European Original Content Spend Hits $23B, Driven By Streamers

Global streamers have poured money into original European television programming, boosting spending by 70 percent to around $5.4 billion (€4.9 billion) in 2022 compared to a year earlier, according to a new report published by the European Audiovisual Observatory (EAO), an independent media think tank.

Overall, streamers’ share of total investment in European originals, excluding news and sports rights, has risen sharply, representing just under a quarter (24 percent) of total spending last year, up from 16 percent in 2021. However, private and public broadcasters continue to finance the bulk of European originals, investing $17.3 billion (€15.8 billion) in 2022, or 76 percent in total.

The report estimates the total investment in European original content in 2022 at 20.8 billion euros, or almost $22.8 billion.

Among streamers, Netflix, which poured $2.4 billion (2.2 billion euros) into original European content last year, and Amazon ($1.2 billion/1.1 billion euros) account for the largest share of spending for their account. They were followed by Disney+ ($550,000/€500,000), HBO Max ($440,000/€400,000) and AppleTV+ ($440,000/€400,000).

But the sharp spike in streamer-driven growth may be short-lived. The EAO report notes that some streamers, including Disney+ and HBO Max, have announced they will limit their investments in non-US content.

The vast majority of streamers’ money – 83 percent in 2022 – is for scripted shows in Europe, while only 17 percent is spent on unscripted shows. And there are some notable regional differences. British and Spanish productions account for the majority of streamers’ European investments. The platforms financed UK and Spanish shows to the tune of $2.95 billion (€2.7 billion) in 2022, almost double their investments in productions in the other three biggest markets, France, Germany and Italy, combined ($1. 5 billion/€1.4 billion). All told, British and Spanish productions accounted for 37 percent of global streamers’ spend on original European content.

The importance of global streamers to local European markets varies widely from country to country. In Britain and Italy, streamers account for around a third of total investment in originals (excluding news). In Spain this figure is 51 percent. But in Germany, only 11 percent of the original spend comes from the streamers. In France, this figure is closer to 20 percent.

Overall, public and private broadcasters remain the deepest players in Europe, investing a combined $50 billion (€45.4 billion) in content last year, 35 percent of which was original. Sports licenses accounted for 28 percent of spending, while third-party acquisitions of films and series, such as American films and shows, made up 26 percent of total spending.