Le Havre Rendez-Vous Takeaways: Local Players Navigating Rough Waters, Public Broadcasters Still Buying, Animation Studios Adapting

The dramatic drop in 2025 French TV export figures may have cast a shadow over this year’s Unifrance Rendez-Vous TV market in Le Havre. Yet, like the skies over the Normandy coast, the gloom proved fleeting. Local sellers, rather than disheartened, are already navigating the current challenges and discovering new opportunities in the process. Indeed, some even view the market downturn as a natural return to a more balanced field following the high-flying peak TV buying sprees of global streamers. Fabien Saillant, Wild Bunch head of TV, attributes France’s falling export figures in part to declining acquisitions among international SVOD services, whose numbers grew to unprecedented heights during COVID with multiple platform launches and a massive appetite for programming. Popular on Variety “All these new players needed more content, so that was the peak of the market.” Since then, the platforms have been struggling to reach their subscriber targets, he notes. Compounding the problem for both linear broadcasters and streamers alike is the tough advertising market, which is further reducing budgets. At the same time, “people have never watched so much content and so many videos as they are now,” Saillant points out. While the impression may be that the market is suffering, Saillant argues that “things are becoming maybe a bit more rational now” and stresses that “there’s still a lot of appetite for audiovisual content.” Historical Dramas Still En Vogue Victor Belmondo stars in ‘The Red and the Black’ Credit: Nicolas Velter/France Televisions/Siecle Productions Historical fiction remains very much in demand, as illustrated by such lavish new productions as Wild Bunch’s “The Red and the Black” and, from France TV Distribution, “Swapped,” both set in 19th-century France. And a four-part series like “The Red and the Black,” an adaption of Stendhal’s classic tome, could easily go to a broadcaster or a streamer, Saillant adds. What is becoming more important is to have a brand, an IP — like “The Red and the Black” — that immediately resonates both with buyers and viewers, he stresses. Such series remain very much in focus at Wild Bunch, where another historical drama based on a well-known French literary work is currently in development. ‘Swapped’ Credit: Caroline Dubois The main challenge is making historical dramas relevant and exciting for broader audiences on both linear broadcasters and digital platforms, says Julia Schulte, head of international sales at France TV Distribution. “Swapped” does that with a young female protagonist and a modern sensibility that can draw both younger and older audiences, she notes. Finding New Audiences France TV Distribution is also seeing established shows expand their reach abroad thanks to their growing popularity. Its long-running hit series “Bright Minds,” already an international success, has become such a huge hit in Japan, where it airs on NHK, that producers decided to shoot part of Season 7 on location in the country. ‘Bright Minds’ ‘Courtesy of JLA Production Such successful collaborations open “up discussions for other possibilities, for other shows and maybe even co-productions between France and Japan,” Schulte says. Indeed, the success of long-running French shows abroad is in line with the recent findings of PlumResearch, which analyzed viewer engagement on HBO Max in the U.K. and noted that older titles accounted for 82% of viewer retention when looking at the streamer’s full catalogue. Niche and foreign-language series — the consumption of which continues to grow — prove particularly strong in creating audience loyalty, the research shows. France TV Distribution’s other notable deals include the recent acquisition by MHz Choice of “Zorro,” starring Jean Dujardin, for the U.S. and Canada. While French productions remain niche in the U.S., MHz Choice and Walter Presents have proved eager takers of high-end shows. Across Europe, public broadcasters remain stalwart partners. About Premium Content signed a number of key international deals for its family saga mystery series “Blue Gold” and romantic drama “Seasons,” both of which sold across Europe and North America. “Blue Gold” went to MHz Choice and Walter Presents for the U.K. and Ireland, RTP in Portugal and Blue Play in Switzerland. “Seasons” was picked up by RTP in Portugal, RTBF Auvio for French-speaking Belgium and Radio Canada’s Ici Tou.TV Extra for French-speaking Canada. Doc Buyers Eye Current Affairs, Geopolitics, High-Impact Fare ‘Gaza: A People’s History’ Courtesy of Elda Productions Bianca Fontez-Eymenier of documentary specialist Andana Films tells Variety that broadcasters are currently focused on current affairs and international politics, underscored by the company’s top current titles: “Gaza: A People’s History,” by Tamara Erde, and “My Maga Life,” by French filmmaker Marine Pradel, an accredited foreign White House correspondent who follows Donald Trump’s return to power by way of his supporters, rare dissidents and her immigrant neighbors in Washington, D.C. Broadcasters are especially interested in having documentary fare on current or recent topics of the past six months, particularly works centering on West Asia, Ukraine and the U.S. “It’s always interesting for them,” she adds. Similarly, Java Films current slate is led by “Hong Kong: A City Silenced,” marking next year’s 30th anniversary of the return of Britain’s erstwhile Chinese colony to China. The title has already sold to SBS in Australia and ZDF Info in Germany. In time for the Brazilian elections on Oct. 4, Java Film is also handling “Faith in Power: Brazil’s Evangelicals,” an investigation into the power wielded by Brazil’s Christian fundamentalists and how they are influencing votes in favor of their chosen candidate, Flávio Bolsonaro, against President Lula da Silva. Shedding light on one of the art world’s greatest and still unsolved recent mysteries, APC’s “An Artful Imbrolio” sold to Spanish SVOD service Filmin and Portuguese broadcaster RTP. Set in Paris, Rome, London, New York and Madrid, the doc series examines allegations of forgery and large-scale trafficking of artworks and the possible role of the enigmatic Giuliano Ruffini. Animation Studios Embrace International Partnerships, Score With Legacy Titles ‘Submarine Jim’ On the animation front, while local productions lost major market share last year, producers are adapting to new realities, focusing more on established franchises or developing distinctive new IPs as broader international co-productions, such as Mediawan’s new show “Witch Detectives.” Xilam Animation saw continued global success with long-running hits “Oggy and the Cockroaches” and “Zig & Sharko” as well as with “Chickies,” a new spin-off of the massively successful “Where’s Chicky?,” including major continent-spanning deals with Warner Bros. Discovery, India’s JioStar, Radio Canada and SVT Sweden. The company’s latest show, “Submarine Jim,” has likewise proved a hot seller across Europe, Latin America, Asia and Australia.