# French television programme sales drop to decade minimum

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/french-television-exports-plunge-to-lowest-level-in-a-decade-amid-advertising-revenue-collapse/
- Published: 2026-09-08T11:08:56+00:00
- Updated: 2026-09-08T17:15:44+00:00
- Topics: Americas, Business, Environment, Europe, Markets, Science, World

## Key points

- French TV export sales hit ten-year low of €164.2 million in 2025
- Falling ad revenue and cautious buyers drove a 21.6% annual decline
- Drama and animation slumped; documentaries held up best

## Summary

International sales of French television programmes dropped to €164.2 million in 2025, a ten-year low and a 21.6% fall from 2024's €209.6 million, according to figures from Unifrance and the CNC presented at the Unifrance Rendez-Vous market in Le Havre. The decline stems from a difficult combination of factors: falling television advertising revenue has left broadcasters with less money to commission or buy programmes, buyers have become more risk-averse amid market uncertainty, and growth in streaming (SVOD and AVOD) sales has not made up for losses in traditional deals, leaving distributors needing more resources to secure a larger number of smaller sales.

Within the figures, co-production investment fell 18.7% to €87.7 million and international pre-sales dropped 59.3% to €30.7 million. Drama exports fell 27% to €54.9 million, their first double-digit decline since 2018, while animation sales, in decline since 2020, slumped 30.3% to €32.2 million; documentaries proved the most resilient, slipping just 2.7% to €43.1 million. Western Europe accounted for almost half of all sales, with North America second and sales to Asia and Latin America hitting record lows, while Unifrance president Gilles Pélisson called for greater transparency from streaming platforms, whose viewing and revenue data remain undisclosed.

## Coverage

- [Variety: France TV Exports Plummet Amid Ad Decline, Broadcaster Budget Cuts, ‘Deteriorating Economic Environment’](https://variety.com/2026/tv/global/france-audiovisual-exports-unifrance-cnc-1236854471/)
- [Deadline: International Sales Of French TV Programs Crash To A Ten-Year Low](https://deadline.com/2026/09/international-sales-of-french-tv-programs-hit-ten-year-low-1237070667/)

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.