French video market hit by piracy, says SEVN

The combined market for video-on-demand, Blu-ray and DVD in France fell by 2.7% to €1.49 billion last year, according to a study by the Syndicat de l’édition vidéo numérique (SEVN) and research group GfK.

The market for physical media – DVD and Blu-ray – fell by 9%, according to the study. However, the VOD market grew by 50% to €230 million.

According to the SEVN, the fall was explained by a poorer content offering in 2011 and by growth in piracy, despite the efforts of the Hadopi to counter file-sharing in the country. The SEVN said it was working with other organisations to press for the blocking of access to internet sites that directed users to sources of illicit content on the web.