French Animation Sales Plunge 30% As Export Market Contracts

French animation sales fell sharply in 2025, accelerating the decline recorded in 2024 (hitting a 16-year low at the time) as the country’s broader audiovisual export market contracted.

Sales of French audiovisual programs dropped 21.6%, from €209.6 million ($234 million) in 2024 to €164.3 million ($191 million) in 2025, according to figures unveiled Tuesday by the CNC and Unifrance at the Unifrance Rendez-Vous in Le Havre. Animation recorded the steepest decline among the three leading genres, with sales falling 30.3% to €32.2 million ($37 million). Its market share slipped to 19.6%.

For the first time, animation ranked as France’s third-largest audiovisual export genre. Live-action fiction remained in first place, followed by documentary. Fiction sales fell 27% to €54.9 million, while documentary sales declined 2.7% to €43.1 million. The report said event-driven documentaries and light crime series helped sustain international demand.

According to the report, animation was among the first genres affected by the international market contraction and changing viewing habits. Sales to advertising-supported streaming services grew, but not enough to offset falling revenue from subscription streaming platforms and other non-linear rights.

Against that backdrop, the CNC and Unifrance emphasized France’s ability to produce across genres, themes, and narrative forms, as well as the importance of an effective funding system. The report also highlighted the continued international circulation of French children’s series including Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir, Grizzy and the Lemmings, and PJ Masks.

Those same established franchises were highlighted in last year’s report, however, underscoring a central question for the sector: whether newer French properties can break through internationally as buyers reduce spending. Animation pre-sales fell 62.6% from 2024.

French studios and public institutions are responding to the downturn with new international partnerships and training initiatives.

Earlier this week, French President Emmanuel Macron and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung unveiled the Lumière Partnership, under which the two countries plan to invest a combined €1 billion ($1.16 billion) in the film and audiovisual industries from 2027 through 2031. Each country pledged €500 million.

French companies have also been pursuing ties with Korean IP owners and producers. Brain Comet’s animated adaptation of the Korean webtoon Adonis is set to be presented at Cartoon Forum this month. Separately, Mediawan and South Korean studio SLL signed a strategic partnership to explore remakes, exchange IP across Korea and Europe, and develop co-productions for the global market.

The Audiovisual Next Gen program, developed by the CNC in partnership with Netflix, RTL Group, and Mediawan, will select 20 creative-industry professionals under 35 for an 18-month international mentoring and immersion program. The first cohort, scheduled for announcement in January 2027, will be composed entirely of women as part of an effort to improve female representation in senior audiovisual roles.

Individual studios are expanding as well. French animation and VFX company Stim recently opened a Tenerife location, which it expects to grow to more than 100 employees by mid-2027. As this year’s Unifrance Rendez-Vous draws to a close, companies including Xilam, MIAM! distribution, and Mediawan are among those trying to navigate the downturn through international sales, co-production, and expansion.