US-produced content continues to dominate video-on-demand catalogues in Europe despite the high number of European titles available, according to new research from the European Audiovisual Observatory.
The study, found that while European works account for 46% of all individual titles, they represent only 32% of total catalogue “presences” – a measure of how often content appears across platforms.
By contrast, US titles make up 33% of individual titles but account for 48% of all presences across TVOD, SVOD and FOD catalogues, reflecting their wider distribution across multiple services.
The report highlights a significant gap for EU27 productions specifically, which represent 35% of titles but only 22% of catalogue presences. It also points to the importance of cross-border circulation, with 69% of EU27 works available outside their country of origin.
Films continue to dominate VOD catalogues, accounting for 85% of all presences, compared with 15% for TV seasons. EU27 works have a slightly stronger position in film than TV, with a 24% share of film presences versus 15% for TV seasons.
The study also identified differences between business models. Global SVOD platforms offer the most diverse catalogues, with 29% of content coming from outside Europe and the United States, while EU27 works account for 23% of presences. TVOD services show the strongest reliance on US content, with a 55% share, and the lowest EU27 share at 21%. FOD services, often operated by national broadcasters, carry the highest proportion of European works.
Geographically, EU content has the strongest presence in larger production markets including France, Germany, Italy and Spain, where national content plays a more prominent role. Smaller markets rely more heavily on non-national European works.
The findings underline the ongoing challenge for European content in achieving scale and visibility across VOD platforms, despite strong production output across the region.
