Authors: Ioanna Archontaki, Achilleas Karadimitriou, Iliana Giannouli & Stylianos Papathanassopoulos
Cite as:
Archontaki, I., Karadimitriou, A., Giannouli, I., & Papathanassopoulos, S. (2024). Consumption patterns on mainstream SVoD services platforms across 10 European countries. Journal of Creative Industries and Cultural Studies – JOCIS, 12, 21-51. https://doi.org/10.56140/JOCIS-v12-5
Abstract
Over the last years, media viewing behaviors have undergone remarkable changes resulting from the wide availability of streaming services and VoD platforms. Competition between European and American content has left the former in a dire situation, while the efforts from the EU to regulate the new audiovisual field have proved mostly inefficient. In this paper, we aim to assess the current availability and diversity of Video On Demand content in ten European countries by analyzing Netflix catalogues based on a set of variables (size, year of production, ratings, and genres). By studying the consumption patterns of European audio-visual works on various SVoD services platforms we try to evaluate the penetration of European audiovis ual products in the global market, juxtaposing the results with the increasing investment in European productions. Finally, by comparing the consumption of the most popular genres in ten European countries over the period 2020 2022, we review the algorithmic recommendations and content curation effects on the prominence of the European works and their consumption. The analysis enables us to further evaluate the success of EU’s Audiovisual Media Services Directive call on content quotas addressed to VoD platforms and make further suggestions.
Keywords
Video on demand, VoD consumption, SVoD platforms, Netflix, Europeanisation, audiovisual media, AVMSD, algorithmic recommendations.