The media chronology challenged by streaming

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While the 2025 agreements revised the order in which films are released in theaters, some operators are now challenging this system. Between the financing requirements of French cinema and new audience habits, the French cultural exception model could be forced to undergo another historic transformation.

How long will it remain in effect? In force for more than four decades, the media chronology is undergoing increasingly frequent updates. After a revision in 2009, the system that regulates the mandatory waiting period between a film's theatrical release and its availability on various media (video, television, platforms) underwent successive revisions in 2019, 2022, and then 2025. Its principle, it is true, is not new. After an initial interprofessional agreement in 1980, the audiovisual laws of 1982 and 1986, followed by the decree of January 17, 1990, confirmed the system to protect movie theaters from the rise of video cassettes and then pay-per-view channels[1]. Under European influence, the rule has changed to be based on agreements negotiated between the various stakeholders: producers, distributors, video publishers, broadcasters, etc. 

A regularly reviewed system

Since last year, the schedule must comply with the following deadlines: after its national theatrical release, a feature film must wait four months to be available on DVD, Blu-ray, and pay-per-view (payment per film); six months to be offered by Canal+ to its subscribers; nine months for Disney+ subscribers; and 15 months and 17 months on Netflix and Prime Video, respectively. As for free-to-air channels (TF1, France Télévisions, M6, etc.), they must still wait 22 months. However, the latest update, scheduled to last three years, has been challenged by two platforms, Netflix and Prime Video, which have filed an appeal with the Council of State.

While the original aim of media chronology was to protect movie theaters by guaranteeing them exclusivity for the “first window of exploitation,” it has already had to adapt to new uses with the proliferation of screens. The exploitation of films on physical video and pay-per-view VOD has thus been reduced from six months to four months in 2019, and pay TV channels have seen their waiting period gradually shortened from 12 months to 10, then 8, and finally six months for works they pre-purchased. But what about SVOD platforms? Positioned at a 36-month window after theatrical release in 2019, they obtained a 17-month waiting period in 2022, a situation deemed by those concerned to be ill-suited to audience expectations. 

The impact of new uses and investments

The recent Médiamétrie study on “The TV/Video Year 2025” indicates that 60% of French households subscribed to a pay-TV service*—a major source of feature films—last year, compared to 52% in 2021[2]. The French spent an average of 4 hours and 14 minutes per day watching video, 39% of which was on-demand viewing (compared to 31% in 2022), with 15% specifically watching content on paid or free platforms [3]. The choice of films on offer is one of the main reasons cited by fans of video-on-demand services. Public appetite for this content is strong, hence the sustained interest of platforms in the seventh art. Above all, their investment in French cinema has been governed since 2021 by the SMAD decree, which requires all streaming services to reinvest 20% to 25% of their French revenue in local production. However, the exact amount and the release date of the films vary according to the specific agreements that each platform signs with the sector.

Since a historic agreement was signed in February 2022 with professional film organizations (BLIC, BLOC, and ARP), Netflix has committed to investing approximately €40 million annually in French and European film production. The three-year agreement, which will be renewed in 2025, provides for substantial financial commitments: 4% of annual net revenue generated in France will be devoted to cinema, with pre-financing for a minimum of 10 films in French each year. In return, Netflix obtained the right to broadcast films 15 months after their theatrical release—compared to 17 months for its competitors—and benefited from a 7-month window of exclusivity. And, with the growth in its revenue, Netflix's actual investment in French cinema has exceeded €50 million, making the platform the leading financier among streaming services.

However, there was a major change in early 2025, as Disney+ has managed to overtake Netflix after signing two agreements with the same audiovisual and film organizations in France. By committing to invest 25% of its revenue in France in the production of French content, including approximately €115 million over three years (i.e., nearly €38-45 million per year) specifically in cinema, “and to finance a minimum of 70 films over this period, ensuring diversity of genres and budgets,” Disney+ obtained the right to broadcast its films nine months after their release. This prompted its competitors to bring proceedings before France's highest administrative court. Their appeal is based on three main pillars: investment fairness, freedom of enterprise, and changing practices. Their goal? To bring France in line with the European average, with a pivotal period of 12 months, which is considered more respectful of the modern commercial life cycle of a work. The Council of State's decision is therefore eagerly awaited by the entire industry, as it could force professionals to return to the negotiating table sooner than expected.

* SVoD and pay TV channels

Publication management: Médiamétrie Communications Team

Editor: Didier Si Ammour