As the digital MipTV will get underway right now, we requested 10 tv gross sales chiefs 5 easy questions in regards to the state of the market after a pandemic-ravaged yr. MipTV was one of many first main tv occasions to pivot online in the course of the coronavirus disaster’ first wave in 2020 and, since then, the distribution enterprise has adopted go well with in its embrace of video calls, digital showcases, and much fewer flights. The solutions of those 10 distribution bosses verify what everyone knows: There isn’t any going again to the best way issues have been. Scroll on to see how they plan to emerge from the worst days of the pandemic.
Cathy Payne, CEO, Banijay Rights
Tiger Aspect
Is MipTV diminishing in significance amid the London Screenings and the rise of direct-to-customer occasions?
The position of commerce markets has been continuously evolving over latest years, specifically for an organization similar to Banijay which has distribution workplaces globally. Linear/non-linear schedules continuously evolve and the idea that it’s important to pitch a title at a given time in a given place, the identical for once you launch a title to your meant licensees, has lengthy been outdated. With workplaces globally, our staff is continually assembly their purchasers regularly, so whereas it’s all the time nice to catch up once more at a worldwide market, the detailed day-to-day enterprise doesn’t occur at commerce markets. London Screenings are a possibility to display titles in a special, extra focused surroundings. Banijay will proceed to attend commerce markets as enterprise wants dictate – usually, we see a larger push in the direction of regional, versus world occasions.
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What Covid modifications to TV distribution will stand the check of time?
The complete world will change on account of Covid. We have all adopted efficiencies with video conferencing and whereas I’m certain we might all reside with rather less Zoom in our lives, I imagine we will probably be conscious to seize one of the best work practices which have developed and/or been improved during the last yr. Digital screenings that distributors can run from their very own web sites will proceed to develop and regardless of us all being eager to renew face-to-face conferences, I imagine we are actually extra conscious of our world footprint. Certainly for us, it has typically been simpler to tug collectively a bigger group of executives for key editorial pitches when utilizing video convention than it will be attempting to prepare the identical group multi functional room.
What tendencies are you seeing in buyer want lists for a world by which we begin to emerge from the pandemic?
Current tendencies are pushed extra by business modifications with the continuous improve in streaming platforms; both new world entrants or home choices, which regularly began their life as a linear broadcaster’s catch-up service. The streaming platforms provide nice alternatives for a library like Banijay’s that homes a lot of profitable franchises. From the pandemic itself, the largest pattern has been the supply delays of scripted sequence – the final to renew manufacturing. For those that have been in a position to ship scripted that was largely wrapped previous to the pandemic, curiosity has been excessive, alongside re-licenses of confirmed scripted library.
When do you anticipate to be again within the workplace and assembly prospects in particular person?
As we’re a worldwide operation, it varies. Our distribution head workplace is in London and according to the present governmental steering, we is not going to return to the workplace till the top of June, whereas our workplaces in cities like Sydney, LA and Miami are opened. The most necessary factor is to maintain wholesome and comply with native pointers and protocols.
🌶️ Hot ones:
Viewpoint: Five-part ITV drama starring Noel Clarke follows a tense police surveillance investigation of a tight-knit local people.
Inside Chernobyl With Ben Fogle: Adventurer Ben Fogle spends per week dwelling contained in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone.
Louise Pedersen, CEO, All3Media International
ITV
Is MipTV diminishing in significance amid the London Screenings and the rise of direct-to-customer occasions?
We are solely attending Mip Formats and we expect that this will probably be a helpful centered occasion for our staff. MipTV has decreased in significance for us over a interval of years, partly due to the London TV Screenings occasion in February but additionally as a result of we’ve seen advantages from attending both specialist genre-specific markets and festivals or smaller regionally centered markets. We can ship smaller groups to those and see good outcomes. The distribution market feels prefer it has room for one large normal market like Mip/Mipcom however not two.
What Covid modifications to TV distribution will stand the check of time?
It’ll be fascinating to see. Talking throughout Zoom-style platforms is right here to remain. Screening platforms to both launch new reveals or give patrons a preview of a present that’s in manufacturing will keep. Panels/keynotes that embrace the power of digital occasions to succeed in a wider viewers will keep. What we’ve discovered over the previous yr is that gross sales conferences don’t all the time want elaborate and complex constructions to work properly. That mentioned, it’s a lot simpler to keep up present contacts online than to make new ones, plus I believe we’re all lacking the deeper sharing of intelligence and information that you simply get from a face-to-face assembly. We’re a social business and I believe we’re all eager to get again to assembly in particular person.
What tendencies are you seeing in buyer wishlists for a world by which we begin to emerge from the pandemic?
It’s altering now we’re one year-plus in — a yr in the past, comfy favorites offered reassurance, however the urge for food for brand new is certainly again. It’s A Sin — an emotional drama in regards to the AIDS virus — has proved to be an distinctive speaking level and rankings hit for pay, SVoD and public broadcasters; thrillers similar to The Drowning have completed fantastically; and household drama can also be performing properly, for instance, All Creatures Great and Small. Factual leisure is in style throughout all its sub-genres – scandals and crime to rehoming canines and gardening are all working for us. And codecs that may be produced to a spread of social distancing necessities are additionally racking up the numbers.
When do you anticipate to be again within the workplace and assembly prospects in particular person?
The well being and care of our workers and prospects comes first. I believe we’ve all discovered over the previous yr to not predict something – however we hope to open in a restricted manner for some workers who want to go into the workplace in late Spring. Meeting our UK prospects over a lunch or drink is wanting like a welcome alternative round then too.
🌶️ Hot ones:
Innocent: From screenwriter Chris Lang, the four-part sequence stars Katherine Kelly (Cheat) as a instructor on the heart of a possible miscarriage of justice.
Too Close: Snowed-In Productions psychological thriller stars Chernobyl’s Emily Watson as a forensic psychiatrist assigned to work with a girl accused of a heinous crime however who claims she will be able to’t bear in mind a factor.
Jens Richter, CEO, Fremantle International
Fremantle
Is MipTV diminishing in significance amid the London Screenings and the rise of direct-to-customer occasions?
2020 confirmed us that we are able to do enterprise outdoors these conventional markets and festivals – it’s very a lot a 12-month rolling gross sales window, which was kicked off by London Screenings. We must be versatile to the tendencies and modifications available in the market and be capable to meet our purchasers’ wants, at any time when and wherever they’re.
What Covid modifications to TV distribution will stand the check of time?
Even after we’re absolutely again to bodily markets, there’ll all the time be a digital factor. London Screenings was an ideal instance of that for us this yr, we have been in a position to prolong our attain with our digital occasion and communicate to much more patrons than earlier than.
What tendencies are you seeing in buyer wishlists for a world by which we begin to emerge from the pandemic?
Climate change is extraordinarily excessive on the agenda and the surroundings is a key theme in our rising factual slate — Arctic Drift and Day Zero are simply two examples right here. We’re additionally sharing programming protecting topical and necessary points similar to gender, sexuality, race, and youth tradition — all of that are of giant curiosity to patrons.
When do you anticipate to be again within the workplace and assembly prospects in particular person?
The security of our workers and purchasers is our primary precedence, and we’re carefully monitoring authorities pointers to make sure this. We have 10 native gross sales workplaces around the globe, so in some instances, our folks on the bottom are already in a position to be with their purchasers based mostly on the lifting of native restrictions.
🌶️ Hot ones:
Reyka: Drama sequence follows a flawed however good felony profiler, Reyka Gama (Kim Engelbrecht). Haunted by her previous, she investigates a string of brutal murders dedicated by a serial killer within the sugarcane fields of KwaZulu-Natal.
Day Zero: Prestige factual documentary has gathered footage from around the globe over a three-year interval, capturing tales from the frontline of the water scarcity disaster. Chiwetel Ejiofor narrates.
Julie Meldal-Johnsen, EVP world content material, ITV Studios
Altitude
Is MipTV diminishing in significance amid the London Screenings and the rise of direct-to-customer occasions?
The pandemic has modified the best way we take into consideration what we launch and when to be extra fluid. But we do drastically miss seeing our contacts face-to-face and when bodily markets will be resumed safely, there’ll clearly proceed to be a spot for them.
What tendencies are you seeing in buyer wishlists for a world by which we begin to emerge from the pandemic?
Demand for all genres of content material has elevated. But it boiled all the way down to folks simply craved the identical issues they all the time do — nice story-telling. If you take a look at the success of our true crime slate, it’s been phenomenal: The Pembrokeshire Murders from World Productions has change into the largest drama launch on ITV since 2006 with 11.2m in viewers within the first week of broadcast (it additionally pre-sold to twenty+ territories), and The Serpent from Mammoth Screen turned BBC iPlayer’s most-watched present since Normal People, with 31 million views. These will not be light-hearted reveals, they’re arresting and darkish, however additionally utterly fascinating. We witnessed an actual demand for feel-good or escapist programming, like Schitt’s Creek, too. For me, the wishlist would come with feel-good, romantic, and escapist titles in addition to thrillers.
When do you anticipate to be again within the workplace and assembly prospects in particular person?
We are hopeful that we could be again in workplaces or assembly prospects in particular person in some unspecified time in the future this yr. It’s been a very long time! We are all excited on the considered face-to-face conferences and seeing our purchasers once more. But it’s a fluid state of affairs and we’re clearly following all the federal government pointers.
🌶️ Hot ones:
Harry Palmer: The Ipcress File: Joe Cole stars in ITV’s adaptation of Len Deighton’s spy novel The Ipcress File, which impressed the 1965 Michael Caine movie of the identical title.
Secrets of the Lost Ark: Like A Shot’s sequence follows a rare quest for the reality about one in all historical past’s most outstanding artifacts.
Tim Gerhartz, SVP world gross sales, Red Arrow Studios International
Red Arrow
Is MipTV diminishing in significance amid the London Screenings and the rise of direct-to-customer occasions?
The occasions calendar is actually present process an evolution and we’ve held numerous devoted digital shopper occasions and showcases together with FormatsFest and FictionFest, which have been attended by a number of hundred purchasers and have been properly obtained. These are helpful extra gross sales and advertising instruments, however we’re very a lot wanting ahead to with the ability to meet our purchasers once more face-to-face — each of their workplaces and at markets and festivals around the globe, as soon as it’s protected to take action.
What tendencies are you seeing in buyer wishlists for a world by which we begin to emerge from the pandemic?
I believe we’ll see an elevated demand for social experiment codecs in a post-lockdown world as they’ll be an necessary car for audiences to course of what the world has skilled in a light-weight, simple to digest manner. For instance, as those that wanted explicit safety throughout this time, together with the aged, reintegrate themselves again into society, codecs similar to The Restaurant That Makes Mistakes, initially a Channel 4 sequence from CPL Productions in regards to the UK’s first-ever restaurant staffed by folks dwelling with dementia, and the internationally profitable Old People’s Home for 4 Year Olds, which brings collectively retirement communities with preschool kids, will change into notably pertinent.
🌶️ Hot ones:
Vienna Blood: Crime sequence follows younger physician Max Liebermann (Matthew Beard) and Detective Inspector Oskar Rheinhardt (Juergen Maurer) as they examine uncommon and disturbing murders.
Stealing The Show!: Based on a format from Florida Entertainment for Germany’s ProSieben, the sequence reinvents the normal quiz present format, as three movie star contestants and a member of the general public all compete to win a singular prize — the present itself.
Stuart Baxter, president of worldwide distribution, eOne
Freeform
Is MipTV diminishing in significance amid the London Screenings and the rise of direct-to-customer occasions?
MipTV continues to be helpful for European purchasers as a reside/bodily occasion, extra so than a digital occasion. However, that mentioned, the London Screenings have been a cornerstone market for a few years and can proceed to be a tentpole occasion for us, whether or not in particular person or digital. We’ve invested in constructing a bespoke platform that allows us to execute branded direct-to-consumer occasions, which have change into invaluable to us particularly throughout these difficult instances.
What Covid modifications to TV distribution will stand the check of time?
One of the principle COVID modifications to the TV distribution enterprise that we’ve seen throughout this unprecedented time is that extra conventional broadcasters have accelerated their enterprise into worldwide manufacturing and co-productions. With so many native productions affected by the shutdown early within the pandemic, conventional broadcasters needed to supply content material elsewhere which has created extra alternative within the worldwide tv panorama.
What tendencies are you seeing in buyer want lists for a world by which we begin to emerge from the pandemic?
Clients are searching for lighter and escapist leisure just like the Jason Priestley-led investigation sequence Private Eyes, in addition to factual programming like Lost Relics of the Knights Templar and Lost Worlds and Hidden Treasures to plug quite a lot of gaps. We’ve additionally seen that there’s a far more willingness to have a look at broader sources for content material moderately than the normal manner of sourcing applications. Buyers are buying reveals from many extra worldwide markets than ever earlier than, just like the Australian drama Between Two Worlds and French-produced restricted sequence La Garconne.
When do you anticipate to be again within the workplace and assembly prospects in particular person?
We hope to be seeing patrons, companions and colleagues in particular person quickly. While we’re grateful that digital work has been so dynamic, we’re presently aiming for summer season or fall in lots of our territories however are following steering fastidiously as well being and security is our precedence.
🌶️ Hot ones:
Cruel Summer: From Jessica Biel and Michelle Purple, the drama takes place over three summers within the Nineteen Nineties in a small Texas city when a well-liked teenager, performed by Olivia Holt, is kidnapped.
Arctic Vets: A 10-episode sequence full of dramatic and heartwarming tales. Whether they’re rescuing a polar bear within the wild or tending to an Arctic fox within the hospital, the Arctic Vets staff will do no matter it takes to avoid wasting animal lives.
Jonathan Ford, managing director, Ababcus Media Rights
Amos
Is MipTV diminishing in significance amid the London Screenings and the rise of direct-to-customer occasions?
We nonetheless class MipTV as a key marketplace for us, particularly throughout a lockdown because it helps us attain the purchasers we haven’t been in a position to see immediately this yr. We are conscious that as a promote it’s altering in format, focus, and contributors and we’re wanting ahead to understanding the way it will work in 2022. As a brand new firm, launched in 2020, we didn’t take part in London Screenings but it surely’s undoubtedly on our radar for 2022.
When do you anticipate to be again within the workplace and assembly prospects in particular person?
It’s troublesome to foretell when the world will probably be correctly opening up once more and understandably folks will probably be cautious, however we’re wanting ahead to assembly our purchasers in particular person as quickly as we presumably can. You actually can’t beat face-to-face interplay. Early in May we plan on beginning our common staff conferences in London once more and we’ve got signed up for Mipcom in October, however we actually hope to satisfy numerous our purchasers in particular person earlier than this time.
🌶️ Hot ones:
The Masked Dancer: Produced by Bandicoot for UK broadcaster ITV, 12 celebrities carry out distinctive dances, whereas lined from head to toe in extravagant, colourful costumes and masks.
In The Shadow of 9/11: Dan Reed’s documentary tells the story of the so-called ‘Liberty City Seven’ — a gaggle of younger Black males accused of helping Al Qaeda in a plot to explode buildings within the U.S.
Vicky Ryan, founder/COO, Rainmaker Content
Infinity Hill / GCB Films
Is MipTV diminishing in significance amid the London Screenings and the rise of direct-to-customer occasions?
There’s no argument that MipTV isn’t what it was – with the growing profile of the London Screenings in February and the expansion of occasions geared to direct particular buyer style wants and extra tailor-made gross sales journeys by distributors. In the present local weather it’s changing into extra necessary to have a look at the ‘cost vs return’ ratios for these occasions and while many firms may select to give attention to one large market a yr in Cannes, Mipcom, we imagine there may be nonetheless a spot for a scaled-down MipTV, however in fact, this will probably be depending on the take-up by patrons/broadcasters and many others as we transfer ahead.
What Covid modifications to TV distribution will stand the check of time?
Undoubtedly essentially the most noticeable will in all probability be continued and larger use of right now’s communication options that we’ve got all acquired so used to during the last yr. Cutting again on journey until completely mandatory will in all probability be with us for lots longer too and that may solely be a great factor when it comes to value financial savings, in addition to saving the surroundings. But one would hope that journey to purchasers and prospects will return to no matter ‘normal’ is.
When do you anticipate to be again within the workplace and assembly prospects in particular person?
After the summer season, This autumn 2021, hopefully!
🌶️ Hot ones:
Staged: Lockdown BBC comedy starring David Tennant and Michael Sheen. Can their fragile egos survive working from dwelling and digital Hollywood?
Professionals: Drama stars Tom Welling as a former counterintelligence officer, who’s employed by a billionaire futurist (Brendan Fraser) and his fiancée (Elena Anaya) to analyze the explosion of a sophisticated medical satellite tv for pc.
Sarah Tong, director of gross sales, Hat Trick International
Hat Trick International
Is MipTV diminishing in significance amid the London Screenings and the rise of direct-to-customer occasions?
Yes, in addition to patrons and sellers speaking a lot extra simply via superior know-how and subsequently the necessity to journey to costly markets all around the world is not as mandatory.
When do you anticipate to be again within the workplace and assembly prospects in particular person?
Really hope to be again within the workplace in June/July after which again doing gross sales journeys from September. We have additionally already signed as much as Mipcom as we hope this may present a great alternative to satisfy patrons (in all probability principally European) and join with the business as a complete.
🌶️ Hot ones:
Lucy The Human Chimp: Feature documentary recounts the story of a chimpanzee raised as a human and Janis Carter, the girl who took on the duty of serving to to provide her freedom by dwelling along with her within the wild. HBO Max has picked up within the U.S.
Johnny Vegas Carry On Glamping: Comedian Johnny Vegas goes high-class tenting on this four-part sequence for Channel 4.
Steve MacDonald, president, world licensing and worldwide, A+E Networks
A+E Networks
Is MipTV diminishing in significance amid the London Screenings and the rise of direct-to-customer occasions?
If there may be one factor this yr has taught us, it’s that we’ve got all embraced the pivot. When pondering particularly of Mipcom and MipTV, we’ve got been so appreciative that Reed themselves deftly pivoted to digital occasions. This enabled us to keep up nice continuity in our enterprise throughout these crucial markets. We are planning related digital shopper conferences and engagements for London Screenings and others. We have no idea what’s subsequent, in fact, we are able to’t predict. However, we do see a future that holds some mixture of digital and in-person market occasions. We don’t see a diminishing of markets, simply an evolution.
What Covid modifications to TV distribution will stand the check of time?
A significant purpose for the A+E Networks world content material gross sales staff main into 2021 was to optimize our content material and get it out to our purchasers through a premium, best-in-class digital platform. The manner we pitch and promote could be very focused — we promote our library content material to quite a lot of purchasers throughout linear, non-linear, AVOD, SVOD, and extra. Our catalog has tens of hundreds of hours, so we wanted to discover a method to set up every part in order that prospects and customers might go to our web site and simply search content material that they could want. Even after we start to satisfy once more in particular person, we expect that using digital gross sales instruments like ours all through the gross sales course of will substitute the extra conventional methods of pitching that we used earlier than Covid.
What tendencies are you seeing in buyer want lists for a world by which we begin to emerge from the pandemic?
Throughout 2020 and persevering with into 2021, we’ve seen a resurgence of curiosity in our mega-franchises, which span genres, succeed over many seasons (accumulating a whole bunch of episodes), and persistently rank among the many high applications on their respective networks. Viewers flock to gripping, stand-alone, unscripted tales that may work throughout the week’s schedule, and A+E Networks is lucky to have a strong catalog by which these premium tales are well-represented.
We’ve additionally seen an elevated demand for family-friendly, regionally replicable codecs, and we’re proud to enter MipTV with a improbable slate spanning genres that matches this invoice. Over the previous yr we’ve discovered nice success with codecs together with canine competitors Top Dog, the heartwarming relationship sequence Generation Dating, Assembly Required, and Alone, the final word survival competitors present. TV motion pictures, for which we’re identified throughout the globe as a distribution powerhouse, stay excessive on our companions’ want lists.
🌶️ Hot ones:
History’s Greatest Mysteries Presented by Laurence Fishburne: From Houdini’s last secrets and techniques, to the Bermuda Triangle, to Roswell, to the seek for Shackleton’s Ice Ship, every documentary or docuseries on this strand brings new proof and recent views to the story.
Assembly Required: Competition sequence that takes place within the dwelling workshops of on a regular basis DIY-ers, who’re despatched objects and tasked to construct something from a cell BBQ to a two-level canine home to win a money prize.
Answers have been edited for size and readability.
source https://infomagzine.com/10-tv-sales-chief-on-the-state-of-play-amid-coronavirus-deadline/
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