French director Radu Mihăileanu, EU Commissioner Mariya Gabriel and Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland at Lumiere VOD announcement.
April 22, 2019
The European Union is launching a platform aimed at informing consumers where they can access more than 35,000 European-produced movies on-demand across more than 150 video-on-demand services, including Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.
Dubbed “Lumiere VOD,” the platform — currently in beta rollout — is designed to support European films and filmmakers after an internal study found just 29% of feature films offered on VOD services originate from European countries.
By comparison, European VOD services feature about 50% movies originating from Hollywood studios, according to the EU.
VOD services financially backing Lumiere include Prime Video, Ampere Analysis, Apple, CNC, EuroVOD, FilmDoo, Filmin, Filmtoro JustWatch, Kino Fondas, La Cinetek, La Pantalla Digital, Le Kino.ch, Mediathèque Numérique, Netflix, realeyz, uncut, UniversCiné, VOD Club, VOD.lu and Vodeville.
Subscribe HERE to the FREE Media Play Daily Newsletter!
Lumiere VOD is similar to Movies Anywhere in the United States, which offers consumers a landing platform for third-party digital services selling digital movies, including iTunes, Prime Video, Vudu, Xinfity, Google Play, Microsoft Movies & TV and FandangoNow.
The EU previously passed a mandate that all streaming and VOD services operating within its jurisdiction include at least 30% localized content.
At the same time, the economic organization cited scant availability of databases promoting European movies available on VOD, despite the fact the region produced more than 18,000 films from 2007 to 2016, including 47% increase in global production in 2017.
With Digital TV Research projecting an increase of 409 million VOD subscribers by 2023 to 777 million globally, the EU decided to act.
“Europe is a major player in film production therefore we must ensure that European films and other audiovisual works attract the audience that they deserve,” Mariya Gabriel, commissioner for digital economy and society, said in a statement. “This is yet another important initiative aimed to ensure that European works of art and cultural heritage stay high on the political agenda.”
Lumiere VOD is slated to launch publicly at the end of the year.