The Audience cluster connects European audiovisual works with their audiences and support audience development across Europe and beyond. Each year, MEDIA supports over 1 100 cinemas in 34 countries and reaches 65 million people across borders.
Supporting audience growth on multiple platforms
The sector has witnessed a progressive shift from cinema to platforms in the last years, accelerated by the COVID-19 crisis. This cluster will support the audiovisual industry to seize and maximise the opportunities offered by the digital transition, to meet European audiences’ viewing habits. The Audience cluster actions will support innovative ways of engaging with the audience in order to achieve the following:
- stimulate audience growth on all platforms
- engage with younger audiences through multiple educational and promotion tools
- ensure access to content through support to subtitling
Specific supporting actions and their goals
Network of European cinemas
This action promotes innovative approaches to the cinema experience that combines visibility for European works and the largest audience outreach.
European festivals
This action fosters the circulation and visibility of European audiovisual works outside their territories and increase audience outreach.
European Video-on-Demand (VOD) networks and operators
This action increase audiences for European works in European streaming platforms through incentives, curation of catalogues, collaborative projects and audience data analyses.
Films on the move
This action supports the theatrical and online distribution of European films outside their territories.
Subtitling of cultural content
This action aims to ensure access to audiovisual content for all EU citizens and therefore increase the circulation of the European cultural programming across Europe.
Audience development & film education
This is to stimulate the interest of audiences, in particular young audiences, through audience-oriented events and innovative or cross-border film education initiatives.
Networks of European Festivals
This action supports collaboration among festivals, by pooling resources and expertise, to achieve common goals.
Creative Europe MEDIA grants are awarded following competitive calls for proposals, published in the Funding & Tender opportunities portal of the European Commission. Please note that calls for proposals have submission windows and are not continuously open. The above-mentioned grants may have an annual or bi-annual frequency, interested beneficiaries should refer to the Work Programme in force to anticipate available grants.
Eligibility for funding
The following groups are eligible to apply for funding opportunities under this cluster: cinema operators, festival organisers, video on demand networks and operators theatrical distributors, sales agents, heritage institutions, etc. For further information, please consult the call for proposals.