Why the agreement signed between Disney and French cinema annoys Canal+ ?

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Disney+ can rejoice. The streaming platform of the giant with the big ears has just signed an agreement this Wednesday, January 29th with the French cinema organizations. This contract will shake up the media timeline as we know it. And it is not to Canal+'s taste.

The details of a historic agreement

Concretely, through this three-year contract, Disney+ promises “to invest 25% of its annual net turnover generated in France”, or 115 million euros to purchase and pre-purchase European and French films and audiovisual works, details Le Monde.

In total, a minimum of 70 films should be financed over the period “ensuring a diversity of genres and budgets”. The big-eared firm is getting out its checkbook, since it previously allocated only 4% of its turnover to cinema and 16% to audiovisual.

These expenses are of course not free. In exchange for this effort, the streaming platform will now be able to broadcast its films nine months after their theatrical release, compared to 17 months today.

Canal+ threatens to reduce its funding

Yesterday, the president of the Canal+ group, Maxime Saada, spoke before the Senate Culture Committee. And he didn't beat around the bush:

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If Disney is at 9 months for 35 million euros (the manager did not yet know the exact amount when he spoke, Editor's note), for Canal+, there is a subject of 220 million euros at 6 months. (…) This offer (of 220 million euros annually) is no longer on the table today. From my point of view, it will necessarily decrease, the question is by how much.

According to the manager, Canal+'s current investment is ” higher “ than its obligations ” calculated on the total turnover “, which amount to “ around 100 ” million euros. He adds that Canal+ also broadcasts sport: “If tomorrow, Canal+ separates sport and cinema in its model, the obligation is halved, so the 100 million mechanically become 50 ».

And Maxime Saada concludes: “They tell me, 'It's a threat, you'll never do it,' but in fact we're looking into it.”.

Some representatives of French cinema take his statements seriously. Quoted by Le Monde, Pascal Rogard, general director of the Society of Authors and Composers Drama (SACD), believes that an agreement should have been concluded with Canal+ before Disney: “We first negotiate with the one who is likely to invest 200 million euros per year, then with the one who offers 35 million euros “.

To delve deeper into this question of the new media chronology in France, feel free to reread our previous article on this subject here.

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