Table 1 shows the European public service channels programming the highest volumes of animation in 2002.  Clearly many of the channels shown here represent that part of the national public service offer catering specifically for children and young people.  This is the case, for example, of Irish second channel Network 2, with a schedule designed for younger viewers, whereas first channel RTE1 targets older audiences and programmed just 61 hours of animation in 2002. It is also the case for ORF1 in Austria, programming 1,284 hours of animation in 2002, whereas more `traditionally' oriented channel ORF2 programmed only 5 hours in the same year.

Both VRT - Ketnet and France 5 are `daytime' services, handing over to a culturally themed channel for the evening schedule (VRT - Canvas in the Flemish community of Belgium and Franco-German channel Arte in France). The level of animation programming on British second channel BBC2 fell back sharply (-52%) between 2001 and 2002 - a similar phenomenon was observed on sister channel BBC1.

Table 2: European public service television channels programming between 200 and 500 hours of animation annually (2001-2002)

In hours per year

Channel	Country	2001	2002
TVP 1	Poland	268	462
HRT 1	Croatia	333	413
TVR 2	Romania	255	367
CT1	Czech Republic	349	350
STV 1	Slovak Republic	331	330
BBC 1	Great Britain	628	296
DR 1	Denmark	280	277
TVE 1	Spain	n.c.	248
TRT 1	Turkey	355	242
NRK1	Norway	143	240
YLE TV2	Finland	263	229
ZDF	Germany	257	226
HRT 2	Croatia	82	219
RAI 3	Italy	188	204

Source: UER-EBU - ISN / Médiamétrie - INA (France)
Ranked on the basis of 2002 figures - For methodology please see note on methodology by clicking here.

Of course, animation represents only part of the offer for younger viewers made available on public service television in Europe and some of the channels mentioned in both tables 1 and 2 provide a substantial quantity of other types of programming for young people (entertainment, quizzes, documentaries, children's fiction series, etc.) This is notably the case for Slovak Republic public channel STV 1 and Croatian channel HRT 1, channels that provide respectively a total of 1,235 hours and 1,011 hours annually of programmes for children and young people (including animation). It should also be noted that some channels may be active producers and/or co-producers of animation while programming relatively low volumes of this type of programme.

British company HIT Entertainment PLC dominates the ranking of leading animation production companies in the European Union

Table 3 below shows a ranking of European animation production companies by operating revenues generated in 2002.  It should be noted that, in some cases, operating revenues

reported here include not only animation production activities but also revenues deriving from animated feature production, from merchandising and from rights management of animated and other programming.

Table 3: The 15 leading animation production companies in the European Union (Operating revenues 2000-2002)

 Ranked by operating revenues in 2002 - In thousand euros

	Company Examples of production	Country	2000	2001	2002	2002/2001
1	HIT Entertainment PLC Bob the Builder, Angelina Ballerina	Great Britain	33 064	85 194	193 591	127,2%
2	TV - Loonland The Cramp Twins, Connie the Cow	Germany	76 187	101 759	51 015	-49,9%
3	RTV Family Ent. AG (consolidated) Marvellous Milly, Wicked, Little Bear	Germany	62 337	70 560	48 960	-30,6%
4	Carrere Group Poil de carotte, Schehérazade	France	28 631	38 461	39 959	3,9%
5	Entertainment Rights PLC [1] Basil Brush, Postman Pat	Great Britain	7 072	22 684	39 284	73,2%
p.m.	Carrington Productions Int. Ltd.	Great Britain	1 674	_	_	_
6	Mondo TV Robin Hood, Christopher Columbus	Italy	14 109	27 871	37 560	34,8%
7	Aardman Holdings Ltd Wallace & Gromit, Chicken Run	Great Britain	19 004	20 892	27 381	31,1%
8	Xilam Animation Space Goofs, New Adventures of Lucky Luke	France	11 976	18 711	25 436	35,9%
9	Millimages 64, rue du Zoo, Old Tom	France	18 002	29 471	25 387	-13,9%
10	Dargaud Marina [2] Lucky Luke, Astérix	France	28 841	26 158	25 116	-4,0%
11	Marathon Animation [3] Totally Spies, Marsupilami	France	_	6 219	15 711	152,6%
12	Ellipse Animation Tintin, Babar	France	27 700	16 126	15 542	-3,6%
13	Hahn Film AG  (estimated) Bibi Blocksberg, Benjamin Blümchen	Germany	6 985	10 000	15 000	50,0%
p.m.	Hahn Film + Video Prod. GmbH (est)	Germany	n.a.	2 356	2 400	1,9%
14	Alphanim Mona le Vampire, Canards extrêmes	France	17 072	11 159	12 961	16,1%
15	Cromosoma SA [4] Juanito Jones, The Triplets	Spain	2 849	9 322	12 883	38,2%

Source: European Audiovisual Observatory

The ranking is dominated by HIT Entertainment plc, UK-based producer of animated series such as Bob the Builder, of live-action programming for younger viewers (Barney) and owner of an extensive catalogue of older animation hits (Pingu, Thomas the Tank Engine,...). A significant part of company revenue is generated by video distribution and rights management. Two other British companies appear in the ranking, including Aardman Holdings Ltd, whose revenues include those deriving from the animated feature Chicken Run. A total of three German companies are among the top 15, the most important of which is TV Loonland.  Both TV Loonland and RTV Family Entertainment AG (number 3 in the list) saw operating revenues fall back in 2002, with a decline of almost 50% in the case of TV Loonland.

In numeric terms however it is French companies that dominate, with no less than seven different companies appearing in this ranking. A possible explanation for this is the fact that French accounting standards include work-in-progress in the calculation of operating revenue, whereas this is not generally the case elsewhere. It should also be noted that France is considered as probably the most prolific producer of animation in Europe.

The Carrere Group, producer of animated series such as Poil de carotte and Schehérazade, but also of features (such as Les Triplettes de Belleville produced through acquired production company Les Armateurs) figures in the highest position (4^th).  Revenue figures reported for Carrere may include those derived from rights management and merchandising, which represent an important part of the groups overall activity (for example French rights to Snoopy and world rights to Casimir) as well as from feature and TV movie production. Marathon Animation, producer of Totally Spies and Marsupilami, has seen the highest rate of growth of operating revenue of any of these companies in 2002.  This is particularly significant in that revenues reported here include only, it would appear, those of the animation division, and exclude those of the documentary and drama divisions. 

Using the AMADEUS database the European Audiovisual Observatory has identified around 270 different animation production companies operating in the European Union.  During the period 1998 to 2001 total assets of these companies more than quadrupled, climbing from EUR 418 million to EUR 1 870 million.  At the same time total operating revenue almost tripled, going from EUR 429 million to EUR 1 141 million. In terms of performance ratios, figure 1 shows clearly that after a particularly difficult year in 1998, the performance of these companies recovered strongly in 1999 and 2000, before falling back again slightly in 2001. 

Figure 1: Financial performance of animation production companies in the European Union (1997-2001)

In %

Source: European Audiovisual Observatory

In 2000 the animation production sector achieved a profit margin of 4.8%, significantly better than that achieved by the television fiction production sector in the five largest European markets [5] (1.7%).  In 2001, however, the 2.2% profit margin reported for the animation sector fell slightly behind that of the television fiction production sector (2.9%).  Profit margins in animation were, nonetheless, higher throughout the period than those observed in the feature film production sector, where the profit margin observed in 2001 was estimated at 0.6%.

EUROPEAN AUDIOVISUAL OBSERVATORY, Strasbourg, France
Yearbook 2003 - Film, Television, Video and Multimedia in Europe, 2003 Edition,
Vol. 5, "Television Channels - Programme Production and Distribution", pp.128, ISBN 92-871-5224-1, 80 EUR,
European Audiovisual Observatory, Strasbourg, 2003

More details on the Yearbook, here.

Contacts:

• André Lange, Head of Department "Markets and Financing" - E-mail : Andre.LANGE@coe.int
• Alison Hindhaugh, Press Officer - Tel.: 00 33 3 88 14 44 10 - E-mail : Alison.HINDHAUGH@coe.int

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Notes for editors

Methodological notes - programming of animation on public service television

Data are derived from responses to questionnaires administered to the public service channels that form the membership of the European Broadcasting Union (Union européenne de radiodiffusion). The principal data series are published annually in the European Audiovisual Observatory Yearbook, in the form of channel-by-channel analysis of programme output by strand.  A number of additional sources are drawn upon by the Observatory to supplement this data, in particular to extend coverage to private commercial channels, though programming on these channels is not discussed here.

The information presented is compiled on the basis of available data.  For a certain number of public service channels, comparable figures are not available.  These channels are: Germany - ARD, Great Britain - ITV, the Netherlands - Ned 1, Ned 2, Ned 3/Z@ppelin. 2002 data are not available for TV2 (Denmark), a channel which programmed 346 hours of animation in 2001.

The AMADEUS database

The principle source for the analysis of the financial situation of animation production companies quoted here is the AMADEUS database, published by the Bureau van Dijk, and indexed and augmented by the European Audiovisual Observatory.  AMADEUS, published in the form of a regularly updated DVD-ROM, provides the profit and loss statements, balance sheets and ownership structures of some six million companies in Europe.  The Observatory has identified and indexed among these around 30,000 companies active in the audiovisual sector on the basis of their principle activity.

Definitions of financial performance indicators

Operating revenue	= Sales + Capitalised Production + Other Operating Revenues
Operating margin	= (Operating Profit / Operating Revenues) x 100
Profit margin	= (Profit before Taxation  / Operating Revenues) x 100
Return on assets	= (Profit before Taxation / Total Assets) x 100
Return on shareholders' funds	= (Profit before Taxation / Shareholders' Funds) x 100
p.m.	= pro memoria (for memory)

[1] SKD Media and Carrington Productions International merged in 2001 to form Entertainment Rights plc.
[2] Includes TV fiction production. In August 2003 the Dargaud Group, parent company of Dargaud Marina, acquired Ellipse Animation.
[3] 2001 over 11 months.

[4] 2000 over 6 months.

[5] France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom

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Set up in December 1992, the European Audiovisual Observatory's goal is to gather and distribute information on the audiovisual industry in Europe. The Observatory is a European public service body comprised of 35 member states and the European Community. It operates within the legal framework of the Council of Europe and it works alongside a number of partner organisations, professional organisations from within the industry and a network of correspondents. In addition to its contribution in conferences other major activities are the publication of statistics and newsletters, compilation of databases and information readily available on the web portal.