Disney+ expanded into France many years ago, offering a wide selection of movies and shows from Disney’s library. However, due to the unique way French broadcasting rules operate, Disney+ has to operate slightly differently.

Whereas in the rest of the world, major new releases arrive on Disney+ within a few months of release, in France, films like “Deadpool & Wolverine” will take 17 months to arrive on Disney+, as films have to also have longer theatrical runs and also be made available on French-owned platforms first.  Up until recently, the rule was that a film would take three years to arrive on a streaming service.

French rules also state that streaming services need to allocate at least 20% of the billing they perform in France in order to finance the production of European audiovisual and cinematographic works or in French language.  This also goes up to 25% with theatrical releases.  These rules exist to help create and finance more independent French and European productions.

However, these rules do impact how Disney+ operates in France, where it is now licensing out much more content to other platforms, removing more library content from Disney+, and generally isn’t able to operate like it does everywhere else.

During a recent interview with FT, Disney’s EMEA boss Jan Koeppen expressed his frustration with how Disney+ has to operate in France, saying that many countries like Spain and the UK are centres of talent for TV and film production, due to tax advantages and investments in infrastructure.   Whereas, in countries like France, which impose quotas on local production levels and stipulate how many domestic movies need to be made and when films can be shown, it was “uniquely complicated and complex . . . it restricts competition, and it restricts consumer choice”, he said. “We normally want to get our content to customers in the way that they can best enjoy it.”

Jan went on to explain that Disney is working with authorities in France to see if the system could be “modernised . . . we’ll work with the different parties to see if that can be done”.

Disney has previously had run-ins with the French government on how their system is so much more complex than other regions, resulting in some movies skipping theatrical releases, in order to bypass the restrictions.

We’ve seen Disney invest in many French Originals like “Weekend Family”, “Oussekine” and “Everything Is Fine”.  But as Disney reduces its spending on general entertainment content, we’ve seen Disney pull back on how many originals it’s creating. 

Many countries, including Canada and Australia, are looking to introduce some restrictions for global streaming services to invest money in local productions, because there is a worry that if there wasn’t this protection, eventually, all we would have is a few major global streaming services and very little local content would be produced that isn’t a hit on the global stage.  However, France’s restrictions are too strict in forcing companies like Disney into not being able to take advantage of their own property, but Disney ultimately has to decide what is best in the long run, plus there are additional issues due to the existence of Disneyland Paris.

Roger’s Take: Disney+ in France operates very differently from how it works everywhere else, and while it conforms to the rules, it does mean subscribers aren’t getting the same level of service as they are internationally.  

What do you think of how Disney+ operates in France?  Let me know on social media!

Roger Palmer

Roger has been a Disney fan since he was a kid and this interest has grown over the years. He has visited Disney Parks around the globe and has a vast collection of Disney movies and collectibles. He is the owner of What's On Disney Plus & DisKingdom. Email: Roger@WhatsOnDisneyPlus.com Twitter: Twitter.com/RogPalmerUK Facebook: Facebook.com/rogpalmeruk

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