MEDIA 360° - European Audiovisual Hubs Development

Objective:The objective of the MEDIA 360 action is to develop major audiovisual hubs capable of proposing a strategic set of activities which respond to key opportunities and challenges at the European level. To encourage a coherent approach where the hubs exploit their unique identities and capabilities, as well as economies of scale, MEDIA 360 supports a package of activities implementing a shared vision and objectives with an impact across the value-chain.The action will support a package of activities facilitating the creation, promotion and distribution of European content, and/or the uptake of new technologies or business models by the audiovisual sector. The activities shall have impacts across the value chain (for example supporting talents and skills, developing markets and networking, supporting innovation and private investment, supporting international co-productions, as well as other relevant areas) and be implemented by European organizations able to attract European and international participants. The applicants shall present a comprehensive strategy and a coherent package of activities and be able to demonstrate their strong added-value and structuring effect across the European audiovisual industry.Expected resultsReinforce the capacity of the EU industry to create, produce, distribute and promote European works with the potential to travel across the EU and beyond;• Improve the competitiveness of European organisations with a high level of expertise and global track record• Incentivize the experimentation of new business models• Enhance private investment in audiovisual and/or gaming companies• Promote sustainable and more environmentally-respectful solutions for the audiovisual industry;• Support the digital transformation of the audiovisual and/or gaming industries and the uptake of digital tools by audio-visual and/or gaming companies;Support the acquisition of new skills by audiovisual and or gaming professionals to thrive in an increasingly competitive market; Description of the activities to be fundedProjects must cover activities in at least two of the following segments:1) Skills development. Training and mentoring activities to enhance the capacity of audiovisual professionals to adapt to new creative processes, market developments and digital technologies that affect the whole value chain. Activities may include inter alia: supporting new creative processes; harnessing digital innovation in audiovisual production and distribution, uptake of digital tools for videogames production and distribution; enhancement IP rights exploitation; green transition. Activities may take the form of physical and/or on-line provisions or, ideally, a combination of both, catering in that way for continuous skills support. At the end of the training, participants should receive a certificate, specifying the competences acquired.Scholarships should represent at least 20% of the total number of participants. Scholarships must be granted to participants coming from low capacity countries Group A and Group B[1] or from a country not providing scholarships for this kind of training or participants in any other proven situation of need for financial support.2) Markets, B2B activities and networkingActivities and networking industry events, physical, digital or hybrid, focused on business-to-business exchanges among European audiovisual professionals, facilitating coproductions and sales and showing a structuring effect on the European audiovisual eco-system as well as impact on the promotion and sales of European audiovisual works on global markets.Activities related to the following type of works are not considered as eligible: live broadcasting, music videos, non-narrative artistic works (including but not limited to art videos, experimental videos etc), commercial and promotional works (including but not limited to advertisements), reality TV and talk shows.3) International co-production between a company based in a country participating in the Creative Europe MEDIA strand and a company based in a country not participating to the MEDIA strand. The eligible activities consist of the provision of financial support to eligible third parties for eligible projects conforming to the following criteria:Production of feature films, TV series, animation and documentaries (short films are not eligible).Distribution activities and international promotion strategies to improve the international circulation and audience of international co-productions. 4) Harnessing innovation to increase the availability, visibility and audience of European works in the digital age and/or to increase the competitiveness or the greening process of the European audiovisual industry. Eligible activities may also include activities aimed at incubating, accelerating & scaling innovation in the audiovisual and gaming ecosystems.5) Private investmentSupport workshops, seminars or tutorials that focus on the importance of financial investments, the various opportunities available, and how these can benefit audiovisual/gaming companies in the long run. These events can also provide a platform for audiovisual and gaming companies to interact with financial experts and prospective investors and share success stories of companies/content that have benefited from financial investments, thereby encouraging others to explore these opportunities.Projects may also introduce other B2B activities provided that they are in line with the objectives of the Call.A substantial part of the participants in the proposed projects must come from a different country participating in the MEDIA than the country of the applicant.Applications should present adequate strategies to ensure more sustainable and more environmentally-respectful industry and to ensure gender balance, inclusion, diversity and representativeness.As part of the European Commission commitment to sustainability, applicants are encouraged to limit travel activities to wh