-season, and series with more-than-52-episodes-per-season. A limited
number of TV films have two episodes; they are nevertheless considered as TV films. Some TV films belong to
collections (e.g. Germany’s “Tatort” or France’s “Meutres à…”) with several episodes produced each year. They
are either counted as TV films (if different production companies are involved) or TV series (if the same
production company produces all episodes). Some data in the previous editions of this report have been
restated, as we have converted TV series into collections.
o The year of production of a whole-series season is the year of release of the first episode of the season.
o The country of origin of an audiovisual fiction programme is the country of the main commissioner of the
programme. In the case of programmes commissioned by a pan-European SVOD service, the country of origin
is determined by the production company.
o International co-productions are analysed following a broad definition (any programme with at least two
producing countries) or a stricter definition, excluding “linguistic co-productions” between neighbouring
countries (DE - AT, FR - BE, FR - CH, GR - CY, BE - NL, DE - CH, CZ - SK, GB - IE).
o In this report, “independent production” is defined as an AV fiction programme produced by a production
company that is not under the control of the broadcaster commissioning the programme. This definition does
not imply that the producing company retains any rights. Please note that productions from a broadcaster
production unit or subsidiary can therefore be either dependent (when produced for the broadcaster) or
independent (when produced for a broadcaster from a different broadcasting group).
o In this report, “Europe” refers to the 27 member states of the European Union, the United Kingdom, Norway,
Switzerland and Iceland.
Please quote this report as: “Audiovisual fiction production in Europe – 2022 figures”, European Audiovisual Observatory.
If you wish to reproduce tables or graphs contained in this publication please contact the European Audiovisual Observatory for prior approval.
Opinions expressed in this publication are personal and do not necessarily represent the view of the European Audiovisual Observatory, its members,
or the Council of Europe.
 6

Key findings
Key findings (1/4) 7

The production and release of original TV fiction resumed growth in 2022 after a halt during the COVID-19 crisis.
o However, the recovery of the market was not evenly spread. The number of fiction titles produced in
2022 grew by 12%, but the volume of hours and number of episodes stagnated when compared to 2021.
o The growth of series with 13-episodes-or-less-per-season was unaffected throughout the crisis, but did
not translate into a notable growth of volume of hours, as seasons had fewer and shorter episodes
(probably as a way to cope with production costs and inflation).
o The production of TV films continued its recovery in 2022 after several years of decline.

Some of the fundamental characteristics of TV production in Europe remained uninterrupted by COVID-19.

o Telenovelas/soaps accounted for the bulk (60%) of hours produced.
o More than half of all titles produced were series with 13-episodes-or-less-per-season.

The production mix varied considerably between countries.

o With large volumes of telenovelas/soaps produced each year, Germany, Poland and Greece were the
leaders in volume of hours produced. Portugal and Hungary are two other examples of countries driven
by series with more-than-52-episodes-per-season.
o Germany produced the highest number of different titles, with a higher-than-average focus on TV films.
o When focusing on shorter seasons (13 episodes or less), the UK was by far the main producer, ahead of
Germany, France, Spain and Sweden.
o In 2022, most fiction titles commissioned by global streamers were produced in Spain (34) and the
United Kingdom (32). Other significant production hubs for streamers were the Nordic countries and
France (2015-2022).
Key findings (2/4) 8

More international non-linguistic co-productions.

o International co-productions accounted for 7% of all fiction titles and were mostly limited to TV films and
series with 13-episodes-or-less-per-season.
o The majority of international co-productions used to be between two neighboring countries sharing the
same language (e.g. France and Belgium; Germany and Austria). But non-linguistic co-productions have
gradually increased and represented over 50% of all co-productions in 2022.
o Non-linguistic co-productions were driven by: the United Kingdom (mainly as a majority co-producer, often
with the United States but also with France and Canada), Germany (often as a minority co-producer and in
many instances with Scandinavian countries) and projects between two or more Scandinavian countries.
Spain, despite the recent production boom, had relatively few co-productions, maybe because of the
weight of global streamers in new fiction projects (Spain ranks first – together with the United Kingdom –
in number of fiction projects commissioned by global streamers).

Public broadcasters commissioned 55% of titles and 39% of hours.

o Well over half of fiction titles produced in Europe in 2022 were commissioned by public service
broadcasters (55%), followed by private broadcasters (32%) and global streamers (12%). Due to their
bigger share in daily soaps and telenovelas, private broadcasters produced a higher volume of hours (58%)
than public service broadcasters (39%). Global streamers accounted for 3% of hours, as they do not invest
in long-running TV series.
o With a noticeable boost in investment, global streamers released 186 original European fiction titles in
2022 (all formats), vs. 137 in 2021. Four out of five of these were commissioned by Netflix (62%) and
Amazon (20%).
o BBC, Netflix and ZDF were the three main commissioners of series with 13-episodes-or-less-
per-season.
 Key findings (3/4) 9

Production groups: Huge turnover, 3 groups lead.

o Almost 1 800 production companies/groups produced at least one fiction title between 2015 and 2022,
but only 4% of them produced at least one title in each of the last eight years. This significant turnover
can be attributed to the intense renewal of TV series: on average, between 2015 and 2022, first seasons
accounted for just over half of all seasons produced each year.
o In 2022, independent productions accounted for 84% of all titles produced, with 13% from production
groups affiliated with a broadcaster but working for a third-party broadcaster. The share of dependent
productions was 16%*.
o The Banijay Group, the RTL Group and the Mediawan - Leonine Alliance were the three main producers of
independent TV fiction.

About 15 000 screenwriters involved in the production of TV fiction between 2015 and 2022.
o 66%, though, were active for only one or two years between 2015 and 2022.
o On average, excluding series with more-than-52-episodes-per-season, a screenwriter (co)wrote 1.8
episodes per year.
o On average, a TV series involved five screenwriters.
o 72% of all episodes released between 2015 and 2021 were cowritten by at least two screenwriters. More
screenwriters were credited per episode for Portuguese, Polish and Spanish fiction.

* Please see the definition of an “independent production” in the methodology section.

Key findings (4/4) 10

About 7 000 directors were involved in the production of TV fiction between 2015 and 2022.
o 61%, though, were active for only one or two years between 2015 and 2022.
o On average, a TV series involved 2.9 directors.
o Excluding series with more-than-52-episodes-per-season, a director (co)directed 1.8 episodes per year.
o 59% of TV films and fiction series directors have also directed a theatrical film at any given point in time.
o Directors were also credited as screenwriters (or as one of the screenwriters) for 27% of TV films and 25%
of series with 13-episodes-or-less-per-season.
 11

Production volume and formats of European audiovisual fiction

Production volume — titles, episodes and hours 12

Over 1 200 titles, 23 000 episodes and 14 000 hours produced each year in Europe.
o The volume of TV fiction titles increased between 2015 and 2022.
o But volumes in hours are stagnating.

Volume of AV fiction produced in Europe (2015-2022)

24525 24177 24478 24765 24685

22584 23156

20407
19630

15350 15547 15260 15459 15593

14647
13959
12772 13235

981 997 1051 1125 1247 1281 1378 1541 1200

2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 Average

2015-2022

Titles Episodes Hours

Source: European Audiovisual Observatory analysis of The European Metadata Group data
Production volume — formats 13

Daily soaps account for only 8% of titles, but 60% of hours produced.
o Conversely, TV films and collections represent 30% of titles but only 4% of hours.
o Series with 13-episodes-or-less-per-seasons account for 52% of titles and 23% of hours.

Breakdown of fiction titles, episodes and hours produced (average 2015-2022)

8%

10%

60%
65%

52%

13%
13%

30% 23%
20%
2% 4%

Titles Episodes Hours

TV Film/Collection 13 ep. or less 14 to 52 ep. More than 52 ep.

Source: European Audiovisual Observatory analysis of The European Metadata Group data
Production volume — formats 14

The number of series with 13-episodes-or-less-per-season has grown by 105% since 2015.
o The growth of series with 13-episodes-or-less-per-season remained uninterrupted by COVID-19.
o After the COVID-19 crisis, growth resumed for most formats in 2021 and 2022.
o The production of TV films continued its recovery in 2022 after several years of decline.

Number of AV fiction titles produced by format (2015-2022)

1000

900
873
800
775
700 719
661
600
569
500 516

426 430 427

400 386
380
388 339 342
326 315
300

200 128 129 141 145

115
93 92 91
100
105 102 115 106 102 96
82 87
0
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022

TV Film/Collection 13 ep. or less 14 to 52 ep. More than 52 ep.

Source: European Audiovisual Observatory analysis of The European Metadata Group data
Production volume — formats 15

Drop in the volume of hours of daily soaps/TV novellas produced in 2022.

o Daily soaps/TV novellas were the exception to the post-COVID-19 recovery trend seen in other formats.
o The volume of hours of daily soaps/TV novelas produced in 2022 contracted by minus seven percent
compared to the year before.

Number of AV fiction hours produced by format (2015-2022)

10000
9503 9345 9231
9000 8869 8842
8545
8253
8000 7912

7000

6000

5000

4000 4169
3834 3852
3643
3061 3253
3000
2571 2689
2000 2050 1976 2065 2156
1660 1628 1750
1463
1000
630 664 566 544 582 627 723
520
0
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022

TV Film/Collection 13 ep. or less 14 to 52 ep. More than 52 ep.

Source: European Audiovisual Observatory analysis of The European Metadata Group data
Production volume — formats 16

Series with 13-episodes-or-less-per-season: Fewer and shorter episodes.

o The contrast between increasing numbers of seasons and slow growth in hours results from a
decreasing average number of episodes per season.
o Episodes are also continuously shorter.
Series with 13-episodes-or-less-per-season: average number of
episodes per season and duration of episodes (2015-2022)
8 47.3 48.0
46.6
7.9 7.9
7.9
7.8 45.3 7.8 46.0

7.6
43.3 7.4 44.0

42.4 42.3
7.2
7 42.0

40.2 40.0
40.0

38.0

6 36.0
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022

Average number of episodes per season Average duration of episodes (mn)

Source: European Audiovisual Observatory analysis of The European Metadata Group data
Production volume — episode duration 17

The episode duration of most TV series produced is longer than 16 minutes, typically 36 to 65 minutes.

Number of fiction titles by duration of episodes (excl. TV films and collections), 2015-2022
700

638
600

531
504 517
500

439
400 406
362
342
306 317
300
278
251
225
200
187
151
133
100 107 114
73 80 91
76 73 65
70 70 66 62
41 46 45
32
0
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022

15' or less 16' to 35' 36' to 65' More than 65'

Source: European Audiovisual Observatory analysis of The European Metadata Group data
Production volume — returning series 18

About half of series seasons are returning series (i.e. new seasons of existing programmes).
o The proportion of first seasons is higher (59%) for series with 13-episodes-or-less-per-season.
o However, the figures include “mini-series” designed, from the outset, to last one season only.

Share of first seasons among all series Share of first seasons among series with 13-episodes-or-less-
(average 2015-2022) per-season (average 2015-2022)

Other seasons Other seasons

48% 41%
First seasons
52% First seasons
59%

Source: European Audiovisual Observatory analysis of The European Metadata Group data
 19

Origin of European audiovisual fiction

Origin of European AV fiction — titles 20

Germany is the leading fiction production country in Europe in number of TV seasons and TV films produced.
o The United Kingdom is the leading producer of series with 13-episodes-or-less-per-season.
o All three Scandinavian countries are in the top 10 for series with 13-episodes-or-less-per-season.

Top fiction-production countries Top series with 13-episodes-or-less-per-season-producing

in number of TV films/seasons (2022) countries in number of TV films/seasons (2022)

DE 336 GB 171
GB 217 DE 115
FR 197 FR 86
ES 85 ES 63
IT 83 SE 56
PL 76 IT 50
SE 65 FI 43
NL 61 NL 38
FI 48 PL 34
GR 42 DK 31
DK 35 NO 29
NO 33 BE 20
PT 33 CZ 19
CZ 32 PT 18
HU 30 GR 12
Others 168 Others 88

Source: European Audiovisual Observatory analysis of The European Metadata Group data
Origin of European AV fiction — hours 21

In terms of hours, Germany, Poland and Greece lead thanks to strong production of daily telenovelas/soaps.
o The United Kingdom, France and Portugal are also major producers of telenovelas and soaps.
o The five biggest markets lead the production of series with 13-episodes-or-less-per-season.

Top fiction-producing countries Top countries producing series with 13-episodes-or-less-per-

in number of hours (2022) season - in number of hours (2022)

DE 2364 GB 757
PL 1677 DE 531
GR 1652 FR 405
GB 1403 ES 324
FR 1332 IT 293
PT 1172 SE 230
ES 1104 PL 187
IT 581 FI 178
CZ 502 NL 162
HU 488 CZ 142
BE 431 DK 127
SK 410 BE 107
FI 280 NO 103
SE 263 GR 88
NL 257 PT 86
Others 1679 Others 450

Source: European Audiovisual Observatory analysis of The European Metadata Group data
Origin of European AV fiction — production mix 22

The structure of fiction production varies between the leading countries.

o Long-running soaps are dominant in Portugal, Hungary, Poland and Greece.
o Germany, France and Italy put a higher-than-average emphasis on TV films.
o Series with 13-episodes-or-less-per-season have significant weight in Italy, the United Kingdom and
France.

Hours of fiction produced by country and format (top 10 producing countries) in % (2022)

PT

HU

PL

GR

ES

FR

DE

CZ

GB

IT

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

TV Film/Collection 13 ep. or less 14 to 52 ep. More than 52 ep.

Source: European Audiovisual Observatory analysis of The European Metadata Group data
Origin of European AV fiction — production countries of global streamers 23

Streamers have geographic preferences for production countries.

o In 2022, most TV fiction commissioned by global streamers was produced in the UK and Spain.
o Other significant production hubs for streamers were the Nordic countries and France (2015-2022).

Map of production countries of fiction titles commissioned by global streamers (2015-2022)

UK : 122

ES : 110

Nordics : 73

FR : 72

IT : 66

DE : 63

< 50 : AT, BE, CZ, HR, HU, IE, NL,

PL, PT, RO

Source: European Audiovisual Observatory analysis of The European Metadata Group data
Map of Europe and flag icons © Copyright Showeet.com
 24

International co-productions
 International co-productions — volume and formats 25

Over 100 co-productions per year, almost exclusively of series with 13-episodes-or-less-per-season and TV films.
o Co-productions made up 7% of all TV fiction titles produced in Europe in 2022.
o Co-productions accounted for 11% of series with 13-episodes-or-less-per-season between 2015 and 2022,
and 7% when excluding co-productions between neighbouring countries sharing the same language.

Number of co-productions (2015-2022) Number and share of co-productions by format (total 2015-2022)

600 11% 12%

160 500 555 10%

140
144 400 11% 8%
7%
120
120 115
100 110 111 110 113 300 6%
99
329
80 93 308

74 74 79 200 4%
60 67 4%
58 57 3%
40 2%
39
100 1% 0% 2%
20 35 32 105 32 22 7 2
0 0 0%
TV Film/Collection 13 ep. or less 14 to 52 ep. More than 52 ep.

Co-productions (all) Co-productions (non-linguistic)

% Co-productions (All) % Co-productions (non-linguistic)

Co-productions (all) Co-productions (non-linguistic)

Source: European Audiovisual Observatory analysis of The European Metadata Group data
International co-productions — participating regions 26

Most non-linguistic co-productions include only European countries.

o However, around one in five link at least one European country with the United States and/or Canada.
o Excluding the United States and Canada, there are few co-productions with non-European countries.

Breakdown of co-productions by participating regions

(total 2015-2022)

Source: European Audiovisual Observatory analysis of The European Metadata Group data
International co-productions — participating countries 27

France, Germany and Belgium are involved in the highest number of co-productions.
o Belgium’s involvement is mainly as minority co-producer, in most cases with France.
o But, when excluding co-productions between neighbouring countries sharing the same language, the
leaders are the United Kingdom, Germany, the United States (as minority co-producer), France and Sweden.

Number of participations in co-productions Number of participations in co-productions

(total 2015-2022) (excl. linguistic coprod., total 2015-2022)

FR 293 60 GB 151 40
DE 141 147 DE 53 84

BE 13 248 0
US 136
FR 46 53
GB 162 47
SE 50 20
AT 62 86
IT 24 26
0
US 137
DK 23 26
CH 8 84
ES 18 23
SE 50 20 NO 9 26
IT 25 28 0
CA 34
DK 23 26 FI 11 20
ES 18 24 BE 5 23

CZ 10 27 CZ 5 17
PL 15 5
NO 9 26
AT 7 11
0
CA 34
FI 11 20 0 50 100 150 200

0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350

Majority Minority
Majority Minority
Source: European Audiovisual Observatory analysis of The European Metadata Group data
International co-productions — participating countries 28

Scandinavia, the United Kingdom, France and Germany are the main co-production hubs.
o The UK primarily co-produces with the US, but also significantly co-produces with other European countries.
o Scandinavian countries often co-produce with each other, but also considerably with Germany and the
United Kingdom.
Number of partnerships in non-linguistic co-productions in
selected countries (2022)

Important note: the number

of partnerships differs from
the number of projects.
Denmark may have
participated with Sweden
and with Norway in the same
projects.

Source: European Audiovisual Observatory analysis of The European Metadata Group data
 29

Commissioners of European audiovisual fiction

Commissioners of European fiction 30

Public service broadcasters commission 55% of titles and 39% of hours.

o Conversely, private broadcasters commission 32% of titles and 58% of hours. Indeed, private broadcasters
tend to dedicate a higher share of their commissioning to daily soaps/telenovelas.
o Global streamers account for 12% of titles but 3% of hours, as they do not invest in soaps/telenovelas.

Fiction titles commissioned by category of players (2015-2022) Fiction hours commissioned by category of players (2015-2022)

5790 5518 6003 5564

6206
852 5442
5166
766 5219
754 716
699
682
683 677
9387 9189 8946 9310
498 8403 8915
470 7480 7955
435
371 416
281 294 350
7 18 17 47 73 186 43 99 218 348 524 500
121 137 85 714
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022

Global streamers Private broadcasters Public broadcasters Global streamers Private broadcasters Public broadcasters

Source: European Audiovisual Observatory analysis of The European Metadata Group data
Commissioners of European fiction — series with 13-episodes-or-less-per-season 31

The picture is quite different when looking at series with 13-episodes-or-less-per-season.

o The share of public broadcasters in the commissioning of series with 13-episodes-or-less-per-season
has decreased since 2015.
o The global streamers’ share was at 14% in 2022, up from 11% in 2021.

Series with 13-episodes-or-less-per-season commissioned Series with 13-episodes-or-less-per-season hours commissioned

by category of players (2015-2022) by category of players (2015-2022)

1965
433 1853 1813
377 1887
359 1785
365 1674
329 1510 1582
299
258 262 1602
313 1522 1627
271 307 1478
240 1311 1283
204 207 1007 1003
156 149 30 54 124 179 273 600
5 14 12 82 87 26 77 76 432 402

2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022

Global streamers Private broadcasters Public broadcasters Global streamers Private broadcasters Public broadcasters

Source: European Audiovisual Observatory analysis of The European Metadata Group data
Commissioners of European fiction – series with 13-episodes-or-less-per-season 32

The BBC, Netflix and the ZDF led the commissioning of series with 13-episodes-or-less-per-season.

Top 20 commissioners of series with 13-episodes-or-less-per-season titles (2022)

Rank Group Titles

1 BBC 76
2 Netflix 67
3 ZDF 37
4 Warner Bros. Discovery (Europe) 31
5 Sky (Comcast) 30
6 ARD 28
7 NPO 25
8 RTL Group 25
Important note: these figures
9 ITV 25 are indicative as each title is
10 Amazon 24 attributed to only one
11 Yleisradio (YLE) 23 broadcaster, even in the case
12 Viaplay Group 22 of co-productions involving
several broadcasters.
13 Sveriges Television (SVT) Group 20
14 RAI 20
15 Groupe Canal Plus (Vivendi) 19
16 PPF Group 19
17 RTBF 18
18 SRG-SSR 16
19 Telia Company 16
20 ORF 14

Source: European Audiovisual Observatory analysis of The European Metadata Group data
 33

Producers of European audiovisual fiction

Producers of European fiction — dependent and independent productions 34

Independent productions include a) those from production groups non-affiliated with a major broadcaster, and b)
those affiliated with a major broadcaster – but produced for another broadcaster.
o Production by independent producers accounted for over 70% of titles (both for all formats and for series
with 13-episodes-or-less-per-season. Other independent productions by broadcasters working for third-
party broadcasters accounted for 13% and 17% of titles for all formats and for series with 13-episodes-or-
less-per-season, respectively.
o Please note that the actual control of IP rights is not taken into account.

Breakdown of production by category of producer Breakdown of production by category of producer

(all fiction - 2022) (series with 13-episodes-or-less-per-season - 2022)

16% 11% 11%

27%
13% 17% 18%
12%

71% 72% 71%

61%

Titles Hours Titles Hours

Affiliated production group for affiliated broadcaster (dependent) Affiliated production group for affiliated broadcaster (dependent)
Affiliated production group for non-affiliated broadcaster (independent) Affiliated production group for non-affiliated broadcaster (independent)
Non-affiliated production group (independent) Non-affiliated production group (independent)

Source: European Audiovisual Observatory analysis of The European Metadata Group data
Producers of European fiction — top producers 35

Top 20 producers account for 34% of titles and 51% of hours.

o The concentration in hours is strongly influenced by the production of telenovelas/soaps
(comparatively few titles, each comprising many hours).
o The concentration is similar in terms of titles for series with 13-episodes-or-less-per-season (33%),
but lower in terms of hours (35%).

Share of the top 20 producers out of total production Share of the top 20 producers out of total production
(all fiction, 2022) (series with 13-episodes-or-less-per-season, 2022)

17%
8% 9%

8%

34% 25% 26%

26%

Titles Hours Titles Hours

Top 10 11 to 20
Top 10 11 to 20
Source: European Audiovisual Observatory analysis of The European Metadata Group data
Producers of European fiction — top producers 36

Top 20 producers account for 37% of titles and 57% of hours.

o The concentration in hours is strongly influenced by the production of telenovelas/soaps
(comparatively few titles, each comprising many hours).
o The concentration is similar in terms of titles for series with 13-episodes-or-less-per-season (39%),
but lower in terms of hours (42%).

Top 10 producers (2022) by…

Number of titles produced Number of independent titles produced Number of different countries of production

Rank Group Titles Rank Group Titles Rank Group Countries

1 Banijay Group 57 1 Banijay Group 57 1 Banijay Group 12
2 ARD 55 2 RTL Group 36 2 RTL Group 12
3 RTL Group 49 3 Mediawan + Leonine 44 3 ITV 8
4 ITV 49 4 Beta Film 28 4 Beta Film 7
5 ZDF 45 5 ITV 26 5 TF1 7
6 Mediawan + Leonine 44 6 Highlight Communications 24 6 Warner Bros. Discovery 7
7 Beta Film 28 7 Warner Bros. Discovery 22 7 Mediawan + Leonine 6
8 BBC 26 8 TF1 19 8 Viaplay Group 5
9 Warner Bros. Discovery 26 9 Asacha 11 9 Vivendi 5
10 TF1 24 10 John Malone 11 10 Federation Entertainment 4

Source: European Audiovisual Observatory analysis of The European Metadata Group data
 37

Screenwriters and directors

of European audiovisual fiction
Screenwriters of AV fiction — active screenwriters 38

About 15 000 different writers involved in the production of fiction between 2015 and 2022.
o For identified** episodes, close to 12 000 different screenwriters wrote or co-wrote at least one fiction
episode between 2015 and 2022.
o Extrapolating from the sample of identified episodes, the total number of screenwriters active in
audiovisual fiction between 2015 and 2022 can be estimated at around 15 000.

Active screenwriters of AV fiction by format* Active screenwriters of AV fiction by year*

(2015-2022) (2015-2022)

* All: the figure is lower than the sum of each year as there are double-counts between years and formats.
** Identified episode: an episode for which at least one screenwriter or at least one director has been identified.

Source: European Audiovisual Observatory analysis of The European Metadata Group and IMDb data
Screenwriters of AV fiction — active screenwriters 39

Two-thirds of identified screenwriters were active* for only one or two years between 2015 and 2022.
Screenwriters tend to be specialised by format: only 20% of them were credited for at least one episode in two or
more different-format projects.

Screenwriters of AV fiction by number of years of activity Screenwriters of AV fiction active by format

between 2015 and 2022 (2015-2022)

Source: European Audiovisual Observatory analysis of The European Metadata Group and IMDb data

* Active: credited for at least one episode released during the considered year.
Screenwriters of AV fiction — activity 40

On average, a writer was involved in close to two projects* between 2015 and 2022.
o These two projects translated into the writing of 14.3 episodes (excl. series with more-than-52-
episodes-per-season), i.e. 1.8 episodes written per year.

Average number of projects and episodes (co)written

between 2015 and 2022 by all active screenwriters

Source: European Audiovisual Observatory analysis of The European Metadata Group and IMDb data

* Project: a TV film or a TV series.

 Screenwriters of AV fiction — screenwriters per project 41

A fiction series involves 5.6 writers on average, and exactly 5 when excluding series with more-than-52-episodes-
per-season.

Number of screenwriters per project*

(2015-2022)

Source: European Audiovisual Observatory analysis of The European Metadata Group and IMDb data

* Project: a TV film or a TV series.

 Screenwriters of AV fiction — screenwriters per episode 42

72% of all episodes released between 2015 and 2022 were co-written by at least two writers.
o The average number of screenwriters per episode was 3.7 but 2.8 when excluding series with more-than-52-
episodes-per-season.*
o More screenwriters were credited per episode for Portuguese, Polish and Spanish fiction.

Number of screenwriters per episode and by format Number of writers per episode in selected countries of production
(2015-2022) (excl. series with more-than-52-episodes-per-season, 2015-2022)

* For telenovelas or soaps the writers and directors are often credited for all episodes, regardless of the number they actually write or direct.

Source: European Audiovisual Observatory analysis of The European Metadata Group and IMDb data
 Directors of AV fiction — active directors 43

About 7 000 different directors were involved in the production of fiction between 2015 and 2022.
o For episodes identified,** over 5 300 different directors directed or co-directed at least one fiction
episode between 2015 and 2022.
o Extrapolating from the sample of identified episodes, the total number of directors active in
audiovisual fiction between 2015 and 2022 can be estimated at around 7 000.

Active directors of AV fiction by format* (2015-2022) Active directors of AV fiction by year* (total 2015-2022)

* All: the figure is lower than the sum of each year as there are double-counts between years and formats.
** Identified episode: an episode for which at least one screenwriter or at least on director has been identified.

Source: European Audiovisual Observatory analysis of The European Metadata Group and IMDb data
Directors of AV fiction — active directors 44

About 60% of identified directors were active* for only one or two years between 2015 and 2022.
Screenwriters tend to be specialised by format: only 27% of them were credited for at least one episode of two or
more different-format projects.

Directors of AV fiction by number of years of activity Directors of AV fiction active by format

between 2015 and 2022 (2015-2022)

Source: European Audiovisual Observatory analysis of The European Metadata Group and IMDb data

* Active: credited for at least one episode released during the considered year.
 Directors of AV fiction — activity 45

On average, a director was involved in over two projects* between 2015 and 2022.
o These two projects translated into the writing of 14.1 episodes (excl. series with more-than-52-
episodes-per-season), i.e. 1.8 episodes written per year.

Average number of projects and episodes (co)directed

between 2015 and 2022 by all active directors

Source: European Audiovisual Observatory analysis of The European Metadata Group and IMDb data

* Project: a TV film or a TV series.

 Directors of AV fiction – directors per project and per episode 46

32% of all episodes released between 2015 and 2022 were co-directed.
o The average number of directors per episode was 1.7, but 1.2 when excluding series with more-than-52-
episodes-per-season.*
o Directors were also credited as screenwriters (or as one of the screenwriters) for 25% of TV films and
21% of episodes of series with 13-episodes-or-less-per-season.

Number of screenwriters per project** (2015-2022) Number of directors per episode and by format (2015-2022)

* For telenovelas or soaps the writers and directors are often credited for all episodes, whatever the number they actually write or direct.
** Project: a TV film or a TV series.

Source: European Audiovisual Observatory analysis of The European Metadata Group and IMDb data
Directors of AV fiction — share of theatrical film directors 47

59% of TV films and fiction series directors have also directed a theatrical film.
o The share significantly varies between countries of production: from 49% in Norway to 72% in Italy.

Share of 2015-2022 directors of AV fiction present in Share of 2015-2022 directors of AV fiction present in
the LUMIERE database the LUMIERE database in selected countries

Source: European Audiovisual Observatory analysis of The European Metadata Group, Lumiere and IMDb data
 Directors of AV fiction – directors also credited as screenwriters 48

Directors were also credited as screenwriters (or as one of the screenwriters) for 27% of TV films and 25% of
episodes of series with 13-episodes-or-less-per-season.

Share of episodes with at least one director also credited as

screenwriter, by format (2015-2022)

Source: European Audiovisual Observatory analysis of The European Metadata Group and IMDb data
 49

List of tables and figures

List of tables and graphs (1) 50

Production volume and formats of European audiovisual fiction

Volume of AV fiction produced in the European Union (2015-2022) 12
Number of fiction titles, episodes and hours produced (average 2015-2022) 13
Number of AV fiction titles produced by format (2015-2022) 14
Number of AV fiction hours produced by format (2015-2022) 15
Series with 13-episodes-or-less-per-season: average number of episodes per season and duration of episodes (2015-2022) 16
Number of fiction titles by duration of episodes (2015-2022) 17
Number of TV fiction titles produced by number and duration of episodes (total 2015-2022) 16
Share of first seasons among all series (average 2015-2022) 18
Share of first seasons among series with 13-episodes-or-less-per-season (average 2015-2022) 18

Origin of European audiovisual fiction

Top fiction-producing countries in number of TV films/seasons (2022) 20
Top series with 13-episodes-or-less-per-season-producing countries in number of TV films/seasons (2022) 20
Top fiction-producing countries in number of hours (2022) 21
Top series with 13-episodes-or-less-per-season-producing countries in number of hours (2022) 21
Hours of fiction produced by country and format (top 10 producing countries), in % (2022) 22
Map of production countries of fiction titles commissioned by global streamers (2015-2022) 23
List of tables and graphs (2) 51

International co-productions
Number of co-productions (2015-2021) 25
Number and share of co-productions by format (total 2015-2022) 25
Breakdown of co-productions by participating regions (excl. linguistic coprod., total 2015-2022) 26
Number of participations in co-productions (total 2015-2022) 27
Number of participations in co-productions (excl. linguistic coprod., total 2015-2022) 27
Number of partnerships in non-linguistic co-productions in selected countries (2022) 28

Commissioners of European fiction

Fiction titles commissioned by category of players (2015-2022) 30
Fiction hours commissioned by category of players (2015-2022) 30
Series with 13-episodes-or-less-per-season commissioned by category of players (2015-2022) 31
Series with 13-episodes-or-less-per-season hours commissioned by category of players (2015-2022) 31
Top 20 commissioners of series with 13-episodes-or-less-per-season titles (2022) 32

Producers of European fiction

Breakdown of production by category of producer (all fiction - 2022) 34
Breakdown of production by category of producer (series with 13-episodes-or-less-per-season - 2022) 34
Share of the top 20 producers of total production for all formats and series with 13-episodes-or-less-per-season (2022) 35
Top 10 producers (2022) by number of titles, number of independent titles, number of different countries of production 36
List of tables and graphs (3) 52

Screenwriters and directors of European audiovisual fiction

Active screenwriters of AV fiction by format (2015-2022) 38
Active screenwriters of AV fiction by year (2015-2022) 38
Screenwriters of AV fiction by number of years of activity between 2015 and 2022 39
Screenwriters of AV fiction active by format (2015-2022) 39
Average number of episodes (co)written per year between 2015 and 2022 by all active screenwriters 40
Number of screenwriters per project (2015-2022) 41
Number of screenwriters per episode and by format (2015-2022) 42
Number of writers per episode and per country of production (excl. series with more-than-52-episodes-per-season, 2015-2022) 42
Active directors of AV fiction by format (2015-2022) 43
Active directors of AV fiction by year (total 2015-2022) 43
Directors of AV fiction by number of years of activity between 2015 and 2022 44
Directors of AV fiction active by format (2015-2022) 44
Average number of projects and episodes (co)directed between 2015 and 2022 by all active directors 45
Number of screenwriters per project 46
Number of directors per episode and by format (2015-2022) 46
Share of 2015-2022 directors of AV fiction present in the LUMIERE database 47
Share of 2015-2022 directors of AV fiction present in the LUMIERE database in selected countries 47
Share of episodes with at least one director also credited as screenwriter, by format (2015-2022) 48
 More information:
www.obs.coe.int
agnes.schneeberger@coe.int
gilles.fontaine@coe.int