Media timeline: new distribution and sales windows

Film professionals and all broadcasters have signed a new interprofessional agreement on media chronology in France at the Ministry of Culture.

For the new version of the media timeline, the rule defining the order and time limits in which various exploitations of a cinematographic work can interfere, the Ministry of Culture and the CNC (National Center for Cinema and the Moving Image) announce a general reduction in time limits (a time limit extended by a total of 44 months, in reduced to 36 months under the current agreement) and significantly ahead of the pay-TV window (from 8 to 6 months) and paid subscription platforms (from 36 to 17 or 15 months), without destabilizing historical broadcasters (pay TV and free TV), which remain the main financiers of French cinema.

• Canal+: six months after release, up from eight months earlier
• Netflix: 15 months after release vs. 36 months in the past
• Amazon Prime Video and Disney+: 17 months after premiere in theaters, up from 36 months last
• TF1, France Télévisions, M6, Arte and other free channels: 22 months after release compared to 30 months in the past.
• Sales and rentals (DVD, Blu-ray, VOD): four more months after release

SACD disapproves of new media timeline deal

Despite the necessary advances for the media timeline, the Society of Dramatic Authors and Composers was unwilling to sign the agreement, like some streaming platforms: “No one can imagine that the terms of this agreement can today remain in force for three years. Rapid changes in the sector in terms of supply, technology and demand will inevitably lead to a rapid evolution of the place of cinema in all offers available on the French market. Thus, the conclusion of this agreement for a period of 3 years seems incomprehensible and unreasonable. And the final addition of the revision clause during the period does not fundamentally change anything: it does not affect the duration of the agreement, i.e. until February 2025.”

Various New Media Chronology Possibilities:

Pay TV cinema

• Six months by agreement
• Nine months without a contract
• 15 months if agreed (second window)
• 17 months without approval (second window)

SMAD by subscription

• Six months if approved: pre-funding and distribution commitment for European and Francophone films, editorial commitment, financial commitment based on a guaranteed minimum (may take the form of a guaranteed investment amount in absolute terms) and investment diversity clause, subject to legal and intellectual property rights. The agreement also defines the period of exclusivity
• 15 months if the platform respects intellectual property law and law and has entered into an agreement that cannot exceed seven months of exclusivity
• 17 months without agreement, which cannot exceed 5 months of exclusivity (i.e. up to the 22nd month)

Free and paid TV channels, except cinema

• 22 months if a contract is concluded and if the channel invests at least 3.2% of its turnover in film production, including the share of the antenna and the costs of acquiring broadcasting and operating rights. If the film was not purchased by a second window pay channel or SMAD, this period is reduced to 19 months. The period of exclusivity may not exceed 14 months, with the possibility, by agreement, of extending this period exclusively or not.
• 30 months without approval

Free SMADs

• 36 months as agreed

Documentaries and feature films (up to 1.5 million euros)

• 12 months upon agreement and if they were not purchased by any TV channel or SMAD by subscription