The Economics of Comics in French TV Industries (1980s-1990s)
Résumé
This paper explores how French TV channels in the 1980s and 1990s leveraged print comics (bandes dessinées) as an economic extension of animated TV series, positioning them as a substitute for home video (VCR) consumption. At a time when VCR technology was expensive and not yet widespread, TV networks collaborated with publishers to produce BD adaptations of popular animated series (Goldorak, Candy, Albator, Dragon Ball), capitalizing on their audiences through magazine serializations. I argue that these BD functioned as an intermediate market between TV broadcasts and home media, offering a low-cost, collectible alternative to video cassettes. Drawing on industry archives and print sources, I analyze how this strategy extended the commercial lifespan of TV anime beyond broadcast slots, created new revenue streams for publishers and licensors, and shaped youth readership habits in a pre-digital era. The study situates these practices within broader media economics, highlighting how French TV industries adapted transnational anime imports into localized, profitable print commodities. By framing BD as substitute of VCR, this research sheds light on a neglected aspect of Franco-Japanese media synergies and the economic logic of repurposing TV content in pre- internet eras. The findings contribute to studies of media convergence, licensing economies, and the cultural intermediation of global animation.