Scott Brown: Digital scripted boom is here
21 shows you can’t a ord to miss at Mipcom
Patrick Walker on where next for YouTube
PLUS: What can we learn from 2025 so far? | Ben Frow on UK broadcaster 5’s priorities | How to attract prodco investment
The TV industry in 2025 stands at a pivotal moment of transformation – or collapse. But while the challenges are undeniable, and possibly terminal, the opportunities are equally significant. The shift towards digital platforms, particularly YouTube and the creator economy, could represent not the death of TV but its reinvention for a new era.
The evidence is overwhelming. Linear revenues and viewership are both falling. Some US pundits are already declaring 2025 the year broadcast TV died. Yet these figures tell only half the story. Traditional broadcasters are not standing still, they’re embracing new distribution models and partnerships that may secure their future.
YouTube as a threat, forward-thinking broadcasters are recognising it as a distribution channel that can extend their reach and create new revenue streams.
The traditional business of producing and selling content is certainly under pressure, but it’s also discovering new possibilities. Production outfits still possess advantages pure YouTube creators cannot easily replicate: storytelling expertise, established talent relationships, sophisticated production infrastructure and experience of complex regulatory environments. The question is whether they can leverage these strengths while adopting the agility and audience intimacy of creator content.
ITV’s partnership with YouTube, for example, makes hundreds of hours of its content available on the platform with ITV’s commercial team selling advertising. This isn’t capitulation to a once-derided platform – it’s strategic evolution. Rather than viewing
THOUGHT LEADERSHIP: Scott Brown
The first true boom in digital scripted is turning the industry on its head, says Scott Brown of Second Rodeo, with microdramas the likely stars of the show.
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The content sales market faces disruption, but not necessarily obsolescence. Quality drama and factual still command premium valuations, and audiences continue to demand professionally produced programming. What is changing are the distribution mechanisms and revenue models. The territorial
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exclusivity that underpinned sales may be eroding, but simultaneous release on multiple platforms could actually increase aggregate audiences and revenues. Moreover, the creator economy is maturing in ways that suggest convergence rather than replacement. Top creators need production partnerships, IP sharing and distribution expertise traditional companies can provide. Successful collaborations will be those that combine creator authenticity and digital savvy with broadcaster production values and infrastructure.
The business is restructuring, certainly, but demand for professionally made, high-quality video remains robust and growing. Audiences haven’t stopped wanting compelling stories, authoritative journalism or premium entertainment. They’ve simply become more discerning about where and how they consume it.
Broadcasters that can meet audiences on their preferred platforms whilst retaining quality and trustworthiness, will have a future. Those who cling to legacy models will struggle.
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The first true boom in digital scripted is turning the industry on its head, says Scott Brown of Second Rodeo, with microdramas set to be the stars of the show.
SBy Jordan Pinto
cott Brown, founder of US production studio Second Rodeo, has been in the trenches of the digital content economy for more than 15 years. During that time, he has worked with and learned from Hollywood and creator economy royalty, directing episodes of MrBeast’s YouTube show, helping to launch Dwayne Johnson’s YouTube channel and directing Larry King’s talkshow. He even made a show for Quibi.
He has had a front-row seat to the various false dawns associated with the digital scripted video economy, with its graveyard of shortform platforms and numerous examples of companies that entered the space and just as quickly backed away or folded.
But the audience appetite for digital scripted today, coupled with the ability to produce series without the backing of a major studio, makes this moment di erent to anything that has come before
it, argues Brown.
parts. The first 10 episodes are often free, after which time viewers must use virtual tokens to continue watching. They are a China-originated o shoot of the digital content boom and are, according Brown, the next big thing.
scripted have
“What I believe is happening is that we’re seeing the very first scripted boom in digital,” he tells C21. “There has never really been a sustained ecosystem of scripted content in digital. There have been outliers, of course, but scripted now being a natively digital format across various iterations is
natively digital format across various iterations is very new.”
He has the numbers to back it up, if the various market projections are to be believed. Insights firm Media Partners Asia (MPA) recently published a report stating that microdrama revenues in China will surpass the country’s box o ce in 2025, with revenue hitting US$7bn, up from US$500m in 2021.
digital studios have started to crack the scripted space. Dhar Mann Studios is perhaps the best
On YouTube, where videos are formatted in the more traditional horizontal 16:9 ratio, several digital studios have started to crack the scripted space. Dhar Mann Studios is perhaps the best example of a channel churning out a high, consistent volume of new episodes.
Second Rodeo, however, has its eyes fixed more firmly on microdramas –the vertical medium characterised by soapy, somewhat ridiculous storylines, with episodes under two minutes long and series often featuring more than 80
“
Scott Brown entered this
Outside China, the projections paint a rosy picture too. According to MPA, global revenue (excluding China) is expected to grow to US$9.5bn in 2030, up from US$1.4bn in 2024. According to some reports, the microdrama sector generated around US$1bn in revenue in the US alone last year, and globally it will grow to US$36bn by 2028.
To date, microdramas have played almost exclusively in the romance genre, which works well with the over-the-top nature of the storytelling. But as the sector continues to evolve at speed, Brown says it is poised to explode in all directions when it comes to genre.
We’re seeing the very first scripted boom in digital. There has never really been a sustained ecosystem of scripted content in digital. There have been outliers, of course, but scripted now being a natively digital format across various iterations is very new.
In addition to romance, Brown says microdramas can be e ective vehicles for horror, romcoms, young-adult and true-crime, if the story and pacing are executed correctly.
In the last six months, Brown says he has observed “much stronger desire” on the part of microdrama platforms to explore new formats and expand beyond romance. One of the more daring projects is ReelShort’s The Adjuster, a microdrama loosely based on the case of Luigi Mangione, the man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
The level of storytelling and production sophistication is beginning to increase, and Brown says he wants to position Second Rodeo at the forefront of this shift.
The company has already enjoyed success with one of its projects, The Diamond Rose, produced for MyDrama, the shortform app developed by
“ There’s a bit of hesitation, because [actors] look at the ecosystem as a whole and they’re concerned they might be in something that makes them look foolish or isn’t received well. Now, one of the things I’m focused on is making series that dispel that and show people this is a medium where people can be proud of their work.
Scott
Brown
Ukraine-based Holywater. The project – a romantic noir thriller following a ballet teacher who is enticed by the underworld of a strip club, and into the arms of a man who could either save her or destroy her – has earned plaudits for its production values and storytelling nuance.
Brown says Second Rodeo’s goal is to “raise the bar” for microdrama productions. That, he says, will ultimately pull higher-level talent (both onand o -camera) into the world of vertical video and help bring new audiences into this quick-fire vertical storytelling world.
Today, many established producers are looking to expand into the space, but actors remain quite sceptical. “There’s a bit of hesitation, because they look at the ecosystem as a whole and they’re concerned they might be in something that makes them look foolish or isn’t received well. Now, one of the things I’m focused on is making series that dispel that and show people this is a medium
where people can be proud of their work,” he says. There are positive developments afoot, however. MyDrama is increasing the budget for a Second Rodeo show in order to bring a certain talent on to the project, says Brown, an indication that platforms are willing to invest in order to bring in leads that could move the dial. “Once the medium evolves towards quality and more stories that actors are excited to be a part of, I think more will absolutely want to be a part of this,” he says.
A recurring theme in the vertical video discussion is whether or not the US studios will be lured back into the shortform space by the revenue potential of microdramas. Many believe the studios will remain on the sidelines, having each lost hundreds of millions of dollars on Quibi. But a growing contingent, including Brown, believe they will be back for more.
He points out that any time US consumers are spending between US$800,000 and US$1bn – on content that has no famous talent or known IP and is inexpensive to make – the studios will be interested.
“I hear rumours, though don’t know anything definitively,” says Brown. “But there’s a lot of talk and interest from companies to get into this space.”
He adds that Second Rodeo is being approached regularly by both studios and brands trying to capitalise on the opportunity.
“We’re talking to movie studios about creating vertical companion series, we’re talking to brands that are entertaining the idea of financing verticals [as a way to] obliquely promote their brand,” he says.
With many other areas of the business either hitting a ceiling or in various forms of decline, Brown believes the rise of the microdrama will have profound implications for the future of the content sector.
What the industry needs to wrap its head around, however, is that the growing shift towards vertical scripted storytelling is not an expansion of the TV and streaming business – it is an entirely new way of creating, producing and consuming stories.
“I really believe we are at the beginning of something as significant as television,” he says. “The phone is more than just an oddly shaped TV. It’s actually a new medium.”
Read more on the microdrama trend from page 49.
A er a particularly tumultuous few months, C21 takes a look back at the trends, challenges and shocks in a year that some are already declaring to be the last for broadcast TV.
2025 began as 2024 ended, with Hollywood in crisis following the writers and actors’ strikes and the post-peak TV contraction. However, LA’s tribulations were intensified by a series of destructive wildfires in California that killed at least 30 people, forced more than 200,000 to evacuate and destroyed more than 18,000 homes and structures, with property losses estimated at over US$50bn.
Despite AI-generated images suggesting otherwise, the iconic Hollywood sign never actually went up in flames. But the real-life devastation meant 2025 began in the worst possible way for many in the industry. It may also foreshadow the future, as climate change is likely to bring more hot, dry conditions capable of fuelling devastating fires elsewhere around the world.
the year with a total of 301.6 million paying subscribers.
The global streamer kicked off the year raising the monthly cost of subscription across multiple territories and launched its WWE weekly show Monday Night Raw with a special event at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.
One of its main rivals, Apple TV+, finally got to give subscribers the eagerly anticipated second season of hit workplace sci-fi psychological thriller Severance, which was delayed by the 2023 strikes as well as changes throughout the writing process.
Breaking news stories catching the eyes of C21 subscribers included Italian production and animation company Rainbow Group receiving a €90m (US$92m) investment from TEC Movie, an independent vehicle established as part of The Equity Club (TEC). The Winx Club producer said the €90m would help fund a pipeline of investments it intends to make in the coming years, including strengthening its existing IP library, developing and acquiring new international IP and exploring M&A opportunities.
In the UK, local producers began the year by intensifying their calls to save a children’s media sector on its knees. With YouTube dominating young audiences’ viewing habits, industry voices urged government intervention to help fund quality programming that nurtures children’s minds, pointing to the internet’s tendency to use sophisticated algorithms to serve young viewers colourful, addictive brainrot.
€90m
TEC Movie’s investment in Rainbow Group
With so many hoping 2025 could mark a turning point in the entertainment industry’s fortunes after years of postpandemic pain, research from Ampere Analysis found evidence that while things may not be getting better, they at least might not get any worse.
Number of Ne lix subscribers, in millions, by end
The streamer also signed a new deal with the French production sector, committing to invest in local productions over the next four years. Under the agreement, the tech giant will allocate 20% of its annual turnover to the development of original European and French-language productions, in line with the investment quotas implemented by France’s SMAD decree in 2021 that also apply to Netflix and Amazon-owned Prime Video.
Meanwhile, there was plenty of movement in the US unscripted sector, with NBCUniversal (NBCU) Entertainment chairman Frances Berwick named as chair of NBCU-owned Bravo and Peacock unscripted as Corrie Henson exited. This rejig also saw Universal Studio Group chair Pearlena Igbokwe add the NBC broadcast network and Peacock’s scripted output to her portfolio as chair, television studios, NBC Entertainment and Peacock scripted.
BBC Studios named former NBCU executive Jenny Groom as executive VP of unscripted development in LA, where Ryan O’Dowd was upped to president of unscripted, while back in Blighty, Rose Hughes was named senior VP of global format sales at the BBC’s commercial arm.
Simply put, streaming and online video advertising are currently experiencing growth, while legacy models such as pay TV and cinema are shrinking. Netflix, for example, saw a record-breaking 18.9 million sign-ups in the fourth quarter of 2024, as the streaming giant finished
Content Americas, held at the Hilton Miami Downtown from January 20-23, consolidated the event’s position as the must-attend market and conference for the Lat Am, US Hispanic and Spanishand Portuguese-speaking business. The event spotlighted opportunities for unscripted producers with private investors as well as the booming FAST market in Lat Am and the region’s untapped format libraries ripe for international adaptation.
attended by 2,278 delegates, just over 1,000 registered buyers and 175 exhibiting
Content Americas 2025, which was attended by 2,278 delegates, just over 1,000 registered buyers and 175 exhibiting companies, will return from January 20-22 next year, with the opening-night party on January 19.
Rumours swirl at the beginning of the month that the UK’s ITV is in early talks about merging its production division, ITV Studios, with Redbird IMI-owned All3Media. Such a deal would create one of the largest production groups in Europe, with revenue of around £3.18bn (US$4.29bn), based on 2023 figures.
Meanwhile, Kinetic Content, the US-based prodco behind unscripted franchises including Love Is Blind and Married at First Sight, launches a UK division and hires Monkey Kingdom’s Laura Gibson to lead it.
Speculation about the potential ITV Studios/All3Media deal dominates the London TV Screenings that take place later in the month, with the event highlighting a notable absence of new British unscripted formats as local broadcasters increasingly rely on reboots and imports. UK unscripted
industry veteran Steven D Wright later claims it’s “a scandal” that the UK has entered the top 10 format-importing countries for the first time – with a reliance on international unscripted programming “killing the industry.”
Elsewhere, joint-venture streamer JioHotstar replaces JioCinema and Disney+ Hotstar in India in midFebruary, after the US$8.5bn merger between parent companies Reliance Industries and Disney’s Star India was finalised in late 2024. The platform features a wide selection of TV shows, including Hollywood entertainment, plus a year-round calendar of unscripted/reality shows and Sparks, which spotlights India’s most popular creators. Crucially, it is also home to hugely popular premier cricket tournaments like ICC events, IPL and WPL.
production operations in the country and instead enter into a partnership with Banijay Asia to adapt formats such as The 1% Club and The Great Bake Off
with Banijay there.
In the Middle East, Saudi Arabian sports investment company Surj Sports Investment acquires a minority stake in sports streaming service DAZN after a deal with its owner and billionaire investor Len Blavatnik. The deal reportedly involves Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, which owns Surj, paying US$1bn for 10% of DAZN. As part of the agreement, Surj and DAZN will work to establish broadcasting joint venture DAZN MENA, which will go up against Qatari-owned regional market leader beIN Sports. French-owned visual effects group Technicolor shuts down operations in several countries, resulting in thousands of VFX and animation workers around the world becoming unemployed. The 110-year-old company collapses amid growing concerns over AI’s impact on the VFX sector, with Technicolor’s troubles preceding the collapse of other major VFX and postproduction firms, including the UK’s Jellyfish in March and Australia’s Cutting Edge in July.
$1bn
The amount Saudi Arabia’s Surj paid for 10% of DAZN
operator A+E launches its A+E Digital division, led by the newly appointed general manager of digital platforms, Ann McGowan. All3Media-backed production company Studio Lambert promotes Jack Burgess to president of its US business, while Brent Montgomery’s Wheelhouse strikes a development and production partnership with veteran unscripted producer Rasheed J Daniel and his TeamSheed Productions.
Pascal Dalton, the former head of brand partnerships for north EMEA at ITV Studios, launches Shimmer Media, a new business specialising in scripted and non-scripted formats for the international market.
Other key developments in India include BBC Studios confirming it will cease its
Major people moves include James Farrell leaving his post as head of international at Amazon Studios to launch a new company focused on youngadult content, following the streamer’s success with international titles such as Spanish romance Culpa . The exec, who oversaw Amazon’s original content teams in markets including the UK, Canada, Australia, France, Spain, the Nordics, the Middle East, South Africa, Japan, India and Mexico, joined Amazon a decade ago as head of content in Japan.
One deal that really gets the C21 readership shaken and stirred is Amazon MGM Studios’ joint venture with James Bond producers and co-owners Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli that will house the IP rights to the iconic property. Amazon MGM Studios will gain creative control of the James Bond franchise following the transaction, while Wilson and Broccoli will remain coowners of the franchise. Amazon has held the rights to distribute the entire Bond catalogue since 2022, when it completed its US$8.45bn acquisition of MGM.
In the US, cablenet
While the franchise has primarily lived in the film world, Amazon has since commissioned the unscripted series 007: Road to a Million, which has been renewed for a second season. This latest deal paves the way for a future Bond to make his, or her, way onto the small screen.
The mental health of the industry’s freelancers is pulled into sharp focus following the results of an inquiry into the death of UK factual producer John Balson, who died by suicide last year.
Freelance screen workers with suicidal tendencies and mental health issues are representative of an “industry-wide crisis,” said Marcus Ryder, CEO of the Film & TV Charity, whose 2024 Looking Glass Survey highlighted an exodus of workers from the industry over concerns about their wellbeing.
Meanwhile, the urgent conversation around mental health, particularly in relation to the internet, young boys and the knock-on impact on girls and women, goes international thanks to the overnight success of Netflix’s groundbreaking four-part drama Adolescence, released on March 13.
Netflix sensation Adolescence
director of BBC content, controller of BBC One and commissioning editor of documentaries.
Created by Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham and directed by Philip Barantini, it centres on a 13-year-old schoolboy named Jamie Miller (Owen Cooper) who is arrested after the murder of a girl from his school. Each episode of the four-parter was shot in a single take.
100 million number of views for Adolescence in its first week on Ne lix
Calls for intervention and action to save the UK TV industry increased in volume as the month went on, with two of the business’s most respected figures, Wolf Hall director Peter Kosminsky and Sister’s Jane Featherstone saying time was “running out.” This came after the publication of an in-depth report into the crisis by UK producers’ association Pact, which pointed to the increasing number of producers going out of business because of a prolonged commissioning slowdown.
Meanwhile, there were more leadership changes at Amazon, with Jennifer Salke and Chris Bird stepping down at Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios. Kelly Day, VP of Prime Video International, subsequently saw her role expanded following the departure of Salke.
Elsewhere, C21 broke the news that Blue Ant Media was in discussions to acquire production assets from Boat Rocker, a deal that eventually saw the Canadian unscripted giant going public in August via a reverse takeover of its fellow Canuck producer/distributor.
Staircase Studios AI, an AI-driven movie production company, launched with ambitious plans to make 30 films over the next three or four years at a “fraction” of the cost of traditionally made features.
It quickly earned critical acclaim for its directing, writing and cinematography, with special attention paid to its atmosphere and performances, helping it attract a global audience of 100 million within its first week on Netflix.
It was all change at the BBC, with director of unscripted Kate Phillips replacing Charlotte Moore as chief content officer at the UK pubcaster on an interim basis (before being named permanently in the role in June). This followed the shock news of Moore’s impending departure to join The Crown producer Left Bank Pictures and parent company Sony Pictures Television (SPT) International Production, succeeding CEO Andy Harries, who is now chairman of the company he founded in 2007.
Television
By now, it is becoming clear that 2025 marks the first year when content creators have started to behave, in a business sense, like the broadcast and streaming networks whose audiences they are eroding. Nowhere is this more apparent than at the Spotter Showcase, an Upfrontstyle event that connected advertisers with creator heavyweights like MrBeast, Dude Perfect, Kinigra Deon, Ryan Trahan, Rebecca Zamolo and Jordan Matter.
During the New York showcase, creators discussed content, formats and coviewership data, and educated brands on the potential of the creator economy. And there were some surprising stats to share: Spotter said the average video length for its creators is 33 minutes – a stark contrast to the notion that creator-led content is short, quick-hit clips.
In addition to the Left Bank role, Moore took up the newly created position of exec VP, creative director, across SPT’s international production group, leading its creative strategy. Moore had been chief creative officer at the BBC since 2020, having previously been
its creative strategy. Moore been
The Spotter Showcase preceded the traditional New York Upfronts in May, where one of this year’s biggest themes was linear networks moving aggressively towards sports – sidelining scripted and unscripted in the process. This comes as YouTube CEO Neal Mohan continues to argue that the Google-owned platform is “the new television,” pointing to figures that show YouTube watch time on TV screens has exceeded that of mobile devices in markets such as the US for the first time.
The shift is being powered by creators like Deon who are thinking bigger, investing in higher-quality productions and launching their own creator-driven production companies, shaping the future of the entertainment business in the process.
Areport by equity research publisher MoffettNathanson estimates YouTube’s value at between US$475bn and US$550bn and predicts its revenue will exceed Disney’s for the first time this year.
There simply is no stopping the platform that was once dismissed by the traditional entertainment industry. Instead, YouTube should be dubbed the “new king of all media,” according to MoffettNathanson’s senior research analyst Michael Nathanson.
“YouTube has substantial runway for further growth – not just in monetisation but also in expanding into new business segments, such as becoming the premier streaming aggregator,” says Nathanson. “If executed effectively, this could further widen the gap between YouTube and the other media players.”
Meanwhile, Banijay enters the fray as a potential buyer of ITV Studios as the Paris-based production and distribution giant seeks to become the biggest fish in an increasingly consolidated TV pond. However, its senior execs play down the speculation when asked about the potential deal.
relatively cheap mobile data costs.
In Nigeria, the release of Makemation, an AIthemed family drama, makes waves with its story of a tech-savvy young girl in rural Lagos and the film grosses ₦32.9m (US$214,864) in its first four days.
Meanwhile, the great reconfiguration of the US entertainment industry begins to take shape, with once-mighty commissioners and network groups attempting to figure out a path forward. Revenues generated from the American cable business have shrunk to the degree that every major legacy media company begins to take evasive action, be it by spinning off channels, putting them up for sale, or exploring deal talks with former rivals.
battle for the introduction of content quotas or levies for streamers remains in stalemate and producers claim commissioning and production levels are rapidly eroding.
The UK falls behind South Korea as the nation producing the most viewed non-US content on Netflix, according to UK research firm Ampere Analysis, whose report reveals that K-content accounts for 85 (17%) of the top 500 most popular non-US shows and films on the platform, with hit series such as Squid Game and Kingdom attracting huge numbers of streams.
C21’s inaugural Content India Summit gets off to a great start, and a fully fledged version of the event will return to the Taj Lands End hotel in Mumbai from March 16-18, 2026, with a mission to connect the domestic market with international partners to capture billions in potentially unrealised value.
Research from Allied Global Marketing highlights
The first major player to spin off channels is Comcast, which launches Versant to house its portfolio of cable channels such as USA Network, CNBC, MSNBC, Oxygen, E!, Syfy and Golf Channel, as well as various digital assets. Crucially, however, much of its unscripted investment will remain within NBCUniversal, where, amid a round of layoffs, Sharon Vuong is confirmed as head of unscripted. Reality TV stalwart Bravo is the only cable channel not being shifted into Versant, while Love Island USA streamer Peacock and broadcaster NBC will also remain within the mothership.
The first major player to spin off channels
Unrealised value in the Indian entertainment business, according to Allied Global and
Research from Allied Global Marketing highlights a US$6bn opportunity for the Indian entertainment business, which is undergoing rapid change as viewing of social video and web series skyrockets thanks to (ANZ), steps down from her coveted role after five years with the streamer.
Elsewhere, there are some key changes at Netflix, where Reed Hastings steps away from his executive director position, but remains chairman of the board and in a non-executive director position. Down under, Que Minh Luu, Netflix’s director of content for Australia and New Zealand (ANZ), steps down from her coveted role after
The sudden departure of the leading commissioning executive comes at a pivotal juncture for the ANZ screen industry, as the
Meanwhile, Sony-backed anime streaming platform Crunchyroll is looking to tap a global market of 1.5 billion anime enthusiasts as it expands its growing anime universe into a 360-degree experience for subscribers, according to president Rahul Purini. The service, which was launched by anime fans as a niche passion project in 2006, now serves more than 15 million subscribers in over 200 countries and territories. Speaking at a company presentation in London, Purini describes the service’s growth potential as enormous, given that around 1.5 billion people globally watch anime and/ or consider themselves to be interested.
The UK capital is also host to C21’s inaugural Create London Festival, which connects the creator economy with brands, AI technology and TV and film partners. Among those to speak are hit podcast creator Madame Joyce, who tells delegates the sector still has room to grow as previously audioonly producers increasingly embrace video.
$6bn
While the news cycle at the beginning of the month is wall-to-wall with talk of US president Donald Trump’s tariffs, the general consensus during the LA Screenings is that there’s no point fretting (yet) over threats that are ill-conceived and unlikely to ever happen.
Instead, the main takeaways from the Screenings are that while fewer new titles were on offer, those that were available were of high quality, with shorter presentations and streamlined slates the order of the day. The Office spin-off The Paper, The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox, DMV, The Miniature Wife and Task were among the shows hotly tipped by C21’s journos on the ground in Hollywood.
“ My feed is flooded with low-e ort, AIgenerated content that prioritises quantity over quality. It’s disheartening to see the pla orm shi from creative, human-made videos to algorithm-driven, machine-produced slop.
spin-co, which will be loaded up with the majority of WBD’s US$35.6bn debt pile, will consist of the unscripted networks (including HGTV, Food Network, Discovery, Investigation Discovery) as well as CNN, TNT and TBS, with streamer Discovery+ also moving with the cable networks.
Many believe the spinco is being created simply to be sold off to a private equity firm, or bundled into a cable “super group” with Comcast’s Versant and others. That may or may not end up being the case but, once the WBD spin-co is established, there is some optimism that the unscripted brands will receive a level of investment that hasn’t been present for several years.
Meanwhile, Business Insider reports that YouTube is quietly moving into film and TV production funding through a joint venture with Range Media Ventures dubbed 100 Zeros. The initiative would see the content sold to traditional media players, rather than uploaded to YouTube, and comes as Google seeks to produce films that depict tech and AI in a less nightmarish light than on shows such as Black Mirror
content creation operation. It’s a bitter pill to swallow for an indie sector that recently fought hard to save the commercially funded pubcaster from privatisation, said John McVay, CEO of UK producers’ association Pact, who soon after announces his intention to stand down after nearly 25 years in the role.
Meanwhile, Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) announces a move to rerebrand its streamer Max back to HBO Max, sparking much mirth and memes aplenty from rivals and the streamer’s own social media team alike. The media giant also confirms plans to split its linear networks and its studio/streamer assets into two separate companies, in a move similar to the one announced by Comcast in April.
Reddit user ImaginaryWorry-4635 is unimpressed with what they’re being served up by YouTube writes in outgoing Channel 4 CEO
It marks the end of WBD’s failed experiment to combine its unscripted brands with HBO’s prestige programming, with its cable networks set to be spun off to form Discovery Global by the middle of next year. The
Google execs may want to take a closer look at what is happening on YouTube, however, as users ramp up their complaints about a surge in AI-made videos on the platform. “My feed is now flooded with low-effort, AI-generated content that prioritises quantity over quality. It’s disheartening to see the platform shift from creative, human-made videos to algorithm-driven, machine-produced slop,” writes one user on Reddit.
to create an ITV Studios-
In the UK, the embattled independent production community is up in arms after outgoing Channel 4 CEO Alex Mahon confirms controversial plans to create an ITV Studiosstyle internal
Along with Mahon, who is leaving to run live entertainment group Superstruct, a host of other execs are exiting C4, including drama boss Ollie Madden (Netflix); digital commissioning editor for branded, Joe Churchill (Fan Club); Khalid Hayat, director of strategy and consumer insight; and Matt Risley, MD at C4-owned social-first production arm 4Studio. Risley, who resurfaces at the UK’s National Theatre, has led the broadcaster’s successful embrace of distribution on digital platforms such as Snapchat, YouTube, TikTok and Spotify in recent years.
The new C4 venture will compete with BBC Studios, which takes full ownership of Mothership TV, the unscripted indie founded by former C4 exec Kelly Webb-Lamb three years ago. Mothership will become part of BBC Studios’ newly announced Unscripted Productions, which merges the factual, UK entertainment and entertainment development portfolios to create a single production entity led by Kate Ward, MD of unscripted productions.
Under the new in-house production strategy, C4 will start to develop capabilities to create “returnable, scalable formats” focused on factual entertainment, reality and entertainment genres with international potential, claiming this will allow it to benefit from global income streams to drive its investment into UK production.
Cuffing season comes early, with major European broadcasters partnering up with the same US streamers they once condemned for market upheaval to bundle their streaming services, as both sides looks to stem the flow of viewers to social media platforms.
First up is TF1 in France, which strikes a landmark content carriage deal with Netflix that will see its live channels and on-demand content from TF1+ integrated directly into Netflix’s French service from summer 2026.
“As viewing habits shift towards on-demand consumption and audience fragmentation increases, this unprecedented alliance will enable our premium content to reach unparalleled audiences and unlock new reach for advertisers within an ecosystem that perfectly complements our TF1+ platform,” says TF1 Group CEO Rodolphe Belmer, speaking alongside Netflix co-CEO Greg Peters at Cannes Lions.
It comes after TF1 and Netflix have previously worked together as creative partners, including on coproductions such as Les Combattantes, L’Agence and Tout le bleu du ciel. Meanwhile, TF1+ is gearing up to launch across 22 French-speaking markets in
Africa by the end of the month, with Canal+ and Netflix having recently extended their strategic partnership on the continent.
California approves a dramatic expansion to its film and TV tax credit programme, with governor Gavin Newsom leading a US$750m funding boost aimed at revitalising the state’s struggling production sector, attracting new projects and reversing the outflow of talent and investment.
Love Island fever begins to take hold in
the US, as the format finally clicks with viewers stateside having been a ratings hit for ITV in the UK for years. Season seven of Love Island USA becomes NBCUniversal-owned streamer Peacock’s biggest original series ever, buoyed by a huge social media footprint. After years of bingewatching in isolation, Gen Z reality TV fans discover the joy of communal viewing, as the show’s recordbreaking success inspires watch parties across the nation.
Chinese media conglomerate Shanghai Media Group acquires period drama Emerald Hill: The Little Nyonya Story from Singapore’s Mediacorp, bringing it to a potential audience of 360 million viewers. Chinese streaming giant Tencent Video soon follows suit, while Chinese Television System in Taiwan makes the show its first foreign content acquisition in four years.
$750m
The funding boost given to California’s struggling production sector
Elsewhere in Asia, Nippon TV in Japan launches unscriptedfocused Gyokuro Studios in Tokyo and LA, led by Kenichiro Akiyama and Tom Miyauchi, as part of the broadcaster and distributor’s global expansion strategy. It later partners with Canada’s Blue Ant Studios to develop and produce unscripted formats in the North American market.
Tierney,
Angela Jain’s move to become head of content for Disney+ in EMEA sparks a leadership rejig at ITV Studios, which appoints Tim Carter, CEO of its production brands MultiStory Media and Twofour, as MD of unscripted in the UK. Disney swoops on another Brit in Jilly Pearce, president of All3Media-owned Objective Media Group America, for a key unscripted programming role in the US. Overall, however, the Mouse House is reducing its headcount after axing several hundred roles across its Disney Entertainment division as the media giant continues to streamline its film and TV operation. Meanwhile, it’s a double whammy of blows for the unscripted business when news that A24 is shuttering its documentary division is followed by C21’s scoop that European producer and distributor Off the Fence (OTF) has gone bust. Dutch unscripted channels operator and content producer Insight TV later acquires parts of OTF out of its bankruptcy proceedings but closes its production arm. While it is desperately sad for OTF – a wellestablished company with many experienced and likeable execs, not least CEO Bo Stehmeier – it is also terrible news for an embattled unscripted industry. A company that’s been around since 1994, bought by ZDF Enterprises in 2019 and an Oscar winner in 2022 with My Octopus Teacher – if that business isn’t safe then whose is?
The summer also sees the international TV industry mourn several distinguished figures, taken far too soon. Heartfelt tributes are paid to Andrew Shaw, Alan Yentob, Melanie Rumani, Michael Schmidt and Loren Ruch, individuals who have shaped the business over numerous decades with their eye for a great story, flair for leadership and generosity of spirit. They will be missed.
It’s a big month for exec moves. BBC Studios Productions in the UK launches a development label specialising in reality shows and hires ITV’s commissioning editor of reality, Peter Tierney, to lead it. Nicole Clemens, former president of Paramount Television Studios, joins Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios as VP and head of international originals, replacing James Farrell (see page 20).
The bundling continues apace as once unprecedented deals suddenly become, erm, precedented. France Télévisions hops into bed with Amazon in an agreement that will see streaming service france.tv made available on Prime Video in France.
France TV and TF1, alongside French broadcaster M6, had previously teamed up to take on the likes of Netflix and Amazon via the collaborative streamer Salto. The service was axed in 2022 following the collapse of a merger between TF1 and M6.
In the UK, ITV and Disney announce a first-of-its-kind initiative to carry select programmes from each other’s streaming services. Disney+ gets access to multi-award-winning drama Mr Bates vs The Post Office and reality hit Love Island, while ITVX users can sample FX’s The Bear and Lucasfilm’s Star Wars spin-off Andor
Arabia, as it looks to capitalise on the rising popularity of K-content. This comes as Netflix enjoys success worldwide with animated film K-Pop Demon Hunters
BBC Studios released its annual results, which show its revenue rebounded to £2.2bn (US$2.9bn) in the 2024/25 financial year following a drop in 2023/24, with BritBox International and Bluey consumer products helping to offset challenges in the production and distribution market.
Meanwhile, in South Africa, Vivendiowned Canal+ receives regulatory
It’s not just Europe. In the Middle East and North Africa, Netflix and MBC Group-owned Shahid partner to offer their two services under a single subscription. Commentators say such deals are causing a “seismic shift” in the industry that will eventually leave the market dominated by a handful of major players.
Elsewhere in MENA, Korean entertainment conglomerate CJ ENM establishes a subsidiary in Saudi
approval for its takeover of MultiChoice Group.
The US$2bn buyout, Africa’s biggest media deal, will see the French company, which already owns more than a third of MultiChoice and has a strong presence in Francophone subSaharan Africa, get its hands on pay TV service M-Net, DStv satellite and streamer Showmax. Commentators such as The Continent’s Simon Allison express concern about Canal+’s billionaire boss Vincent Bolloré gaining access to tens of millions more African homes, given his track record of “buying media and using them to promote farright ideologies.”
Comcast’s Sky sells its German business, Sky Deutschland, to RTL in
a deal that will create one of the biggest free and pay TV powerhouses in the German-speaking region, while in the UK, Sky Kids confirms plans to stop commissioning originals in favour of third-party acquisitions.
$1.5bn
The value of South Park duo Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s new Paramount deal
Amazon’s Alexa Fund invests in the ‘Netflix of AI’ start-up Fable, which launches Showrunner, a tool that allows users to make TV shows by describing the episode they want, then waiting for AI to spit it out. Showrunner also unveils its first AI show, Exit Valley, an animated satire of Silicon Valley. Taxi Driver screenwriter Paul Schrader reportedly calls the tech a ‘Deep BlueKasparov’ moment for filmmaking, referencing the 1997 chess match in which a computer beat a human for the first time.
Elsewhere, Jewish actor Mandy Patinkin (Homeland) blasts the Israeli government over the conflict in Gaza.
Channel 4 airs Gaza: Doctors Under Attack, a forensic investigation into Israeli strikes impacting hospitals in Gaza, after the doc is dropped by the BBC. This comes after the doc’s producer, former Channel 4 News editor Ben De Pear, let rip at the BBC and its director general Tim Davie for its coverage of the conflict, saying the UK pubcaster was running scared of the pro-Israel lobby.
It’s a mixed month for YouTube, which is revealed by UK regulator Ofcom to have overtaken ITV as the country’s second most watched service, behind only the BBC. However, in Australia, the government decides to include the Google-owned platform in its social media ban for under-16s.
Focus highlights. It exposes discrimination, with 92% of respondents reporting prejudicial experiences. This chimes with comments from Channel 4’s former head of creative diversity, Naomi Sesay, who expresses her disappointment that the progress the industry looked ready to embrace in 2020 has now given way to regression. There is uproar when Paramount’s CBS announces it is cancelling The Late Show with Stephen Colbert Paramount claims the move is for “purely financial” reasons, though many suspect it has something to do with the host and Donald Trump critic calling its US$16m settlement with the president a “big fat bribe.”
Soon after, Skydance Media’s takeover of Paramount Global is approved by the FCC, marking the last major hurdle in finalising the US$8bn deal. South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, fresh from minting a landmark US$1.5bn streaming deal with Paramount, make their feelings known with the now infamous Sermon on the ‘Mount episode.
Black professionals in UK television continue to face barriers to career progression, with progress towards equity and inclusion very slow, a report titled Black In
August provided a stark snapshot of how rapidly the TV business is being rewritten. Nielsen revealed that US cable TV networks now command just 22.5% of all TV viewing, marking a continued erosion of linear TV’s dominance. Broadcast networks collectively had 19.1% of viewing while streaming accounted for 46.4% in August.
The month also saw legacy distributors sharpening commercial levers that had been dormant for years: Warner Bros Discovery moved to enforce account-sharing controls on HBO Max – a clear signal that platforms are prepared to prioritise subscriber yield over sheer reach as competition for paid attention intensifies.
Such corporate manoeuvres came alongside a steady drumbeat of workforce reductions and restructuring that illustrated a painful industry reset. High-profile and mid-sized companies
cut staff and re-prioritised spend, signalling that content strategies once driven by expansion and volume are being recalibrated towards profitability and tighter return metrics. Hallmark Media, for example, announced the elimination of 30 positions, including
its VP of production Jimmy Holcomb, as part of a broader restructuring aimed at adapting to the current market realities.
Ampere Analysis also revealed that commissions for scripted originals by the six major global streamers plunged by almost 25% year-onyear in the first half of 2025. Platforms like Prime Video,
Disney+, Netflix, HBO Max and Apple TV+ are sharply pulling back investment, signalling a move away from volume towards more selective, profitability-minded content strategies.
$30.5bn
The amount spent on sports rights in the US in 2025
Meanwhile, analysis published in late August revealed that spending on sports rights in America had surged 122% over the past decade to reach US$30.5bn in 2025, while European sports rights spending had stalled. This divergence highlighted another dimension of TV’s transformation. Rights holders increasingly view streaming platforms and digital distributors as more attractive partners than traditional broadcasters.
The UK TV workforce, meanwhile, also emerged as a key stress point in August. A survey by the union Bectu found that nearly half of workers in drama, unscripted/factual and commercial production reported being out of work. Many in the sector expressed little confidence about future stability, with concerns about precarious contracts, wellbeing and whether the current model can sustain a diverse and reliable labour pool.
n September, the television industry experienced further shifts, with several major media companies announcing more layoffs. Comcast, for example, revealed plans to cut jobs in its broadband and pay TV divisions. Further job losses were announced at PBS and other cash-strapped public broadcasters in the US. In contrast, the creator economy continued its rapid expansion. A report from eMarketer highlighted that the creator economy is experiencing compounding growth, driven by increased social media adoption and demand for personalised content. Platforms like YouTube, TikTok and Instagram have become central to content consumption, with creators gaining substantial influence and monetisation opportunities.
Against this backdrop, one story in particular underscored the ongoing transformation of traditional media in the face of digital disruption: the suspension and subsequent reinstatement of Jimmy Kimmel Live! on US broadcast network ABC. The show was pulled on September 17 following comments Kimmel made regarding the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Kimmel's remarks led to backlash from conservative groups and pressure from
6.3 million
the Trump administration, including threats from Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chairman Brendan Carr to revoke ABC's broadcast licence unless action was taken. This incident sparked widespread debate about censorship, free speech and the influence of political pressures on media content. The suspension was lifted on September 22, but the controversy highlighted the precarious position of traditional TV in navigating political sensitivities and audience expectations in the digital age.
number of viewers who tuned into Jimmy Kimmel Live! when it returned on September 23
suspension, industry pundit Evan Shapiro declared: “History will look back on today as the day that broadcast TV died. He later claimed the suspension of the show “marks THE official end of Hollywood-dominated culture.” Encapsulating the entire TV/YouTube issue, Shapiro also advised Kimmel to ditch the world of FCC and Disney control and embrace the creator economy, where he would get many times his ABC audience without fear of censorship.
Kimmelgate, for want of a better word, not only neatly summed up the reason why creators often don’t want to cross over to legacy media but also provided real-time evidence for the notion that the rise of social video platforms is an existential threat to linear television, particularly since so many more people watched Kimmel’s show on YouTube than on FCC-controlled ABC.
On the night of Kimmel’s
It all seemed to confirm the idea that 2025 might be a terminal year for the legacy broadcast industry.
Patrick Walker was YouTube content partnerships chief across the EMEA region during its earliest days under Google and an investor in multichannel network Base79. Now a strategic advisor to another YouTubecentric start-up, Electrify Video Partners, he reveals where he believes the industry is heading next.
WPartners, believes
hen Patrick Walker boarded his flight to Nice on October 9 for Mipcom 2006 he was head of content partnerships at Google Video across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. By the time he landed, he held the same position but at YouTube. Google’s US$1.65bn acquisition of the world’s biggest video-sharing website was announced while he was mid-air. Before he’d even retrieved his luggage from the conveyor belt, people were coming up to him at the airport and asking what the deal would mean.
who had been running the rule over YouTube and French rival Dailymotion for several months, knew what the buyout would mean in terms of heat from established film and TV companies.
Billionaire investor Mark Cuban said just prior to the deal that anyone who bought YouTube would be a “moron” because they’d quickly be “sued into oblivion.”
By Jonathan Webdale
Walker was on his BlackBerry trying to get answers to the same question himself from the Googleplex back in Mountain View, California. He was, after all, due on stage shortly in the Cannes Palais des Festival to talk about Google’s relationship with the international TV industry. Interest in Google Video – the
company’s own attempt at entering the world of audiovisual advertising – was already high. But the auditorium would now be packed by more execs eager to learn what the flush online search giant planned to do with a user-generated content website rife with their pirated IP but yet to turn a dollar.
Ben Silverman, the founder of Los Angeles-based
“ YouTube is still breaking the mould and establishing new forms of expression, new forms of storytelling.
Patrick Walker
“You could see the knives already coming out across some of the media looking at YouTube as a target to take down,” recalls Walker. “It was a time of great exuberance but also one of ‘would we actually survive being the owner of this great gem of internet history that people loved, but also bringing it into a world where we needed to develop tools and opportunities for it to become a platform not just for users and creators, but media organisations to build audiences, and on top of that generate revenue with advertising?’ All that was completely unknown, but it was exciting.”
The O ce, Ugly Betty also up on stage with Walker and
Reveille – maker of the US version of The Biggest Loser and – was among those also up on stage with Walker and was asked if it concerned him that some of his company’s hit shows were available free of charge to the 70 millionplus people that swarmed to YouTube every day back then, consuming some 100 million videos. “It didn’t used to until last night,” he quipped. “But now they’re worth US$1.65bn, they’ll be hearing from my lawyers.”
Six months later, Viacom sued Google and YouTube for US$1bn, alleging copyright infringement on a massive scale. The latter’s founders, Chad Hurley, Steve Chen and Jawed Karim, were all referenced in the litigation, as was Walker. The development could not have come at a worse time for him since, behind the scenes, he was trying to negotiate a deal in the UK with the BBC.
Prior to the Google acquisition, YouTube had already succeeded in securing licensing agreements with the big three record labels – Warner Music Group, Universal Music Group and Sony Music –but there was still a lot of outreach to be done with the major media organisations and more questions to answer. The BBC pact was significant enough that Google’s then CEO, Eric Schmidt, flew over to meet with the BBC’s then director general, Mark Thompson.
Walker – Google
“We saw eye-to-eye and agreed it would be mutually beneficial to establish a formal relationship with the BBC,” says Walker. “They understood and acknowledged that this would help serve their public service remit by bringing clips of the BBC to the masses via YouTube, and also from YouTube’s perspective to have a legitimate major public service brand come on to the platform.”
While the jibe was playful at the time, Walker – Google Video’s first hire outside North America – and the rest of the team
America – and the rest of the team
But just as the deal was about to be signed, Viacom announced its case. “We wondered whether it
would close, but they decided to go ahead, which was excellent. Yes, we had this big hill to climb and an important lawsuit now to deal with but we felt very confident we would be successful,” says Walker. “Meanwhile, the BBC relationship allowed us to then begin a series of others across Europe, in particular, where major media companies –public service broadcasters and others, even the International Olympic Committee, were coming and saying, ‘Hey, this is great. We want to reach audiences through this new platform.’”
Walker had joined Google at the beginning of 2006 from RealNetworks, where he was general manager of international video services for one of the internet’s earliest multimedia pioneers. The company’s RealPlayer competed with Microsoft’s Windows Media Player, offering the closest thing to audio and video streaming at the time, both operating via software downloads. Macromedia’s initially animation-focused Flash Player browser plug-in changed the game, however, when it introduced video support, and in particular when YouTube adopted this for its launch.
“I felt it was a watershed moment in terms of how video was becoming much more easily distributed,” says Walker. So he began to explore pastures new, with his former RealNetworks EMEA boss Joanna Shields – by now holding the same post at Google –offering the opportunity for a move.
He spent the next seven years building on that BBC partnership, with others such as Italy’s Rai, Germany’s ZDF, RTVE in Spain and more. As the Viacom lawsuit rumbled on, Google introduced Content ID – a system that identified copyrighted videos uploaded to YouTube and gave IP owners the ability to either have these taken down or track their usage.
Around 2009, multi-channel networks (MCNs) began to emerge – companies like Maker Studios and Fullscreen, focused on corralling and elevating YouTube’s most successful individuals in the early days of the ‘creator economy’.
“The multi-channel networks were important to YouTube at the time because the number of partners and the amount of potential monetisation was exploding, and we couldn’t manage that directly,” says Walker.
Other start-ups centred more on using the site as a means of monetising existing film and TV clips, partnering with their owners to facilitate this. One such venture was UK-based MyVideoRights, into which Walker made a personal investment early on and – having also helped see through the YouTube Original Channels initiative in Europe –he left Google in 2013 to join the business, by then
rebranded as Base79, full-time. As chief content officer, he was again handling media partnerships with the likes of BBC Worldwide, Hat Trick Productions, and Endemol’s Tiger Aspect – the latter relying on Base79 to handle certain elements of its digital distribution strategy for hit global franchise Mr Bean
For a period, MCNs were hot. Base79 received backing from The Chernin Group and was ultimately bought out in 2014 (shortly after Viacom’s YouTube lawsuit was settled out of court) by stock market-listed sector specialist Rightster for £50m (US$66m) – the biggest transaction of the era for such a company outside the US. Walker was briefly Rightster CEO but left as the landscape changed and a company restructure ultimately led to another rebrand as Brave Bison. He resurfaced shortly after as director of EMEA media partnerships at Facebook and left at the end of 2019.
These days he is also operating partner at UK private equity outfit CapitalD and, through its US$85m injection into the venture, senior strategic advisor to Electrify Video Partners – described as a next-generation media company that invests in established creator businesses. Set up in London by former Disney, Universal Music Group and WarnerMedia exec Ian Shepherd and KKR alumni
Owen Maher and Justin Reizes, the company earlier this year named Next New Networks cofounder Tim Shey (now also a CapitalD operating partner) as chairman.
Next New was an early web series pioneer that counted former MTV and Nickelodeon execs Fred Seibert and Herb Scannell among its team. Behind YouTube channels like Barely Political, Channel Frederator and Fast Lane Daily, it was snapped up by Google in 2011 and led to the launch of the YouTube Next Lab & Audience Development Group, with Shey helping steer the unit, leading to the launch of the YouTube Originals Channels initiative and YouTube Spaces creator support hubs around the world.
Electrify has so far invested in 10 creator businesses, which count more than 40 million subscribers between them, with key brands including science and engineering specialist Veritasium, astronomy-focused Astrum and aviation outlet Mentour Pilot. To the uninitiated, the company looks a lot like a second-generation MCN, but Walker explains that whereas Maker, Fullscreen and the rest essentially had “rented relationships” with YouTubers or short-term contracts with brands like Mr Bean, Electrify is actively buying into early-stage creator economy enterprises.
“You can look at Electrify as a bit of a groundup creator-led aggregation of amazing brands that we are developing into a modern-day Discovery network, all powered and driven through creator energy, but supported through an established team and executives that can really help them thrive,” says Walker.
In a sense, the venture brings him full circle.
“Twenty years on, we’re still at the beginning of the emergence of some pretty remarkable brands. YouTube is still breaking the mould and establishing new forms of expression, new forms of storytelling, and the creators that have emerged from there are now global icons, not just flash-inthe pan memes or any videos that you share,” says Walker.
From an investor perspective, he says YouTube is now “the mainstay, the anchor for a lot of consistent revenue growth” and, in terms of video monetisation “far outstrips anything you would see on any other video-oriented social platform, whether it be Meta, Snap or TikTok.”
In some ways this is vindication: “People said we would never do it – we would never find the right formats to monetise YouTube-oriented content, advertisers would never have the confidence to put themselves in that space,” he says.
C21 has drawn together a selection of programmes likely to make an impact at this year’s Mipcom, ranging from the problem of superdestructive pigs to the physical gameshow born on YouTube, a Cold War spy drama and a true-crime parody. By
Ed Waller
Producers: Studio Lambert, Motion Entertainment
Distributor: All3Media International
They say: “A brand-new reality game of wit, willpower, persuasion and betrayal from the team behind the Bafta- and Emmy-winning UK and US versions of
We say: Launching on Channel 4 this autumn with Elizabeth Hurley and Rob Rinder hosting, this format is one of the better mental strategy gameshows that emerged in the wake of IDTV’s hit, which is also distributed by The Inheritance from factual entertainment master Stephen Lambert, whose credits Gogglebox , so that helps.
The Traitors.” All3Media. And comes include Wife Swap, and Undercover Boss
Producer: Numan Films
Distributor: Bomanbridge Media
They say: “Through cutting-edge science, first-hand accounts from farmers and researchers, and a closer look at the ecological and economic toll, the film exposes how a human-made problem has spiralled into an international catastrophe.”
We say: This doc might sound like a 1950s B-movie but it explores the soaring population of vicious hybrid swine that are apparently destroying crops, spreading disease, threatening native species and messing up ecosystems the world over. And you thought killer tomatoes were bad!
Producer: Jonnydepony
Distributor: About Premium Content
They say: “Follows the rise and fall of a Belgian Gendarme unit spearheaded by a CIA agent who are supposed to catch drug dealers but turn into criminals themselves.”
We say: This crime drama, set in the 1980s, is created and written by Bas Adriaensen and Philippe De Schepper, and directed by Wim Geudens (Studio Tarara, Kafka). De Schepper also produced the Flemish-language series, alongside Helen Perquy, and it’s set to premiere on Belgian OTT platform Streamz on October 30. It will also be available on Amazon Prime Video in the Netherlands.
Producer: Perpetual Entertainment
Distributor: DCD Rights
They say: “Vietnam is unpredictable, chaotic and at times infuriatingly bureaucratic… but these are things Bill embraces on a journey no ordinary traveller would dare undertake.”
We say: Marking the 50th anniversary of the US withdrawal from Saigon, this series continues Bailey’s journey from stand-up via Strictly towards becoming the next Michael Palin, with his trademark humour, music and curiosity. This six-part
series is set for Channel 4 in the UK and SBS in Australia.
Producers: EndemolShine Nederland, Talpa Studios, Signal.Stream Distributor: Banijay Rights
They say: “A larger-than-life physical gameshow that becomes a wildly exhilarating race across regional terrains, with contestants rolling a gigantic ball as they go.”
Producers: Lionsgate Television, Blumhouse Television
Distributor: Lionsgate Television
They say: “Fresh out of law school, Rudy Baylor (Milo Callaghan) goes head-to-head with courtroom lion Leo Drummond (John Slattery) as well as his law school girlfriend (Madison Iseman).”
We say: Adaptations of John Grisham novels seem to work on the big screen and the auspices of this USA Network show, with showrunner Michael Seitzman’s credits including Quantico, Intelligence and Code Black, look like this could work on the small one. The book was adapted by Francis Ford Coppola into a movie in 1997 starring Matt Damon and this screen iteration marks USA’s big return to the legal genre.
Producer: Woodcut Media
Distributor: Woodcut International
They say: “Tells the story of the team led by Robert Oppenheimer who developed technology never used before and built cities and factories that had never existed before the war.”
We say: Following the success of Woodcut’s Titanic in Colour, this doc employs extensive newly colourised archive and was produced to mark the 80th anniversary of the dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August. Lots of buyer interest with deals inked with Channel 4 (UK), SBS (Australia), A+E Networks (US), Mediawan (France), TV Catalunya (Spain), UR (Sweden), Viasat World, Channel 8 (Israel) and YLE (Finland), among others.
We say: Initially piloted on YouTube via StukTV, where it drew over 1.2 million views, this digital-first format exemplifies the increasing role the creator economy and Google-owned platform has in piloting new IP. The TV adaptation debuted on SBS6 in the Netherlands this summer and has already been renewed, while Banijay subsidiaries Zeppotron and Initial are now co-developing an English-language version for the UK market.
Producers: Monumental Television, TeamAkers
Distributor: ITV Studios
They say: “A returnable stylish and unique take on a heist drama, set in southern Spain and starring an incredible award-winning cast led by Suranne Jones and Jodie Whittaker.”
We say: This show continues the trend for female-led dramas, and given the credits of the two leads –Vigil, Gentleman Jack and Doctor Foster for Bafta- and RTS Award-winning Jones and Doctor Who, Black Mirror and Broadchurch for Whittaker – this one is certainly worth screening in Cannes. Giulia Gandini (The Split, Shetland) directs and Pat Tookey-Dickson (Toxic Town, Maryland, 1899, Ghosts) produces the show, which debuted on ITV in October.
Producers: Tom Sainsbury, Georgina Conder, Carthew Neal
Distributor: BBC Studios
They say: “…follows a disgraced journalist turned podcast host who returns to his rural hometown to investigate the bizarre death of his millionaire uncle.”
We say: An adaptation of Tom Sainsbury’s hit mockumentary true-crime parody podcast, this Sky New Zealand original series is set to premiere on Sky Open, Sky Go and streamer Neon in 2026. It stars Sainsbury, British comedy royalty Felicity Kendal (The Good Life, Rosemary & Thyme) and Kiwi comedian Rose Matafeo (Starstruck) and received support from NZ On Air.
Producers: Universal TV, Pacesetter Productions
Distributor: NBCU Global TV Distribution
They say: “Two ‘ponies’ (persons of no interest, in the shadowy world of intelligence) who work anonymously as secretaries at the US embassy in Moscow, circa 1977. When their husbands are mysteriously killed...”
We say: Starring Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones) and Haley Lu Richardson (The White Lotus), this period piece counts Susanna Fogel (The Flight Attendant, The Spy Who Dumped Me), David Iserson Mr Robot, New Girl), Mike Daniels (Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist), Jessica Rhoades (Black Mirror) and Clarke among its top-tier exec producers, and has already been acquired by Canadian network Showcase.
Producer: Blue Circle
Distributor: Fremantle
Producers: Story House Pictures, The Dreaming Sheep Company
Distributors: Bavaria Media, Beta Film
They say: “Remixing history, the witty yet moving series puts the spotlight on the talented Maria Anna Mozart, sister of the legendary Wolfgang Amadeus.” We say: Buyers always say they want new angles on familiar subjects so here’s one. There are dramas about young Mozart, but this one tells the story of his equally talented sister and her role in the Amadeus legacy. The drama has Andreas Gutzeit (Sisi, Dignity) as showrunner and Germany’s ARD and Austria’s ORF attached as copro partners.
They say: “A new strategic reality competition inspired by the Greek myth of Pandora, whose temptation to open a forbidden box unleashed chaos into the world.”
We say: This new twist on the mental strategy game genre has been commissioned by RTL in the Netherlands and tops Fremantle’s Mipcom slate. We like the Greek mythological elements and having 90-minutes episodes prolongs the gameplay and tension. More details to come but this certainly is worth a look in Cannes.
Producers: Treasure Trove Productions, Blue House Productions
Distributor: Sphere Abacus
They say: “A dark comedy about a man who embarks on a journey to find his missing partner, armed only with the enigmatic guidance of the homunculi.”
We say: Created, written, directed by and starring Bafta winner Mackenzie Crook (Detectorists, The Office), produced by Baftawinning Gill Isles (Car Share, Alma’s Not Normal) and starring Pearce Quigley (The Way Back) and multi-everything winner Sir Michael Palin, this comedy-drama is certainly worth a look in Cannes. Finding magic in suburbia, and including animation, the series is set to launch on BBC Two and iPlayer in early 2026.
Producer: Süreç Film
Distributor: Eccho Rights
They say: “Blends the best of Turkish drama: passionate storytelling, unforgettable characters and world-class performances ready to capture hearts across the globe.”
We say: This Show TV series (aka Bereketli Topraklar) stars Engin Akyürek, one of the most recognisable faces in Turkish television, known from series such as Fatmagül and Black Money Love, and Gülsim Ali (An Anatolian Tale, Resurrection: Ertugrul). The series marks a return to the classic love stories that put Turkish drama on the map in the first place.
Producer: UFA Fiction
Distributor: ZDF Studios
They say: “Depicts a family through different decades at the Galant dance school on Kurfürstendamm, picking up in the pulsating yet divided Berlin of the 1970s.”
We say: Created and written by the awardwinning showrunner Annette Hess (Weissensee, The German House) and directed by Maurice Hübner (Kitz, Family Braun), this period drama follows the successful Ku’damm 56, Ku’damm 59 and Ku’damm 63 series, which have been sold into more than 30 countries. Produced by the Generation War team, the latest instalment has its world premiere on Tuesday night at Mipcom.
Producer: Propagate Content
Distributor: Fox Entertainment Global
They say: “Centres on Martin Best, a brilliant surgeon who leaves his illustrious career in Boston to become the general practitioner in a quaint East Coast fishing village where he spent summers as a child.”
We say: Adapted from All3Media International’s Doc Martin, this show is destined for Fox’s mid-season schedule and stars Josh Charles (The Good Wife, Sports Night), Abigail Spencer and Annie Potts. Pretty good production team too, including Ben Silverman (The Office), Rodney Ferrell (Stick), Howard T Owens (Stick) and Liz Tuccillo (Sex & the City), plus Mark Crowdy and Philippa Braithwaite from the original 10-season ITV show. Silverman, in particular, has form when it comes to turning UK hits into US ones.
Producers: Cuba Pictures, Metropolitan Pictures
Distributor: Cineflix Rights
They say: “A darkly funny, emotionally raw drama about five Irish sisters bound by love, history and a tendency to self-destruct.”
We say: Based on the best-selling novels of Marian Keyes, this series continues the trend for female-led dramas, with this one perhaps aimed at fans of Derry Girls who have now grown up a bit. The novels have been adapted by Stefanie Preissner (Solpadeine is My Boyfriend), with Kefi Chadwick (Rivals,) writing two episodes, and directed by Ian Fitzgibbon (Hullraisers). The series debuted on RTÉ in Ireland in September and heads to BBC One and the iPlayer soon.
Producer: KFS Production
Distributor: Onza Distribution
They say: “Operatives from the regional homicide division in Bratislava uncover daily crimes and often have to push themselves to the limits of their mental and physical capabilities.”
We say: Crime dramas from the CEE region are getting hotter and hotter, and this Slovak one is based on Václav Neuer’s bestselling novels, all rooted in real criminal cases. Directed by showrunner Michal Kollár (The Red Captain, Ultimátum), this series pulled a 24% share when it premiered on September 14 on TV JOJ, enough for Spanish distributor Onza to bag it for Mipcom.
Producer: Madame Zheng
Distributor: Seven.One Studios International
They say: “A bold new twist on the traditional reality dating format, in which celebrity singles hand over the matchmaking reins to their exlovers.”
We say: From the prodco formerly known as Odeon Entertainment, this half-hour show has been something of a hit for commissioning platforms Joyn (Germany), Joyn (Austria) and One+ (Switzerland), with plenty of social media engagement, and has duly been commissioned for a second season. Seven.One Studios is also pushing the fact the format is scalable, flexible and cost-effective, with Madame Zheng able to make two episodes a day.
Producer: Sandpaper Films
Distributor: Blue Ant Studios
They say: “A cinematic, emotional and deeply human portrait of the most deeply beloved – and most scrutinised – pop artist of our time.”
We say: Guy King (The Fall, Bombing Brighton, Our Falklands War) directs this two-part profile of a pop star turned cultural icon whose tours can change the economic fortunes of entire countries. The series is edited by Bafta winner Martin Thompson and debuted on the UK’s Channel 4 in late September. Since it’s unauthorised, this project might offer a different take to Swift’s own films about herself.
Producers: Media Res, Brownstone Productions
Distributor: Sony Pictures Television
They say: “A high-concept marital dramedy examining the power (im)balances between spouses after a technological accident induces the ultimate relationship crisis.”
We say: Based on the short story written by Manuel Gonzalez, this Peacock series stars Elizabeth Banks (Pitch Perfect) and Matthew Macfadyen (Succession) and generated some buzz at the LA Screenings in May despite Sony not having full episodes to screen. But the distributor is screening a full ep on the Monday at Mipcom, ahead of the show’s arrival on Peacock next year. The show has already been picked up by Bell Media (Canada) and Stan (Australia).
AHEAD
GLegacy media ou its have despaired as their audience and advertisers flee to the creator and influencer space and have made several botched and/or very expensive attempts to lure them back. Could football be the answer? By Clive
erman manager Thomas Tuchel is the tournamentmaster manager England have chosen to push their team on to a first trophy since the 1966 World Cup.
Gareth Southgate did better than most – two European Championship finals, one World Cup semi – but England are going to next year’s tournament in the US, Mexico and Canada with an ambition to win.
For his first home game in charge, there were around 10,000 empty seats. New broom, new optimism, but who really wants to spend their Friday night watching England play Albania?
One game that doesn’t have any trouble selling out Wembley Stadium is The Sidemen Charity Match. This recurring friendly game between influencers, organised by UK YouTube group The Sidemen, has quickly outgrown its previous homes at Southampton’s St Mary’s Stadium, Charlton’s The Valley and West Ham’s London Stadium since launching in 2016 and was able to sell all 90,000 seats for its Wembley debut in March in little more than three hours.
Whittingham
The biggest draw in football at the moment isn’t even a real football team.
Jordan Schwarzenberger, cofounder of Arcade Media and manager of The Sidemen, says:
“It’s been quite a journey from very di erent beginnings to where it is now. When The Sidemen originally got in touch with the people at St Mary’s in Southampton and asked to host a football match, they said, ‘Of course not, who are you?’ They didn’t want to police it, so they gave them one stand and that sold out in 90 seconds. That was a lightbulb moment for them.
anything I’ve ever seen and it has to be where connection is, being placed with creatives rather than, at that time, publishers like LadBible.”
While the match is held to raise millions of pounds for charity, it also shows the potential creators like The
back.
“ At the end there was this huge pitch invasion and all the fans and their parents flocked on to the pitch to try and get close to these guys. I remember standing there and thinking this is totally di erent to anything I’ve ever seen and it has to be where connection is.
guys. I remember standing there
“At the end there was this huge pitch invasion – so perhaps St Mary’s were right to be concerned – and all the fans and their parents flocked on to the pitch to try and get close to these guys. I remember standing there and thinking this is totally di erent to
Jordan Schwarzenberger
Sidemen o er brands who want to tap their audience.
di erent to
way but there’s enough expertise
“The Sidemen have a whole operation behind them that’s managed in quite a corporate, stu y way but there’s enough expertise around the table to properly deliver, which means when
deliver, which means when
brands come to work with us there is trust in the size and the numbers but also the creatives, producers, editors and the resources available. When we started working with them they had one person on payroll and now it’s up to 50,” Schwarzenberger says.
“Other creators have to have the mindset of working with a brand as a publisher. This is the big thing for me that’s coming into this space – creators realising they are an audience opportunity for brands rather than simply creators. Get in the mindset of being a publisher, like LadBible or Vice.
“If you think like a publisher and operate like an agency you can do quite simple things that go a long way – media plans, reporting, managing campaigns properly. It’s hard for creators who’ve never worked a real job or a job outside of content. They don’t understand that brands won’t
your own advertiser platform – which as Schwarzenberger points out is exactly what all of these influencers effectively are – why do you want to go and answer to a commissioning editor, director, production company to get a show on a broadcaster that none of your audience watch anyway?
Increasingly, though, there is crossover and it is football that holds the key. Creators might not be bothered about an ITV daytime commission, but they do want to be on Sky Sports shooting the breeze with Declan Rice.
simple: Sky Sports puts influencers pitchside, at the heart of top-flight football coverage, and goes direct to YouTube.
The show is produced by Londonbased After Party Studios, a company pitching itself as a gobetween linking the old world with the new, providing influencerled ideas that audience will love to legacy media outfits desperate for a piece of the action.
Broadcasters such as pay TV outfit Sky Sports are fast waking up to the potential. Classic staples of the schedule like Soccer AM have been replaced by formats such as The
just give you £50,000 [US$68,000] for an Instagram story because that’s your rate. Those who have more of that agency-publisher mindset will do really well.”
The struggle for the more traditional “legacy media” brands that were left behind when audiences and advertisers flocked to the likes of The Sidemen is how do they regain a slice of that pie for themselves.
Chuck US$100m at Mr Beast and give him complete creative control as Amazon’s Prime Video did? Bit expensive that.
It’s long been thought that these creators neither need nor even watch old school linear television, and nor do their audience. When you’ve got
Saturday Social, where YouTubers rank Thierry Henry’s top five haircuts.
This has left the traditional football fan Sky originally built its business on in the 1990s (hand up, that might be me) feeling largely disenfranchised and switched off. Sky Sports News is largely seen as a joke among matchgoing fans. But when you see 90,000 members of an incredibly lucrative young ad market packing out Wembley, I can’t imagine anybody is losing much sleep about that down at Sky’s Isleworth HQ. Move with the times, or the times will move you.
One of the new shows Sky has enjoyed success with is Scenes, now in its third season. The concept is
Joshua Barnett, MD of After Party Studios, says Scenes grew out of a broad brief from the Sky Sports social team wanting to hit a next generation audience with its coverage of the forthcoming football season, but was initially a tough sell.
“They’d started to see there was a disconnect between Sky Sports and the younger audience,” Barnett says. “We looked at the heritage of Sky, which has had unfettered access since the 1990s and is top of its game, and we looked for inspiration in content like Awaydays, which Copa90 did back in the day. We chanced upon Scenes, which isn’t really reinventing the wheel because it’s an elevated matchday vlog, but we wanted to really do it well using the access from Sky, the Premier League and the clubs.
“We felt really good about it, and then there were many, many, many, many conversations because it was quite a leap of faith for Sky Sports at the time.”
Cameron Sims, social lead at Sky Sports, says: “It was a long conversation, multiple different meetings – discussions not only with our colleagues at Sky but the Premier League as well. It wasn’t included in our rights or access so we had to build that. It was definitely a mindset shift. It’s a different world, it’s a different way of consuming content through a creator lens rather than something we think of traditionally at Sky Sports.
“Traditionally, we think we’ve got to be first, it’s got to have match footage in it, it’s got to have our pundits all over everything, it’s got to come from a background of tactical analysis or have real input. And now we’ve realised it didn’t need to have any of that to impact a younger audience.
“The first one we produced was a Sunday fixture and a Thursday u
“
We chanced upon Scenes, which isn’t really reinventing the wheel because it’s an elevated matchday vlog, but we wanted to really do it well using the access from Sky, the Premier League and the clubs. The idea was born.
Joshua Barnett After Party Studios
episode, which was just baffling for the people at Sky. Why would they want to watch that? The game’s done. We’ve moved on to midweek European fixtures. We had to convince them they’re coming for the creators, the creator stories and seeing people interact with players and pundits they don’t see them interact with day to day. It was just about changing those mindsets.”
The first episode was filmed on the opening day of the 2023/24 season as Vincent Kompany’s Burnley hosted his former Man City team at Turf Moor.
Barnett at After Party says: “We were developing it. We’re two weeks out from the first game at Burnley and we come into the building at Sky and presented it to a room of 19 people –head of Sky Sports, head of football, head of Sky Sports News – and they were digging it out. They were asking, ‘Who is going to care about this footage?’ They just had to trust the process, trust bringing creators into this world, relatable formats, with the access, with the pundits. We’ll create magic and people will care. Luckily, it hit, and it kept on hitting.”
Sims says the series has changed attitudes at his employer. “We didn’t have to go through 19 meetings to get season three signed off, which is great,” he says. “We’ve taken elements from Scenes into other ways we think. How do we give the creator as much access and trust as we can? I’ve been in a lot of meetings asking questions like, ‘What is the Scenes equivalent for Sky Cinema?’
“How can we get creators to create their own content in their own way for their own channel that helps Sky Sports more broadly? It’s not just about bringing broader audiences to our channels, it’s about how we power content on creator channels. It’s not just about tangibles like subscribers going up, but Sky Sports being involved in creator conversations is very important to us. We want to power that more.”
Attitudes changed at one legacy media brand then, but who else is waking up to the possibilities?
Schwarzenberger believes such pairings with streamers will be the next turn of the wheel in the creator economy. The Sidemen have launched Inside on Netflix, while MrBeast paired with Amazon on his Beast Games format.
“They’re two very different examples,” Schwarzenberger is swift
to point out. “Beast Games cost them US$100m, Jimmy lost US$20m of his own money to fly people round in helicopters and buy an island. With Netflix and Inside it’s the opposite side of that – a format that can be scaled and done in different territories, but for cost can still be done in a YouTube way. It doesn’t need all the Netflixisms. They said they didn’t want to make it all Netflix, it had been proven to work, just do it your way.
“That’s a signal they’re looking at what connects with younger audiences. Ms Rachel must be the cheapest thing Netflix have ever made and that thing is stuck at number one in the children’s section for months. It’s absolutely flying and costs very little to make. When you have pre-validated concepts with billions of views and you just elevate it a bit by providing a platform and a nice new logo you can see that for so much less you deliver so much more by following the audience.
“Businesses have realised that taking big gambles on their platforms isn’t necessarily needed. Look at platforms like YouTube where creators can pilot it themselves and pre-validate it enough for companies to see there’s a market for it. I feel like a lightbulb has gone off for the streamers that this might be the way forward.”
Katie Matthews, partnerships director for sport at All3Mediaowned digital distribution specialist Little Dot Studios, says there has definitely been a narrative shift and an awakening among broadcasters and streamers.
“Using influencers and creators to amplify content isn’t anything new
but what you would previously see is an activation or piece of content and the comms team might bolt an influencer on to what was already being created,” Matthews says. “The shift we see is creators are the content and they’re involved in the creative process right from the start. That creates a really authentic piece of content that reaches the targeted audience.”
Jonny Keogh, head of UK sports at YouTube, says an awakening needs to happen fast or you risk being left behind. “There’s a professionalism about the creator space that’s breaking down tired and lazy misconceptions that creators are a kid in a bedroom with a webcam and it’s poor-quality stuff. The YouTube CEO said last year the Emmy’s should recognise creators and the creator economy because they are the production studios of the future, and are already.”
Matthews at Little Dot concludes:
“There is still a perception that this is niche because the people at the top of organisations are not the natural audience for this creator content. You don’t need to explain to a CEO why you need a journalist at a game, but they might need convincing about an influencer and not feel comfortable with that. There needs to be that mindset shift. It’s not a niche thing, it’s being seen by millions of people.
“Rights holders are asking us as an agency to help reach new, more diverse audiences, more younger fans, more female fans. The answer to that, inevitably, is working more with creators. It’s very mainstream and it will help organisations get to the heart of an issue they’re all trying to solve.”
