The majority of Quebecers who watch French-language series and films from here have difficulty finding them on streaming platforms, even when searching, reveals a new study from the Institut de la statistique du Québec (ISQ).
There are several ways to find Quebec content on streaming service platforms, whether through their recommendation algorithm, in a keyword search or in public playlists. However, theQuebec survey on the discovery of cultural products and digital technology 2023 reveals that 65.3% of Internet users who consume Quebec series and films consider it difficult or impossible to discover new local content on non-Quebec platforms such as Prime Video, Netflix or Crave.
“That’s still a lot of people who want to find content, but who aren’t able to,” says Lysandre Champagne, a researcher at the ISQ’s Observatory of Culture and Communications and author of the survey. “This is the first time we’ve had figures on the discoverability of content, and it reveals some interesting data.”
Those who are used to viewing more than 50% of Quebec content in French have an easier time in their quest, the survey shows. But “as in many studies, it is not possible to know in which direction the correlation goes,” admits the researcher. Do people who consume more have an easier time spotting Quebec content in French or, conversely, do they consume more since they find it more easily? The study states that more research is needed to determine the answer to this question.
One thing is clear, however: discovering Quebec content is not easy for everyone.
Difficult to watch, even once found
The ISQ study goes even further and checked with respondents whether Quebec content could actually be viewed once discovered. For a fifth of them, it was difficult to access. The reasons: the need to pay a supplement and the variable availability depending on the country, among other things.
Among those questioned about the identification and accessibility of Quebec content, three-quarters admitted to having to use two or three platforms to access what interests them. “We understand that people in audiovisual, to consume what they want to consume, must subscribe to several platforms,” underlines Mme Champagne.
Of all members of the “Internet audience,” whether or not they consume Quebec content, half believe that non-Quebec streaming service platforms should give more visibility to French-language series and films from here. However, this proportion drops to 41% among 15- to 29-year-olds. The difference is also marked between Francophones and Anglophones: only 21% of the latter (compared to 56% of Francophones) believe that Quebec content should be more visible.
For Lysandre Champagne, these figures describe a new reality. “It is an innovative study, we do not yet have historical figures or data with other countries to compare.”