– BERLINALE 2026: A decade on, MEDIA’s audit shows circulation and co-production gains, but warns that audience reach, simplification and youth engagement must define the next phase
Erika Jakab, policy officer at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology, during the presentation
On 14 February, at this year’s European Film Market (12-18 February), the European Commission revisited a central question for Europe’s audiovisual sector: what has EU funding achieved over the past decade, and how should it evolve? During the “Creative Europe – MEDIA: Lessons for the Future” session, Erika Jakab, policy officer at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology, presented findings from the latest evaluation of the programme, examining MEDIA’s cultural and industrial footprint from 2014-2020 alongside a mid-term assessment of the 2021-2027 cycle.
Moderated by AC Coppens, of The Catalysts, the session opened with remarks from Sophie Beernaerts, director at the European Education and Culture Executive Agency, who framed MEDIA’s 35-year history as proof of sustained relevance in a shifting global market. Amid geopolitical tensions and disinformation risks, she argued, European audiovisual works remain vital to democratic discourse and cultural cohesion. The next phase must therefore adapt to sectoral change while tackling structural challenges such as cross-border circulation and access to younger audiences.
Jakab’s presentation formed the analytical core. She explained that the evaluation reviewed a ten-year span to determine what works, what needs improvement and how MEDIA can better meet its goals. Using a personal analogy, she said reviewing the programme was like taking stock of one’s own life: “We thought it would be a good time to think about our own life, what’s going well, what’s not going so well and what can be improved, and then decide whether to make changes, including big and small ones.”
One clear indicator of MEDIA’s cultural impact, she noted, lies in festival and awards recognition. MEDIA-supported films have amassed strong international visibility – around 1,200 nominations and 500 awards at major events – suggesting that EU funding has helped European works remain competitive globally. More difficult to quantify is the effect on cross-border circulation and audience reach, both central to MEDIA’s mandate. Europa Cinemas theatres, she pointed out, sold almost 40% of all tickets for non-national European films.
To measure MEDIA’s added value, analysts compared supported projects with similar non-supported works. Backed films were expected to circulate in significantly more territories: in cinemas, an average of 6.6 additional countries; on television, up to 9.5 more; and on VoD, 3.2 more. Furthermore, about 30% of supported works secured release. Though based on modelling, these figures indicated that MEDIA’s role in facilitating transnational exposure remains substantial.
Jakab also stressed the limits of EU funding within Europe’s financing ecosystem. Despite a 66% increase in the 2021-2027 budget – €2.44 billion for Creative Europe – MEDIA still represents only a small share of overall public support for audiovisual production. The programme must therefore stay targeted, focusing on areas where European intervention adds value, rather than duplicating national schemes.
Several challenges emerged. One is the gap between catalogue presence and consumption: European titles are widely available on streaming platforms but are watched less than non-European content. Another is administrative complexity. Jakab acknowledged industry concerns and said discussions are under way to simplify procedures and improve the application process.
She also highlighted generational shifts in media use, noting that younger audiences spend more time on digital platforms dominated by non-European content. Strengthening support for video games and new formats, she suggested, will be essential to maintaining cultural relevance. Innovation investment among European media companies remains comparatively low, a gap that future MEDIA strategies may need to address.
A subsequent panel expanded on these themes with Spanish distributor Eduardo Escudero (A Contracorriente Films), usheru co-founder Oliver Fegan, Europa Cinemas president Mathias Holz, and producer and European Film Academy chair Ada Solomon. They discussed the implications for distribution, exhibition and financing, stressing cross-sector collaboration and coordinated promotion of European works.
Throughout, Coppens steered the debate towards practical lessons for the next funding cycle, asking how MEDIA can better serve industry needs while maintaining its cultural mission. Questions ranged from simplifying applications to strengthening support for marketing and audience development across linguistic borders.
If the evaluation confirmed MEDIA’s success in fostering co-productions, festival visibility and circulation, it also highlighted unresolved structural issues. As Jakab suggested, the programme’s future will depend on balancing continuity with adaptation – refining existing tools while responding to technological change, new consumption habits and global competition.
With preparations under way for the EU’s next Multiannual Financial Framework (2028-2035), the Berlinale session served as a reminder that EU funding remains a central pillar of European audiovisual policy. For many professionals in Berlin – including veterans who have built careers around MEDIA-backed projects – the message was clear: in a fragmented market, greater synergies between national, European and private funding still determine whether European stories travel beyond their borders.
