Paris (AFP)
Canal + wants to be able to broadcast the films 3 to 4 months after their release, to keep an advantage over streaming platforms like Netflix, argues the boss of the group Maxime Saada, in an interview with Le Figaro.
The leader protests against the fact that streaming platforms should soon be authorized to broadcast films in France 12 months after their release, while currently they must wait 36 months.
This reform of the "media chronology" (the order in which films are released on the various operating media: cinemas, DVDs, television, streaming, etc.) is a counterpart envisaged by the government to the obligation to invest in French production which will be imposed on streaming platforms, under a European directive.
A so-called "SMAD" decree, to be published soon, will specify the terms of application of this reform.
"French cinema is heading straight for disaster," protests the leader of Canal +.
According to him, it would be unacceptable for Netflix to find itself aligned on the same film distribution schedule as Canal + (12 months after the theatrical release), while its contribution to financing the cinema will be much less than that of the French group.
Who will see his position deteriorate, while he is the number one source of funding for French cinema.
"Everyone will be the loser," warns Mr. Saada, who adds that "if our main advantages in cinema are called into question, there will be no more reason for our group to invest so much in this area".
The boss of Canal + even draws a parallel with the world of football, where the arrival of a new actor (Mediapro) to the detriment of the historic partners of Ligue 1 had turned into a fiasco last year.
"If the platforms are able to offer films 12 months after their theatrical release, the only viable scheme for Canal + would be to broadcast the films as soon as they end their theatrical exploitation, that is to say 3 to 4 months after their release", argues he does.
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