European documentaries account for 40 per cent of documentary viewing time
A study by the European Audiovisual Observatory shows documentaries perform more strongly on streaming in Europe than fiction.
Translated from Dutch by AI
European documentaries accounted for 40 per cent of documentary viewing time on subscription services in nine European markets in 2024 and 2025. That share is considerably higher than the share of European fiction, according to a new report by the European Audiovisual Observatory.
The European Audiovisual Observatory published the analysis on 12 November, at the start of IDFA in Amsterdam. The research examines documentary production, cinema distribution and the video-on-demand market in Europe, and compares that performance with fiction.
On subscription services in the nine EU markets studied, European documentaries accounted for 40 per cent of documentary viewing time. European fiction works reached 22 per cent in the same comparison. The study says British productions represent a large share of European documentary consumption.
The figures concern viewing time, not the number of titles available or the number of unique viewers. A high share of viewing time may therefore also be linked to a limited number of widely watched productions. The study's public summary does not provide a breakdown by individual platform or country.
The Observatory also sees a strong position for European documentaries in cinemas. European productions accounted for 71 per cent of documentaries released commercially in cinemas. Since 2022, they have accounted for more than half of global cinema admissions for documentaries, according to the study.
According to the Observatory, the genre mix varies by distribution channel: political documentaries attract considerable interest worldwide in cinemas, while European cinema audiences relatively often choose nature subjects. On European streaming services, crime and disaster documentaries dominate viewing time, according to the Observatory.
The report shows that European productions have a larger share of documentary viewing time than of fiction viewing time. That comparison in itself does not show how dependent platforms are on fiction or what the international sales prospects are for individual documentaries. According to the study, British productions account for a large share of European documentary consumption; that in itself does not show how visible those titles are within the offering.
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The stated shares, period and comparison with fiction appear in the primary publication. The text makes clear that the figures concern viewing time and avoids unsupported conclusions about individual platforms.
- Confirmed European documentaries accounted for 40 per cent of SVOD viewing time in nine EU markets. — Primary publication by the European Audiovisual Observatory.
- Confirmed European fiction works reached 22 per cent. — Stated in the same publication.
- Confirmed European documentaries accounted for 71 per cent of commercially released cinema documentaries. — Stated in the Observatory's key findings.
Editor’s note
The key figures come from the Observatory report and have been confirmed by an independent trade publication. The nine markets and platform distribution are not fully broken down in the public summary consulted.Sources
- European works account for a high share of documentary consumption, whether in cinemas or in SVOD — European Audiovisual Observatory
- European documentaries take 40% of SVOD viewing in nine EU markets — Broadband TV News