France: a textbook case for the future of digital creation funding
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
France operates one of the world's most interventionist audiovisual funding systems. Through the National Center for Cinema and the Moving Image (CNC), part of the revenue generated by broadcasters is reinvested into content creation. Often presented as a pillar of the French cultural exception, this model has long supported film and television. But adapting it to the digital economy remains an open challenge.
It is in this context that the suspension of the CNC Talent program has reignited debate over the place of web-native creation within French cultural policy. Beyond the domestic controversy, the issue raises a question relevant to the global audiovisual industry: how should creation be funded in an era of global platforms and mobile-first consumption?
The CNC Talent program sought to apply the French model of support for creative works to the web. But unlike cinema, digital platforms are not dedicated to fiction, documentaries, or animation. They combine audiovisual works with news content, entertainment, influencer content, educational material, and services. This hybrid nature makes it more difficult to apply a funding model that was originally designed to support clearly identified cultural works.
At the same time, the duanju, or microdrama, market is growing rapidly. In China, these short-form series designed for smartphone viewing have reached an industrial scale.
During the Grand Debate at the La Rochelle Fiction Festival in September 2025, CNC President Gaëtan Bruel noted that the Chinese microdrama market had surpassed the country's box office revenues. On that occasion, he also stressed the importance of "following and understanding these trends," while describing microdramas as a "perfect counterexample" to the vision of creation traditionally promoted by the CNC. A few months later, during the 2026 Creation Day event, he referred to "highly standardized content" driven by "addictive mechanisms."
This criticism of addiction nevertheless raises a question of consistency: where should the line be drawn between a cultural work and an engagement-driven product? The CNC already funds the video game industry, a sector where user retention, progression, and loyalty mechanisms often play a central role.
It is also worth noting that the duanju format relies on a fiction-driven business model that is far more structured than those of many digital platforms and social networks. Companies such as ReelShort and DramaBox control the entire value chain, from production and distribution to monetization, within closed applications designed specifically for serialized content.
The debate over how to fund digital creation was reignited in early June by Justine Ryst, Managing Director of YouTube France. During a hearing before the French Senate, she noted that the Video Services Tax generates more than €44 million per year, while only €3 million was allocated to CNC Talent. She also called for a reform of the program.
France has already integrated streaming platforms into its audiovisual funding system. Since the SMAD decree came into force in 2021, platforms such as Netflix and Disney+ have been required to invest a portion of their revenue generated in France in French and European productions.
If this regulatory approach is carried through to its logical conclusion, duanju could eventually enter the scope of policymakers' discussions as well. Even if the format does not currently align with the CNC's stated priorities, its international growth and increasingly structured business model may make the issue harder and harder to ignore.
Article written by Guillaume Sanjorge
