EAO: More Than 33% of All SVOD Services Operating in Europe Are American
January 6, 2023
Of the more than 3,100 subscription streaming and over-the-top video platforms operating in Europe in 2022, more than 33% are U.S. based services, led by Netflix, according to new data from the European Audiovisual Observatory, part of the Council of Europe based in Strasbourg, France. Another 20% of all commercial pay-TV operators in Europe are American based.
In addition to the European Union countries, the data covered Albania, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Montenegro, North Macedonia, the Republic of Moldova, Norway, Serbia, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom and Ukraine.
Among pay-TV distributors operating in Europe, the Walt Disney Company, has a virtual market dominance operating in 45 European TV markets.
Among SVOD services, Netflix uses a centralized strategy with a single country of establishment from where it is targeting the European markets, according to the EAO. A core hubs strategy is used by the BBC, where typically a small number of countries serve as a basis to target various national markets. AT&T, by contrast, applies a decentralized strategy where a larger number of establishment hubs serve the European markets.
Nine countries account for 96% of on-demand video services mainly serving non-domestic markets. Ireland, the U.K. and the Netherlands are the hubs for the most significant U.S. global streaming players’ base of operations.
Among U.S. media companies operating in Europe, Warner Bros. Discovery and its majority parent, AT&T, rank No. 1 in market share across pay-TV, VOD and streaming. Other U.S. firms in the top 10 include Google, Disney, Apple, Comcast, Prime Video, AMC Networks and Paramount Network.
Netflix doesn’t make the list since it is singularly focused on streaming only.