Nearly 45 million French people consumed dematerialized cultural content (films, music, TV series, etc.) in 2022, mainly through a paid subscription, a model that is essential in the face of illicit consumption, according to a study by the Audiovisual and Digital Communication Regulatory Authority (Arcom) published on Friday 16 December.
Over the last twelve months, 86% of French Internet users aged 15 and over have consumed a dematerialized cultural good from one of the twelve types of content taken into account (music, films, TV series, photos, video games, software, books, press, live sports broadcasts, podcasts, live shows, documentaries). “Films (54% of Internet users), music (50%) and TV series (49%) remain the top three of the most consumed cultural goods”underlines Arcom, unlike podcasts (17%), books and audio books (14%) and recordings of live performances (7%).
Paid subscription to a video-on-demand, music or pay-TV service is required “as the major mode of access to legal consumption”73% of French Internet users have at least one paid subscription, specific to their household or obtained thanks to the codes of another person.
Subscribing to a video-on-demand offer is the most common (66% of Internet users), well ahead of subscribing to a music service (36%) or a pay-TV offer (33%). “The increase in the number of consumers paying for dematerialized cultural goods leads to an increase in the average basket”, estimated at 21 euros per month including consumers of free content, according to the study. Considering only paying consumers, the average monthly expenditure on cultural goods remains stable, at 32 euros.
Anti-piracy measures
People aged 40 and over were the most inclined to consume dematerialized cultural goods in a legal manner (65% of them), whereas only 12% of 15-24 year olds have legally consumed this past year.
Nearly a quarter of Internet users (24%) have resorted to illicit consumption, down 4 points over one year. This drop “is observed for more than half of the goods” studied, including films, series and sporting events.
Arcom explains this in particular by the implementation this year of measures to combat piracy such as the blocking of illegal sites offering cultural content or sports broadcasts. The president of Arcom, Roch-Olivier Maistre, also pointed out “the development of the legal offer”.