Funding for films, television and other audio-visual works in Western Europe

When selecting a destination for your film or television production, there are a number of key issues to consider: (i) the track record and availability of leading industry professionals and crew; (ii) the required locations and landscapes for the relevant project; (iii) the availability of studio space and equipment; and (iv) the availability of an attractive production incentive regime.

Production incentives and tax credits have provided a key source of funding for the budgets of film and TV projects for many years. Due to the success of long-established incentives such as the UK tax credit, more and more jurisdictions have launched their own propositions in order to attract production activity to their country. By carefully structuring your international co-production, it is possible to access more than one of these incentives on the same project.

CMS is a full service law firm with sizeable offices in all of the countries covered by this guide. In addition to advising producers looking to access film and TV incentives as part of their finance plan and helping them structure their co-productions accordingly, we also advise financiers seeking to lend against such incentives as part of their collateral. Our unique blend of international media and financing expertise enables us to act as a one-stop-shop for any organisation exploring the opportunities presented by these incentives around the world.

Whilst we have expertise in this area across the globe, this publication focusses on the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Belgium. An equivalent publication for the Central and Eastern Europe region is also available on request, which covers Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Ukraine, where we also have offices.

We hope you find this guide useful. Contact details for our experts in each of the jurisdictions covered by this guide are available at the end of this publication.

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you require any further information or assistance.