Gilles PellisonThe halo effect of UniFrance says Paris Olympics It will boost the film and TV sector of the country.
The French capital has hosted successful Games and is currently hosting the Paralympics. With the indie film and international TV sectors facing challenges, could the Olympic glow rub off on French business? Pellison thinks so.
“The tourism industry says that hosting the Olympics in France will benefit the country as a whole for the next three to five years. I believe if is a hot country at the moment [it is France] Because we can capitalize on Paris,” he said.
Unifrance promotes French TV and film internationally. Its president, Pellisson, is the former group CEO and chairman of French commercial TV giant TF1. He was then speaking statistics was unveiled for French TV export at the Rendezvous event in Le Havre. The numbers told a story of industry consolidation and cost cutting. Gross revenue from international sales of Gaelic fare peaked at €200M ($225M), but sales fell year-on-year and in every major genre, including animation, for which France is famous, and drama, which had previously seen rapid growth. clip
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Unifrance Topper – the former boss of Accor Hotels and Disneyland Paris – understands the tourism business and the boost a successful Olympics can give to other sectors. Sitting down with Deadline in Le Havre, he spoke about the impact of the Olympic Games: “Everyone was impressed by the uniqueness of the opening and closing ceremonies, the Paralympics ceremony, and people said: ‘Only the French would do it. It’s unique, it’s very different, it’s modern, it’s about diversity. I think many countries in the world will accept what they saw.
Pelisan also talked about France’s so-called 2030 strategy, which is designed to promote key industries, including the cultural sector. “The government has recently been encouraging the emergence of manufacturing facilities, which is part of the 2030 plan. You will see, in Marseille, in Paris and elsewhere, new areas for production and studio lots, which will be built or strengthened to better compete with the UK, which has historically been the largest production facility in Europe.”
Belt-tightening on streamers meant sales to US buyers took a big hit in 2023, but Pelisson noted the need to put cash into French fare on SVODs, which is boosting domestic production.
“The obligation for streamers to reinvest locally has generated investments of several hundred million euros. Suddenly, it’s not just about Fauda Or The Money HeistBut you are talking Lupine, Under Paris, Emily in ParisAnd all that production that’s happening in France.
This Unifrance Rendez-vous Today covered and gave some reason for excitement. International buyers came out to see Buzzy launch including This is Paris From Mark Fitosi (Call my agent) and Zoro From Noah Debre and Benjamin Charbit. Privately, however, many acquisitions execs admit that budgets are tight.
Export figures for 2024 will be revealed when people gather in Le Havre next year. Pellisson is bullish on the fundamentals and long-term prospects for the French business, but admits it could be another tough twelve months.
“Everybody expects ’24 to be a challenging year,” he said. “For 2025, we will see. With buyers consolidating, streamers have really rationalized their acquisitions. So, we don’t want to be overly optimistic. However, we are fighting for market share of existing acquisition opportunities. Certainly, in the next three years, we will be in a better position.”
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