Covid-19 crisis hastens dominance of digital world in French film and music sectors
By Mickaël Correia
One of the side effects of the coronavirus pandemic has been a shake-up in the world of culture, including in France. As cinemas have stayed closed and music festival and tours have been cancelled, online streaming has stepped in to satisfy consumer demand for new film releases and live performances. Critics fear that not only is the culture industry rapidly becoming concentrated into the hands of a few major global players, there is also a risk that the dominance of online in films and music will reduce cultural diversity for many people – especially the poorest. Mickaël Correia reports.
The news took the French film industry by surprise. At the start of April Amazon Prime Video announced to great fanfare that the French comedy film Forte would be made available on its streaming service from April 15th. This is despite the fact that it had not been screened in a single cinema in the country.
