Animation and television series in Europe

This report has been prepared on the basis of data available at the European Audiovisual Observatory in the field of the production and exploitation of animation in cinema and on VOD platforms.

One of the challenges in collecting information has been whether a work is considered animation or not; because in today's works many combinations of animation and live action are seen. The collected data have made several characteristics of Europe's animation sector clear to us:

- In the cinema segment, each film performs well in cinemas and on VOD platforms, but the number of films produced is small and as a result the catalog of films available on VOD platforms is also limited

- The animation segment of television and subscription VOD has, since 2017, undergone a shock that has brought their characteristics closer to those of cinema productions: more co-productions and better turnover relative to live-action works

- Growth in animation production stems from the success of online animated series. These series are more common on YouTube and other content-publishing platforms. The presence of a large amount of various animation on VOD platforms will most likely attract more demand, and the reason for the slight increase in animation production from 2019 to the present has probably been this very fact.

- By examining the indicators in the report, it is inferred that animation and television content produced in Europe is very scarce. Recent growth in animation production will probably be able to remedy this shortage in the coming years.

- And finally, Europe's animation production sector, in terms of volume and number of productions, follows France, and in terms of the type of cinema- and VOD-based exploitation, follows the United Kingdom

Statistics and topics examined in more detail in the report:

• Annual statistics on the production of theatrical animation
• A review of the performance of cinema productions inside and outside Europe
• The volume of animation productions available on VOD platforms
• A review of productions available in VOD catalogs