Streamer Commitments to Invest in European Originals Provides Hope
“Europe offers growth potential for streamers, because some European works enjoy global success and European productions are less costly to make. In all, Europe now accounts for 20% of streamers’ overall content spending, as opposed to 13% in 2021.” (Cineuropa)

French Mediwan Bridges Through UK to US Market
“The English Market is key because it helps sales. The UK is a very attractive territory because there is immense writing talent. It is a territory ripe for co-productions, we see it as a natural link between the US market and Europe.” (Screen)

Streamer Investment Fuels French Production Record
The 2024 production level almost matches that of 2021, when postponed shoots piled up in the aftermath of the pandemic. (Variety)

Netflix Takes Stand to Reduce Wait to Feature French Cinema
“Netflix laments that they’re still having to wait 15 months, despite dramatically increasing the volume of their investment in French movies.” (Variety)

Prime Video Execs. at Series Mania Push Beyond Borders
“With the broader audience, we started to see that it was not just a specific country, it was more the genre, and that was why we kept doing local but also started to have even more international content. What we’re working on right now—and there will be more to come—are stories that are embedded into several countries and seeing how we can tell the stories with a common perspective.” (WorldScreen)

UK Parliament Committee Urges to Protect Homegrown Film Industry
“While streamers like Netflix and Amazon have proved a valuable addition for the industry and economy, unless the Government urgently intervenes to rebalance the playing field, for every ‘Adolescence’ adding to the national conversation, there will be countless distinctly British stories that never make it to our screens.” (TVBEurope)

Key Industry Trends Identified in 2025 EAO Report
“The number of films being made in Europe is rising, but TV series production is falling. Meanwhile, gender inequality remains entrenched and growth in the audiovisual industry is sluggish.” (Screen)

Writing Jobs Plummeted 42% in 2023-24 Reports WGA
“We are all subject to the decisions of the companies that control this industry, who have pulled back spending on content based on the demands of Wall Street. Compounding that, the current administration seems intent on causing economic chaos and undermining our democracy.” (THR)

European Study Demonstrates Unfair Compensation for Authors
“Contributing factors include early-stage negotiation imbalances, standardised fees, and lump-sum payments that fail to reflect a work’s long-term value. Performers benefit from a greater use of collective bargaining agreement (and) producers typically acquire broad rights, whereas authors retain limited exclusive rights and access to only a few forms of non-waivable remuneration.” (Cineuropa)

Elite Sports and Filmmaking Merge in Film Studio Joint Venture
Soccer legend Cristiano Ronaldo and acclaimed director Matthew Vaughn have kicked off UR•Marv. This strategic move underscores Ronaldo’s ambition to solidify his influence in the entertainment industry.” (Variety)

Changing Behaviour of Sports Audience Behaviour
Sports fans expect more than just live footage—they want real-time stats, analytics, and visual enhancements. This demand reflects the increasing gamification of live sports. Investing in AR/VR overlays, data-driven live graphics, and alternative camera angles can enhance the viewing experience. (Ross Video)

Mixed Results for Studios in Another Recovery Year
“The global box office dropped 10 percent to $30.5 billion last year but the film divisions of some legacy entertainment conglomerates actually posted profit growth for the calendar year 2024.” (THR)

Max Launches Key to Warner Bros. Discovery Expansion
“The winners over the longer term in the streaming game are going to be people who have great international and global stories married up with great local stories and characters.” (Variety)

California Lawmakers Legislate to Reverse Runaway Production
“Something like 77% of the projects that are unable to secure a tax credit here in the state end up going elsewhere. They wanted to do the work here, and nearly all of them end up leaving. This has led to a loss of nearly $1 billion dollars in production spending, which equates to lost jobs, lost economic gains.” (Deadline)

Downward Spiral of LA Film & TV Production
More than a year removed from the strikes, the entertainment industry hasn’t returned to filming in L.A. as initially expected. Shooting levels in the region, which was exacerbated by reductions in content spend across most studios, last year recorded the lowest figure observed by FilmLA since it started tracking the data in 2017 (excluding 2020, when filming was halted amid the pandemic). (THR)

LA Labor and Lawmakers Join to Rally for Entertainment Industry
“I do believe that the world is watching what California does with these incentives. They know that if we get it right, it’s game on again for California.” (THR)

Global Streamers Boost Scripted Content Commissions in Growth Markets
In H2 2024, North America accounted for just 37% of their first run and renewed TV series orders, down from 45.9% in H1 2023. This suggests a lasting shift in commissioning strategies with no expected sign of the region returning to its previous share of commission volumes. (Ampere Analysis)

Set-Jetter Surge in Thailand
“The White Lotus has done for the country what Game of Thrones did for the landscapes of Northern Ireland. Much like Sicily’s surge in tourism following the airing of the second season, Thailand now finds itself at the forefront of global travel itineraries, with travelers yearning to immerse themselves in the paradisiacal settings of the show.” (TTW)

Thailand Reaping Rewards From Boost to Film Incentive
“Increased cash rebates and blockbuster productions like Jurassic World aim to boost tourism and generate billions in revenue for the Thai economy. This is expected to bring significant foreign currency into the country, ultimately creating jobs and generating tangible income for the Thai people.” (The Nation)

Thailand Creative Industry Receives Funding Boost for 86 Projects
“Films, series, documentaries and animation…recipients of a new funding scheme designed to support the development and production of the local creative industry and strengthen the country’s soft power on the global stage.” (Screen)

Toei Studio Strategy for Global Expansion
“North America and Asian markets are the first priority. ‘Local contents are growing in nearly every Asian market, and the region is closer to us culturally. But North America is also a huge market. The idea is to produce content that can work in the North American market.’” (Deadline)

Revelations of 2025 Aussie Industry Survey
“‘Hopeful. Concerned’ In these contrasting words, you’ve captured the spirit of a creative industry navigating unprecedented change, but also reflecting a resilience that looks well beyond the short-term challenges. More to come in the months ahead about how we build on the ‘hopeful’ expectation.” (Screen Australia)

Global Hallyu Phenomenon Fuels South Korea Content Success
“Korean content is crushing it on Netflix, with viewing hours second only to U.S. shows and accounting for a 8% of all global Netflix streams. It plays a pivotal role in the streamer’s international success, driving both breakout hit titles (such as Squid Game and Kingdom) and sustained viewing time. (Variety)

Tariff Crossfire Threatens US Film Industry Profits in China
“The wrong action of the U.S. government to abuse tariffs on China will inevitably further reduce the domestic audience’s favorability towards American films.” (Variety)

Oscar Recognition for Unsung Heroes
“The addition of stunt design — a thrilling signal that the Academy is embracing long-overdue change, driven not by trend, but by truth: These artists, who exist in every facet of our favorite movies, are essential to the storytelling process.” (Variety)

US Tariff Impact on the Media Market
“A generalised economic downturn and high inflation in the US is likely to drive caution in ad spending and in consumer confidence, affecting ad-supported media and subscription and transactional content.” (Ampere Analysis)

UK Storytelling With Creative Collaboration Core to The Future of Advertising
“Action-packed day of talks, panels, and discussions covered hot topics such as the merits and downfalls of AI, in-house agency dynamics, evolving brand storytelling techniques, and DEI initiatives.” (APA)

Ad Week Europe Takeaways of PSN UK Liaison
“Emotional storytelling is the craft and must remain human-centric. Algorithms can’t come up with great nuanced creative advertising and the human journey and life experience can’t be replaced by Ai.” (Pippa Bhatt)  Check out the event website.

Global Platforms Fuel Steady Video Industry Growth
“YouTube and Netflix lead Australia’s streaming market, leveraging scale, advertising and subscription revenue. As of 2024, video industry revenues were $10.1 billion, a 5.6 percent compound annual growth rate from 2019. In that time, online video increased its share from 32 percent to 62 percent.” (WorldScreen)

Cannes Lions Creative Country of the Year – Brazil
“Brazil has consistently ranked in the top four performing countries at Cannes Lions – it’s an incredible performance and reflective of a country that has creativity ingrained in its culture.” (Cannes Lions)

Visions of AI Impact on Film & TV at Series Mania
“What happens if media is outside of our collective control, we lose the specificity of what it means to have an expanded story that’s well-crafted and everybody is just cycling through information as quickly as possible? AI is going to accelerate that.” (Deadline)

AI Tech Syncs Lips and Facial Movements in First Visually Dubbed Feature
“UFO Sweden is a genre film with a clear audience, but language has been a barrier – especially in the USA, where few people watch subtitled films. Now, the entire movie has been adapted to feel as if it were originally shot in English.” (Cineuropa)

Launch of AI-Powered Studio GRAiL
“The focus will be original production, advertising and client representation in a specific lane: the rapidly expanding medium of filmmakers advancing storytelling using AI in all platforms.” (Deadline)

Promising Consensus on “No Fakes” Bill in US Senate
The bill requires “promptly removing unauthorized deepfakes” from UGC platforms. The onus would be on individuals to notify platforms about the use of unauthorized deepfakes. (THR)

Writers Woes Voiced at World Intellectual Property Organization
“’Screenwriters and directors create first-class content, and yet they’re treated like third-class citizens when it comes to the protection of their rights. […] The rise of AI and streaming has exacerbated the problem.’” ‘The problem is that none of the authors would like to litigate against their producers, and if they do, they get blacklisted, and this also involves legal costs.'” (Cineuropa)

Sports Storytelling Leans Into Long Form
Short-form content excels at grabbing attention, but it often lacks the depth needed to retain the audience. Long-form content, on the other hand, offers a richer, more immersive experience, often compelling us to return for more. (SVG Europe)

Overcoming the Hurdles of Social Issue Documentaries
“In a time when dog-whistle politics aim to separate us and erect social walls between us, filmmakers can use their distinct perspectives to chart a course toward community and healing.” (TLG)