The arrival of continuous dissemination services by subscription has changed the cultural sector, and particularly on the side of the media chronology. Three years ago, this rule which defines the order and the exploitation deadlines of a film on the different channels (paid TV, free TV or VOD), experienced an important modification to adapt to a constant sector mutation. Long relegated to the bottom of the priority chain, Netflix, Disney+ and others hoped to take advantage of more advantageous provision. Before 2022, they had to wait 36 months after the first operation before adding a film to their catalogs.
Three years to discover the latest Marvel on Disney+ or the Warner Bros productions on Max, the situation had something to create frustrations among companies in the sector who could not take advantage of their films for dark rooms. For spectators, this expectation also had the disadvantage of depriving them of an opportunity to catch up with the cinematographic proposals missed in theaters. After several months of negotiations, rather stormy, the chronology of the 2022 media offered Disney+, Apple TV+, Prime Video or Max an opportunity to disseminate their productions after 17 months. A little less than a year and a half, the reform made a few teeth cringe, but the watchword in December 2024 seemed to be the conservation of the rules in force to make it possible to assess the benefits more precisely. At Disney, for example, we said we were ready to play according to his rules a little longer.
Nevertheless, the firm with large ears went to the offensive to enjoy a more advantageous window. The platform has signed two agreements with cinema and audiovisual organizations. In exchange for a greater investment in French creation (25% of its turnover in France), the company offers the right to add its cinematographic productions from 9 months. Eight months earlier than previously and only three months after Canal+, the operation rebates the cards. Back on changes and how it will affect spectators.
Disney+ on the front line
Disney+ does not mainly put its original series to make yourself attractive to subscribers. Unlike Netflix, the platform can count on the activities of its studios to weigh down the shelves of its offer. But now, while Disney+ can offer Marvel, Star Wars and Pixar news a few weeks after their exploitation in Uncle Sam’s country, Mickey’s house must wait a lot (a lot) longer in France. These deadlines were also one of the points of friction during the negotiations in 2022. Disney had threatened to deprive the French rooms of Black Panther : Wakanda Forever in retaliation. Finally, the film Marvel will have invested the big screen… not the animated film Avalonia which was to go out a few days later.
From the year 2025, Disney+ subscribers will be able to take advantage of the films of all the stables mentioned above less than a year after their release. They will have to wait Nine short months To discover or rediscover the hits promised to a cinema outing. For reference, the Canal+ window was at eight months before the revision of 2022. Disney+ takes advantage of a new advantage to make these outings a real event: divorce with Canal+. Now Disney+ has the First provision in streaming by subscription While it should formerly Share light with the improved replay of MyCanal. It didn’t take long for these agreements to bear fruit. Of the April 25Disney+ subscribers will be able to access the latest Marvel: Deadpool & Wolverine.
Netflix, nothing changes at the moment
In 2022, Netflix had managed to Negotiate a beautiful window at 15 months old, against 17 for his rivals. This preferential treatment will not have lasted, Netflix is second in the latest news. It should continue to benefit from the same deadlines, not having the ambition to invest more in French creation. The situation is not really to the taste of the firm which already evoked in 2024 a waiting time too long for users and not adapted to the market. At the microphone of Tech & CoAnne-Gabrielle Dauba-Pantanacce explained: “We went from 36 months to 15, it is a quantum jump, but which is still far too long when we look at the uses around the world where, in most countries, we are rather three months old, a month and half“.
17 months for Apple TV+, Max and Prime Video
The latest market players adopted a different approach. This is the case of Apple TV+ which joined the list of companies having signed an agreement with the organizations of cinema and audiovisual, without negotiating for shortened deadlines. The firm has nevertheless committed to contributing to French creation in the same way as the other services established in France. The Cupertino firm thus joins the list of entities that participate in hatching hexagonal works. According to Arcom, Disney+, Netflix and Amazon spent 866 million euros on the territory in the production of content since 2021. The regulatory authority hopes that the arrival of Apple TV+ will encourage other companies to follow suit.
Canal+, the great unknown of the equation
Few things should change with the new media chronology, the situation with Canal+ represents the largest unknown of the equation. As you could imagine, the firm is not delighted to see the company from which it has just separated it. Canal+ and Disney+ did not renew their agreement, he provided that the American service is available via the bundles offered by the encrypted channel and that Walt Disney Studios films are offered as a priority on MyCanal. According to Maxime Saada’s company, these new provisions create an imbalance in forces. The CEO of the Canal Plus group thus suggested that a decrease in the envelope attributed to French and European creation was not unthinkable.
“This offer is no longer on the table today. From my point of view, It will necessarily dropand the question is how much ”. The first financier of French cinema explains : “This is where we have a small subject: if Disney is nine months for 38 million euros (per year), for Canal+ there is a subject of 220 million euros to six months”. The discussions will continue, but it seems unlikely that Canal+ will manage to negotiate a more advantageous window.
In short and for the moment (things can still evolve)
| 2018 – 2022 | 2022 – 2025 | 2025 -… |
| Canal+: 8 months | 6 months | 6 months |
| Disney: 36 months | 17 months | 9 months |
| Netflix: 36 months | 15 months | 15 months |
| Apple TV+ / Max / Video Prime: 36 months | 17 months | 17 months |
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