The majority of European TV and SVOD fiction adaptations are derived from European works, according to new figures from the European Audiovisual Observatory.
In Adaptations in audiovisual fiction production in Europe – 2023 figures, the Observatory analyses adaptations in European audiovisual fiction production between 2015 and 2023 with the aim of providing figures and context on the production of audiovisual content in Europe.
The report find 160 film or TV titles and more than 1,400 hours of audiovisual fiction adaptations are produced in Europe each year. 14% of all audiovisual fiction works produced in Europe between 2015-2023 were adaptations. 88% of European TV and SVOD fiction adaptations are based on original works from Europe.
The majority of European fiction adaptations are based on original works from Europe
More than half of the adaptations come from the United Kingdom (23%), Germany (17%), France (10%), and Spain (7%), arguably the powerhouses of original content creation in Europe.
Around one in ten (12%) of all European audiovisual fiction adaptations are based on non-European works, 6% of which originate from the US.
Compared to broadcasters, streamers rely more on adaptations. Between 2021 and 2023, their share of adaptations with regards to their total original fiction production was higher (20%) than that of private (15%) and public broadcasters (11%).
Public service broadcasters in major markets and Netflix are the top commissioners of audiovisual fiction adaptations. The BBC, ZDF, Netflix, ARD and France Télévisions have each commissioned more than 100 adaptations between 2015 and 2023.
Most audiovisual fiction adaptations are based on books (74%) and TV series (19%). Crime and detective novels are the most frequently adapted books. British icon Agatha Christie and Austrian author Claudia Rossbacher lead the way with ten adaptations each between 2015 and 2023.
