VOD REPORT
The streaming boom in Europe continues. But how visible are Swiss productions on European platforms? An in-depth study provides some answers – while also raising new questions.
02.07.2025
The European video on demand (VOD) market is growing rapidly. But are Swiss productions truly benefiting from this trend? SWISS FILMS has examined several European streaming platforms to find out which Swiss films and series are available – and where exactly. Based on data from the European Audiovisual Observatory (EAO), the study analyzes the availability of Swiss titles at three key reference dates. Important to note: the study focuses on online availability only – it does not measure audience numbers or revenues. Through interactive graphics, you can discover which Swiss titles appear most frequently, and on which platforms Swiss content is even more present than on Netflix or YouTube.
Streaming Before Cinema?
While the European cinema market stagnates and struggles with structural issues, the streaming sector remains dynamic and continues to expand. New providers are entering the market, and platform catalogues are becoming increasingly extensive. Analysts predict annual growth rates of 20 to 25% for streaming platforms.
With streamers reinvesting more heavily in content – given the ongoing challenges facing the cinema industry – the gap between the cinema and streaming markets is expected to widen further. Many market observers now believe that the European streaming market for films and series has already overtaken both the cinema market and traditional public service TV.
More Platforms – Slightly More Swiss Films
As of January 1, 2025, the European Audiovisual Observatory (EAO) recorded a total of 836 platforms during a growth phase. Compared to the previous year, this represents a 34% increase in new streaming providers entering the market. Swiss films and series have also benefited from this boom though not proportionally. Between 2022 and 2024, the availability of Swiss films on European platforms increased only moderately.
By January 1, 2025, a total of 867 (+6%) different Swiss films and majority Swiss coproductions were available on 166 (+7%) European platforms outside Switzerland. This growth mainly concerns SVOD and FVOD* platforms.
Top Swiss Films and Series on European Platforms
The ranking of the most widely available Swiss titles on European platforms has hardly changed since 2022. Changes at the top are mainly due to increased availability on FVOD platforms. As of January 1, 2025, CERN – THE SENSE OF BEAUTY (Amka Films), MADAME (Lambda Prod), EL TIEMPO NUBLADO (Cineworx), and ALMOST THERE (Hugofilm Productions) lead the availability statistics. The cinema and festival hit MY LIFE AS A ZUCCHINI (Rita Productions) also remains remarkably present at all reference dates.
In the series segment, the animated classic PINGU continues to top the rankings across all periods. As in previous years, several German-speaking Swiss series like NEUMATT, DER BESTATTER, WILDER, and TSCHUGGER dominate the top spots. By contrast, according to the EAO, series from French-speaking Switzerland remain underrepresented on francophone platforms outside Switzerland.
Amazon, Apple, and Google: Leaders in Swiss Film Availability
As of January 1, 2025, Amazon once again offers the largest selection of Swiss films on European TVOD platforms (313 titles), followed by Apple iTunes, Google Play, and YouTube. On SVOD platforms, Amazon Prime Video takes the lead (172 titles), ahead of Filmingo, Sooner, and DAFilms. In the FVOD segment, the library-focused streaming service Filmfriend stands out with 53 Swiss titles available.
Amazon, Netflix, and Canalplus: Top Platforms for Swiss Series
In terms of series, Amazon tops the TVOD platforms with 24 seasons of Swiss series available as of January 1, 2025, followed by Apple iTunes (see interactive graphic above). On SVOD platforms, Netflix leads with 17 seasons, now followed by Canalplus and Amazon Prime Video.
Swiss Films Available Across Europe – Series Less So
A look at country statistics shows that, at the beginning of 2025, Swiss films were available in all European countries, with particularly high numbers on platforms in neighboring countries and the British Isles.
In Germany, one of the key markets for Swiss films, there were 341 Swiss films available on SVOD, 280 on TVOD, and 131 on FVOD.
However, the situation for Swiss series remains limited: as of the reference date, no Swiss series were available in Eastern Europe, the Benelux countries, or Italy. Austria showed the highest availability, while France offered notably few Swiss series in its catalogues.
The long wait for new films
A look at the production years of available films shows that new Swiss films remain largely absent from European platforms. As of January 1, 2025, only eight titles with Swiss involvement from 2024 were available on a European platform, including DOG ON TRIAL (Bande à part Films), Switzerland’s Oscar contender REINAS (Alva Film). For film fans, the real chance to find a Swiss title in a European VOD catalogue generally comes only three to seven years after production. On the other hand, there’s a noticeable increase in the availability of newly restored classics from the pre-digital era.
Seizing Streaming Opportunities
Can Swiss productions break through in the international streaming market? Will there be real progress – or will they remain on the sidelines? SWISS FILMS will continue to proactively monitor the distribution of Swiss films and series on VOD platforms.
Further analyses based on data from the Lumiere database of the EAO delete European Audiovisual Observatory (EAO) will follow and will feed into the evaluation of current SWISS FILMS support measures and activities. In the future, SWISS FILMS will place greater emphasis – not only on availability but also on discoverability, viewing frequency, and online revenues, provided that such evaluation data becomes available. These aspects will also be explored in-depth through case studies.
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Data Source and Methodology
Data source: This analysis is based on data from the Lumiere VOD database of the European Audiovisual Observatory (EAO). Across three studies, the EAO examined the availability of films on European video on demand platforms during the period 2022-2024 (reference dates: October 1, 2022, January 1, 2024, and January 1, 2025). The data does not include revenue or viewing figures.
The analysis considers Swiss films as well as majority and minority Swiss coproductions that were available on European platforms (outside Switzerland) on the reference dates. For the analysis of Swiss series, only majority productions were included.
Source: Lumiere VOD Directory | European Audiovisual Observatory.
For cinema and streaming market analysis, we also refer to Ampere Analysis and other EAO studies.
Glossary
**SVOD = Subscription Video on Demand: Subscription-based services offering unlimited access to a content library.
TVOD = Transactional Video on Demand: Pay-per-view content, purchased or rented individually.
FVOD = Free Video on Demand: Free content available without subscription fees (e.g., PlaySuisse in Switzerland).
Note on the term “catalogue”: Unlike the term “platform”, “catalogue” here refers to the local offering of a platform in a specific country.
For example, Amazon has a German catalogue and a French catalogue, which do not necessarily include the same film selection.