Final report: Mapping the Animation Industry in Europe to be presented in Annecy
by European Audiovisual Observatory
- The European Audiovisual Observatory will present the final report of the study Mapping the Animation Industry in Europe at the European Film Forum organised by the European Commission in Annecy
(The House of Magic by Jeremy Degruson and Ben Stassen)
- What are the key figures for the animation sector in Europe?
- What are the main industry trends?
- What are the main challenges in the European animation sector?
To help address these questions, the European Audiovisual Observatory will present the final report of the study "Mapping the Animation Industry" in Europe at the European Film Forum organised by the European Commission to be held on 15th June in Annecy, in the context of the Annecy International Animated Film Festival.
The report complements the first results already published in the Focus on Animation and corresponds to the second phase of an ambitious research project on the animation sector – the first of its kind in Europe – carried out by the European Audiovisual Observatory on the initiative of the European Commission.
The study will be presented by analyst Marta Jiménez Pumares, who coordinated the project at the European Audiovisual Observatory and is the main author of the report. The aim of the research is to outline the landscape of the animation industry in Europe, providing much-needed market data on animation works in Europe in order to fine-tune EU support policies toward this growing creative industry.
As the analysis carried out by the Observatory shows, European animation is the category with the best European circulation among audiovisual works. However, European animation only has 20% of the animation market by admissions in Europe, and struggles to compete with US productions.
The report incorporates the data published in the first publication, mapping production volume, distribution and circulation of both animation features and TV works in Europe, and offering a general overview of the structure of the industry country by country and as a whole.
The publication sets out to identify challenges and opportunities faced by an industry in transition in a globalised market, discussing key issues such as the importance of audience development, IP management and the impact of the rise of the internet on distribution. The authors also highlight how the need to create economies of scale has led to a concentration process, with large media groups expanding into animation production and international co-productions cropping up.
Furthermore, the study touches upon the emergence of new Asian players and the decline of pre-financing, while another section focuses on the importance of public funding, ranging from direct funding schemes to fiscal incentives and mandatory investments for broadcasters. Finally, the report looks at new trends in festivals and training opportunities.
This study is supported by desk research, expert surveys in all European countries, selected deep-dive interviews with industry experts and valuable information collected through national institutes, Creative Europe Desks and animation associations across Europe, and the work benefited from the support of CARTOON and the Annecy-based City of moving images – CITIA.
The report is freely available on the website of the European Commission and can be downloaded here.
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