April 27, 2024 – 07:00 – Morocco
Morocco is on the rise in the French-language dubbing market and now ranks third worldwide, after France and Belgium. After first achieving success in French-speaking Africa and overseas, Morocco is now conquering the French market with double-digit sales growth.
One of the recent successes is the French-language version of the series “Le Parfum du mensonge”, which has been broadcast for a few days by Novelas TV, a subsidiary of Canal+. As Le Monde in an article on the rise of the French-language dubbing industry in Morocco reports, there is an increasing interest in South Korean series in the dubbing studios in Casablanca. The first series of “La Promesa”, a telenovela co-produced by StudioCanal, should be broadcast in France in September 2024.
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Morocco’s success in French-language dubbing is the result of years of effort. Eric Cuvelier, a 68-year-old retired coach who came to Casablanca in the late 1980s, is among those who contributed to this success. After retraining in the sector 15 years ago, he was responsible for the creation of the first dubbing studio in Morocco.
Another important player is Maxime Montoya de Hiventy, general manager North Africa of the Hiventy group. His company was founded two years ago in Casablanca and now has eight studios. The number of voice-overs now exceeds a hundred, including several dozen experienced voices. According to Maxime Montoya, Morocco’s success is also due to lower dubbing costs. The kingdom has a major competitive advantage in dubbing costs, with rates up to “three times cheaper than in France”.
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Despite the success, there are also challenges for the kingdom: the creation of dubbing schools and the introduction of regulated rates, as voiceovers in Morocco do not enjoy the same conditions as their colleagues in France. There is also sometimes criticism of the quality of the dubbing due to a lack of adequate infrastructure and vocal coaching.
