French entertainment industry demands 50 million euros in govt aid over Paris attacks

PARIS: France's live entertainment industry -- which has been badly hit by the Paris terror attacks -- demanded 50 million euros ($53 million) in state aid Tuesday to help it get over the crisis.

The industry group Prodiss welcomed the four million euros promised by Culture Minister Fleur Pellerin days after the November 13 attacks on a string of targets including the Bataclan concert venue where 90 people died, but said it was not enough.



"The shock wave (that has hit the sector) needs a medium-term plan," it said in a statement, "and to minimise the impact we estimate that 50 million euros will be needed."

Promoters said ticket sales for concerts in the French capital fell by around 80 per cent in the week following the wave of killings, the worst in Paris since World War II.

Fears were also mounting that the cost of extra security measures might lead to more shows being pulled, they said.

Most of the city's major theatres and concert halls reopened over the weekend, with theatres reporting audiences down by more than one third.



Most of the 130 people killed in the terrorist attacks died at a concert by the US group Eagles of Death Metal at the Bataclan in eastern Paris.

Prodiss said it was recommending that its members should contribute to a fund for the victims of the attacks by "giving one euro for each ticket sold in December", traditionally one of the sector's most profitable periods.