While France’s digital entertainment landscape continues to evolve rapidly, streaming services across both music and video sectors are experiencing notable but uneven growth in 2025. The French recorded music market grew by 3.4% year-on-year to €432 million in the first half of 2025, with paid subscriptions generating nearly 63% of music streaming revenues. This represents a 4.9% increase compared to the same period last year, yet industry insiders note that these figures fall short of earlier projections.
The broader streaming ecosystem in France shows promising trajectories, with video streaming revenue projected to reach US$2.79 billion in 2025. More impressively, the French live streaming market is forecast to expand dramatically, potentially reaching USD 41.58 million by 2035 at a robust CAGR of 25.65%. Live video streaming currently dominates the market with a commanding 74.7% revenue share, reflecting French consumers’ preference for real-time content experiences.
Despite these positive indicators, several challenges are emerging. Growth rates for streaming services have slowed compared to previous years, suggesting market maturation or potential saturation in certain segments. The music industry, in particular, faces difficulties expanding subscriber bases and increasing streaming usage across demographic groups. Domestic artists have achieved remarkable success, capturing two-thirds of albums in France’s top 200 chart last year.
Ad-supported audio streaming revenues rose by a modest 2%, while video streaming revenues declined by 6.8%, a shift attributed to changing consumption patterns favoring short-form content on social media platforms. Musicians are increasingly exploring sync deals as an alternative revenue stream to offset limitations in streaming income growth. Independent artists are turning to platforms like Bandcamp that offer direct fan support through merchandise sales and downloads to supplement their streaming income.
Demographic challenges persist as younger audiences increasingly gravitate toward fragmented video formats on social networks, while older demographics remain underrepresented on streaming platforms. This generational divide presents both obstacles and opportunities for service providers seeking sustainable growth.
The total pay-TV and streaming video spend in France is expected to grow from €10.3 billion in 2024 to €13.6 billion by 2030, indicating that despite challenges, the broader digital entertainment market maintains positive momentum. Major operators in the country are implementing innovative strategies to drive revenue growth through bundled services that combine traditional pay-TV with streaming options.
Industry stakeholders now face the complex task of aligning business strategies with evolving consumer preferences to capture elusive growth targets that have hence remained just out of reach.
