10 years of Netflix in France: 10 key figures to understand the platform's success

On September 15, 2014, the Netflix platform was launched on French territory. A decade later, it is time to take stock and decipher the impact of the streaming giant in France through ten important figures.

Over 10 million subscribers

The number of subscribers in France in 2022. Although the service has not released its figures since then, the precise number of French customers should now be closer to 13-15 million.

Netflix is ​​thus the country's leading streaming platform, ahead of Canal+ (about 10 million), Prime Video (about 9 million) and Disney+ (about 5 million).

30%

This is the share of French households subscribed to the streaming service. A figure reinforced by the setting up account sharing restrictionsand the notion of a “Netflix home” which forced many account “squatters” to take out their own subscription.

400 productions

This is the number of French productions (films, series and documentaries) by Netflix since 2014. An investment in the territory's film and audiovisual industry which has provided work for thousands of artists and technicians.

Marseille was the first program and the first French series produced by the streaming platform. Released in 2016, it had two seasons before being stopped. Released in 2018, I am not an easy man was the very first French-language feature film produced by Netflix.

Among these 400 productions, we can notably cite: Heart Plan, Family Business, Lupine, Lost Ball or even Under the Seine.

15 months

The waiting time before a movie released in theaters becomes available on Netflix. Note that this delay was 36 months before 2022. For comparison, it is currently 17 months for Disney+ and Prime Video, and only 6 months for Canal+.

These disparities come from the investment of the different platforms in French audiovisual production. Canal+ is by far the leading French investor, and can therefore offer films much earlier on its myCanal platform.

20%

The share of Netflix's French turnover reinvested in the French production of films and series each year. In 2023, this amount represented more than 250 million euros. Thanks to its many recent productions, the platform can now offer programs more quickly than its American rivals.

396.3 million hours

The number of hours watched of the first season of LupineThe show starring Omar Sy is Netflix's most popular French series, and the third most popular non-English series in the platform's history, just behind Money Heist (710.2 million hours viewed) and Squid Game (2.2 billion hours).

The series Lupine had three seasons – all of which were relatively successful – and confirmed Omar Sy's status as a global star, alongside his appearances in the sagas X-Men And Jurassic World.

102.3 million views

The number of views of Under the Seinethe most popular French film on Netflix. As a reminder, the “Netflix view” is calculated by dividing the hours watched by the duration of the films and series concerned.

Released early June 2024 on the service, Under the Seine was an international hit with 117.3 million hours watched and therefore 102.3 million views. A score that makes it the second most popular non-English language title on the platform, behind Norwegian Troll and in front The Circle of Snows by Juan Antonio Bayona.

7614 titles

The number of titles in the French Netflix catalog. In detail, there are more than 5,000 films and more than 2,600 series offered to French subscribers. If you are lost in this plethora of choices, The Digitals accompanies you and regularly offers you his selections of the best programs.

Zero

The number of Césars received by French films produced by Netflix. While in the United States many productions have received Oscar honors – such asAll Quiet on the Western Front, Marriage Story, Rome, Pinocchio Or The Wisdom of the Octopus – the greatest distinction in French cinema has not yet celebrated the films of the streaming giant. A state of affairs to be put down to the quality of the productions or the rigidity of the institutions?

5.99€

The price of the cheapest Netflix subscription in France. This is the Standard subscription with ads, which offers 90% of the service's catalog at a lower cost and in 1080p (Full HD) quality. The only downside: you will have to endure 15 to 30 seconds of ads at the start and in the middle of your series or film for a total of 4 to 5 minutes of ads per hour.

Launched in November 2022 in France, the Standard offer with advertising now represents 40% of new subscriptions and has allowed Netflix to find a viable model, and finally make a profit.