Disney+ would play big to attract the French with this decision

Disney+ invests in French cinema, and it's not for nothing. The streaming platform is indeed preparing to lay its cards on the table to stream its films released in cinemas more quickly.

Our colleagues from The Echoes indeed report that the new media chronology, “mechanism which determines broadcast exclusivities based on the amounts invested”is indeed preparing to redistribute the cards at the start of next year.

55 million euros per year

Taking advantage so far of a broadcast window of 17 months after the release of its films in theaters, compared to six months for Canal+ and 15 months for NetflixDisney+ would consider investing 55 million euros per year over the next three years. For comparison, its commitment in 2024 was “only” 13 million euros.

Expiring in February 2025, the current media timeline would therefore be ready to evolve during further negotiations between “cinema associations (authors, producers, etc.) and major distributors”. The Echoes describe that this Disney+ offensive aims to follow the strategy “impulsed” by its CEO Bob Iger, having succeeded in making the streaming activity profitable “while making the most of all the broadcast windows for its films”.

For France, the objective would be to attract people with Disney+ by quickly offering films after their broadcast in cinemas to take advantage of the enthusiasm surrounding its productions. In the best of all worlds, the platform would like a delay of six months after the release on the big screen, and at worst nine months.

With its potential 55 million euros annually invested in French cinema, Disney+ would still remain below Canal+ forecasts. The Echoes indeed mention that the next investment range would be between 120 and 130 million euros per year.

A desire to save money for the group, which until then invested 210 million euros per year to take advantage of a broadcast window of only 6 months. For comparison, Netflix currently commits up to 50 million euros per year, and waits three times longer to send films released in cinemas to its platform.

We therefore have to wait until the beginning of 2025 to find out the commitments made by all the broadcasters, and the benefits that result from them.