VOD Report
Swiss titles on European platforms
24.06.2024
How widespread are Swiss films on Europe's streaming platforms outside the home market? Which VOD platforms have the most Swiss productions in their line-up and which are the top titles from Switzerland? SWISS FILMS has scoured the video-on-demand platforms available in Europe for Swiss films and series. It shows that Swiss titles are widely available in Europe, with a high concentration in Switzerland's neighbouring countries. For the first time, SWISS FILMS has also analysed the availability of Swiss series. In this case, a classic from children's TV comes out first.
The following analysis is based on data from the LUMIERE VOD database of the European Audiovisual Observatory. SWISS FILMS has analysed whether and where Swiss productions are offered on streaming services (availability). However, the LUMIERE VOD database does not provide any data on viewing frequency or the generated revenue.
A broad range of Swiss films
817 different Swiss films and major co-productions were offered on European platforms outside Switzerland on the reporting date of 1st January 2024. Newer Swiss films (productions from 2010 onwards) are better represented on European VOD platforms than older ones. The Swiss titles with the highest availability are EL TIEMPO NUBLADO, MA VIE DE COURGETTE, INSULAIRE, BARACOA and ABOVE AND BELOW.
Availability of Swiss films on European streaming platforms: Top 20
Available titles by year of production
Availability on various platforms
About one in five platforms in Europe (excluding platforms in Switzerland) offers Swiss titles. 154 out of 737 European VOD platforms have Swiss titles in their
line-up. A look at the country statistics shows that Swiss films are available in all European countries. A particularly large number of titles are available on platforms in neighbouring countries as well as the British Isles.
Amazon has the most Swiss films on offer
Swiss titles were available in 39 TVOD, 87 SVOD and 28 FOD catalogues**. Of the TVOD platforms, Amazon has the most extensive range of Swiss films with 299 titles, followed by iTunes, Google Play, Euro VoD and YouTube Movies. Amazon Prime Video leads the SVOD platforms (148 titles), followed by Sooner, Filmingo and DAFilms.
Number of Swiss films available on a European T-VOD platform
Number of Swiss films available on a European S-VOD platform
Swiss series in the European streaming offer
Streaming platforms available in Europe also offer Swiss series. On the reporting date of the study (1st January 2024), 25 seasons with Swiss participation were available in Europe (excluding the Swiss home market). Newer seasons (accumulated since 2017) are more available than older ones. The animated series with the famous PINGU has the highest availability. The classic from the 1980s is followed by the Swiss crime series NEUMATT, THE TEAM, DER BESTATTER and WILDER. The oldest available series dates back to 1972.
Amazon and Netflix offer the most Swiss series
On 1st January 2024, 32 different series (with a total of 158 seasons) with Swiss participation were available on 33 European platforms outside Switzerland. They were available in 9 TVOD, 20 SVOD and 4 FOD catalogues.
With 23 seasons, Amazon has the most extensive range of Swiss series on TVOD platforms, followed by Apple iTunes and Google PlayMovies (see below). Netflix leads the SVOD platforms (16 seasons), followed by Amazon Prime Video and ComHem Play.
Number of Swiss series available on a European T-VOD platform
Number of Swiss series available on a European S-VOD platform
Data basis
This report analyses the data collected by the European Audiovisual Observatory and published in open access on the LUMIERE database. Due to the constant change in VOD offerings, the following results only provide information on the availability of Swiss films on 1st January 2024, the reporting date for data collection. Information on sales or viewing frequency of the individual titles cannot be provided.
Swiss productions and major Swiss co-productions (excluding minor co-productions) were taken into account when analysing the availability of Swiss series and films. Their availability on 737 VOD platforms offered in Europe was analysed.
Summary
The analysed data provides information on availability. The figures show that many recent Swiss films are available on several platforms in Europe. The data does not provide any information on how often these films are viewed or what revenue they generate. However, they do show that most Swiss films find their way onto a European platform even without additional support from SWISS FILMS VOD Support. An external analysis commissioned by SWISS FILMS from Quentin Latournerie, the former Head of the digital development department at Unifrance, also shows that although many Swiss films can be found, they receive little visibility within the platforms. This recognition has led to the revision of the SWISS FILMS VOD support.
SWISS FILMS will continue to closely monitor the development of the distribution of Swiss films on VOD platforms. Further analyses based on the LUMIERE database are to follow and will be incorporated into the evaluation of SWISS FILMS' existing support measures and activities. In addition to the criteria of availability, SWISS FILMS will increasingly take into account the findability on a platform as well as the viewing frequency and the sales generated online, provided that exploitation data is available.
*Data source: LUMIERE VOD directory | European Audiovisual Observatory.
**SVOD = Subscription Video on Demand: Subscription offers with flat rate and unlimited content
TVOD = Transactional Video on Demand: Content is purchased on a pay-per-view basis
FVOD = Free Video on Demand
The term catalogue (as opposed to platform) refers here to the local offering of a specific platform. For example, Amazon has a German or French catalogue that does not necessarily include the same range of films.