MIPCOM 2022 NEWS 2

STUDIO OF DISTINCTION

WORLD PREMIERE

Planet Sex sees Delevingne, one of the world’s most photographed people and an award-winning LGBTQ+ icon approach the major questions surrounding human sexuality; visiting communities who view and experience gender and sexuality in hugely contrasting ways and helping people to tell their own unique stories. Uniquely unfiltered and authentic, she also shares her own personal experiences and puts her mind and body on the line to explore the forces that shape our desire.

Join executive producer and series host Cara Delevingne, alongside Simon Andreae, CEO, Fremantle UK at MIPCOM Cannes.

Tuesday 18 October | 12 – 12:45 | Grand Auditorium

18, 2022

DIRECTOR OF PUBLICATIONS

Michel Filzi MANAGEMENT TEAM

Entertainment Division DirectorMIPTV & MIPCOM Director: Lucy Smith; TV Division Sales Director: Geraud de Lacombe; SVP Sales & Business Development: Robert Marking; Director UK Sales: Vanessa Van Santen Smith; Marketing Director: Debora Atala; Conference Director: Tania Dugaro EDITORIAL

DEPARTMENT Editor in Chief: Julian Newby; Deputy Editor: Debbie Lincoln; Sub-editors: Clive Bull, Neil Churchman; Contributors: Ben Cooper, Stuart Dredge, Andy Fry, Juliana Koranteng, Max Leonard, Gary Smith, Jo Stephens; Editorial Management: Boutique Editions; Graphic Studio: studioA Design; Graphic Designers: Sunnie Newby, Harriet Palmer PRODUCTION & ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT

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IN PICTURES P8, P22

MIPCOM CANNES Opening Night Party; The day in Cannes

MIPCOM CANNES Studio Of Distinction; Keynotes featuring MGM, Fox and Peaky Blinders; Women In Global Entertainment Lunch; Jim Packer is awarded the Medaille d’Honneur; The Asian World Premiere TV Screening; and more...

Crazy Crash Course on World History

Opening Night Party

Delegates and celebrities walked the red carpet last night into the MIPCOM CANNES Opening Night Party at The Majestic. The News’ photographers were there to greet them

The battle is on for the world's most extraordinary wine collection.

Cattleya Killer’s Ria Atayde and Arjo Atayde

Spencer West and Nadine Thornhill of YouTube series Every Body Curious

Rockhead Entertainment’s David Rocco, producer of David Rocco’s Dolce Vita

Cast of The Head: Enrique Arce (left), Olivia Morris, John Lynch, Katherine O’Donnelly, Sota Fukushi and Thierry Godard

Canadian producers Trish Dolman (left), Marie Clements and Christine Haebler

Stars of Drops Of God, Fleur Geffrier and Stanley Weber

Back with a new global ambition

BBC STUDIOS was named as MIPCOM CANNES’ first-ever Studio Of Distinction yesterday morning in the Grand Auditorium. In the same session, BBC Studios (BBCS) CEO Tom Fussell delivered a Media Mastermind Keynote in which he said the UK-backed company is “back at MIPCOM with a new global ambition”. He also revealed that BBCS has acquired full control of indie producer Sid Gentle — best-known for drama Killing Eve. Fussell said BBC Studios’ ambition is “to double our size in the next five years; growing development, content spend and creative ambition. We have the confidence and investment capacity to fuel growth and tell bold stories, but can only achieve our ambition with partners.”

While BBC Studios benefits from a close relationship with its parent organisation, UK public broadcaster the BBC, Fussell stressed that the majority of the company’s revenue now comes from third-party orders: “We have a wonderful relationship with the BBC, but 75% of our £1.1bn revenues comes from partners such as Apple TV+ (Prehistoric Planet), Amazon Prime (The Pursuit Of Love), Netflix (The Anthrax Attacks) and Disney+ (Dancing With The Stars). We are open for business and our future includes more partnerships and deal innovations.”

In a further indication of BBC Studios’ global ambitions, Fussell announced that managing director, scripted, Mark Linsey, is relocating from London to Los Angeles. “We are powering ahead in scripted, investing more and more in exciting talent and labels,” Fussell said. “Mark’s relocation to the West Coast will really cement our ambition.” Underlining BBCS’ interest in edgy, impactful scripted shows, he showed an exclusive clip of Rain Dogs, an HBO/ BBC co-production created by Cash Carraway and produced by Sid Gentle. After Fussell’s presentation, BBC director-general Tim Davie came to the stage and was quizzed by BBC chief international correspondent Lyse Doucet. Asked how the corporation had survived 100 tumultuous years, he said: “In part it is about having a timeless set of values. We focus on trust, quality and treating the audience with intelligence and care. At the same time, we have a healthy paranoia about relevance. I always think it is fatal to define your competition too narrowly. To my mind, gaming is one of our biggest competitors.”

Davie exhorted creative talent not to settle for tried-and-tested programming ideas: “A problem I see with the industry is that things can get very formulaic as companies try to limit and control risk. My advice to creatives is to just take a swing, don’t be derivative. Everything that has broken the mould has brought something fresh to audiences.”

BBC STUDIOS is MIPCOM CANNES’ first-ever Studio Of Distinction. Yesterday morning the company’s CEO Tom Fussell and BBC director-general Tim Davie gave a joint Media Mastermind Keynote in the Grand Auditorium

“We are powering ahead in scripted, investing more and more in exciting talent and labels”

“It’s business as usual” for MGM’s Rola Bauer

ROLA Bauer, president of MGM In ternational TV Productions, hopes there will be more flexibility from streaming services around rights ownership in the future.

“I think the pendulum has moved to ‘We need global [rights]’,” Bauer said during her MIPCOM Media Mas termind Keynote, referring to the streamers’ retreat from their original openness to co-producing on more flexible terms. “I’m hoping that we’ll come back, because that is a part of the connection, but it’s also a good bu siness model.”

Talking more generally about commis sioning budgets and rights, Bauer also warned that if producers are “strangled” and prevented from being profitable, “then we’re not helping creativity”.

MGM is now owned by one of strea ming’s biggest players, Amazon, which completed its $8.5bn acquisi

tion of the company earlier this year.

As the dust settles, Bauer said that it is “business as usual” for her team.

“We have today nine series that are in different stages of prep, production, post and launching,” she said. “We are also being encouraged to conti nue business as usual. We work with streamers and we are doing co-pro ductions.”

With speculation about streamers potentially reining in their spending and the ad-funded linear networks facing revenue challenges that may impact their commissioning budgets, Bauer talked up the merits of cost-ef fective production. “If you look at the huge success of local-language [productions], that in itself demons trates you do not have to be in the $10m-plus [budget range],” she said.

“Local language is the spirit and the soul of each country.”

India unleashes its creative force

INDIA’s animators, visual-effects studios and games developers are creating content that resonates worldwide, rather than simply ser ving as outsourcing shops for in ternational partners.

“We’re not only the back-end pro cessing hub for the world: India is now progressing to creating stories that can resonate worldwide,” said Prashant Chothani, CEO of pay-TV channel Travelxp, at yesterday’s conference, India As A Creative Hub. “Five years from now, you will see that a lot of Indian films will do global box-office numbers that are bigger than the Hollywood films.”

New platforms, including strea ming services and social-video apps, have also fuelled a diversifi cation in the content being made

and the stories being told in In dia. “Storytelling has become a lot more interesting,” said Shariq Patel, chief business officer at Zee Studios. “Most of the great writing has actually moved into the series format, because that gives time to build characters.”

TikTok is banned in India, but a plethora of similar apps have spawned a new ecosystem of crea tors who are now expanding their ambitions. “The 15-second TikTok person is now creaing a 20-minute show, which then gets extended into a five-part series,” Patel added. Meanwhile, growth is the key word. India currently has more than 200,000 people working in its ani mation, visual effects, games and comics sectors, said Ashish Kulka rni, founder and CEO of Screenyug

Creations. “By 2030, we are going to be almost 10 times bigger, so we are looking at a two million-strong force coming out of India.”

“Local language is the spirit and the soul of each country”

Screenyug Creations’ Ashish Kulkarni

Travelxp’s Prashant Chothani

Zee Studios’ Shariq Patel

Fox Entertainment Global has chequebooks ready in Cannes

FRESH from its launch last mon th, Fox Entertainment Global is hitting the ground running at MIPCOM CANNES.

“We are here in this market to be great partners — to be buyers, to be sellers. And the good news is we have our chequebooks with us,” said Fox Entertainment CEO Rob Wade during a keynote set ting out the new centralised content sales division’s plans.

Wade described three tenets driving the new business. “It’s partnership, it’s low-cost pro duction models, and it’s IP ownership,” he said.

“While others are trying to hide their content behind the paywall globally and domestically, we are doing the opposite. We see the potential of working with

networks, distributors, produ cers and production companies around the entire world to get our content out further.”

Wade also signified Fox’s inte rest in further acquisitions fol lowing its deals for MarVista, Studio Ramsey, TMZ and Bento Box Entertainment.

“We’re building thoughtfully and carefully,” he said. “There are companies out there that we feel we can help grow, and [which] can help scale our business. Ab solutely we’re in the market.”

The new division’s CEO, Fernan do Szew, reinforced the message.

“We are not just looking at the network business in the US. We are really getting back, open arms, into the international mar ketplace,” he said.

“We’re shopping for formats, for partnerships. We’re looking at likeminded companies inter nationally both on the creative production side as well as on the distribution side.”

Parrot adds value for Peaky Blinders

HOW TO place an accurate value on content was the intriguing premise of yesterday’s Media Mastermind Key note featuring Peaky Blinders pro ducer Caryn Mandabach. She was joined on stage by Julia Alexander, director of strategy at Parrot Analy tics, a research firm that has built a content-valuation system around au dience demand data.

Mandabach laid the groundwork in the session by describing how the TV landscape had changed since she produced hit US comedies like The Cosby Show, 3rd Rock From The Sun and That ‘70s Show. “Back when we made The Cosby Show, they said comedy was dead — and then we got a 57% share of audience, with black talent. At that time, we used to think of revenues as being 80% US and 20% rest of world. That has comple tely transformed.”

Alexander said traditional ways of assessing content value had been rendered obsolete by the rise of the streamers. “Streamers keep informa tion close to their chests, so it’s hard for producers to come up with va luations. That’s why we devised our content system.” Mandabach said the biggest thing

base. “For me it showed there is more out there that connects us than divi des us,” she said. “From my perspec tive, working with Parrot is not just about monetisation, it’s about explo ring the impact of a show.” Alexander said “the data we use is like a lighthouse. It guides people towards opportunities and points to the most natural home for a show. It tells us what other shows Peaky Blinders fans are watching and op portunities to expand the brand and characters into new media.”

that had happened during Peaky Blinders’ 10-year life span was the growth of social media — and what it had revealed about the show’s fan

Fernando Szew

Rob Wade

‘‘There is more out there that connects us than divides us’’

Caryn

Milano: how women can empower men to help make equality a reality

HOLLYWOOD superstar, producer and political activist Alyssa Milano told her audience at MIPCOM CANNES’ annual Women In Global Entertain ment (WGE) lunch they should look forward to a time when male delegates were also participating. “Soon, we will have men who are lunching with us; men who get it. We must empower them to support us,” she said during her on-stage keynote interview at the lunch. Co-hosted by A+E Media Group, the event was launched in 2012 to encourage female executives to sup port each other as they rose through the ranks. And the key theme this year is ‘Stronger Together’.

As Lucy Smith, director of MIPCOM CANNES, recalled while introdu cing Milano, it was only in 2011 that MIPCOM honoured its first female Personality Of The Year. Milano said the lunch series has given the achievements of women TV exe cutives the attention they deserve, and the industry was ready for the empowering and inspiring message behind the ‘Stronger Together’motif. “I have felt that men in positions of power made women feel they should

be in competition with each other,” said Milano, who helped launch the now-established #MeToo movement that advocates for women who have been sexually assaulted or harassed.

“Women understand ‘me too’ in eve ry capacity, apart from business. We need to be able to look at people at work and ask ‘Are you being hurt? I’ll go to HR with you’. We need to say this aloud so that it becomes se cond nature.”

Milano also talked about the expe

riences that motivated her to take up causes that championed the un der-represented. These included roles as a young actor on 1980s and 1990s women-led TV shows like Who’s The Boss? and Charmed.

“I have had the opportunity to play powerful women at a time when it was not the norm, which gave me the strength to use my voice,” she said.

‘‘Women understand ‘me too’ in every capacity, apart from business’’

Alyssa

Finally! Packer collects MIPTV honour delayed by pandemic

MORE than two years ago, MIPTV announced that Jim Packer, pre sident, worldwide television and di gital distribution, Lionsgate, would be a recipient of one of its presti gious Medailles d’Honneur. Then COVID-19 hit and he was unable to collect his award — until this week.

On Monday, Packer finally received the honour from Lucy Smith, di rector of MIPTV and MIPCOM CANNES. Speaking to the Daily News, Packer said: “I’m thrilled to receive this honour. It’s probably more significant now than it would have been two years ago because I’m here with my biggest team ever and more clients. So much has changed in the last two years, but I think the Medaille represents a genuine ap preciation of the market, the team I represent and all the friends and partners we meet here in Cannes.”

The industry has got used to hy

brid working during the pandemic, but Packer said it’s great to be back: “Everyone that comes into our stand is excited to be here. There’s a re newed excitement and enthusiasm about proceedings. I also think when people complete some kind of business dynamic through faceto-face communication they appre ciate why markets like MIPCOM CANNES make sense. Things hap pen at markets that you just don’t expect or anticipate.”

In terms of business highlights, Packer said: “We’re always about the portfolio. We’ve got some ama zing shows courtesy of Kevin Beggs (chairman, Lionsgate Television) and his team. There’s everything from Dangerous Liaisons through to Spanish original Nacho. And we have the second season of Ghosts, from our partnership with the BBC, which has been an amazing ride. 2023 is also going to be a big year for us in terms of motion pictures, with new movies in the John Wick and Hunger Games franchises. They’re great anchors for us.”

What’s hot for formats? It’s love actually

HAVE creative new formats for dating shows been exhausted? Not according to The WIT CEO Virgi nia Mouseler’s latest Fresh TV For mats presentation at MIPCOM. Dating was one of the key themes for Mouseler’s selection of the most interesting formats being sold at this year’s market. Her picks included First Timers, distributed by Fremantle, which sends 16 young adults who are unexperienced in dating and flir ting to a luxury destination to find love.

Save The Date (Banijay Rights) is a Finnish format that sets four single women a 50-day deadline to find a husband.

There were quirkier romance formats too. Virgin Island from Concept Street sends 10 single women to a tropical island to woo

a bachelor who, unbeknownst to them, is a virgin.

Weight For You (Format East) sees five single men who are overweight trying to lose enough

weight to squeeze through a nar row tunnel, with women awaiting on the other side.

Several shows took celebrities out of their comfort zones. Queens

For The Night (ITV Studios) gives stars a drag makeover and training, while Love In Translation (Dopa mine Content/Beta Entertain ment) sends celebrities to coun

Dating is one of key themes for Fresh Formats

tries where they are completely unknown for a string of first dates. Roller-disco revivals — Skate Fe ver, MGM; 6,000-strong karaoke contests — The Nation’s Biggest Karaoke, Banijay Rights; and ani mal beauty competitions — Vanity Farm, The Mediapro Studio, were among Mouseler’s other choices as formats to watch at this year’s MIPCOM CANNES.

Jim Packer

MIPCOM CANNES 2022 kicked off with the official ribbon cutting ceremony. Launching the event were Michel Vilair, managing director RX France; Lucy Smith, director MIPCOM CANNES; Thomas de Pariente, Cannes city hall deputy for tourism and events; Cathy Payne, CEO, Banijay Rights and Michel Filzi, CEO RX France

Hollywood actor and producer Alyssa Milano, a global advocate for women’s causes, was in Cannes as guest speaker at The Women In Global Entertainment Lunch, addressing the theme ‘Stronger Together’

Truth, a 4 x 60 mins tale of intrigue and redemption from WOWOW, has won the Grand Prix at the 13th annual MIPCOM Buyers’ Award For Japanese Drama. The award was accepted by WOWOW’s Haruka Jorgensen (left), pictured with jury member Dragan Petrovic, co-owner of film catalogue of Visionary Thinking

The day in Cannes

the start of MIPCOM CANNES 2022 the DAILY NEWS cameras captured images of the international television community as they prepared for the busy

Avalon’s Taskmaster party on the beach brought together all the presenters from international versions of the popular show — and the duck. Pictured are: Luka Petrusic (left), Ivan Saric, Jaako Saarilouma, Pilvi Hamalainen, Olli Wormskog, Vasco Palmierim, Atle Antonsen, Nuno Markil, Alex Horne, Paul Williams

Promoting Poker Face (10 x 60 mins), a mystery series starring Natasha Lyonne, for Peacock in the US, from T-Street and MRC Television, were Dan Cohen (left), chief content licensing officer, Paramount Global; Lisa Kramer, president international TV licensing, Paramount Global Content Distribution; and George Cheeks, president and CEO, CBS, and chief content officer, News and Sports, Paramount+

Top Gear’s The Stig arrived at MIPCOM CANNES with his latest set of wheels. The BBC hit series returns to global screens later this year

ZDF Studios kicks off MIPCOM with double event: Sundowner and “Boundless”

On the eve of the trade fair, ZDF Studios provided two excellent opportunities to finally see business partners, colleagues and friends again after a long time. At the “Sundowner”, a mustattend event in many diaries, current and upcoming highlights, such as “The Swarm”, were presented. At the “Boundless Party” immediately afterwards, everything revolved around the exciting drama series about the first circumnavigation of the world by Magellan and Elcano. A record number of over 600 guests celebrated the impressive lineup.

Dr. Markus Schäfer, President and CEO of ZDF Studios, with Eric Welbers (left, CEO ndF International Production) and six-time Emmy Award winner Frank Doelger, Executive Producer of Intaglio Films’ latest productions “The Swarm” and “Concordia”

Robert Franke (VP Drama, ZDF Studios) with Kyoko Sekine (Vice Director Content Acquisition, Hulu Japan), Yusuke Odai (Director Production, Nippon TV) and Kazufumi Nagasawa (MD Hulu Japan)

Michael Lehmann (CEO Studio Hamburg Production Group), Karoline Meichsner-Sertl (Executive VP, ZDF Studios) with Riverside Entertainment’s Managing Directors Peter Schönrock and Stefan Neumann

Have just announced production on season two of the award-winning original CGI animated series “Space Nova”: Suzanne Ryan (CEO SLR Productions) and Kathrin Pietzsch (Director Junior, ZDF Studios)

Jan-Frederik Maul (Director Junior, ZDF Studios) with Czech Television’s Lenka Brouckcová and Alena Polednaková

Yuliya Fischer (Director Drama, ZDF Studios) with MultiChoice Africa’s Taryn Richmond and Athini Mpongwana

ZDF Studios’ Drama team with “Boundless” director Simon West (3rd from right, top row) and producer Miguel Ménendez de Zubilliga (2nd from right, top row)

Mirela Nastase (Director Drama, ZDF Studios) with Ophélie Beaupaire (ARTE) and Manon Comas (Mediawan)

Linette Zaulich (Director Unscripted, ZDF Studios) with the Off the Fence team

Three River Studios’ Isabelle Helle, Melissa Caron and Jonathan Drake

Wolfgang Bergmann (CEO ARTE Germany and Coordinator ARTE for ZDF), Kay Siering (CEO, SPIEGEL TV), Ralf Rückauer (VP Unscripted, ZDF Studios) Elvira Lind (Head of Acquisition and Sales, SPIEGEL TV) and Bo Stehmeier (CEO Off the Fence)

Working on the finishing touches of the drama series “Clean Sweep”: ShinAwil’s Aaron Farrell (Head of Drama), Niall Murphy (Head of Business and Legal Affairs) and Larry Bass (CEO) with Pernel Media’s president Samuel Kissous (2nd from right)

Glance team takes closer look at viewing habits across the world

MIPCOM CANNES launched with an in-depth analysis of the global TV market from media research group Glance. Global TV Trends: Who Is Watching What, How And Why was led by Glance vice-president Frederic Vaulpre and head of content insight Avril Blondelot. The wide-ranging session covered everything from chan ging audience consumption patterns to emerging content trends. Vaulpre kicked off the session by saying linear viewing in the US and Europe is still resilient, but that there is a growing trend for scripted series to be viewed non-live. As an example, he pointed to BBC1 hit The Tourist, which was only watched live by 15% of its audience. “The key message is to be careful of overnight ratings. You need to look at every stage of viewing to un derstand whether a show is a hit. This is especially important for distributors creating windowing strategies.”

Vaulpre also showed the competi tive pressures facing SVOD market leader Netflix. In Europe, the plat form is seeing its leadership ero ded by Disney+ while in Asia it is challenged by local platforms. Picking up the narrative, Blondelot broke down her analysis into unscrip ted, formats and scripted. In unscrip ted, she said nature, true crime, mo dern history, sports docs and royals are all in demand. Shows that have broken out globally include Osama Bin Laden: The Inside Story, Muhammad Ali and The Curse Of The Chippendales. In formats, there is a trend towar ds challenging celebrities to elicit authentic behaviour — for example in Banijay Rights’ Grand Canyon. Workplace-themed formats such as My Mystery New Job, The Body guard, Back To School and Make Me Prime Minister have also been crea ting waves, said Blondelot.

For scripted, she identified widening interest in fantasy series, with South African examples including Show max’s Blood Psalms and Netflix’s The Brave Ones. Elsewhere, “China is in creasing investment in thrillers, such as Youku’s Nobody Knows, and we are seeing a rise in diversity and LGBTQ+ representation as platforms and broad casters reach out to young audiences.

Global production bounces back

THE SEAVIEW Producers Hub hosted a keynote presentation by Tim Westcott, senior principal analyst at research firm OMDIA. Called An Analysis Of TV Co-pro ductions’ Evolution Through The Pandemic, the presentation outlined the crises suffered by the industry because of COVID. Westcott said the global TV mar ket’s resilience has been backed up by its quick recovery from the unprecedented devastation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. “Productions completely stopped, particularly scripted programmi ng. The biggest disruption was in Hollywood because lockdown was during the pilot season. Travel res trictions made overseas produc

tions complicated. Programming budgets were cut, commissioning decisions delayed and there was a big decline in broadcast adverti sing revenue,” he said.

Yet the international sector has bounced back, Westcott de clared. “Because of the shut downs, programming budgets were saved and we did see reco very in 2021 and this year. We’re seeing broadcast revenues going up this year,” he added.

The revival has also been buoyed by significant investments in strea ming platforms.

“OMDIA estimates that Netflix invested almost $15bn in content last year, more than the entire TV industry of all countries, except

the US, where Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery outspent Netflix last year,” Westcott said. “Netflix Originals have taken a steadily in creasing share of views.”

Additionally, he noted that 18 of the world’s top 20 major content-pro duction groups boosted their re

venues in 2021. They included Paramount, Warner Bros. and NB CUniversal in the US, and the Ba nijay Group, ITV Studios and BBC Studios in Europe.

Glance’s Frederic Vaulpre

Glance’s Avril Blondelot

OMDIA’s Tim Westcott

‘‘We’re seeing broadcast revenues going up this year’’

KO DISTRIBUTION SEALS DEAL WITH WILD BUNCH TV

MONTREAL-based KO Distribu tion has signed an agreement with Paris-based independent producer and distributor Wild Bunch TV, for the worldwide rights for How To Survive In The Wild (6 x 60 mins), in a deal overseen by Aroma TV. Wild Bunch is a Paris-based independent distributor spe cialising in the co-production and international distribution of television series.

The psychological thriller, pro duced by KOTV and broadcast on Series Plus, is adapted from a popular Jean-Philippe Baril Guerard novel and is the story of Kevin Bedard, who with two friends found a start-up that de velops an application allowing people to speak to dead family members and friends thanks to their digital remains.

Their company’s rapid expan sion leads to some unfortunate consequences that cause Kevin to make some questionable ethical choices.

The series is co-written and directed by Christian Laurence. “I have no doubt that this daring and unique production will ex cite new audiences worldwide,” said Mia Desroches, vice-pre sident of international distribu tion at KO Distribution.

“We can’t wait for broadcas ters to experience the series’ intensity and edginess,” added Gregory Strouk, deputy director Wild Bunch TV.

Canada’s Blue Ant International on drive to expand its skill set

THE ROLE of international dis tributors should shift from one of only selling content to a profi ciency in offering solution-based services in an increasingly com plex TV industry, said Solange At twood, executive vice-president at Blue Ant International (BAI).

With this strategy in mind, BAI, which is part of Blue Ant Media, the Canadian independent chan nel producer distributor, recent ly acquired UK-based distributor Drive Media Rights.

Drive’s additional expertise in pre-sales financing and co-pro ductions enhances BAI’s expe rience in serving linear broadcas ters as well as SVOD, AVOD and FAST streaming platforms. “The industry had been changing for quite some time with many dis ruptors coming into the market. As a result, the ecosystem is expan ding radically and that has created a

wealth of opportunities for distribu tion,” Attwood said.

“There are more platforms that re quire a sophisticated approach to windowing to maximise returns for our partners in the production side of things. It is important we deliver quality and bring a certain amount of volume to the market to deliver a multi-window and multi-platform service.”

This means understanding the fun ding and creation of production as well, said Attwood, whose team is bringing 1,100 hours of new pro gramming to Cannes.

“There are very few distributors who really understand the language of production and I think we’re one of them. A solution-based approach helps our production partners achieve their creative ambitions. It’s about making sure we bring quality to the market, doing that in scale and listening to our partners by

creating multi-window solutions.”

The importance of having leaders in co-production and pre-sales fi nance is greater than ever before, Attwood added.

Diversity and quality from Quebec

CANADIAN province Quebec has a strong presence at this year’s MIPCOM CANNES, with around 40 businesses from the region tra velling to the market.

The delegation has been orga nised by the Societe de develop pement des entreprises cultu

relles (SODEC) under its Quebec Creatif umbrella.

Youth series will be a particular focus for the Quebec contingent, with SODEC having put together a catalogue of 14 projects aimed at younger viewers which were sent to buyers ahead of the event.

Meetings with Apple TV+, Canal+, YLE and NRK are lined up, as well as a separate networking event with Catalan producers, co-orga nised with Catalan Films. Two Quebec companies might be flying home with trophies in their luggage, after being nominated for this year’s Diversify TV awards, which take place tomorrow.

Nish Media’s Pour Toi Flora is nominated in the Representation of Race and Ethnicity – Scripted category for the awards, while Pixcom’s Audrey Est Revenue is a finalist in the Representation of Disability – Scripted category. The two series were selected as fi nalists for the Diversify TV Awards from among 191 submissions from 27 countries.

Blue Ant’s Solange Attwood

Pixcom’s Audrey Est Revenue is a finalist in the Diversify TV Awards

Barbara Vallant, Aroma TV (left); Perrine Bernollin, Richard Pommerat and Diana Bartha from Wild Bunch TV; Mia Desroches, KO Distribution and Romain Rossi, Wild Bunch TV

FULL STREAM AHEAD FOR FILMRISE’S ICONS OF US TV

FILMRISE is bringing classic US TV shows including This Is Your Life and The Best Of Groucho to a new generation of viewers on streaming services.

The US studio and streaming network has inked a deal with Paul Brownstein Productions that includes worldwide SVOD, AVOD and FAST rights for a slate of vintage shows that also includes The Friar’s Roast, The Mike Wallace Interview and It’s A Living.

Kirk Douglas, Johnny Carson, Eleanor Roosevelt, Joe Frazier and Salvador Dali are some of the guests featured on the epi sodes licensed by FilmRise.

“The classic TV genre has never been more popular, especially as demand continues to grow for AVOD and FAST channels worldwide,” said FilmRise CEO Danny Fisher.

“All of these programmes are a big part of TV history and each uniquely paved the way for many of today’s successful programmes domestically and internationally.”

FilmRise has previously licensed shows including The Dick Van Dyke Show and That Girl from Paul Brownstein Productions, with today’s streaming audience in mind.

“These programmes have uni versal appeal and have solidly stood the test of time. Through streaming, their audience continues to grow, reinforcing their evergreen status,” said Paul Brownstein.

Tresor set to unbox Something Special’s celebrity game show

TRESOR TV has optioned hit Korean format Battle In The Box from Korean international format agency Something Special.

Battle In The Box pits two teams of two celebrities against each other.

Separated by a wall in a closed container, they first compete for furnishings for their space. Then in the second round they compete for the space itself: when a team loses a game, the sliding dividing wall mo ves towards them.

“If you win, your space is getting bigger, and your opponent’s space is getting smaller,” Axel Kuehn, Tre sor’s managing director, said. He added: “It’s a unique set-up, a mix between reality and game show.”

JinWoo Hwang, president and exe cutive director of Something Special said: “Tresor TV is one of the very top partners for developing and

localising Korean formats. All the formats Tresor TV has brought in become a huge success in German territories. The understanding, the expertise and the approach of Tre sor TV has been greater than our expectations. This is a perfect op portunity.”

Tresor’s creative team will now tweak and adapt the format before

pitching it to German broadcasters.

“There’s a very interesting mix in Korean formats between creativity and a commercial look. For us, they are the perfect partner for finding new and unique ideas,” Kuehn said. The first season of the domestic ver sion of the show has already aired on Korean’s NBN, and a second is on the way at the end of this year.

Dramatic LatAm deal for Electric

ELECTRIC Entertainment has sold the rights to three of its drama series to AMC Networks Interna tional - Latin America (AMCNI).

The deal, which covers all of La tin America, including Brazil, is for the first season of one of the LA-based producer and distribu tor’s newest series, The Ark, two

seasons of action series Leverage: Redemption and all four seasons of The Librarians.

“These three series from Elec tric, filled with action-packed drama, are a perfect fit for our audiences,” Jose Badini, AMC NI-LA’s vice-president of pro gramming and acquisitions, said.

“Our partnership with Electric has proven to be successful, and we look forward to its continuation.”

The Librarians is based on the movie franchise about a secret organisation that protects the world from hidden magic and Le verage: Redemption features excons who team up to help people fight corporate or government injustice. The Ark, meanwhile, is a space-set drama that will pre miere on Syfy in 2023.

“This deal represents Electric’s further penetration of one of the most important and fastest growing territories,” said Sonia Mehandjiyska, Electric Enter tainment’s head of international distribution. Raul Pina, Elec tric’s manager of sales and mar keting, added: “In terms of mar keting, AMC do a lot to target families, and our shows are very universal in that sense.”

Jinwoo Hwang (left) and InSoon Kim of Something Special, Axel Kuehn of Tresor, and Sang-Won Kwak and Seung Hwa Lim, Battle In The Box co-creators

Raul Pina (left) and Sonia Mehandjiyska of Electric Entertainment; and Jose Badini, AMC Networks International - Latin America

The Best Of Groucho (FilmRise)

Zorro given fresh reboot as a Spanish-speaking superhero

AT THE Mediawan presentation of the latest version of Zorro, Ser gio Pizzolante, Secuoya Studios’ president and series producer, revealed the motivation behind the project: “The show had never been made in Spanish, and given that it’s set in New Mexico, we felt that it should be.

“We were convinced that it could resonate with modern audiences because, even though the Zorro character is nearly 100 years old, he was the basis for all the superheroes that have come along since then, and Batman is the one that most closely resembles him. The Batmo bile is Zorro’s horse Tornado, and

Bruce Wayne is Diego de la Vega.” Director Javier Quintas explained how the series distinguishes itself stylistically from previous versions: “We thought long and hard about how to make such well-known cha racters talk to new generations, and what we’re doing is painting an ac tion-packed series with cameras, using light in unusual, creative ways, a bit like a graphic novel with some inspiration from Korean movies.”

Valerie Vleeschhouwer, managing director at Mediawan, said the show was clever and effective: “When we saw the scripts we knew we had to be involved. The series is truly pan-ge nerational, it appeals to men and women, and they’ve done an ama zing job of being true to the DNA of Zorro while adapting it for a modern audience. It’s authentic, has a gra phic-novel feel and looks amazing.”

Fukushi heads for global stardom

MADRID’s The Mediapro Studio is teaming up again with Hulu Japan to produce a second season of The Head, a thriller with Japanese star Sota Fukushi as part of the interna tional cast.

“I actually binge-watched the entire season one the day it came out, so joining the cast for season two was a dream come true,” said Fukushi, on his first visit to MIPCOM CANNES.

“I was nervous about the project, as it was my first international show, and filming in Tenerife was something new. But I’m the kind of person who enjoys fresh challenges.”

Season one, which was set on a re mote polar research station, was a global hit, broadcast in more than 90 countries.

Kazufumi Nagasawa, executive pro ducer and chief content officer of Hulu Japan added: “When we col laborated on season one, the idea

of season two was quite vague. So, we are really thrilled it worked out, and honoured to have an actor of Fukushi’s calibre on board.”

Ran Telem, head of international development, The Mediapro Studio, said: “It was really clear that one of the characters had to be Japanese in season two. The Head focuses on lo

cations where it is naturally organic for international people to come to gether — this time a remote freighter where the ship’s crew and a team of scientists go into alert mode.”

Fukushi added: “The character I play is a computer genius who is techni cally the only person who can contact the outside world, so he is quite key.”

WORLDSPANNING DEALS FOR ITV’S LITVINENKO STORY

FOUR-PART drama Litvinenko, starring David Tennant in the title role, has been acquired by over 80 territories ahead of its debut on ITV’s forthco ming new UK streaming ser vice ITVX, and NENT Group’s Viaplay streaming service in the Nordics, Netherlands, Poland and the Baltics. Ruth Berry, managing direc tor, global distribution at ITV Studios, said: “This fascina ting, thought-provoking story would pique the interest of viewers globally at any point, but perhaps never more so than at this current moment in time. We’re immensely proud to play our part in shedding light on the circumstances surrounding Alexander Lit vinenko’s death.”

AMC Networks’ Sundance Now and AMC+ have ac quired the exclusive US rights to the drama, and Prime Video has taken the series in Canada. In Europe, Litvinen ko will air on M6 France, ProSieben Sat1 Germany and Sky Italia among others, while in Asia Pacific, Seven Network Australia, TVNZ (New Zealand) and Now TV Hong Kong are among those to acquire the rights, along with Viacom 18 which will make it available across the Indian sub-continent, and Book MyShow which will hold the TVOD rights in India, through its platform BookMyShow Stream. In a pan-Africa deal, M-Net has also taken the drama.

Cast members Renata Notni (left) and Dalia Xiuhcoatl (right) with director Javier Quintas

Ran Telem (left) of The Mediapro Studio, actor Sota Fukushi and Hulu Japan’s Kazufumi Nagasawa

KBS/ WARNER SCRIPTED DEAL

KOREA’s KBS Media has unveiled a first-look deal with Warner Bros. Television (WBTV) for US remakes of KBS scripted shows. The deal will see WBTV develop scripted shows based on KBS series and formats specifically for the US market. The hit KBS titles will include comedy thriller Cheat On Me If You Can, and action drama series Bad Prosecutor. KBS Me dia president Kim Young-sam said there were plans to reveal the titles of further productions currently in development.

France TV gets more Drag Race after first season ‘phenomenon’

FRANCE Televisions has ordered a second season of Drag Race Francais, following its successful first run on France.tv Slash and France 2.

Produced by Endemol France and executive produced by World of Wonder, the search for France’s next drag superstar will again be hosted by Nicky Doll, alongside TV presen ter Daphne Burki, and musician and queer icon Kiddy Smile.

Alexandra Redde-Amiel, director of entertainment and variety at France Televisions, said that Drag Race has become “a real phenomenon” in France. She added: “We can’t wait to discover the casting of season two, which is now officially open.”

World of Wonder co-founders Fen ton Bailey and Randy Barbato said the second series commission was a

testament to France’s “bustling drag scene and drag talent”. Outside France, the returning series will air globally on World of Won der’s own streaming platform, WOW Presents Plus. Drag Race Francais will be available on WOW Presents Plus, with English, French, Spanish

and Portuguese subtitle options. At the same time, a second season of Drag Race Philippines has been confirmed, along with new local ver sions in Spain and Sweden. Drag Race Espana: All Stars and Drag Race Swe den: Untucked have been commis sioned by, respectively, Atres and SVT.

PRODUCTION finance broker and distribution agent Silverli ning Rights has closed a raft of deals for new titles launching at MIPCOM CANNES.

Leading the pack is a presale to DPG Belgium of World’s Most Luxurious Island (4 x 60 mins) which focuses on Qatar’s Pearl Island. Other deals include Deck the Halls: The Luxury Christmas Decorators, Strident Media’s 60-minute seasonal special which has been sold to TV4 in Sweden, RTL in the Netherlands and Poland’s TVP.

Jamie channel boosts Samsung FAST menu

BRITISH TV chef Jamie Oliver is launching a branded channel on tech firm Samsung’s FAST TV service in the UK, through a deal with Fremantle.

The Jamie Oliver Channel will air some of Oliver’s back catalogue of shows, including Jamie’s Quick & Easy, Jamie’s 15-Minute Meals and Jamie’s Super Food.

The channel is part of the Sam sung TV Plus service in the UK, and joins a growing stable of Fremantle channels on the platform for properties inclu ding Baywatch, Project Runway, American Idol and America’s Got Talent.

“Fremantle has had a nearly 20year partnership with Jamie Oli

ver, but this is the first time we have had the opportunity to work with him in his home market,” said Jamie Lynn, Fremantle’s exe cutive vice-president, co-produc tion and distribution, EMEA.

“Samsung saw the value in brin ging 20 years of Jamie program ming exclusively to their pre mium content offering, so it felt like a perfect partnership.”

The deal is the latest coup for Samsung TV Plus, which is pre-installed on the company’s smart televisions, and also avai lable as an app for its smart phones and tablets.

The FAST service originally launched in 2015, and is now avai lable in 24 countries.

Drag Race Francais: back for a second season on France TV

Jamie Oliver

Kim Young-sam

World’s Most Luxurious Island (Silverlining Rights)

Rise Studios lays foundations for MENA content ecosytem

LAST WEEK saw the launch of Dubai-based Rise Studios, hel med by Emad Morcos, former OSN chief content and commer cial officer, alongside Amanda Turnbull, ex-general manager at Warner Bros. Discovery Middle East, Africa and Turkey, and Amel Farag, former head of content commercial strategy at OSN. The entertainment company is constructing a diverse and colla borative ecosystem drawn from the Middle East and North Afri ca, both in front of and behind the camera, in a new venture committed to nurturing edito rial and operational talent. “To keep your viewers, you have to have premium content, especial ly now that the regional audience is becoming younger,” Morcos

said. “We believe that by tap ping into the production talents of studios that have already pro duced premium shows, we can help to guarantee a steady stream of excellent series and one-off productions coming out of the Middle East and North Africa.”

Rise Studios will also be levera ging data-driven insights along side its commercial expertise, to develop bespoke content for mo vie chains, streaming platforms, free-to-air television, digital and social media channels. “We will be specialising in contempora

ry entertainment that resonates across the region and beyond, to tell great stories differently, and we will be investing strategically in our partners so they can spend more time developing their ideas,” added Turnbull. “And we are platform agnostic because we believe that it’s important to be able to work with anyone and everyone.”

First to join the group are Egyp tian scripted series and movie specialist, Partner Pro, and ad vertising creative house ASAP, headed by Amin El Masri and renowned film director Sherif Arafa. Also joining are Lebaneseand UAE-based factual reality specialist Different Productions, headed by Mazen Laham and Watan Network headed by Bassel Khair. Also within the ecosys tem is Black Typhoon, headed by Omar Hussein, which is funded for the specific development of original content in Saudi Arabia.

Epic platform for kids’ creatives

EPIC STORYWORLDS has launched a new virtual experience develop ment platform for creators and de velopers of kids gaming content “fo cused on fan engagement through Roblox experiences”.

The new service, Freeground, which Epic Storyworlds describes as a game development studio, en ables kids gaming content-makers and brands to connect with the wi der Roblox community of gamers and programmers. As part of this the company is also unveiling a collaboration between the newly-formed Freeground stu dio and Falcon’s Beyond to host an online entertainment destination including a virtual theme park and related games based around Falcon’s Beyond Katmandu franchise. The collaboration is intended to capitalise and expand on the po pularity of the Katmandu brand

among kids on the Roblox platform and beyond.

The Freeground platform is headed by Epic Storyworlds co-founder Steve Couture, previously of virtual worlds developer Frima.

Couture said: “As Roblox continues

“With the launch of Freeground, we’re building upon the existing strength of the Epic Story group of companies and its capacity to deve lop global and creative franchises by offering companies a chance to capitalise on the significant oppor tunities that Roblox presents, while ensuring the players are front and centre of everything we create. “We’re honoured to have Falcon’s Beyond as our first collaborator and to be creating a Roblox experience that will propel the idea of a virtual theme park to the next level.”

to rapidly cement itself as an integral part of kids’ lives, it’s essential that brand IP owners — across toys, video games, clothing, music, TV content, events and theme parks — who are looking to engage with the younger generation, start thinking about esta blishing a presence on the platform.

The Freeground platform is the latest addition to the Epic Sto ry Media group, founded by Ken Faier in 2017. Epic Story Media is engaged in various creative pro jects and collaborations, as well as initiatives and partnerships to foster emerging talent in online gaming development.

Amanda Turnbull Emad Morcos

‘‘We’re building upon the existing strength of the Epic Story group’’

Steve Couture

UK science series could help viewers defy ageing process

DR MICHAEL Mosley is 65 in chro nological years, 61 in biological years, has the hips of a 60-year-old and the spine of a 30-year-old. “That’s because I do a lot of press-ups,” said the pro ducer, presenter and UK’s favourite TV doctor, who is in Cannes to show case his upcoming BBC science series, How To Live To 101 (working title). Produced by the BBC Studios Science Unit, the 6 x 50 mins series sets out to unlock the secrets of aging, from brains to brawn to beauty, and how to defy them. Mosley has scoured the world, exploring the science behind the aging process and the latest re search — “All the cool stuff that’s co ming down the tracks…”— that will keep us younger and fitter for longer. The results are a combination of predictable and startling. It will come as no surprise that smoking

and overeating will prematurely age you, or that press-ups and squats will do you good. Less ob vious is that sky diving and scuba diving increase the flow of blood to the brain, that sniffing things “like a rabbit” helps preserve your sense of smell, that hopping is great for

muscle tone, or that an infusion of fresh blood from a young donor is the gold standard when it comes to turning back the clock.

“One thing that has emerged is that whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,” Mosley said. Ano

ther take-away is ‘use it or lose it’, particularly when it comes to brain health. But while challenging your mind with crosswords or new skills is helpful, doing things in isolation isn’t. As Mosley puts it: “Painting is good. Painting standing up is better. Painting in a group is better still.” Meanwhile, it’s never too late to start, said BBC Studios’ series pro ducer Peter Oxley, who accompa nied Mosley on his global tour of the world’s “exuberant, colour ful, entertaining” super-agers: “Whether you’re 25 or 65, there are things you can do to improve your health, lifestyle and lifespan.” Mosley has a personal as well as professional interest in the subject of aging. “No member of my family has lived beyond 74,” he said. “I’d like to beat that record.”

Dr Michael Mosley:

That’s My Jam spreads even further

THE HIT NBCUniversal enter tainment show That’s My Jam is heading to Italy, Spain, Portugal and Mongolia following recent success in the US and France. “It’s rare in these times to sell for mats to multiple territories, but several aspects made my job much easier,” said Ana Langenberg, se nior vice-president, format sales & production at NBCUniversal.

Monica Rodman executive vice-president, development at Universal Alternative Stu dio (UTAS) said: “We wanted to create a format that felt bullet proof whoever is hosting it and whoever is participating. It feels like it can work in every territo ry.” She added: “We wanted to take the very successful musical games that Jimmy Fallon does on his show and create a primetime

format that could travel and be enjoyed by all ages. It has to be something which is fun for the celebrities and allows them to shine even if they’re not terribly talented musicians.”

Hosted by Fallon, season one reached more than 250 million views across linear, digital and social platforms and a second season is currently in produc tion in LA. Filming on the US stage also recently wrapped on the UK version hosted by Mo Gilligan for the BBC, which is being produced by Universal In ternational Studios’ Monkey, in partnership with UTAS.

Ed Havard, senior vice-pre sident, unscripted programming at Universal International who oversaw the UK version said: “We saw with Mo that you could

have a completely different kind of host and still create a hit. The show will debut on the BBC be fore the end of 2022.”

‘‘No member of my family has lived beyond 74. I’d like to beat that record’’

“Whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”

Ed Havard, Universal International (left), Monica Rodman, Universal Alternative Studio and Ana Langenberg, NBCUniversal

Tackling sexism in the media

Japanese drama Elpis will be screened as the Asian World Premiere tonight in the Grand Auditorium.

MIPCOM CANNES Daily News spoke to co-star Toko Miura, about the hard-hitting themes explored

KANSAI TV’s series Elpis tonight becomes the first Japanese drama series to receive a world premiere in the Grand Auditorium. It’s an issue-driven drama that probes the dark side of the Japanese le gal system (where those accused are routinely questioned without a lawyer present), problems in the media and the issue of sexism in Japan, which is still a highly patriarchal society.

Co-star Toko Miura, star of the Academy Award-winning Drive My Car (2021), plays a hair and make-up artist who works for the main protagonist, a female TV announcer who has become burnt out and sidelined in the misogynistic Japanese media industry and who is, with a colleague, investigating false accusations in a murder case.

“My role was an intriguing one,” she told MIPCOM CANNES Daily News. “Through meeting my character, the protagonist, who has gi ven up fighting on her own, changes her mind. She recovers her powers and begins to fight again and my character fights with her.”

For Miura, the drama’s themes had wider resonances that she felt in her own life and work. “I became more aware of these problems in Japan and especially in the media. I’d like to think that thanks to what has been done, the people who are now entering the media mi ght have the courage to fight against all these problems. This is what I hope for the younger generation who are working in the media and living in this society.”

The screening will be followed by a Q&A session with Miura, and Ayumi Sano, Elpis’ producer. “I wanted to examine these themes, and how to change society in Japan, where it is not easy for women to live or work,” Sano said.

This year is ‘big movie year’ for Japan’s Toei Animation

TOKYO-based Toei Animation is in Cannes with a slate of new mul ti-genre movie content to showcase to the international marketplace. The company is celebrating the 2022 Japanese cinema premieres of two new productions, with a third due to hit theatres in De cember this year.

Speaking to MIPCOM CANNES Daily News, Kazutomo Yamashita, general manager in the Toei Ani mation film business department, said that 2022 had been a “big mo vie year” for the company. The content the company is produ cing, he said, represents the “best of 2D and CGI animated film”. He added: “We are very happy to come back here after COVID. We are really excited to meet clients face to face again.

“We believe we have to market each show in each market, and that means you need to have a strong partnership in each country, especially with a te levision network.”

A third movie, The First Slam Dunk, is based around basket ball-themed manga series Slam Dunk, created by Takehiko Inoue. The First Slam Dunk will premiere in Japan in December this year. Fantasy action-adventure movie One Piece Film: Red, the latest incarnation of the hit One Piece film series, is set for distribution in various international markets this autumn.

It was released in Germany and Aus tria last week with further launches in Italy, Spain, the UK, Ireland and the MENA region scheduled in the coming weeks.

Two of the movies which Toei is showcasing in Cannes — Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero and One Piece Film: Red — have already launched in Japan.

The movie, which Toei says has become one of the most popular in the entire One Piece film series, has been seen by more than 11 mil lion people in Japan alone.

Spellbound by high-end shows

DAVID Michel, president of Fe deration Entertainment’s kids and family production division Cot tonwood Media, is at MIPCOM CANNES to promote his company’s slate of ground-breaking kids live-action series, which includes Theodosia and Find Me In Paris spin-off Spellbound.

well when it launched on the BBC in the UK, but there are still plenty of territories left to sell.”

“We’re starting production on the second season of Theodosia now, but in the meantime we are selling sea son one with our long-term partner ZDF Studios. “The show did very

Theodosia is set in England in the early 1900s and tells the story of a girl whose parents are curators of a museum that houses Egyptian anti quities. In the series, Theodosia dis covers she can see spells in the ob jects her parents have collected. “It’s a very high-end series, with a budget of around €15-16m. A lot of people don’t think children care about pri metime quality production — but we don’t agree with that. We take a lot of care with the writing, the design, the costume, drawing a lot of talent from the feature film business.” The same approach is being taken with Spellbound, now in production. This story returns to the world of

Find Me In Paris, but tells a new sto ry with new characters. This time, the central character is a black balle rina with magical powers. “It’s diffi cult for a children’s live-action series to run for more than three seasons because the cast get too old as time passes. So Spellbound is a way for us to revisit the world but with a new narrative,” he said.

To date, Cottonwood has mainly worked with ZDF Studios, “one of the few broadcaster-backed studios willing to back high-end kids live action at prebuy/co-pro stage”. But it has also just pro duced a futuristic sci-fi anthology series for Apple TV+ called Circuit Breakers. “We like both models,” Michel said. “The Apple TV+ show has more of a US sensibility, whe reas our shows with ZDF are more European in tone. So we get the best of both worlds.”

‘‘We are really excited to meet clients face to face again’’

‘‘A lot of people don’t think children care about primetime quality production’’

Toei Animation’s Kazutomo Yamashita

Cottonwood Media’s David Michel

NEW DEALS SIGNED FOR BOSSANOVA’S BORDER FRANCHISE

UK-BASED BossaNova Media has closed a string of sales for re turning franchises Border Force and Border Patrol.

CBS Reality has acquired series one to four of Stampede Pro duction’s Border Force USA: The Bridges for Poland and its African territories. Japan’s Nip pon TV has also bought the first series, while Discovery Italy has acquired season four. The series follows the work of US Customs and Border Protection agents on the busy Mexican border, as they intercept terrorists, human traffickers, drugs smugglers and illegal weapon dealers.

National Geographic Channels has acquired series nine to 12 of Border Patrol for the US and series six to nine for Benelux. The show, originally produced for TVNZ by New Zealand factual producer Greenstone, follows customs officials on the frontline of border patrol as they deal with fake passports, stolen credit cards and fraudsters.

Holly Cowdery, head of sales at BossaNova, said: “It’s clear that audiences worldwide are fascinated by the lives and work of those on the frontline. Luckily for us, the stories are infinite and never fail to entertain and surprise.”

Meanwhile, Sky UK has renewed an 80-hour package deal consisting of 160 episodes of Border Patrol, Highway Patrol and Motorway Patrol.

All3Media and Double Vision retell Liar story for Malaysia

INDEPENDENT distributor All 3Media International has an nounced the launch at MIPCOM CANNES of Liar Malaysia, which re-imagines the hit scripted format, Liar, through a Muslim lens. Kit Yow, vice-president APAC at All3Media International, said: “We are thrilled to welcome Liar Malay sia to our scripted slate. The series is brilliantly adapted for a Malay sian audience.”

Originally produced by Two Bro thers Pictures for ITV and Sun dance TV, the thriller series ex plores themes of sexual assault and modern-day gender politics. The show portrays two people whose initial attraction has far-reaching consequences.

Produced by Double Vision for

Malaysian channel Astro, All3Me dia International has acquired the rights to the finished Malaysian series and is introducing the new version to buyers in Cannes. Also launching locally in Malaysia as Liar, the series is expected to air towards the end of the year and will premiere on Astro Citra, On De mand and Astro GO. Min Lim, head of production, Double Vision, said: “We don’t talk about sexual assault in Malaysia, but through our work with a local women’s association we learned than Muslim women often have some of the worst experiences due to the stigma around reporting it. We saw this as an opportunity to address sexual assault through a Muslim lens. We’re also tackling

another taboo subject — that of mental health.”

Yow added: “We wanted to buy back the rights because the Muslim take on the subject is so powerful — it’s worth sharing with audiences around the world.”

YouTube goes Behind The Beats

THIS Friday sees the first four epi sodes of a new animated pop-music anthology series roll out on the You Tube Originals channel and the You Tube Kids app.

Behind The Beats (26 x 5 mins), pro duced for YouTube Originals Kids & Family by TeamTO and 22D Music Group in partnership with France Televisions, looks at the often-unex pected origins of new musical genres. Using dynamic animated storytelling and lively narration, the series ex plores the unlikely collaborations that changed modern music. Epi sode titles include Punk Meets Disco, which looks at how Blondie paved the way to the New Wave, and Gangs ta Rap Meets P-Funk, which tells the story of Snoop Dogg and G-Funk.

Craig Hunter, YouTube’s global head of Kids & Family Originals, said Behind The Beats “hits a sweet spot for family co-viewing” by giving pa rents a show they can watch with their children “and actually enjoy”. He added: “It’s educational, inspiring

and just fun to watch for anyone who loves and appreciates music.”

Pierre Siracusa, France Televisions’ director of youth programming and animation, said: “Behind The Beats tells us about the history of pop mu sic as it has never been told before. It brings together different contem porary music trends, while also bringing together almost every ge neration.” He added that the original French series will be launched exclu sively on france.tv on November 19 and on France Televisions at the end

of the year. Corinne Kouper, TeamTO’s senior vice-president of production and de velopment, paid tribute to the “incre dible resources and expertise” of the 2DD Music Group, without which Behind The Beats would not have been possible. “When we discovered this project, we dreamed of bringing it to both a local and an international audience,” she said. “We cannot ima gine a better way to launch the series than on both digital platforms and public broadcasters.”

Behind The Beats

Border Force USA: The Bridges (BossaNova Media)

Kit Yow of All3Media International (left) and Min Lim of Double Vision

CONFERENCES & EVENTS PROGRAMME

German and Indian toon firms join forces in four-year pact

GERMAN independent fa mily-entertainment producer/ distributor Toon2Tango has joined forces with Indian ani mation powerhouse Toonz Me dia Group to co-develop, finance and distribute four new shows as part of a four-year pact.

Among the titles in develop ment, each 52 x 11 mins, is King dom Of Note, which is being made by Toonz, Helsinki-based entertainment group Ferly and New York-based Hearst Media Production.

Also on the agenda is Bek & The Bunnies, a Toon2Tango develop ment with US-based Baboon Ani mation; and Goldie And Friends, which is being produced by US licensing firm GoldieBlox.

“Both of us could do the projects on our own, but we’ve known each other for many years and are great friends,” said P Jayaku mar, Toonz Media’s CEO. “It is about sharing the risks and rewards, and complementing each other. They are very strong in Europe, and we’re strong in

executive producer, said: “These are projects we wanted to do to gether. We have the same appe tite for great content and share the same values for what we

want to bring to the screen.”

While Toon2Tango might not have its own studios, Stoef said that the company brings consumer-pro duct expertise into the mix.

“In a very competitive environ ment, where money is very tight, you try to share the challenges on very ambitious projects like ours,” he said.

Asia and Latin America. Also, we have the studio capacity for the productions.”

Ulli Stoef, Toon2Tango’s CEO/

‘‘It is about sharing the risks and the rewards, and complementing each other’’

Toonz Media’s P Jayakumar (left) with Toon2Tango’s Ulli Stoef

CONTENT FOR SALE

Here we highlight examples of the thousands of hours of content brought to MIPCOM CANNES from around the world

MEDIA MUSKETEERS

PRODUCER Media Musketeers is highlighting six shows at MIPCOM CANNES. Pulse (6 x 52 mins) is a dark, survival thriller, a co-production with UK-based ForLan Films, MultiChoice, Canal+ International and The Mediapro Studio. Un Prophete (8 x 52 mins) is based on the Jacques Audiard film which follows a young Franco-Algerian man in prison, and is a Media Musketeers co-production with Paris-based CPB Films, in association with Orange Studios. The Paradise (8 x 52 mins) is the second season of the crime thriller set in Spain and Finland. Essex County (5 x 52 mins) explores an extended family’s struggle with a history of loss, betrayal and love, and is an adaptation of Jeff Lemire’s gra phic novel produced by First Generation Media as a CBC Original, and co-distri buted by Media Musketeers and ITV Studios. Horror series Crimson Crown (6 x 52 mins) tells the story of four estranged friends who as young teens made a se cret pact, and is a Media Musketeers co-production with Italy’s Iervolino Enter tainment. Faithless (6 x 30 mins) is a dark comedy drama following three young sisters living in Dublin with their Irish/Egyptian father and younger brother.

KESHET INTERNATIONAL

HEADLINING producer and distributor Keshet International’s (KI) scripted slate for MIPCOM CANNES is Hop Films’ Cuba Libre (6 x 60 mins), the true story of Annie Silva Pais, a young Portuguese woman who gave everything to the Cuban revolution and Che Guevara, including herself. Further dramas in clude: The A Word spin-off Ralph & Katie (6 x 30 mins), co-produced by ITV Studios and Keshet UK in association with Tiger Aspect, a heart-warming story following a couple with Down’s syndrome during their first year of marriage; Rabbit Films’ coming-of-age thriller, Summer Of Sorrow (10 x 60 mins); Duo Productions’ Too Much Love (8 x 60 mins), about a man who lies unconscious in hospital while his two spouses, their kids and his mistress meet for the first time to face the truth. KI’s factual slate includes: My Name Is Reeva: I Was Murdered By Oscar Pistorius (3 x 60 mins); Billionaires’ Resorts (6 x 60 mins); Finding The Cornish Dream (3 x 60 mins), Emergency Nurses: A&E Stories (10 x 60 mins); and Dirty Home Rescue (12 x 60 mins).

MONDO TV GROUP

MONDO TV Group is at MIPCOM CANNES with re cently acquired animation series aimed at five- to eight-year-olds, The Tales Of Wonder Keepers (52 x 13 mins), from ¡QIYI Kids and Henan York Animation.

iQIYI is one of the largest online video sites in the world and the series, set in a fairytale universe, is an iQIYI original 3D anima tion production. The Tales Of Wonder Keepers is about Icy, the Snow Queen’s five-year-old daughter, who comes to the hu man world to live. She enjoys adventures with her new friends Gerda and Kai as they transform into the brave Wonders Keepers and experience the mysteries and secrets of the world around them. Mondo TV Group is the exclusive international distributor, excluding China and Chinese-speaking territories.

PROCIDIS

FRENCH producer Procidis brings the eighth series in its long-running pre-school brand that addresses historical and scientific topics, Once Upon A Time… to MIPCOM CANNES, a co-production with Samka. Once Upon A Time…The Objects (78 x 7 mins), currently in production, is due to air in France on Fran ceTV, in Israel on Hot, in Switzerland on RTS and worldwide on TV5Monde. The previous series are: Once Upon A Time…Man, Space, Life, The Americas, The Discoverers, The Explorers and Planet Earth. Procidis is also updating its pre-school musical series Les Aventures De Colargol, with a new HD remastered version and a brand-new feature film now in development. For Once Upon A Time… APC Kids holds rights for Italy, Nether lands, Scandinavia, Eastern Europe, Middle East, Africa, APAC and French-speaking Canada. Jetpack Distribution holds the rights for Turkey, Russia, China, US, English-speaking Canada, Latin America and the UK.

The Tales Of Wonder Keepers (Mondo TV Group]

3DD

HITLER Putsch. 1923 is a history title, and in-house production, showcased at MIPCOM CANNES by London-based 3DD. November 9, 1923 was a signi ficant and transformative day in the history of the 20th century, the date of The Beerhall Putsch in Munich. This 60-minute documentary tells the sto ry of the turbulent night before the event, and Ado lf Hitler’s subsequent writing of Mein Kampf. The night before the coup that ended in failure and di sarray became the foundation stone for a revolution that would bring Hitler into power within 10 years. Further history titles from 3DD cover the atom bomb and Hiroshima, D-Day, Pearl Harbor and the abdication of the UK’s Edward VIII.

TOONZ ENTERTAINMENT

TOONZ Entertainment, the distribution division of Toonz Media Group, brings Bubble Bath Bay (52 x 11 mins), from Australia-based Pop Family Entertainment, to MIPCOM CANNES. The brand-new 3D animated pre-school series features best friends Sydney the Sailboat and Zip the Water Taxi as they learn to ride the waves alongside their fleet of friends in bustling Bubble Bath Bay. Toonz Entertainment also brings Everything’s Rosie (104 x 11 mins). The series, from UK-based V&S Entertainment, is an HD CGI animation for pre-schoolers, promoting social, emotional, cognitive and physical edu cational values that encourage learning through play. The stories feature Rosie and her friends Will, Holly, Big Bear, Oakley the ancient Oak Tree and Raggles the blue rabbit. Also on the slate is a collection of live-action short-form series from GoldieBlox.

Bubble Bath Bay (Toonz Entertainment)

Hitler

For all the latest happenings on the international film and television scene, Deadline is your source. From box office numbers, to television premieres, renewals and festival coverage, and everything in between!

FOX ENTERTAINMENT GLOBAL

FOX ENTERTAINMENT unveils new animated comedy Krapopolis at MIPCOM CANNES, which will premiere in 2023. With a second season already commissioned, the series marks Fox Entertainment’s first wholly owned animated series and is produced by Fox’s animation studio, Bento Box Entertainment. Krapopolis is set in mythical ancient Greece and tells the story of a dysfunctional family of humans, gods and monsters that try their hand at running the world’s first cities. The series features Richard Ayoade, who voices Tyrannis, the mortal son of a goddess. He’s the benevolent King of Krapopo lis trying to make do in a city that lives up to its name. Hannah Waddingham plays Deliria, Tyrannis’ mother, goddess of self-destruction and questionable choices. Matt Berry is Shlub, Tyrannis’ father, a mantitaur, half centaur (horse/ human), half manticore (lion/human/scorpion). He is oversexed and unde remployed, claims to be an artist and has never paid for anything, in any sense of the word. Pam Murphy voices Stupendous, Tyrannis’ half-sister, daughter of Deliria and a cyclops. And Duncan Trussell voices Hippocampus, Tyrannis’ half-brother, the offspring of Shlub and a mermaid.

URBAN CANYONS

SPECIALIST in drama-led documentaries, Urban Canyons brings China’s Warrior Queen – Fu Hao (1 x 52 mins) to MIPCOM CANNES, the latest his tory co-production for Nilinili (China), Smithsonian Channel (US) and ZDF/ ARTE (Germany). The show works as a standalone or as part of the series Epic Warrior Women (6 x 52 mins). Over 3,500 years ago the powerful Shang Dy nasty emerged from the Central Chinese plains, with an army led by Fu Hao. The 75% drama-led film tells the dramatic story of the young princess who rises to become the queen, high priestess and most successful general of one of China’s earliest rulers, King Wuding. The Shang were one of the world’s most advanced Bronze Age civilisations — the origins of Chinese writing can be traced back to this time. The documentary uses the latest research and ar chaeological findings, cinematic-style re-enactment, CGI, original locations and interviews with experts from China, the UK and the US, and was filmed in China with an all-Chinese crew and cast.

RAI COM

BETA FILM

AT MIPCOM CANNES Beta pre sents a line-up of 25 drama series, with more than 10 new seasons in cluding: a second season of Sisi (12 x 60 mins), continuing the story of Empress Elisabeth and Emperor Franz as they become parents; the fourth season of Babylon Berlin (40 x 60 mins), directed by Tom Tykwer; crime series Professor T (12 x 60 mins), starring Ben Miller; and 84 hours of Hudson & Rex, fea turing detective Hudson and former police dog Rex. Other highlights in clude the visually stunning House Of Promises (12 x 60 mins), Spanish crime drama Rapa (12 x 60 mins), French thriller series Prison Island (6 x 60 mins) and Czech drama Ul timatum (8 x 60 mins).

NEW ITALIAN titles are heading Rai Com’s line-up at MIPCOM CANNES. The Italian pubcaster’s distribution arm brings a cata logue spanning original TV shows, movies and programming in the kids and teens, documentary and music genres. Highlights include new seasons of detective drama Lolita Lobosco (6 x 100 mins), 1960s medical drama Hearts (12 x 50 mins), Detec tive Ricciardi (4 x 100 mins) and period drama The Ladies’ Pa radise Daily (160 x 45 mins). Movies include: Rebirth (1 x 100 mins), about a swimmer who has to deal with a life-changing accident; music drama Carosello Carson (1 x 100 mins); and co medy Laura’s Luck (1 x 100 mins), about a successful interior de signer who falls from grace. Documentaries include: The War To Come (1 x 78 mins), an intimate portrait of war in Syria; Touche – Whatever It Takes (1 x 90/52 mins), following an athlete from youth to success in maturity; and art biography Mimmo Paladino – The Language Of Signs. A music highlight is opera Boris Go dunov (1 x 135 mins), from the Teatro Alla Scala, and kids shows include: live-action/3D animation science series Incredible! (13 x 5 mins); Take Flight (13 x 2 mins), about a little bird who is scared of heights; animation Food Wizards (10 x 11 mins), focu sing on nutrition; and animation There Are Crocodiles In The Sea (1 x 30 mins), which follows the incredible journey of a nineyear-old who travels from Afghanistan, through Pakistan, Iran, Turkey and Greece before finally arriving in Italy.

Sisi (Beta Film)

Lolita Lobosco (Rai Com)

Krapopolis (Fox Entertainment Global)

China’s Warrior Queen – Fu Hao (Urban Canyons)

FRANCE TV DISTRIBUTION

CHOUCHOU (8 x 45 mins/working title) follows the story of Chanelle, a 37-year-old French teacher and happily married mother of two. Sandrick is a 17-year-old who is trying to cope with an alcoholic mother after his father’s death. The teacher and student become involved in a damaging love affair. Also on the slate from france tv distribution are: The King’s Favourite (2 x 110 mins/4 x 52 mins), a drama in which Isabelle Adjani portrays France’s most famous courtesan of the Renaissance, Diane de Poitiers; Sisters (10 x 20 mins), about three young best friends who in vestigate an attack on one of their brothers; crime series Judge Marianne, One Of A Kind! (6 x 52 mins); Chantal (8 x 52 mins), a comedy crime series about a female inspector in a rural Belgian town; and Vortex (6 x 52 mins), set in 2025, featuring a police captain who finds a time warp in a recons tructed VR crime scene and tries to save his long-dead wife.

ILKKAS CREATIVE STUDIO (ICS)

PRODUCED by ICS and BBC Studios Nordics, NoPoFo is a spoof crime-comedy series about an elite team of three special agents from the Nordic Police Force (NoPoFo) who investigate gruesome and overly elaborate ritual murders committed by twisted killers in the Nordic countries. Each episode takes place in a different country with new supporting characters. Comedy legends David Zucker (Air plane!, The Naked Gun) and Pat Proft (The Naked Gun, Hot Shots!) are executive producers on this multi-season series of eight to 10 30-minute, self-contained episodes per season.

CYBER GROUP STUDIOS

BRAND-new animated comedy series 50/50 Heroes (52 x 11 mins) is brought to MIPCOM CANNES by France’s Cyber Group Studios. Com missioned by France Televisions, The Walt Disney Company (Germany, Eastern Europe) and picked up by major broadcasters and partners in Latin America, Japan, UK and Iceland, the series features a half-bro ther and sister who discover that their great-great-great-grandma once had a fling with a superhero. The company also brings Droners (52 x 22 mins), with a second season in production, set in a world covered by water where eco-tech genius Wyatt Whale has organised a drone race to choose a new apprentice; and Gigantosaurus (156 x 11 mins/78 x 22 mins), featuring four young dinosaur friends.

ARMOZA FORMATS

ARMOZA Formats, part of ITV Studios, is launching The Fittest Pensioner, a new reality competition format. Produced by Montreux Film, the format originally aired on TV2 in Norway. In the 60-mi nute-episode series 10 of a nation’s fittest seniors move into a home together to compete in multiple challenges, mental and physical. The person with the lowest score has to battle to save their spot in the house each week.

The Fittest Pensioner (Armoza Formats)

Droners (Cyber Group Studios)

Chouchou (france tv distribution)

SILVERLINING

HIGHCLERE (5 x 60 mins), from Brinkworth Television for Chan nel 4, is brought to MIPCOM CANNES by the UK’s Silverlining. With exclusive access to Highclere Castle — the location for drama series Downton Abbey — this new series follows the highs and lows of the current Lord and Lady Carnarvon and their loyal staff, as they strive to make Highclere profitable, with a busy calendar of events both home and away. Another title on offer is Cause Of Death (4 x 60 mins), a true-crime series that follows the unfolding detective story that unra vels after a body arrives in a mortuary. The series features 360-degree access to the coroner and their team, the police, the autopsies and the pioneering scientific detective tools used in investigations.

MAGNIFY MEDIA

BRISTOL, UK-based Magnify Media presents a new sea son of Handmade: Good With Wood at MIPCOM CANNES. Available as a finished pro gramme and format, this Chan nel 4 primetime competition show, hosted by Mel Giedroyc, sees 10 talented woodworkers battle it out over eight weeks to become the nation’s best woodworker. Another Cannes highlight is the new travelogue Oti Mabuse: My South Africa (1 x 60 mins), featuring the UK Stric tly Come Dancing star on a jour ney to explore the real South Africa, an exiting, changing and challenging country.

WILDBRAIN

CAILLOU (52 x 11 mins + 5 x 44 mins specials) is a pre-school series brought to Cannes by Canada’s WildBrain. The series explores the daily life of an imaginative and curious four-year-old boy, who — like most pre-schoolers — is learning and growing a little more each day. He doesn’t always get things right on the first try, despite his best efforts, but through the encouragement of his parents, friends and neighbours Cail lou comes to understand better as he learns to keep pursuing his goals until he succeeds. The specials are targeted at christmas, halloween, summer vacation and family celebrations.

TURNIP + DUCK

CREATIVE studio Turnip + Duck brings Maddie + Triggs to MIPCOM CANNES, an animation series aimed at five- to sevenyear-olds that began life as a 15-episode podcast series on RTEjr Radio. The series follows the adventures of seven-year-old Mad die, who happens to have a vision impairment, and her dog best friend Triggs. Although Maddie cannot see the world around her well, she is a really brilliant listener. Triggs is an adorable labradoodle retriever cross who loves music, mischief and bis cuits. The TV series has been developed with support from the National Council for the Blind of Ireland, Irish pubcaster RTEjr and Screen Ireland. Also, Turnip + Duck’s mixed-media series Critters TV has recently been picked up by Sky Kids in the UK and its pre-school chemistry primer Atom Town is set to air on RTEjr later this year.

Highclere (Silverlining)

Caillou (WildBrain)

Maddie + Triggs (Turnip + Duck)

Oti Mabuse: My South Africa (Magnify Media)

BOSSANOVA MEDIA

CON GIRL (4 x 60 mins), from CJZ Productions, is the bizarre true story of serial con woman Samantha Azzopardi, who used over 75 false identities in a globe-crossing career of deception that began when she was 14. In a two-year investigation, the CJZ team tracked down the key survivors of Samantha’s cons. Some of them have never spoken publicly before about their experiences. Part detective story, part psychological mystery, Con Girl sets out to tell the story with the help of Azzopardi’s traumatised vic tims, along with psychological experts, law enforcement agents and inves tigative journalists. Her cons continue to this day. In August 2022, Saman tha was charged with her 100th criminal offence in Australia. The series is brought to MIPCOM CANNES by London-based BossaNova Media.

TRILOGY ANIMATION GROUP

TRILOGY Animation Group is at MIPCOM CANNES to showcase a slate of five new series for children and families. The New Adventures Of Jay Jay The Jet Plane, is a newly updated pre-school series featuring STEM education and social-emotional learning packed in each 11-minute episode. The series fol lows some of the original show’s favourite characters, including the playful jet plane, Jay Jay, and his pals, and introduces more characters and fun destina tions. Tutenstein, aimed at kids ages eight to 12, features a 12-year-old girl and 4,000-year-old-mummy boy who become best friends. Doots features 10-yearold Orion whose doodles come to life, whisking him away into fantastical wor lds. Earth To Eden, for pre-schoolers, features seven-year-old Eden, a girl who turns every day into a grand adventure with her #GirlDad, family and friends. Rubbernecks is an animated 3D stop-motion series for kids and families set in the town of Desperation, where the residents are a quirky, mixed bag that in cludes a snake, a tortoise, a roadrunner and a few lizards. The series features art by Deane Taylor, art director of Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas.

WEBEDIA

WEBEDIA offers a catalogue that specialises in content ai med at millennials and their passion for gaming, music, outdoor sports and enter tainment. POG is a YouTuber with a passion for supercars and new technologies. In Gumball 3000, The American Dream (1 x 82 mins), POG joins the epic rally across North America in his Lam borghini Aventador LP7004. In McFly & Carlito (1 x 66 mins), the two French YouTubers cruise around Pa ris and invite celebrities to take part in a series of silly challenges.

LGI MEDIA

AUSTRALIA’s LGI Media brings documentary King Charles III (1 x 90 mins) to MIPCOM CANNES. Produced by Mia mi-based CIC Media for VIX+, this film uses insight from royal experts, journalists and historians, combined with ar chive footage, to bring the life of King Charles III to light and provide a fresh perspective of a man who waited longer than any other royal to inherit the crown. The documentary covers the major events in his life: his childhood and teenage years, military service, career as a public servant, work for the Commonwealth and dedication to charity.

Con Girl (BossaNova Media)

Tutenstein (Trilogy Animation Group)

King Charles III (LGI Media)

Gumball 3000, The American Dream (Webedia)