29% of all European television channels are based in the United Kingdom

1,203 television channels out of a total of 3,005 in the European Union are based in the United Kingdom, a country that represents 21% of the European television market.

He European Audiovisual Observatory, which is part of the Council of Europe (Strasbourg), has drawn up an ireport on the impact that Brexit would have in the European television market.

The report provides key figures on co-productions between the United Kingdom and other EU28 countries, the import and export of films between the United Kingdom and other EU countries, as well as data on the circulation of audiovisual services between the United Kingdom and the European Union. This report will be presented at the Observatory's conference in Brussels next autumn entitled The impact of Brexit on the audiovisual industry: a European point of view. This public conference will take place on Thursday, November 29 in Brussels (free registration, here).

The British market is slightly more dynamic, on average, than the 28 countries of the European Union as a whole, due to the good results of pay television and also because it is the most developed European market, by far, with respect to on-demand services. In fact, the average annual growth rate between 2011 and 2016 it was 2.1% in the UK compared to 1.7% in the EU28. The UK ranks fourth in the number of hours of television fiction produced, underpinned by a focus on high-end drama with strong export potential.

The United Kingdom is by far the main country by number of television channels and a la carte services. The United Kingdom is home to three of the top 10 audiovisual groups in the European Union (Sky, BBC, ITV), as well as European subsidiaries of the main American media groups.

On the other hand, the United Kingdom is a key player in the European film sector. Thanks in particular to the strength of the domestic film market, it produces 16% of all EU28 films, excluding blockbuster films financed entirely by major US production companies through their British subsidiaries.

When it comes to the exploitation of European films via VOD, the United Kingdom occupies first place (ahead of France) in terms of the number of titles exported via TVOD to other countries in the European Union.