France’s cultural minister Rachida Dati has submitted a proposal to the country’s film and TV industry for a renewal of the country’s 2022 media chronology agreement.
The proposal would extend the 2022 agreement, which ran for three years, and radically reformed France’s strict windowing system.
In a statement, Dati said the 2022 agreement “has proven to be highly relevant” because “it has made it possible to preserve the unique position reserved for cinemas in France, and has contributed to the exceptional attendance at cinemas in 2024 compared with other countries.”
Under the 2022 revamp, streaming platforms including Disney+ have to wait 17 months after theatrical release to show feature films on their platforms.
Netflix, the only US streamer to sign the initial accord, has to wait 15 months.
Canal+ has a six-month window in exchange for more investment in local production.
The Minister’s statement said the proposed 2025 update “is in line with the current timeline” and explained it is “not a fixed framework, since its terms will enable the positions of the various broadcasters to evolve dynamically as their commitment to French cinema evolves.”
However, recent moves by pay-TV giant Canal+ and Disney suggest the 2022 rules may face pushback from the local industry.
In November of 2024, Disney confirmed it was ending its exclusive distribution deal with Canal+ at the end of the year to transition its content to its standalone Disney+ platform. In December, Canal+ spun off from French owner Vivendi to go public on the London Stock Exchange and provided fuel to rumours the French giant will launch its own content platform to rival the US streamers, after it pulled its four pay-TV channels from the country’s direct-to-terrestrial platform.
It is understood Disney could be willing to increase its spending in France if the terms of the chronology tipped in its favour.
Reactions from all streamers and the local industry to the proposed agreement will surely follow. In the meantime, Dati says she “welcomes the discussions underway between organisations representing the film industry and various broadcasters, and hope that they will be concluded as soon as possible. I also call on all other broadcasters potentially concerned to join in these discussions, which set out a relevant general regulatory framework”.
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