Download "Audiovisual fiction production in Europe – 2023 figures" here

A new edition of the report “Audiovisual fiction production in Europe – 2023 figures” has just been published by the European Audiovisual Observatory, part of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg. The report analyses the volume of TV/SVOD fiction films and series produced in Europe, their origin, international co-productions and the main commissioners and producers. This report – Audiovisual fiction production in Europe – 2023 figures was authored by Dr. Agnes Schneeberger, Analyst within the Observatory’s Department for Market Information.

This new report finds that:
• In 2023, TV fiction production in Europe has reached a turning point – the number of titles fell by minus 6% and across all formats.
• The perpetual boom of high-end series (13-episodes-or-less-per-season) has come to an end as the number of titles for 2023 stagnated (minus 2% compared to the previous year).
• Over half of fiction titles produced in Europe in 2023 were commissioned by public service broadcasters (55%), followed by private broadcasters (31%) and global streamers (14%).
 

Downturn in TV fiction production in Europe

The post-pandemic recovery did not continue to stabilize the European TV fiction market. After a brief return to growth, the production and release of original TV fiction is declining. A 6% drop in the number of fiction titles produced in 2023 was mirrored by an equal reduction in the number of episodes (minus 6%) and a stagnation in the volume of hours (minus 3%) when compared to the previous year.
On average, over 1 200 titles, 23 000 episodes and 14 000 hours (Title refers either to TV film title or a TV series season. Animation is not included) are produced in Europe each year (countries covered: EU27, the United Kingdom, Norway, and Switzerland).
Over 2000 production companies/groups produced at least one fiction title between 2015 and 2023, but only 3% of them did so for each of the last nine years.
Despite the downturn, some of the fundamental characteristics of TV fiction production in Europe remained unchanged. Telenovelas/soaps accounted for the bulk (61%) of hours produced. And more than half (58%) of all titles produced were series with 13-episodes-or-less-per-season.

The boom of high-end series has come to an end

The perpetual boom of high-end series has come to an end, as the number of titles for 2023 regressed (minus 2% compared to the previous year). Production hours of series with 13-episodes-or-less-per-season produced in 2023 stagnated (minus 1%), as seasons had fewer and shorter episodes (probably as a way to cope with production costs and inflation). 
The UK with 159 titles in 2023 was eminently the main producer of high-end series, ahead of Germany (119), France (92), Italy (58) and Spain (58).
BBC, Netflix, Amazon, ZDF and ARD were the five main commissioners of series with 13-episodes-or-less-per-season.

Public broadcasters commissioned 55% of titles and 39% of hours

Over half of fiction titles produced in Europe in 2023 were commissioned by public service broadcasters (55%), followed by private broadcasters (31%) and global streamers (14%). Due to their bigger share in daily soaps and telenovelas, private broadcasters produced a higher volume of hours (57%) than public service broadcasters (39%). Global streamers accounted for 5% of hours, as they do not invest in long-running TV series.
Co-productions made up 10% of all TV fiction titles produced in Europe in 2023. On average, over 100 TV fiction co-productions are produced in Europe each year, almost exclusively high-end TV series and TV films.