European Audiovisual Observatory

Information

This information is available in the form of: Market Reports, Statistics and Financial Analysis. The information is distributed by the Observatory in the form of products and services, some available for purchase, and many others: Print publications, on-line information, databases and directories, and contributions to conferences and workshops.

Scope

The Observatory collects, processes and distributes information on the audiovisual sector in its member states and the work of international organizations. In other territories

Target Groups

The information provided by the European Audiovisual Observatory is aimed at professionals working within the audiovisual sector: producers, distributors, exhibitors, broadcasters and other media service providers, international organizations in this field, decision-makers within the various public bodies responsible for the media, national and European legislators, journalists, researchers, lawyers, investors and consultants.

Statute and Resources

The European Audiovisual Observatory is based in Strasbourg , France . The budget of the European Audiovisual Observatory is made up of direct contributions from its member states and the European Union , represented by the European Commission , and partly through revenues from its products and services.

Team

The Executive Director, Susanne Nikoltchev, heads up a multi-cultural team from several different European countries. Structurally, the Observatory is divided into two departments: The Department for Information on Markets and Financing led by Gilles Fontaine, the Department for Legal Information led by Dr. Maja Cappello.

These two departments are responsible for the collection, processing and editing of the Observatory’s information which is distributed in the form of products and services. The Observatory also hosts the secretariat of the European Platform for Regulatory Authorities (EPRA). The official languages ​​of the European Audiovisual Observatory are English , French and German .

Headquarters

The Observatory is housed in the famous Art Nouveau Schutzenberger Villa in Strasbourg’s ‚European quarter‘ . This office is made available by the City of Strasbourg .

Network

The European Audiovisual Observatory has built up and manages a single European information network. This network is made up of:

• Partner organizations and institutions
• Professional information suppliers
• Selected correspondents

Members

The European Audiovisual Observatory has 41 member states. The European Union, represented by the European Commission, is also a member. The members of the Observatory are represented on its Executive Council, which meets twice a year in order to adopt the Observatory’s action plan and approve its budget. The representatives within the Executive Council usually come from those ministries and national institutions which deal with cultural or audiovisual policy.

Members of the European Audiovisual Observatory;

•  albania
•  armenia
•  austria
•  belgium
•  Bosnia and Herzegovina
•  bulgaria
• switzerland
•  cyprus
•  Czech Republic
•  georgia
•  Germany
•  denmark
•  estonia
•  spain
•  finland
•  la France
•  United Kingdom
•  greece
•  croatia
•  hungary
•  ireland
•  iceland
•  italy
•  liechtenstein
•  lithuania
•  luxembourg
•  latvia
•  Macedonia
•  malta
•  Montenegro
•  Morocco (from 2013)
•  Netherlands
•  norway
•  poland
•  Portugal
•  romania
•  russia
•  sweden
•  slovenia
•  Slovakia
•  turkey
•  European Union

Advisors

The Observatory’s Advisory Committee is composed of representatives of the European professional organizations and the Observatory’s partner organizations. It meets regularly in order to advise the Observatory on the information needs of the professionals of the audiovisual sector.

Information on Markets and Financing

Print Publications:

• The Yearbook – Film, Television and Video in Europe
• FOCUS – World Film Market Trends

Thematic reports:

• Public Funding for Film and Audiovisual Works in Europe – A Comparative Approach
• Film Distribution Companies in Europe
• Television in the Russian Federation
• Video on demand in Europe

Databases / Directories:

• LUMIERE – Free-access database on admissions to films released in Europe ^[1]
• KORDA – Free-access database on public funding for film and audiovisual sector in Europe ^[2]
• MAVISE – Database on TV and on-demand audiovisual services and companies in Europe EU-27 and candidate countries (financed by the DG Communication of the European Commission) – Operational from the end of 2007.

Legal Information

Publications

• Iris Legal Observations – Monthly Newsletter ^[3]
• Iris plus – Supplement to Iris which offers a thematic comparison of national legal systems in Europe ^[4]
• Iris Special reports on specific topics in the audiovisual field ^[5] such as Political Debate and the Role of the Media

Databases / Directories

• IRIS MERLIN – free access to the audiovisual matters in Europe ^[6]

See also

• European Institutions in Strasbourg

MAVISE

MAVISE is a free online database on audiovisual services and companies in Europe. It is developed by the European Audiovisual Observatory of the Council of Europe and cover 41 member states, and Morocco .

MAVISE is a Useful source to analyze key aspects of the audiovisual in Europe industries, Such As the level of media concentration , ^[7] [8] as well as trends in the offer / demand of audiovisual at regional services, ^[9] national and European level.

It provides easy access to information on: national TV markets (42); television channels (over 12000 pan-European, national and regional channels); on-demand audiovisual services (over 1400); and audiovisual companies (over 9800 broadcasters, packagers, transmitters).

Full update of MAVISE is performed annually every Autumn. However, major market developments are constantly updated to ensure timely and accurate information.

Sources of information

While different sources of information are being used by the Commission as a whole

• rules for the registration / notification of on-demand services strongly differentiating countries, making it often difficult to identify the country of license / registration;
• market data which are needed to identify the market.

Notes