Governing VOD platforms and AI in European Film Industry: Professionals, Ideas and Framings

The European film industry (EFI) is undergoing a significant transformation as digital technologies reshape how audiovisual content is produced, distributed and circulated (Lobato 2018; Evens and Donders 2018). The rise of transnational Video-on-Demand (VOD) platforms has disrupted long-established professional practices, intensifying concerns about market concentration, intellectual property and the weakened bargaining power of European stakeholders vis-à-vis global players (Idiz et al. 2021, Lacourt et al. 2023). These shifts trigger important governance challenges for European policymakers, particularly regarding their implications for the competitiveness of the EFI and for the EU’s sociocultural objectives, including the promotion of cultural diversity (Vlassis 2020; Albornoz and García Leiva 2019). These developments unfold in a changing geopolitical landscape where the European Union (EU) faces increasing external pressure to defend its cultural and digital policy frameworks (Chalaby 2025). The current Trump administration’s confrontational approach to trade and technology governance includes explicit challenges to EU regulatory instruments such as the Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD), testing the EU’s ability to project and uphold its normative and regulatory power. The introduction of Artificial Intelligence (AI) across the audiovisual value chain amplifies these pressures (Tsiavos and Kitsios 2025). This is particularly significant in the European animation sector, a technologically advanced sector with an IP-dependent business model. The growing use of AI, combined with the dominance of VOD platforms, reshapes how value is created and controlled, often deepening asymmetries between European and US-based players. As the EU attempts to balance cultural diversity and competitiveness, these technological innovations expose the limits of existing governance tools. Understanding how these dynamics unfold in practice requires close attention to the perspectives and experiences of those working within the EFI including the animation industry. This paper adopts a political-sociological approach (Vlassis and De Beukelaer 2019; Saurugger 2013) to analyse how technological change, market power, and regulatory frameworks intersect in everyday professional routines. By foregrounding practitioners’ views, the study adopts a grounded approach (Charmaz, 2006) of the EU’s governance challenges, offering insight into how regulatory ambitions are negotiated within the industry. The empirical analysis draws on a rich dataset comprising thirty-seven in-depth interviews with European film professionals and one large-scale survey film professionals, including the European animation industry. These combined sources shed light on how professionals assess the influence of VOD platforms, the early integration of AI tools, and their perception towards the EU regulation. These insights are directly relevant to current debates on EU digital governance, illustrating how VOD and AI adoption jointly shape the conditions under which regulatory ambitions operate. By aligning practitioner perspectives with broader questions of EU normative power and policy design, the paper highlights the importance of incorporating industry experience into ongoing discussions on platform regulation. The paper is based on the research activities carried out under the Horizon Europe projects REBOOT and ANIMA MUNDI.