9 months, instead of 17: Disney+ has obtained a significant shortening of its release window for films released in theaters. As part of the negotiations to renew the media chronology, the streaming platform has signed an agreement with French cinema organizations to reduce the time between the release of a film in theaters and its broadcast on the service.
Disney+ reduces its release window by half
In exchange for this privilege, which brings Disney+ closer to Canal+ (6 months), the American giant's streaming service is committing to several points: 25% of annual turnover in France will go to financing European and French cinematographic and audiovisual works for 3 years; financing of a minimum of 70 films over this period.
“Making films accessible to as many people as possible, first in theaters, then much more quickly on the Disney+ platform, is an essential first step in meeting the needs of the French people,” explains Hélène Etzi, President of Disney France. 9 months is indeed much better than 17 months, even if we are still a long way from the situation in the United States, where some films are available for streaming just a few weeks after their theatrical release.
In France, the media timeline is the main financing mechanism for the film industry. Every three years, negotiations between all parties allow the rules to be revised, which sometimes gives rise to some serious free-for-alls. The next renewal is due to be approved on February 8. The National Center for Cinema (CNC) has proposed to keep the model in force since 2022, a proposal that has received the approval of the main audiovisual groups, but not yet for the platforms.
Disney+ will therefore be able to boast of doing much better than Netflix (15 months). The number 1 in streaming could however snatch a better window in view of its financial commitments in France; it would indeed seek to reduce the broadcast period to 12 months. There are still a few days left…
Source: Disney+
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