Author Description

The Directorate for the Development of the Media (DDM) and the European Audiovisual Observatory wished to have an analysis of the offer of VoD programmes and markets in Europe. A first study on the VoD scene in Europe was carried out in 2006 by the firm of NPA Conseil and published in early 2007 by the Directorate for the Development of the Media (DDM) and the European Audiovisual Observatory. The present document is an attempt to draw up a general description of the European VoD landscape, updated to the end of 2007. To achieve this, a survey of European VoD services was carried out and is presented here in the form of summary tables. The structural changes in the distribution networks, the types of players involved, and the editorial offers and economic models observed in 2007 have been analysed in a separate section. Lastly, it is important to note that the range of the services taken into account in this survey is broader than last year - the work undertaken this year incorporates many catch-up TV offers for which no charge is made that have started up in recent months. Last year, only VoD services for which a charge was made were included in the perimeter of the study. This study again covers 24 European countries, all members of the European Audiovisual Observatory; some are also members of the European Union. To carry out this second survey, NPA Conseil made use of its network of partners and contacts in France and elsewhere, and the tools it has developed in-house for monitoring and tracing VoD services. NPA Conseil limited its monitoring of catch-up TV services for which no charge is made to the developments concerning the main television broadcasters in each market studied, leaving aside the offers of less well-known players.