The CNC in a nutshell

Every year, the CNC (French National Cinema Center) gives financial aids to develop the French cinematic and VOD offer. Let’s take a look at the four grants you could benefit from.

You want to launch your own VOD platform but you are experiencing financial deadlocks. Do you have a clear picture on which grants you could benefit from the CNC?

In this article, we have selected four CNC aids that may concern you: Diversity image fund (fonds d’aide Images de la diversité), Automatic financial support for VOD (l’aide financière automatique à la diffusion en vidéo à la demande), Physical video editing funds (l’aide à l’édition en vidéo physique), Selective support for VOD exploitation (le soutien sélectif à l’exploitation en vidéo à la demande).

The CNC, National Center for Cinema, is a French public organization, under the authority of the Culture Secretary. The CNC is responsible for the regulation, the protection and the classification of French cinematographic works but the organization is also in charge of promotion and financial support.

The CNC’s grant budget comes from various taxes related to the audiovisual sector.

1. Diversity image fund

This fund is not specifically linked to the video-on-demand market, but rather to video writing, development, production, distribution and editing. Its objective is to support the creation and the diffusion of cinematographic works which give a more accurate representation of French diversity.

To fulfill these objectives, you must:

Represent all the immigrant populations, immigrants and ultramarines that make up French society and especially those who reside in the priority neighborhoods
Represent the current realities, history and memory in France of the immigrant populations (…)
Support the gender equality and the integration policy of the inhabitants of disadvantaged neighborhoods
Contribute to the recognition and appreciation of the history, heritage and memory of those neighborhoods

In 2016, the budget of the Image Diversity fund amounted to € 2.6 million (including € 1.2 million from CGET and € 1.4 million from the CNC).

This grants covers film, audiovisual, multimedia and video games sectors. All types are possible and the received formats are: unitary, pilot, series, feature film, short film and nonlinear.

Who can apply ?

Authors
Producers
Distributors
Publishers

Watch out! Only one project can be investigated by the selective financial aids from the CNC or the Diversity Image fund. However, three supplementary grants per year can be claimed for the same project within the framework of a capped public support.

Nota bene, since January 1, 2017, the ISAN number is requested for any work or project of work benefiting from CNC automatic or selective grants.

On the CNC website, you will find all the additional information and the steps to follow in order to submit your application.

2. Grants for physical video editing

Selective support for physical video consists of two separate financial aids for any structure holding video rights on physical media. It is more specific to the VOD market.

The grants for unit video: you must enter a specific editing project in committee and the grants for the annual video editorial program: you can submit all or part of the publishing projects that you want to market, during the current year.

Note that a request for a physical video editing grants can be coupled with a request for a selective support for VOD exploitation.

Who is eligible for those grants ?

Any structure holding video rights on a physical media, of works of all types and nationalities
The structure must be declared and established in France
Its chairmen, directors / managers must be either “French nationals or nationals of a member state of the European Community, a State party to the European Convention on Transfrontier Television of the Council of Europe or a State third party with which the European Community has concluded agreements relating to the audiovisual sector. “
Regarding support for the annual video editorial program: the structure must have existed for at least 2 years and must have a regular video editing activity.

You can find all the works, eligible expenses and commission dates in the complete description, available for download on the CNC website (in french).

Please note that the project owner must make an appointment with the project manager before enrolling in the committee, otherwise the application will not be accepted.

3. Selective support for video-on-demand operation

The CNC has been encouraging the video-on-demand market since 2008, through the selective support for video-on-demand operation.

In 2012, the grant adapts to the new needs and becomes a selective grant to the video-on-demand editorial program (PGE), consistent with the selective support for physical video. Also in 2012, the support grant decides to reinforce itself with the introduction of a selective unitary grant allowing the holders of video-on-demand rights to benefit from a subsidy for the exploitation of a cinematographic work or audiovisual in video-on-demand (this grant replaces the video-on-demand markup system for selective video editing support).

Hereby the two grants: selective assistance to the VoD editorial program and single unit support for VoD operations.

Who are the recipients?

The holders of VoD rights
VoD Service Publishers

Namely, VOD grants are no longer subject to the “minimis” regime .

4. Automatic financial assistance for video streaming on demand

In 2014, the CNC made available new financial grants for the video-on-demand market to strengthen its action. The automatic financial grant to video-on-demand publishers for the online broadcast of cinematographic works.

This grant applies to any type of distribution: rental video, one time fee VOD or subscription. Only TV replay services are not affected.

Who can apply?

Publishers of VoD services accessible in France.

The grant is allocated “in proportion to the turnover achieved on cinema films generators” (knowing that the list of the film generators is maintained on the site of the CNC).

Eligible structures must therefore:

Be registered on the CNC website
Annually report worldwide and France VoD revenues
Report the turnover of the generating films monthly
Be up to date with VoD tax payment
Respect the applicable regulations (SMAD decree …)

Did you know ?

Kinow publishes clever video platforms, that allows you to manage, distribute and monetize your video content while understanding the behavior of your users. Our vocation is to enrich the legally accessible VOD offer!

We are supported by the CNC and by using Kinow to launch your VOD platform, the costs associated with the use of our solution are eligible for CNC subsidy.

We hope that this little guide has helped you to get a clearer view of the CNC’s various grants and that you could benefit from them for your cinematographic and / or VoD projects.

And you, did you plan to ask CNC’s grants ?

The CNC in a nutshell