miptv
Dark drugs saga set to feed craving for more Nordic noir
A Servant Of The People (Kvartal 95)
ECCHO WINS RIGHTS TO POLITICAL SATIRE SWEDEN-based distributor Eccho Rights has clinched the global distribution rights to Servant Of The People, a political comedy series by Russian production studio Kvartal 95 that has been a massive hit in Ukraine. Available as a completed show as well as a format, it centres on the fate of an ordinary history teacher who ends up as the president of Ukraine. It is the protagonist’s fight against corruption at all levels that has made the show a hit in the politically sensitive state. “But it is obvious that the need for honest politicians at the helm of states resonates with people all over the world,” said Vladimir Zelensky, Kvartal 95’s CEO/creative producer. “That is why we’re confident the format has great potential in the global market.”
C T R E S S A l exandra Rapaport is in Cannes to promote Gasmamman, a Swedish crime thriller which continues the Nordic noir tradition of productions such as The Bridge and The Killing. Likened to a Scandinavian version of Breaking Bad, the series focuses on mother-ofthree and accountant Sonja Ek, who takes over the family’s illegal marijuana business after her husband is murdered in a botched drug deal. Rapaport, who starred in the Oscar-nominated Danish film The Hunt and appeared in other crime series such as The Sandhamn Murders, is also co-producer. The series aired on the C More channel in Scandinavia, in November, and is now airing on the Kanal 5 channel. Filming for the second season begins later this month,
Birgitta Wannstrom (left), and Alexandra Rapaport
while writing for the third season is already under way. “The response has been overwhelming from both audience and critics,” Rapaport said. “We pitched it as Breaking Bad meets Erin Brockovich, but it’s actually closer to The Sopranos really. It’s faster than The Sopranos and of
course it’s a strong woman in the lead,” she said. Gasmamman producer Birgitta Wannstrom said she and Rapaport are at MIPTV to raise awareness of the Endemol-distributed series. “We’re very proud of Gasmamman, it’s the best in Sweden since The Bridge,” she said.
Money-spinning formats from IFG
IFG’s Fredrik Ivansson
SWEDISH startup IFG is in Cannes with three new reality formats — Game Changers, Bionic Creators and The App. Promising to “transform viewers’ actions into revenue”, IFG’s model is based on devising for-
mats that have a built-in commercial opportunity. “Every format we produce will in turn produce a new product or service, while strengthening existing revenue streams,” said IFG CEO Fredrik Ivansson. “Take The App, in which eight people compete to build an app. They are given all the business and technical help they need to create a marketable product, and the show’s viewers — or fans, as we prefer to call them — also engage in the development process. The winning app is then launched on to the market.” The winning contestant will receive 25% of any profits generated from their app, with the rest shared between the production company, IFG and the various distribution platforms. “It’s a win-win situation for all involved,” Ivansson said. “It’s the sharing econo-
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my brought to content.” Front and centre of the IFG approach are the fans. “They control the element of choice, both in time and interest,” Ivansson said. “They can choose to watch the format for three minutes or 30 minutes, and on any platform that suits them.” The company’s platform-agnosticism is also “revolutionising licensing and rights”, he added. Ivansson said the market’s reaction to IFG’s model had been positive. “Most people are really excited about the new revenue streams that we can generate, and they also like the fact that the fan comes first. Linear TV companies are in danger of going down like the Titanic unless they start thinking about how to monetise their content in a way that reflects the realities of today’s market. We believe our model offers a way forward.”