BUDGETARY FRAMEWORK

The European Audiovisual Observatory’s yearly budget finances the activities planned during the year in the annual Action Plan. For 2026 the adopted budget amounts to EUR 4 058 100. 

The Budget is mainly funded by members’ contributions, currently 41 states and the European Union are members. Contribution rates are based on a formula which takes into account population and Gross Domestic Product. Major contributors to the budget (France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom and the European Union) all pay the same rate.

The European Audiovisual Observatory's second most important financial resource is the income generated through payments for services provided by the Observatory, including co-financed projects commissioned by the European Commission under contribution agreements. Services include reports and information tools, such as databases as well as by hosting services for third parties and by sharing the Observatory’s data, expertise and methodology. 

In 2026 the Observatory starts implementing a new two-year agreement with the European Commission covering activities cofinanced up to 95% by the European Commission. 

Another established part of the Observatory's yearly budget consists of the credit balance of the last closed and approved financial year. 
 

ADOPTED BUDGET FOR 2026

RECEIPTS

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EXPENDITURE

The work of the Observatory consists predominantly in the gathering and processing of data and information. This core activity is extremely labour intensive and depends on the knowledge and expertise of highly specialised staff. Accordingly, a significant amount of expenditure relates to staff costs (see the corresponding category). 

The translation and proofreading of the Observatory’s productions, grouped in the category “external services”, are another major item of expenditure and reflect the cost of having three working languages (English, French and German).

Data purchases and expertise work supplement the in-house information gathering and make up a significant part of the costs listed under the category “partnership and network”.

The development and maintenance of the Observatory’s strategic IT tools and databases are to a large extend implemented by its IT Unit, enabling the Observatory to keep full control over IT developments and maintenance. 
The events expenditure (spread over several budget heads, mainly under Marketing) finances the three well-established annual Observatory Conferences: in Cannes during the Film Market, in the country of the Observatory Presidency and in Brussels. The Observatory also co-hosts two additional events in the framework of renowned festivals. The first event marks the release of the latest edition of the publication Key Trends during Series Mania in Lille and the second sees the release of the FOCUS on World Film Market Trends during the Cannes Film Market.



 

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PROCEDURES

The Secretariat of the Observatory draws up the yearly Action Plan in consultation with its Advisory Committee and proposes a first draft supplemented by a budget forecast for discussion to the Executive Council. Taking the comments and wishes of the Executive Council into consideration, the Secretariat conducts further exchanges with the Advisory Committee before submitting a second draft and a detailed budget to the Executive Council for adoption and approval. The Executive Council must adopt the Action Plan, and approve the Budget. The decision on the Budget must be taken unanimously. Furthermore, the approved Budget needs to be adopted (again unanimously) by the Financial Committee of the Observatory. The Financial Committee corresponds to the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers, but its composition is restricted to representatives of Observatory Member States.

ACTIVITIES PLANNED FOR 2026

As at 05/02/2026

Almost all information and information services are made available free of charge on the Observatory’s (trilingual) website. The following main activities are fully covered by the 2026 Action Plan and Budget.

Publications from the Department of Market Information:

  • New edition of its Key trends - Television, cinema, video and on-demand audiovisual services - the pan-European picture
  • Top players in the European audiovisual industry
  • Gender in film and TV/SVOD production
  • Fiction film financing in Europe
  • Writers and directors of film and TV fiction
  • Investments in European original content
  • TV/SVOD fiction production in Europe
  • The economics of VSPs
  • Composition of VOD catalogues
  • Film and TV adaptations
  • Audiovisual media services in Europe - 2026 edition
  • The impact of cinema admissions on SVOD usage
  • The exploitation of European documentary films
  • Made in Europe
  • TV/SVOD fiction production in Europe
  • The economics of VSPs
  • Focus – World Film Market Trends (edition 2026)

Publications from the Department of Legal Information:

  • Ten issues of the IRIS electronic newsletter on legal developments across Europe; Empowerment of consumers and media literacy skills
  • Enforcing rules on illegal content and disinformation online
  • Platform regulation: disinformation and FIMI in Ukraine
  • Restricted advertising rules for certain products 
  • The independence of national media regulators
  • Fiscal incentives for the production and distribution of audiovisual content
  • European rules on audiovisual and digital services in the global trade context
  • Safeguards for media pluralism
  • Legal developments in South-Eastern Europe (TBA)
  • AVMSDigest on promotion of European works
  • Copyright and AI
  • Protecting users from harmful online practices

Department of Market Information online e-services and databases:

  • Yearbook 2026 - Television, VOD, cinema and video in 42 European states: markets and players, services and usage;
  • MAVISE database – on TV channels, on-demand services and licences in Europe.
  • LUMIERE and LUMIERE PRO databases - compilation of data on admissions of films released in 34 European cinemas (LUMIERE) and in 14 cinemas around the world (LUMIERE PRO);
  • LUMIERE VOD - directory of European films available on on-demand services in Europe.

Department of legal Information Databases:

  • AVMSDatabase – national laws transposing the Audiovisual Media Services Directive (original and revised version) in all EU Member States; updates with regard to secondary legislation
  • AVMSD Tracker - completing and updating the tracker with info sheets and country tables as information becomes available
  • IRIS MERLIN – articles on laws, court and administrative authority decisions and policy documents from over 50 countries of relevance to the audiovisual industry
  • OPUS –national legislations concerning the promotion of European audiovisual works across Europe
  • VERBO –articles from the IRIS Newsletter on the case-law of the European Court of Human Rights regarding freedom of expression, the media, and journalists.

Transversal activities:

  • The Cannes Film Market conference, focusing on the European Film sector;
  • Presidency conference in Oslo with focus on a topic of particular interest to the host country;
  • The conference in Brussels on audiovisual services.

As every year, the Observatory staff will contribute information to conferences, webinars and other events organised by third parties (37 contributions in 2025) and engage in assisting with smaller projects and with specific requests from its members. The Observatory will also continue helping to develop a European-wide methodology in the areas of its expertise.

2026 will also mark the first of a 3-year pilot project on video games based on voluntary contributions by Observatory members through a dedicated special budget.