SEÑAL NEWS 178 | MIPTV 2021

THE PAY-TV AND OTT BATTLE IN LATAM

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MIPTV 2021

WHAT IS THE REAL PRICE FOR PVOD MOVIES?

NEW STREAMERS AND THE POWER OF CLASSICS

#178 ∙ YEAR 21 ∙ APRIL 2021

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18 OVERVIEW

THE POWER OF CLASSICS The streaming wars is as competitive as ever. In the past few months, Peacock, Paramount+, and Discovery+ have launched their new platforms to an already crowded environment. It will take time to determine who the biggest winners in this battle are, but one trend is clear,

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all players are backing their strategies in well-known brands: the old-time classic shows. New streamers are finding spikes in viewership from the rediscovery of older classic shows by their audiences.

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16

RIALTO INTERNATIONAL

GLOBAL SCREEN

ALL3MEDIA INTERNATIONAL

Bruce Tuchman, Co-Chairman of Rialto International, describes how this 50-50 joint venture with Rialto Channel works, and analyses the current global media landscape.

Julia Weber, Head of International Sales & Acquisitions at Global Screen, describes the company’s current strategy, the potential of the German market, and the programming offer for MIPTV.

Maartje Horchner, EVP of Content at All3Media International, explains the importance of the company’s agreements with Synchronicity and Discovery, and describes its current business strategy.

THE BUSINESS POTENTIAL OF INDEPENDENT CONTENT

FOLLOWING THE AUDIENCE’S DESIRES

THE SCRIPTED AND NONSCRIPTED SIDE OF DEALS

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EXCITING ENTHRALLING

GLOBAL SCREEN

info@globalscreen.de | www.globalscreen.de

CRIME SERIES 10 x 45'

22 MILLION VIEWERS

(46% OF BROADBAND USERS) ACCESSED AT LEAST ONE SVOD PLATFORM IN 202, SPENDING €15 PER MONTH ON IT.

78

€ 230 MILLION THERE WERE 78 SVODS AVAILABLE IN FRANCE IN 2020, UP FROM 63 IN 2017.

INCREASING PROFITS

MAJOR SVOD GLOBAL PLATFORMS ARE EXPECTED TO INVEST €230 MILLION INTO FRENCH PRODUCTION.

BUSINESS PROFITS OF SVOD PLATFORMS IN FRANCE HAVE INCREASED TENFOLD SINCE 2015, TO €851 MILLION IN 2019 AND €1.2 BILLION IN 2020.

LORENZO DE MAIO LAUNCHES DE MAIO ENTERTAINMENT Lorenzo De Maio announced he will be leaving Endeavor Content, where he was Partner and EVP, to launch a new venture named De Maio Entertainment. The Los Angeles based entity will be backed by an exclusive long-term partnership deal with Fremantle. De Maio was instrumental in the launch and growth of Endeavor Content into a premium content leader, including working on Emmy award-winning shows “Killing Eve,” “The Night Manager” and “Normal People”. Under the deal, he will work closely with Fremantle’s senior leadership team and wider group of independent labels and producers to support the growth of the superindie’s scripted and factual slate, and explore new strategic opportunities with Fremantle. •

TIM MUTIMER IS THE NEW CEO OF CINEFLIX RIGHTS Cineflix Media has announced the appointment of Tim Mutimer as CEO Rights to head up the company’s global distribution business. Mutimer will join Cineflix later this year following Chris Bonney’s retirement from the role.

The executive will be responsible for leading Cineflix Rights’ team based in London, Toronto, and Dublin, building on the company’s recent expansion across its scripted and factual acquisitions, and sales business.

Reporting to Cineflix Media Co-Founder and Co-CEO, Glen Salzman, Mutimer will help steer the company’s strategy to maximise IP opportunities globally for content created

by Cineflix Studios, Cineflix Productions, and joint venture companies including Buccaneer Media and Connect3 Media, as well as more than 100 producer partners. •

SOUTH KOREAN STREAMER WAVVE TO INVEST US$885 MILLION IN CONTENT Largest South Korean OTT platform Wavve announced that it will invest 1 trillion won (US$885 million) in original content through 2025. Wavve is a joint venture between KBS, MBC and SBS, with the backing of SK Telecom. “Through investment in original content, we hope to expand the partnership between broadcasters, production companies and intellectual property holders. We will also work to discover smaller-sized production companies. Wavve will be at the forefront in creating a growing ecosystem for both K-contents and K-OTT platform,” commented Lee Tae-hyun, CEO of Wavve. When Wavve launched in 2019, it said it would invest 300 billion won in content by 2023. In the first two years, it invested 70 billion to create original series such as “Alice,” “SF8,” “Zombie Detective” and “The Tale of Nokdu,” among others. •

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BANIJAY IBERIA PRESENTED ITS NEW MANAGEMENT TEAM Banijay Iberia outlined the revised local management team for its footprint in Spain and Portugal. Under the leadership of its CEO, Pilar Blasco, the new executive group comprises CFO and COO, Javier García; International and Business Affairs Director, María Pinilla; Director of Communication, Pilar Serrano; Director of Digital Strategy, Felipe Jiménez Luna; Legal Director, Marta Ferrando; Systems Director, Miguel Ángel Hernández; and

Commercial Director, Jaume Vilalta.

Banijay Iberia’s production entities will continue to operate independently and under the direction of Juanra Gonzalo (Cuarzo Producciones), Macarena Rey (Shine Iberia and Endemol Portugal), Tinet Rubira (Gestmusic), Jaume Banacolocha (Diagonal TV), Amparo Castellano (Zeppelin and Magnolia), and Felipe Jiménez Luna (Tuiwok Estudios). Elsewhere, DLO Producciones continues to be led by José Manuel Lorenzo, and Portocabo, by Alfonso Blanco. •

HEMISPHERE NOW OWNS 100% OF PANTAYA SVOD PLATFORM Hemisphere Media Group announced that it has acquired the remaining 75% stake of Pantaya, the leading U.S. Hispanic subscription video-on-demand service from its joint venture partner, global content leader Lionsgate. As a result of the transaction, Hemisphere now owns 100% of Pantaya, up from its previous 25% minority stake.

Pantaya, which features over 400 movies and series, has experienced outsized growth in Spanish-language subscription video services. User demand has rapidly increased, and Pantaya now boasts approximately 900,000 paying subscribers. Hemisphere estimates that Pantaya’s subscriber base will grow to 2.5 to 3.0 million by the end of 2025. •

SPAIN BOOSTS ITS AUDIOVISUAL INDUSTRY Spain will invest €1.603 million in strengthening its audiovisual sector. During the next four years, the country will try to become one of the main centers of audiovisual production in Europe and the world. The plan was announced by the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, during the presentation of the Spain Audiovisual Hub. “It is not only a question of attracting foreign investment, but also creating the faculties to further increase Spanish production in the audiovisual sector,” he pointed out. The executive also stressed the need to create a new ecosystem that facilitates the activity of all those involved in the production chain, and thus create audiovisual works that represent the cultural values of Spain and that can be extended to the rest of the world. •

ZDF AND OFF THE FENCE REACH MAJOR PACKAGE DEAL WITH UKTV ZDF Enterprises and its wholly owned subsidiary Off the Fence have closed a major volume deal with UKTV, one of Britain’s largest commercial broadcasters. The deal will see UKTV acquire 40 hours of premium factual content for two of its specialist factual channels, Eden and Yesterday. “I’m delighted that our long-standing partnership with UKTV has resulted in pre-sales of two fantastic series that are still in production, ‘Africa from Above’ and ‘Rescued Chimpanzees of the Congo with Jane Goodall’. Both shows are produced by Off the Fence, which is widely recognized for delivering top quality natural history documentaries,” said Ralf Rueckauer, Vice President ZDFE.unscripted at ZDF Enterprises. •

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OVERVIEW

WHAT IS THE REAL PRICE LIMIT FOR PREMIUM VOD MOVIES? OMDIA’S LATEST “CONSUMERS AND MOVIE WINDOWS” REPORT REVEALS THAT 57% OF ADULTS IN THE UNITED STATES ARE WILLING TO PAY $15.16 FOR PVOD MOVIES, A BUSINESS MODEL THAT HAD INCREASED BY 14% IN 2020, EXCEEDING THE $6BN MARK FOR THE FIRST TIME.

T

ransactional movie revenues across pay-TV and online stores, excluding premium VOD, increased by 14% YoY in 2020, exceeding the $6bn mark for the first time, according to Omdia’s latest “Consumers and Movie Windows” report. Despite the growth in transactional video (TVOD) revenues, consumer spending in these areas was unable to compensate for the declines in box office revenues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Total consumer spending on movie theatres, TVOD, and physical was down 43% compared to 2019 but remains flat with the addition of online subscription video.

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, major studios are experimenting with new models to recoup lost revenues due to movie theatres’ closure for extended periods.

Many studios have provided a greater emphasis on their direct-to-consumer (D2C) streaming services and experimenting with traditional release windows, placing a greater focus on PVOD and SVOD. This approach has meant that some studios with a D2C platform can use new movies to drive SVOD uptake and generate recurring revenues. However, SVOD availability breaks the transactional video window and significantly reduces the lifespan of a film. While online subscription video is behind a paywall, the relatively low price and large catalogs mean it acts similarly to the second pay-TV or free TV windows. SVOD availability skips through all stages of the traditional windowing system. It not only limits exploitation opportunities but impacts industry standards and KPIs for measuring success.

“It is clear that the demand for content is continuing to increase across all consumers, and while studios are reacting to this demand by providing more new content to SVOD, there is a balancing act that needs to continue.

PVOD presents a great opportunity for studios. However, it is not a magic cure to recoup lost revenues caused by the pandemic. It should not be viewed as an alternative to the cinema but as another business unit. In response to the pandemic, studios have been able to experiment with theatrical windows and release times, but once things go back to normal, we anticipate that consumers will demand new releases, so windows will go back to the prepandemic structure,” Fateha Begum, Principal Analyst at Omdia, stated.

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CONSUMER APPETITE According to Omdia, over 57% of US online adults stated that they are willing to pay a premium for early access to new movie releases, with the average maximum spend totaling $15.16, only $1 more than the average cost of digital retail movies. However, among households with four children under 18,71% are willing to pay for PVOD at an average price of $20.07. Those that usually go to a movie theater more than six times a year are willing to pay $28, approximately the same price as a family cinema ticket.

CINEMA GOERS: AVERAGE PRICE WILLING TO PAY FOR PVOD (THOSE WILLING TO PAY) All

$ 15,16

Cinema power users

$ 21,43

Cinema goers Infrequent cinemagoers

$ 18,00 $ 12,63

Cinema power users in HHs of 4

$ 24,83

Cinema power users in HHs of 4, with kids Cinema goers in HHs of 4 Cinema goers in HHs of 4, with kids

$ 27,70 $ 21,33 $ 22,41

In 2020, consumer demand for online video content increased across all business models. The year saw an influx of new TVOD users, a rise in VOD consumption, and increased SVOD conversion and uptake. Contrary to popular belief, consumers who engage more with subscription online video services are more likely to visit the cinema than the average consumer and be more likely to purchase or rent via digital video stores.

Omdia found that willingness to pay for premium titles increases with the number of online video subscriptions, particularly among those with four or more video services. It highlights the opportunity for studios to use new release movies to generate incremental TVOD revenues while driving subscriptions and retention on D2C services.

While the “movie theater target” was the primary consumer group driving TVOD revenues in 2020, their greater appetite for content access also saw them gravitate towards pirate platforms at an increasing rate. Among this high spending consumer group, 22% admitted to watching content via illegal spots in November 2020, representing revenue loss for content providers.

By Omdia

BUYERS

“INDEPENDENT FILMS HAVE NEVER BEEN MORE POPULAR THAN NOW” BRUCE TUCHMAN, CO-CHAIRMAN OF RIALTO INTERNATIONAL, DESCRIBES HOW THIS 50-50 JOINT VENTURE WITH RIALTO CHANNEL WORKS, AND ANALYSES THE CURRENT GLOBAL MEDIA LANDSCAPE. Bruce Tuchman

B

y the beginning of the year, Bruce Tuchman, formerly President of Sundance Channel Global, AMC Global and MGM Networks, and New Zealand’s award-winning Rialto Channel Limited joined forces to launch Rialto International, a 50-50 joint venture to bring Rialto branded streaming, SVOD, AVOD, and linear television services of premium indie content to countries and territories worldwide. “I’m really optimistic and excited about it. Our main goal is being the leading brand out there for independent content driven by great independent films. We want to be that home on a multinational basis. There are channels in some territories targeting the same markets, and they are doing a fine job, but very few are doing it cross border, like we are. We see that opportunity,” Tuchman stated.

Following the footsteps of Rialto Channel, Rialto International’s linear and on-demand services specialize in carefully curated programming of distinguished independent films, documentaries and television series, all with compelling stories that engage, entertain and inform. Rialto is available across all platforms, including linear, streaming and on-demand services. “If you think about it, independent films have never been more popular than now.

‘Nomadland’ is winning awards left and right, ‘Parasite’ recently won the Oscar, and ‘Moonlight’ did it too not too long before that. Independent films are really strong. At the same 10

time, some of the studios are not even selling their content to third parties to put it on their own platforms. However, independent content is out there, and it has never been more popular, so that is why I thought there was a big opportunity,” Tuchman told Señal News.

“The number of providers offering branded services featuring indie content are few and far between. There is a demand for it and also there is a supply, yet people are not getting what they want to see. That is the opportunity that we are stepping into, and it is a big one,” the Co-Chairman of Rialto International added.

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE A veteran in the business, Tuchman analyzed the current landscape of the entertainment industry. First of all, he described the OTT space as a “gold rush” where everyone is trying to be part of. “Consumers are only going to see more and more offerings. There are big OTT platforms, in what it is a ‘battle of the titans’, but there are also some niche services as well. There are so many, which is great for the consumer. But it is a hard business to make money of it,” the executive assured.

Nevertheless, the former President of Sundance Channel Global sees an opportunity in finding really defined niche spaces. “If you are going to be all over the place, trying to offer all kinds of stuff, then you got to be prepared to spend the kind of money that Netflix is spending. Instead, if you

 Miss Juneteenth

want to focus on a niche, like we are doing, you cannot be lazy about it, or just acquire some things or another.

You got to be really clear about what your proposition is, and make sure that your audience actually exists and wants to pay for content,” he said.

In a world where streaming has become the norm, Tuchman firmly believes that the consumer is now totally familiar with OTT content. “The huge offering and the convenience of watching anytime, anywhere and anyplace is pretty compelling. Consumers are loving it,” he noted. Furthermore, he considers Covid-19 has notoriously accelerated that trend, as people have more time and some consumers who were not so used to streaming were able to explore and get familiarized with it. However, Tuchman is convinced that the growth of streaming does not mean that linear television will disappear. Although he admits that in some countries, such as the United States, cord-cutting shows alarming numbers, he believes that no evidence is strong enough to prove that TV is going to die anytime soon. In fact, he pointed out that in many markets pay TV is not only not falling but is growing more and more.

“Linear television and OTT are going to coexist side by side. This is very similar to what happened when pay TV started and people said free TV would be wiped out. The same thing was said about radio when the TV came out. All forms of media, they just never go away, they just have to adapt to the circumstances. Their boom years may be over, but that does not mean that the game is over,” Tuchman observed.

By Federico Marzullo

INTERVIEW

“WE HAVE EVERYTHING THE AUDIENCE’S HEART DESIRES” JULIA WEBER, HEAD OF INTERNATIONAL SALES & ACQUISITIONS AT GLOBAL SCREEN, DESCRIBES THE COMPANY’S CURRENT STRATEGY, TALKS ABOUT THE POTENTIAL OF THE GERMAN MARKET, AND REVIEWS THE PROGRAMMING OFFER FOR MIPTV.

G

lobal Screen, a brand of Telepool, is a leading international sales and distribution company for theatrical films, TV show and formats, based in Munich, Germany. Julia Weber, its Head of International Sales & Acquisitions, described the firm’s current strategy, talked about the potential of the German market, and reviewed the programming offer for MIPTV. What is the company’s current international sales and acquisitions strategy?

“We focus on content that is either series or features, and we are not limited to genres if the story is compelling and catching. Our clients are linear channels and streamers, both local and global. On the acquisitions side, we have implemented a new strategy of co-developing and co-producing series and feature content at the earliest stage. The region is not relevant as long as the setting of the film or series is authentic and fits to the financial needs of the production structure”.

How would you describe the potential of German productions for Global Screen?

“Our positioning is not limited or focused on German productions. Having said that, we naturally have deep relationships with German producers that have grown in many years. Projects from German producers prove to be not only high quality but also very sellable and attractive to the international market. Overall, we have a very broad network of producers around the globe, and we love to bring great producers together, as long as they have the same vision on a project. Of course, bringing together the financial elements of the partners and their countries is essential as well”.

How would you describe the current positioning of Global Screen after all its recent internal restructure?

“Coming to Telepool, the first thing that our new CEO wanted to adjust 12

was to unify the sales teams of theatrical films and TV programmes to become one team. The differentiation of content, to its initial way of exploiting is outdated.

We see these kinds of blurring lines not only with our clients but also with producers. They no longer make a difference and do not only focus on one kind of content.

Furthermore, the cooperation with our colleagues at Telepool, who deal with German speaking rights, improved a lot. We now have more projects in common that are a good fit for international, as well as for our home territory of Germany and the DACH-region”.

Will you launch any of those ongoing projects at MIPTV? “We are very pleased to present our new highlight series ‘Fast’ at MIPTV. The 10x45’ action-packed crime series comes from the renowned Finnish production company Yellow Film & TV, which is responsible for ‘Artic Circle’ and ‘Nurses,’ among others. Furthermore, one German TV hit in our line-up is the miniseries ‘Dark Woods,’ which reached up to 20.2% market share and was the most watched programme in the ARD-Mediathek in 2020.

We already sold the title to France, USA, Russia, and Spain. The second German TV hit, which had a market share up to 21.8% on ARD, is Ferdinand von Schirach’s ‘Enemies’. In addition, we have new seasons and episodes of our well-known crime series ‘Buried Truth,’ ‘Modern Murder’ and ‘Streets of Berlin,’ as well as many new TV movies and feature films from comedy and thriller to documentaries and family entertainment. We have everything the audience’s heart desires”.

What are Global Screen’s main goals for 2021?

“Our aim is to find even more attractive and high-profile series and films for our demanding clients throughout the world. We are flexible partners and develop custom-fit strategies to bring a project to life”.

By Federico Marzullo

OVERVIEW

P

ay TV continues to lose ground in Latin America, while the OTT segment keeps growing. After a peak of 60 million subscribers that occurred in 2016, pay TV began to experience a sustained decline that was driven largely by subscription video on-demand services, as confirmed by Ampere Analysis during its webinar entitled “The evolution of the OTT market in Latin America”.

PAY TV IS BEGINNING TO LOSE GROUND AGAINST SUBSCRIPTION OTT IN LATIN AMERICA

PAY TV

LOSES GROUND AGAINST

OTT I N L AT I N AMERICA

DURING ITS WEBINAR ENTITLED “ THE EVOLUTION OF THE OTT MARKET IN LATIN AMERICA”, AMPERE ANALYSIS ANALYZED THE PRESENT OF THE OTT SEGMENT IN LATIN AMERICA AND HOW ITS GROWTH LED TO A SUSTAINED DECLINE IN PAY TELEVISION.

Pay TV vs subscription OTT subscribers in Latin America (m) Pay TV subscriptions reached a peak of 60m in 2016 but have fallen steadily since, particularly from 2018

80 70 60

Pay TV

50 40 30 20

Su bsc

10 0

2011

2012

2013

2014

riptio

2015

2016

n OT T

2017

2018

2019

2020

Source: Ampere Markets

Taking the main countries of the region (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, and Uruguay) as a reference, Ampere discovered that pay TV penetration is decreasing in most of these territories. Of these losses, virtually all occur in satellite, while IPTV is on the rise.

On the other hand, broadband continues to show strong growth symptoms. The most noticeable rise occurred in Ecuador, where it increased by 266% between 2011 and 2020. This is due, in part, to the fact that the major providers in the region tend to bundle other fixed services together with broadband, helping uptake of IPTV. Currently, Brazil is the only market in the region where SVOD penetration has already overtaken that of pay TV. In contrast, Argentina is presented as the only market in Latin America where pay TV still shows significant growth, given that in most other territories the increases are only reflected in the OTT field.

Even so, relatively few households in the region currently PAY TV PENETRATION IN FALLING IN MOST COUNTRIES; IN SOME IT HAS NEVER GAINED GROUND Pay TV pepetration by country (%) -- Argentina -- Brazil -- Chile -- Colombia -- Ecuador -- Mexico -- Peru -- Uruguay 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0%

2011

2012

2013

Source: Ampere Markets

14

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

BRAZIL IS THE ONLY MARKET IN THE REGION WHERE SVOD PENETRATION HAS OVERTAKEN PAY TV Households with pay TV vs HHs with at least one subscription OTT services at end-2020 (%) -- Pay TV -- Subscription OTT Only Brazil has seen OTT households overtake TV households

70% 60%

But only Angertina´s pay TV subscriptions are growing significantly in the region, with the other countries mainly seeing growth in subscription OTT

Furthermore, users have access to increasing amounts of subscription content.

Taking a closer look at each platform, the research found that Disney+, which launched in November 2020, is close to catching up with Amazon Prime Video, a much more established player in the region. In fact, according to Ampere’s estimates, it could do so this year, which shows the enormous space that Disney’s platform has to grow on the continent.

HBO Max, which will launch in Latin America in June,

50% 40%

CONSUMERS IN LATIN AMERICA ARE SPENDING MORE AND MORE TIME ON VOD SERVICES...

30% 20%

Respondents who watch online video daily (%)

10% 0%

Argentina

Brazil

Chile

Colombia Ecuador

Mexico

Peru

Self-reported average daily viewing time (hrs)

Uruguay

88%

Source: Ampere Markets

84%

have more than one OTT subscription. Outside of the three largest markets (Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico), adoption is hampered by the limited number of SVOD services available. Those households that do have multiple platforms, the so-called “multi-SVOD,” tend to have higher incomes and at the same time pay for other video services.

75%

-- Scheduled TV channels

-- Subscription VoD

01:57 01:39

78% 01:06

00:57 Q3 2017

Q3 2018 Q3 2019 Q3 2020

Q1 2017

Q3 2020

Source: Ampere Consumer, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, 2000 internet users aged 18-64 per country

MULTI-SVOD HOMES TEND TO BE HIGHER INCOME, AND PAY FOR OTHER VIDEO SERVICES

DISNEY+, WHICH LAUNCHED IN NOVEMBER 2020, IS SET TO SOON OVERTAKE AMAZON PRIME

-- 2+ services -- 1 service

Largest subscription OTT services in Latin America (m)

Multi-SVoD homes’ uptake of other services (%)

-- Netflix

Pay TV

-- Disney+

50

73% 69% 54%

28%

say they can generally find what they want to watch on TV or online

Multi-SVOD homes’ household income (%) 35%

40

47%

Over $30k

38%

15%

49.8m

33.7m

32.2m

30 20 10 0

20.5m 9.2m

Only Brazil and Mexico have Amazon Prime´s full delivery ecosystem

8.5m 2020

2021

2022

2023

2024

2025

Source: Ampere Markets

Up to $30k

10%

40

75%

Premium Channels

Unknown

-- Amazon

55%

Less than % believe they will stop watching broadcast TV in the next 5 years

Source: Ampere Consumer: Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, 2000 lnternet users aged 18-64 per country; respondents who take al least 2 SVoD services.

REGIONAL SPENDING Another highlight of the Ampere Analysis research is that consumers in Latin America are spending more and more time on online video services. During the third quarter of 2020, 88% of respondents admitted watching online video on a daily basis. On the contrary, while VOD viewing is climbing, that of TV channels is falling.

could be another success story, based on the popularity of the brand in the region. Currently, 25% of consumers in Argentina and Mexico are subscribed to HBO channels.

Moreover, these people have an average of three OTT subscriptions in their homes and usually show a clear preference for American content. Therefore, the adoption of HBO Max, in those cases, seems almost certain.

Ampere Analysis assured that OTT will continue to gain notoriety in Latin America, and that, in fact, it could grow as much as 9-fold in the region. The cheaper the prices of the plans offered by the streamers, the more chances they will have to maximize their subscriber bases. If the trend of shifting from pay TV to OTT continues, Latin Americans will make it clear that they still have place in their homes to continue incorporating SVOD services.

By Federico Marzullo

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INTERVIEW

“OUR FOCUS IS RAZOR SHARP ON BOTH SCRIPTED AND NON-SCRIPTED”  Race Across the World

A

MAARTJE HORCHNER, EVP OF CONTENT AT ALL3MEDIA INTERNATIONAL, EXPLAINS THE IMPORTANCE OF THE COMPANY’S AGREEMENTS WITH SYNCHRONICITY AND DISCOVERY, AND DESCRIBES ITS CURRENT BUSINESS STRATEGY.

ll3Media International started the year strong with two major deals: one with Synchronicity for scripted content and one with Discovery for non-scripted shows. Maartje Horchner, EVP of Content at All3Media International, explains the importance of both agreements and describes the company’s current business strategy.

What does the recent agreement with Synchronicity bring to All3media?

“We are thrilled to have formed a partnership with the Synchronicity team. I have known Claire Mundell, its Founder and Creative Director, for many years and always admired her ingenuity and her entrepreneurial and ambitious attitude.

Synchronicity’s development slate contains high quality, commercially appealing drama from original voices which we believe holds great appeal for our international clients”.

Would you say scripted content is your main focus right now?

“Our focus is razor sharp on both scripted and non-scripted. The scripted side of the content team at All3Media International is led by David Swetman, who has been instrumental in forming the strategy to grow investment in both development and deficit funding, which has resulted in the strong slate we have today. In non-scripted, we have expanded our efforts to secure top quality factual content. We have always had good 16

Maartje Horchner

relationships with factual and factual entertainment producers from within the All3Media group, for example Studio Lambert, Lion, Maverick, and Optomen, to name a few. We feel we had the capacity to represent additional producers with shows that impact the international market”.

Regarding non-scripted, the company recently closed a deal with Discovery+. What are the advantages of this agreement?

“Discovery’s newest global platform has been an excellent partner for us to be able to bring a slew of titles, including ‘Naked Attraction,’ ‘Race Across the World,’ and our Gordon Ramsay catalogue to an international audience. This deal gives us a partner for multiple series, and a great home for our longer running brands. With Discovery’s plans to expand their service, we are discussing further regionals launches with them for their key catalogue and newer titles”.

What differences do you observe between TV and streaming platforms when it comes to doing business?

“Now more than ever, we are finding that there are fewer differences.

Global streamers are still doing global deals, but increasingly are more willing to do tailored deals

for specific territories, which essentially brings more buyers to the TV distribution table and results in interesting competition”.

How would you describe All3Media International’s current business strategy?

“Brilliant! Under the leadership of Louise Pedersen, All3Media International has grown its business year on year, with a strategy that focuses on quality content and a good return on ever-increasing investment, not just for All3Media International but also for other investors and IP owners.

We work as a partnership with production companies, both internally and externally, to ensure that they get the profit they are due. We are determined to make the relationship between distributor and producer a genuine partnership, which I believe has resulted in so many fantastic titles in our catalogue and the loyalty of many of our producers, which is of course a two-way street!”.

What are the company’s main goals for 2021?

“Our main goal for 2021 is to continue to celebrate storytelling, whilst developing an even stronger catalogue across all genres. We also want to carry on working with broadcasters, producers and IP owners to fund shows that have a global appeal and travel widely. We aim for high-end quality, without losing sight of the value of less highend volume deals”.

By Federico Marzullo

OVERVIEW

NEW STREAMERS AND THE POWER OF CLASSICS WITH STREAMING WARS NOW FEATURING NEW BIG PLAYERS SUCH AS PARAMOUNT+, DISCOVERY+, AND PEACOCK, A NEW TREND IS UNDERLYING THE BIG BATTLE: THE REDISCOVERY OF OLDER CLASSIC SHOWS.

T

he streaming wars is as competitive as ever.

Peacock, Paramount+, and Discovery+ have launched their new platforms to an already crowded environment in the past few months. It will take time to determine who the biggest winners in this battle are, but one trend is clear, all players are backing their strategies in well-known brands: the old-time classic shows.

New streamers are finding spikes in viewership from the rediscovery of older classic shows by their audiences.

According to Parrot Analytics, there was a significantly increased demand in the United States for “The Office,” following its move from Netflix to Peacock. As more classic TV series switch streaming platforms in the coming months and years, this is a significant trend to watch. In the first three days at its new home, demand was 39% higher than December 31, the last day it was available on Netflix. The increase in demand is not just a short-term spike either. From January 1 - 19, the demand was 30% higher than the previous 19 days, indicating the rediscovery of this show by new audiences could drive a longer-term resurgence.

After finding a second life as a cultural phenomenon on Netflix, “The Office” returned home to NBCU’s Peacock on January 1. The series’ move serves as a fascinating case study in library programming as a vehicle for subscriber acquisition and the power of content vs. distribution.

According to research company Antenna, “The Office” drove 3.9x more sign-ups to Peacock compared to the average December weekend. Peacock earned more paid

DEMAND FOR ORIGINAL CONTENT LIBRARIES

 Friends

sign-ups around “The Office’s” arrival than it did for its nationwide launch or any programming event, including the Premier League’s start. In the first two weeks of January, Peacock saw a 9% uptick in customers choosing the Premium Plus ($9.99/mo) plan, which like Netflix, allows ad-free viewing to all nine seasons of “The Office”.

While some fans followed the series from Netflix to Peacock, others purchased the entire show. Antenna observed a spike in TVOD transactions for the title around the time it left Netflix. In the first two weeks of January, 46% of “The Office” TVOD transactions were for the complete series, with 93% of those purchases coming in via Apple’s $29.99 promotion. From a volume perspective, on January 1, Antenna observed 177% more paid sign-ups to Peacock than TVOD transactions for “The Office”. Total show’s TVOD transactions on January 1 were 51% of what “Tenet” did on its December 15 digital release day at the $19.99 price point, which is impressive for a series that debuted over 15 years ago and has long been available via other channels.

PEACOCK DAILY SIGN-UPS Paid Tiers Only

Nationwide Launch

United States, 2020 20.0%

Block Friday 20% off Annual plans

15.8% 15.3% 10.6% 9.1% Source: Parrot Analytics

18

Jul 20

Aug 20

Sep 20

Oct 20

Nov 20

*Excludes Peacock Free Tier and Comcast/Cox bundles Source: Antenna

Dec 20

Jan 21

 The Office

“MODERN FAMILY” DEMAND Daily demand trend - United States 35

Difference from average title (1x)

30

“THE OFFICE” DEMAND

25 20 15 10 5

Daily demand trend - United States

0 4 Jan

1

12 Jan

20 Jan

28 Jan

5 Feb

13 Feb

21 Feb

Demand Rank

Source: Parrot Analytics 15

30

45 28 Nov

11 Dec

24 Dec

6 Jan

19 Jan

Source: Parrot Analytics

FRIENDS AND FAMILY Furthermore, according to Parrot Analytics, the same phenomenon may be starting to trend for ABC’s longrunning favorite “Modern Family”. Through a multiple-year deal, the series’ entire library was made available on both Peacock and subscription-backed service Hulu on February 3. Parrot’s research shows that over the last 30 days, the show is 23.1 times more in-demand than the average show in the US, putting it in the top 3% of all titles in the country. Statistics also show demand has grown for the series by 5.5 percent. It’s also in the top 99.2 percentile of shows in the comedy genre.

Another theory says that the COVID-19 pandemic, which has led to increased time for viewers to consume programming at home, has instigated increased viewing and binging of shows that make audiences  Modern Family

 Star Trek: Discovery

“feel good” during such an uncertain time. That trend, together with the new boom of classic shows, could be the reason for the initial line-up of HBO Max during its 2020 launch. WarnerMedia looked up for a little help from its “Friends” to launch its new streaming service.

The 25-year-old hit sitcom that ran for ten seasons on NBC, from 1994 to 2004, has witnessed a resurgence among younger audiences on Netflix, which extended its licensing agreement for “Friends” in an unusual $80 million one-year deal, to keep the show in its catalog until 2020. A Nielsen study found that Netflix relies heavily on broadcast network reruns to engage subscribers. Its five most popular shows from 2019 (“The Office,” “Friends,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “NCIS,” and “Criminal Minds”) all come from traditional networks like NBC, ABC, or CBS. NEW PLAYERS Paramount+, ViacomCBS’s rebranding of its existing CBS All Access product, launched in March, offering consumers new original content, movies, and TV shows from a bevy of brands, live sports, and the latest blockbusters from Paramount Pictures. Simultaneously, Paramount+ is also relying its strategy on popular characters and shows to win over viewers. It features a new and existing “Star Trek” series, in addition to 19

OVERVIEW MARKET SHARE OF SVOD SIGN-UPS

DEMAND FOR PARAMOUNT+ ORIGINALS

United States, 2020-2021

United Stetes, January 1 - February 28, 2021

17.0x

Star Trek: Picard

11.4x

The Twilight Zone (2019)

9.2x

The Stand (2020)

0.0x

16%

9.6x

Tell Me A Story

Strange Angel

11% 6%

11.3x

The Good Fight

After Trek

7% 5% 7%

15.2x

Star Trek: Lower Decks

Why Women KiII

4.9x 2.4x 2.1x 5.0x

10.0x

15.0x

20.0x

25.0x

Times Average Series Demand (1.0x) Demand: The total audience demand being expressed for a title, within a market. Audience demand reflects the desire, engagement and viewership, weighted by importance; a stream/ download is a higher expression of demand than a ´like´/comment.

Source: Parrot Analytics

DEMAND FOR PARAMOUNT+ vs. PEACOCK ORIGINALS United States, January 1 - February 28, 2021 26.1x

Star Trek: Discovery

17.0x

Star Trek: Picard

15.2x

Star Trek: Lower Decks The Twilight Zone (2019)

11.4x

The Good Fight

11.3x 10.6x

Curlous George

9.6x

Tell Me A Story

9.2x

The Stand (2020) Brave New World (US) A.P. Bio 0.0x

6.4x 5.6x 5.0x

10.0x

15.0x

20.0x

25.0x

Times Average Series Demand (1.0x) Demand: The total audience demand being expressed for a title, within a market. Audience demand reflects the desire, engagement and viewership, weighted by importance; a stream/ download is a higher expression of demand than a ´like´/comment.

Source: Parrot Analytics

 Criminal Minds

20

5% 3% 7%

26.1x

Star Trek: Discovery

5% 4% 8% 11% 17%

4% 8% 9% 13%

5% 4% 10% 13% 12%

5% 4% 6% 9%

8% 11%

10% 20%

27%

13%

19% 4% 6%

 Peacock

8%

 Showtime

11%

 Starz

12%

13%

20%

17%

27%

13%

15%

13%

13%

13%

13%

16%

8%

8%

8%

8%

7%

7%

6%

Jul 20

Aug 20

Sep 20

Oct 20

Nov 20

Dec 20

Jan 21

22%

11% 19%

 AppleTV+

7%

14% 21%

 Discovery+

13%

 CBS All Access  HBO Max  Hulu  Disney+  Netflix

US-only I Excludes Telco/lSP Bundles I Excludes Sign-ups to Peacock’s Free Tier I A Sign-up is counted the day a Subscription or Free Trial begins Source: Antenna

revivals of “Frasier” and “Criminal Minds.” The latter, which ended last year after a 15-year run on CBS, is one of the most popular licensed shows on streaming, according to Nielsen, which said Americans spent more time streaming the procedural in 2020 than any original program on streaming.

On another side of the streaming wars, Discovery is taking a much different approach. Discovery+, which was launched by the beginning of the year, is built around cooking shows, nature shows, home improvement shows, and various other unscripted programs from HGTV, the Food Network, TLC, ID, Animal Planet, and the company’s flagship, Discovery. Nevertheless, the company is also betting on the rediscovery of older classic shows, with 55,000 hours of programming of series like “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives,” “Deadliest Catch,” “Naked & Afraid,” “On the Case with Paula Zahn” and “Dr. Pimple Popper”.

Discovery+ is positioning itself as the definitive SVOD for real-life entertainment but, according to Antenna, the service has a broader market. Total Premium SVOD signups grew 2% MoM from December to January. Discovery+ drove the increase, claiming 19% of those sign-ups.

By Diego Alfagemez

INTERVIEW

“‘FOR MY FAMILY’ ALREADY GOT THE ATTENTION FROM OUR INTERNATIONAL BUYERS” MÜGE AKAR, CONTENT SALES DEPUTY MANAGER AT ATV, TALKS ABOUT THE NEW DRAMA “FOR MY FAMILY,” DESCRIBES THE COMPANY’S STRATEGY IN EUROPE, ASIA AND THE CIS REGION, AND EXPLAINS WHY TURKISH DRAMAS ARE SO ATTRACTIVE ALL OVER THE WORLD.

A

couple of days ago, ATV presented its new drama, which is ready to be distributed under the title “For My Family”. With a captivating storyline and the classic elements of Turkish drama, “For My Family” is about the newly orphaned four siblings’ survival story in a dog-eat-dog world. Müge Akar, Content Sales Deputy Manager at ATV, described the company’s strategy in Europe, Asia and the CIS region, and explained why Turkish dramas still are so attractive all over the world.

Müge Akar

What dramas will ATV present at MIPTV? What further projects are in the pipeline for 2021?

“We are happy to announce our fresh title ‘For My Family’ at MIPTV. Despite the fact that we launched the series shortly before, it already got the attention from our international 22

buyers and proved its success with the rating results. Since last year, we have been making deals for our historical drama ‘The Ottoman,’ which has landed over 30 countries so far. Lately, we are closing deals for the third season of our best-selling drama ‘Hercai’. In 2021, our customers chose to carry on the path with this title as well”.

What is ATV’s distribution strategy specifically in Europe, Asia and CIS? “These territories are very significant for our business. As well as in other territories, we aim to enter into the countries where we want to work. Recently, we saw great potential in Asia, and we continue to close deals with Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Furthermore, we are already in negotiations with other countries from the CIS region and Europe, which are yet to be announced”.

How do these markets differ from other large markets such as Latin America or the USA? “Latin America and US Hispanic markets are pan-regional and follow a certain pattern. However, when we talk about Europe, Asia, and Africa, they are all unique in terms of both the way we do the business and also taste of content. Even within CIS countries, we need to evaluate each country specifically. The language is also quite an important factor because Latin America is a widely Spanish language dominated region, whereas we need to deal with local languages in these other markets. At the end of the day, the same content

can travel across all of these regions.

A good drama is always gold!”

How do you analyse the potential of Turkish dramas around the world?

“With their warm and realistic stories, Turkish dramas still have great interest all over the world.

As ATV, we are proud to represent high quality productions along with the sincere stories and traditional Turkish family values. With these components, we will continue to license our dramas to the international markets”.

What are audiences demanding for this type of shows?

“Audiences from abroad tend to prefer the romance genre. They want to watch love stories blended with the Turkish culture. In addition, they care about family values and they interiorize it with their own cultures. Although 2020 was a tough year at all points, we managed to turn it into an advantage. Luckily, our series have continued shooting and that gave us permanency in the sales. ‘Hercai’ and ‘The Ottoman’ played a key role achieving this. In 2021, we hope to make it with ‘For My Family’ owing to online markets”.

By Federico Marzullo

zdf-enterprises.de

INTERVIEW

“WE SOLD OUR SHOWS TO 47 COUNTRIES LAST YEAR” TIMUR WEINSTEIN, NTV BROADCASTING COMPANY GENERAL PRODUCER, TALKS ABOUT ITS EXPANSION IN THE UNITED STATES AND LATIN AMERICA WHILE DETAILS ITS VAST CATALOG FOR MIPTV.

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 Secret for a Million

TV is expanding its international distribution, reaching important deals with key players around the world.

In an interview with Señal News, Timur Weinstein, NTV Broadcasting Company General Producer, commented on these recent businesses and described the distributor’s new main titles.

NTV kicked off 2021 attending NATPE and EFM. Which are the results of that participation?

“We attended NATPE Miami for the first time, although we’ve been actively expanding into the US market for a few years and made a few high-profile deals. Early this year, Olympusat bought six TV series and ten documentaries. The products they bought are being adapted to be aired in the region for Spanish-speaking viewers.

American production companies also showed great interest in our TV series as formats, particularly for ‘Reluctant Hero’. It was our first time at EFM 2021 as well, where we presented our new original products: action-packed show ‘Missing’ and drama ‘Fatherland’”.

Which are the main business goals for Europe and Latin America?

“We do our best to expand our global business without limiting ourselves to just one territory. During the  The Superstar!

24

last year, we sold our shows to 47 countries. Our key markets are Latin America and Europe. Last year, in addition to Olympusat, we sold many of our action shows to Encripta in Brazil. The European market is also one of our priorities; we’ve been actively selling our content there for a few years and building a great partnership with European media companies. Thanks to Dori Media Group, we signed a contract with Wirtualna Polska Media for one of the most popular Russian TV series: ‘Shepherd’. The series was aired by Telewizja WP channel and will soon be available for Hungarian audiences. We are also working on a package deal for Latvia, including the four seasons of ‘Shepherd’. Our action-packed medical drama ‘Dr. Driver’ was also aired in Latvia by LTV. Last March, another Latvian broadcaster, 360 TV, started airing ‘Wolf Trap’. That channel also airs our original format, ‘Psychics vs.

Detectives’”.

What does a show must have in order to be part of NTV’s catalog?

“NTV has much expertise in producing content in different genres. For TV series, we look for lots of action and top-notch casts.

We have thrillers, period pieces, comedy shows, action shows, crime shows, but all of them are invariably full of action. Another important feature of our production efforts is to find ambitious music shows. For instance, we weren’t scared to run a socially significant show like ‘Super You!’ in prime time. We also know how to make shows that become cornerstones that change the entire national TV landscape. Our adaptation of ‘The Masked Singer’

blew up Russian TV and became the best music show in the last seven years among the 18+ audiences”.

What type of content are clients demanding right now?

“International buyers are especially interested in ambitious period shows. 2017 was an experimental year for us because we presented Aleksey Tolstoy’s ‘The Road to Calvary’ period novel adaptation to global audiences. Our library is yearly updated with big period series notable for their great production values and intricate plots. The international potential for ‘Aria of the Doomed,’ a show about women in Stalin’s labor camps, was noticed in the MENA region. Period crime show ‘Noble Detective’ also found its viewers abroad. At the same time, the COVID-19 pandemic renewed the interest in non-scripted entertainment formats. ‘Secret for a Million’ is one of the crown jewels of our library. The format is a weekend prime-time leader entering its 10th season, and it was recently adapted in Azerbaijan. The show’s first season got a 15.85% of share, 5.87% ratings and was repeatedly ARB TV’s daily leader. We got many requests to purchase our shows, both as ready-made products and as formats”.

By Romina Rodríguez

zdf-enterprises.de

INTERVIEW

“AUDIENCES ARE INTERESTED IN WATCHING TRUE AND SINCERE STORIES” JULIA MATYASH, DIRECTOR OF SOVTELEXPORT, THE SALES ARM OF RUSSIA TELEVISION AND RADIO, DESCRIBES THE HUGE SUCCESS OF STRONG DRAMAS SERIES IN RUSSIA, EUROPE AND EVEN LATIN AMERICA.

S

trong Russian dramas with a main female character and based on real events such as “Zuleikha Opens Her Eyes” or “Ekaterina” seem to be the Sovtelexport’s hallmark. Julia Matyash, Director of the sales arm of Russia Television and Radio, talked with Señal News about those poweful titles and the company’s revamped offer for MIPTV. Russia Television and Radio titles have a strong global appeal. What differences do you note between those audiences?

“First of all, any audience is interested in seeing true and sincere stories based on timeless and universal truths.

People want to see real characters they can sympathize with to be fully absorbed in the plot. Undoubtedly, viewers of any nation value masterfully directed high-quality films featuring great acting performances”.

Why series like ‘Zuleikha Opens Her Eyes’ or ‘Ekaterina’ could be attractive in both regions?

“Period drama is currently the leading genre in the industry. Directors keep finding new ways to create exciting and touching stories set in past eras but relevant today. Both series correspond to this ongoing trend. ‘Ekaterina’ is a show about a very well-known historical figure.

This title is a beautifully shot film and can surprise viewers with lush sets, a thought-through plot, gorgeous costumes, a talented cast, and brilliant acting performances. Moreover, ‘Zuleikha Opens Her Eyes’ is based on a globally-known bestseller. The book is inspired by a real story and was translated into 34 languages, including 26

Spanish. People are already familiar with the plot, and now they want to see it on the screen. Zuleikha’s story resonates with viewers and touches their hearts. It reminds us that love gives us strength to move forward and overcome any challenges”.

What are the main launches for MIPTV? “We are pleased to present three new titles this year: ‘The Optimists: Caribbean Season,’ a passionate love story unfolding during the 1960s world political crisis. The series is a perfect combination of a love story, spy drama, and action enhanced by humor’s light notes. We are also launching the period drama ‘The Terrible,’ the real story of the first Russian Tsar’s love and brutality, Ivan IV. It has a brilliant cast, hundreds of extras, over a thousand historically accurate costumes, and hand-built large-scale sets that take the viewer right into the 16th century. Finally, that show perfectly complements Russia Television and Radio’s signature period drama line-up is ‘Call Me Mother,’ a wonderful and emotional series that will strike a chord with the female audience”.

What is the main objective of offering titles in Spanish?

“First, it means that we are ready to provide a buyer with required materials in a short time so they could understand the plot better and consider the relevance of the product for their audience. It also allows us to make the broadcasting process as easy and fast as possible.

We hope it will help to expand our distribution in the Spanish-speaking countries. Moreover, Spanish is a wonderful and melodic language that adds new colors our shows. Our Spanish-speaking partners always note that Spanish dubbing makes the plot more dynamic”.

Do you observe any specific growth opportunities during 2021?

“Interest in Russian content has increased significantly during the pandemic due to the growth in the number of new streaming services worldwide. New companies’ focus is filling their libraries with content as distinct and different from the one presented by the major platforms.

This year offers significant prospects for distributors, and we confidently look forward to success”.

By Romina Rodríguez

INTERVIEW

“WE WANT TO GENERATE A CULTURAL EXCHANGE WITH LATIN AMERICA” CORINNE KOUPER, SVP DEVELOPMENT & PRODUCTION, CO-FOUNDER AT TEAMTO, DESCRIBES THE EVOLUTION OF THE BUSINESS MODELS OF THE COMPANY AND HIGHLIGHTS THE POTENTIAL OF ITS SHOWS FOR LATIN AMERICA.

T

eamTO is a French leading CGI studio founded in 2005.

It is currently renowned for outstanding quality and awardwinning series, and it has offices in LA, Toronto, and Beijing. Corinne Kouper, SVP Development & Production and Co-founder, explains the company’s evolution and expressed her desire to work closely with the Latin American region.

How was the evolution of TeamTo since its foundation in 2005?

“When we created TeamTO in 2005, we never imagined that 15 years later we would have 400 employees, two state-of-the-art studios, offices in LA, Toronto, and Beijing, 20 animated series, and a feature film. What a journey! Using our experience in the new CG animation field, we built our company, gained largely on Disney’s ‘Rolie Polie Olie,’ the first-ever CG preschool show for which we won two Emmies.

Since then, we have dedicated our company to developing the most interesting creative talent and the best software and technology to maintain the extremely high standards we want to achieve.

We have produced many of our originals, like acclaimed series ‘Jade  Jade Armor

28

Armor,’ ‘Presto! School of Magic,’ ‘Mighty Mike,’ and ‘Angelo Rules,’ as well as famous shows for companies like eOne’s ‘PJ Masks’ and ‘Ricky Zoom,’ Netflix’ ‘City of Ghosts;’ Disney’s ‘Elena of Avalor’ and ‘Sofia the First;’ and Activision Blizzard’s ‘Skylanders’”.

What are the current main challenges of creating kids’ content?

“The main challenges are securing creative talent getting financing.

Financing depends on getting a broadcaster’s interest, and strong creative talent is the way to get that interest. Another challenge is finding the right voices and vision to create compelling stories and then get broadcasters to share the risk of developing a project early on to bring it to greenlight. In France, we are lucky to benefit from an intelligent system combining tax credits and subsidies. However, the industry has been restructuring a lot in the past three years. Uncertainty remains around channel ownership changes, losses due to the pandemic, and quota negotiations related to global platforms that trigger CNC funding”.

What are the values you want to transmit in TeamTO’s shows?

“To our viewers, we want to project team spirit, togetherness, and empathy while at the same time presenting a bright and funny outlook on life. Most of our shows have a lot of comedy and teamwork in them, like ‘Presto! School of Magic,’ ‘Jade Armor,’ and ‘Angelo Rules’. For our partners like eOne, Disney, and Netflix, we stand for quality above

 Mighty Mike

all else because well-written and well-produced shows last longer, appeal to a greater audience, and find the best platforms. We also love to challenge ourselves by always explorings something new and different: whether it’s preschool, 2D-style CG or hybrid animation, music-based shows, slapstick dialogue-free comedy, or a family film inspired by a graphic novel. We like to push new boundaries”.

What is the business potential of TeamTo’s shows for Latin America?

“All our series are great for Latin America because the stories are full of action, comedy, and inspiration.

The characters are fun, resourceful, and full of life, just like Latins. We want the market to get to know our shows even better and repeat successes like ‘Mighty Mike,’ which has been doing so well that Cartoon Network will air its second season.

We also want a cultural exchange with Latin America. I have traveled to Brazil, Chile, Argentina, and Bolivia for the last 30 years, and I am eager to form a creative bridge with those countries to find new diverse voices that could lead to an interesting collaboration with our studio”.

By Romina Rodríguez

DISTRIBUTION

FINDING THE RIGHT NICHE IN A VERY COMPETITIVE ENVIRONMENT

Pamela Martínez Martinez

L

MY

MO

H

imonero Films celebrates its fifth anniversary in 2021. The boutique distributor of factual programming and documentaries has grown organically, finding its niche in a very competitive industry.

“Limonero Films sits between the more commercial factual entertainment – travel and food shows, business series, wildlife – and the completely independent ‘passion project’ documentaries. We love to work with all kinds of ERENT DIFF producers, from the E D I S M A big boys to the first-timers.

We have grown to represent more factual genres, as we want to reach all audiences.

One thing that hasn’t changed: how picky we are with the titles we take on, and we always work with people we like and admire and who always deliver,” said Pamela Martínez Martinez, Head of Sales and Acquisitions at Limonero Films. “Also, I was a one-woman band at the beginning, but now I have a

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ON

SH

IO

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strong team of women who are making my life much easier and entertaining,” she added.

Last year the company observed a massive demand for documentaries. “The most sellable are still the documentaries that tell big, compelling stories, with appealing characters, but also local stories with a global impact that people all around the world can connect to,” Martínez Martinez stated. “TV channels are looking for themes, while big platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Hulu are looking for the stories. Netflix has made documentaries a popular form of entertainment so. I’d say that we are witnessing a bright age of documentaries and have been for quite a few years now,” she added.

To all the global buyers looking for documentaries, Limonero Films offers a wide variety of topics, genres, and formats. “All of our titles have in common their immaculate execution and a sense of fun. Above all, ours is intelligent content that can enlighten, inform, educate, and entertain audiences in almost every part of the world. We are also very nice to work with,” admitted Martínez Martinez.

FA

LIMONERO FILMS, AN INTERNATIONAL BOUTIQUE DISTRIBUTOR OF FACTUAL PROGRAMMING AND DOCUMENTARIES, REACHED ITS FIFTH ANNIVERSARY. PAMELA MARTÍNEZ MARTINEZ, HEAD OF SALES AND ACQUISITIONS, DESCRIBES THE COMPANY’S EVOLUTION THROUGH THESE PAST YEARS.

B BA

NEW ACQUISITIONS Limonero Films is attending MIPTV with its latest acquisition, “My Mohamed Is Different,” by Ines Marzouk. The film speaks about the growing phenomenon of young men from North Africa marrying older, affluent women from Europe. “Our story is placed in the ancient Egyptian city of Luxor, and it follows three couples with different love stories and destinies,” Martínez Martinez said.

The company is also attached to a dazzling and wellcrafted feature doc, “Fashion Babylon”,

by Gianluca Matarrese, produced by the French production company Bellota Films.

“It is a character and issue-driven documentary about the elite world of fashion, with a focus on the Front Row of the Fashion Weeks and the people who sit there. It is also an exploration of the world of fashion that ceases to exist since this glittering world has already gone to a point of non-return,” she added.

Finally, Limonero Films presents its newest series, “Hidden Flavors of India – North-East”. An exploration of the kitchens of the northeastern states of India through the journey of food enthusiast, writer, traveler, and award-winning filmmaker, Ruchi Shrivastava. “We love Ruchi’s charm on camera and the opportunity she gives us to travel with her to that hard-to-access part of the continent. We feel that it will work well because Indian cuisine is not that well represented in the marketplace. This series offers a dash of color and flavor that we all can easily fall for,” Martínez Martinez affirmed. “Because we are all pandemically home-bound, we are attending more online markets and festivals than ever. We are also receiving more proposals than ever before, so there is a lot of screening time these days. Our plans for the rest of the year are to focus on making the new titles a success and finding the money to take our titles in development into production,” she concluded.

By Romina Rodríguez

QUICKIES

INTER MEDYA TAKES DISTRIBUTION RIGHTS FOR “THE TRUSTED”

Can Okan

T

urkish distribution and production company Inter Medya have recently acquired the worldwide distribution rights to this season’s brand new and successful Turkish drama entitled “The Trusted”.

Produced by the acclaimed production house TIMS&B and broadcast on ATV, the title is one of the strongest series of the year.

“We are delighted to announce that we have added ‘The Trusted’ to our constantly growing catalogue and we are very excited to bring this sensational Turkish drama to the international audience. ‘The Trusted’ contains all kinds of elements of popular Turkish dramas including family, love, excitement, and has

high production values. Along with its great cast, ‘The Trusted’ attracted viewers since its first episode, and we are sure that we will be hearing about its global success very soon as well,” said Can Okan, Founder and CEO of Inter Medya.

“The Trusted,” locally named “Maraşli,” drags the audience into an adventure in pursuit of both love and great secrets. Starring globally known actors Alina Boz and Burak Deniz, the series tells the story of Marashli, an ex-soldier who left the special forces in order to open up a second-hand bookstore and spend more time with his sick daughter, Zelis. His life changes when the beautiful Mahur walks into his bookstore. Marashli saves Mahur’s when she accidentally gets herself into trouble one day. From that day onwards, the destiny of the two characters will be interwoven irrevocably. ∙

ECCHO RIGHTS EXPANDS ITS GLOBAL FOOTPRINT

E

ccho Rights is establishing a new London office, recruiting three UK-based senior executives to lead the next step in the company’s global expansion. “The new London team will provide a very powerful contribution to our truly global company. While we pride ourselves on our work with developing markets and non-English language drama, these high-calibre hires are an important step in establishing Eccho Rights as the go-to partner even in more traditional drama markets in Western Europe and

Fredrik af Malmborg

Adam Barth

the UK,” said Fredrik af Malmborg, Managing Director of Eccho Rights.

Adam Barth will be Eccho’s new Director of Development and Co-productions, working with UK producers and broadcasters to broaden the Sweden-based distributor’s English language slate. Barth will be tasked with finding new projects and creative talent for Eccho’s ever-growing development roster, both for local and international co-production in collaboration with the company’s other global offices in Stockholm, Madrid, Istanbul, and Seoul.

Furthermore, Lucy Roberts will take on the role of Director of Sales in the Eccho Rights team, handling the Eccho catalogue in Western Europe.

Lastly, Alexandra Aldred also joins the Eccho Rights team in an Advisory role. Aldred, who spent the last eight years as Vice President Sales EMEA at the US studio Miramax, will work part time as an advisor, coordinating Eccho’s ongoing cooperation with Sony Pictures Television as well as the market leading offering of Korean series from mother company CJ ENM, Asia’s largest media company. ∙

Lucy Roberts

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PRODUCTION

20 YEARS OF GLOBAL QUALITY SERVICE Deeny Kaplan

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ext month, on May 5th, The Kitchen will be celebrating its 20th anniversary. To portray the dubbing studio’s history, its most recent international expansions, and how the company has coped with its client management amid the pandemic, Señal News spoke with Deeny Kaplan, Executive Vice President at The Kitchen.

Regarding the rise in language and capacity requests, the localization studio has now evolved into a global dubbing facility with The Kitchen EMEA, with a presence in 14 countries worldwide, offering 16 various languages, including Brazilian Portuguese and Parisian French.

Moreover, the idea for creating the studio in Argentina came from the growing demand for Spanish dubbing. “It’s fascinating because we have the capacity that clients are looking for to do neutral Spanish,” Kaplan said. “It is the most indemand language. The first one for any of our clients are going into is neutral Spanish because we have such a large distribution core in South America,” she added.

Kaplan credits much of its success to its ability to understand the local audiences and its demands, considering the most appropriate dubbing language and tone based on the content’s genre and the region where viewers are.

“You need to know your market, you need to know your audience, you need to be able to educate clients if they’re giving you the wrong information,” Kaplan said.

The headquarters in Miami 32

DEENY KAPLAN, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT AT THE KITCHEN, EXPLAINS THE COMPANY’S MOST RECENT DEALS AND NEW PROJECTS FOR A UNIQUE ANNIVERSARY YEAR.

recently returned to work at the studio after months of working from home during the pandemic. The sales, marketing, and accounting teams and select executives continue to work from home. “It’s been a really busy year in terms of what we’ve been able to accomplish even though we’ve had this horrible pandemic,” Kaplan said.

In terms of managing clients in a virtual setting without physical trade shows, Kaplan admits that though the company misses the physical aspect of these events and anticipates an immediate in-person opening, technology has provided the ability to resume work in a comfortable setting. “The Zoom meetings are even more successful because you’re not interrupted, it’s one-on-one, you’re sitting relaxed, and you have more time on these zoom calls than you were if you’re sitting at a cafe and people kept coming up and saying hello,” Kaplan said.

NEW GOALS There is a rise in demand for catalog content such as TV series that primarily serve Latin audiences, kid’s programming, never-before-seen new shows, among other projects.

Another goal of The Kitchen is to grow its presence within the Hollywood market, anime, soap operas, and

historical titles. The Subtitles slot demand has also spiked. The Kitchen’s German office continues to receive the most significant chunk of this business’s work, together with the facilities in Spain, Russia, Turkey, and France.

The company is currently seeking additional prospect companies who may be interested in initiating a partnership.

The Kitchen is also looking forward to expanding throughout European countries such as Poland, then Africa, and eventually into Asia.

It is also prioritizing technological innovations by recently hiring a tech team to develop related strategies, such as the most recent Dolby Atmos suite in its Spain studio. “The expansion is not just the physical expansion as much as it is our ability to hire the right people to take us to the next level,” Kaplan said.

 The Kitchen Spain

By Karla Florez

Stone Men

DISTRIBUTION

Claude Dornier

In Search of Monsters

THE SEARCH FOR HIGH-QUALITY CONTENT WITH UNIQUE NARRATIVES The mini-series dives deep into the almost forgotten and suspenseful world of Reeperbahn in the 60s, 70s, and 80s, where pimps like ‘Lamborghini-Klaus,’ ‘Karate Tommy’ and the ‘Nutella Gang’ brutally dominated the “most sinful he German distribution company street in the world”.

Autentic Distribution had an Autentic Distribution also has two Mirjam excellent 2020 and has intensified factual entertainment productions Strasser its factual catalog with new acquisitions. on the “Stone Men” in Apuan Alps and “We noticed a higher demand for the “Snow Lords” in Brento Dolomites. documentaries and factual content last “We have also added a few history series and one-offs like the two-part ‘Europe’s forgotten year, and in fact, it was one of the best years for Autentic Dictatorships,’ ‘Claude Dornier – The Aviation Pioneer,’ due to the increased demand. We can already see this trend and ‘The Nazi Whaling Squadron’. We have many new continuing in 2021,” said Mirjam Strasser, Head of Sales & travel, people & places, and escapism titles to offer; Acquisitions at Autentic Distribution, to Señal News. that’s our best-selling genres,” she added.

Autentic Distribution focuses on a broad portfolio ranging from wildlife, nature, science, and technology to FOCUS ON DIGITAL history, travel, and escapism programs. “We are looking As an international player, Autentic Distribution always for high-quality content with unique narratives fitted for tries to evaluate the entire rights business. “We focus a global audience,” Strasser stated. Despite the ongoing more on digital sales now,” pointed out Strasser. In the restrictions in the world due to the pandemic, Autentic last two years, the distribution company has increased its Distribution was able to add new programs to its spring AVOD and SVOD sales and established new partnerships slate that it will debut at MIPTV. “Our production partners with global platforms and players. “Together with tailored did an amazing job in wrapping up their productions marketing and distribution strategies for each title, we during the pandemic,” the executive commented. can offer a full-service program and create a sustainable One of the Autentic Distribution’s main titles is the life cycle for each program,” Strasser explained. current affairs documentary “In Search of Monsters,” by Thinking about the future, the Head of Sales & filmmaker Poul-Erik Heilbuth and production company Acquisitions at Autentic Distribution expressed that Hoferichter & Jacobs. It follows a formerly imprisoned the company will put a more stronger focus on the and officially exonerated alleged al-Qaeda terrorist acquisitions side. “Our main goal is to find the most searching for his torturers to take revenge by forgiving. suitable programs for our catalog with the best “Just in time to commemorate this year’s 20th anniversary possible amount of available rights for distribution. We of this shocking moment in the history of humankind, the are working hard to get hold of bespoke and exciting production delivers a different approach to the tragedy,” new titles so that we can continue to successfully Strasser indicated. entertain people all over the world in their homes with Another highlight is the crime mini-series “Kings of St. our programs until this pandemic is over and beyond,” Pauli – The Rise and Fall of Hamburg’s Pimp Gangs,” which is Strasser concluded. also part of MIPTV’s Factual and Documentary Showcase.

By Romina Rodríguez MIRJAM STRASSER, HEAD OF SALES & ACQUISITIONS AT AUTENTIC DISTRIBUTION, DESCRIBES HOW THE INCREASING DEMAND FOR CONTENT INTENSIFIED ITS FACTUAL CATALOG.

T

33

DISTRIBUTION

SPANISH DUBBED TITLES FOR A DEMANDING REGION VISION FILMS RECENTLY HIRED ANDRES SANTOS FOR LICENSING OUTREACH AND RELATIONSHIP DEVELOPMENT IN LATIN AMERICA, BRAZIL, AND THE US HISPANIC MARKET. THE EXECUTIVE EXPLAINS THE DISTRIBUTION STRATEGIES FOR THOSE TERRITORIES AND TALKS ABOUT THE COMPANY’S OFFER FOR MIPTV.

I

n the frame of its Sales And Distribution Team restructuration, Vision Films has hired Andres Santos and his sales company, Screenbright Media, for licensing outreach and relationship development in Latin America, Brazil, and the US Hispanic market. “It’s been an efficient and cohesive collaboration that has enabled us to implement a focused and clearly defined marketing strategy for the region. We centered around new films and documentary releases and an important Spanish dubbed library package,” commented Andres Santos in an exclusive interview with Señal News.

The partnership between Screenbright and Vision Films allowed to identify specific acquisition opportunities projected to be successful across Spanishspeaking audiences. The leading example for that is the film ‘Lady of Guadalupe,’ which premiered theatrically in Mexico via Cinemex, aired last December in Univision in the US, and was recently closed with Televisa for pan-regional pay-TV rights and locally in Mexico for Blim. “Steps are being taken to materialize ongoing negotiations with certain local broadcasters,” Santos stated.

A very successful 34

Andres Santos

distribution strategy implemented

by Vision Films refers to seasonal content. It features religious titles for the new year and Easter, a select package of horror films for Halloween, romantic comedies for Valentine’s Day, and female/male titles for Mother’s and Father’s Day, in addition to Christmas titles for December. “It allows us to pinpoint client’s needs and target broader content distribution year-round,” Santos highlighted.

Santos sees an apparent demand for the genres that have always been popular in Latin America, Brazil, and US Hispanic regions: action/adventure, comedy, family, and romantic, in addition to disaster and fantastic titles. “Our documentaries have also appealed to traditional broadcasters and digital platforms, particularly in the music categories, biographies, lifestyle, exploration, and sports.

Free-TV seeks more nature and exploration docs while panregional pay-TV prefers technicalrelated shows, science, and biopics of very well-known personalities,” Santos explained.

Besides ‘Lady of Guadalupe,’ one of Vision Films’ most popular shows in Latin America, it is the new action/thriller film ‘SOS. Survive or Sacrifice’, starring William Baldwin. It will premiere in Latin American theaters in the second quarter of this year. “Our

50+ neutral Spanish dubbed titles also have significant demand both on linear and digital buyers.

Music documentaries featuring the Beatles, David Bowie, and Justin Bieber, to name a few, have also been acquired by music channels in the region. Biographies such as those of Elon Musk, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Muhammad Ali are also popular,” he detailed.

FILMS FOR EVERYONE Vision Films will be part of the virtual edition of MIPTV 2021 with a wide offer of films like “Hope’s Legacy,” a sweet girl-and-horse film with Dyan Cannon. Moreover, “My Secret Billionaire” is a modern romantic comedy that proves that money can’t buy love. It stars Talia Shire, Victor Alfieri, and Ione Skye. Finally, “Adverse” is a crime drama starring Mickey Rourke, Penelope Ann Miller, Sean Astin, and Lou Diamond Phillips that just had a successful theatrical release in the USA. Even in uncertain times as today, Vision Films has clear goals. “The objective for the rest of the year is to continue to strengthen alliances with clients and contacts throughout the region by providing quality content that they can rely upon for their programming needs,” Santos said. “We will continue to distribute theatrical rights whenever possible and seek to expand our business on the recent pan-regional company’s mergers.

We will also continue to pursue traditional television clients with a content offer that we know can work for their respective audiences,” he concluded.

By Romina Rodríguez

RESEARCH

INSIGHTS TO UNDERSTAND CURRENT AND FUTURE TRENDS

VOD TRENDS IN THE EUROPEAN UNION SVOD SERVICES BY COUNTRY PRESENCE IN EUROPE

NUMBER OF SVOD SERVICES AVAILABLE

BY COUNTRY

Number of EU28 countries

SVOD services

Source: MAVISE/OBS

Netflix

28

Amazon Prime Video

28

YouTube Premium

28

Apple TV+

26

MUBI

19

HBO

16

Disney+

13

Eurosport Player

12

Hayu

8

Acorn TV

7

Sky

5

Source: MAVISE/OBS/press releases

EU28 LANGUAGE OF SVOD SERVICES IN EUROPE

GENRE OF SVOD SERVICES AVAILABLE IN EUROPE 460 SVOD SERVICES

460 SVOD SERVICES

Source: MAVISE/OBS

*localised versions of interface

TOP 6 PAY TV AND SVOD GROUPS IN EUROPE Apple TV+ 12,2 9%

By subscribers in millions, 2015-2020

Disney+ 10,0 7%

Amazon 40,3 29%

2015

SVOD SUBSCRIBERS

BY COMPANY

2016

2017

2018

2019

Viaplay 2,2 2% TIM Vision 2,1 1% Sky Now TV 1,9 1% HBO 1,6 1% IPLA 1,4 1%

SVOD groups

Pay TV groups 40,3

Other 19 SVOD services 10,6 7%

20,2

In million of subscribers, 2020

21,5

18,6

9,4

9,9

7,7

6,2

8,8

7,2

11,3

8,7

7,2

12,2 10,1

10,0

5,7

4,0

2,2

Viaplay

DAZN

Disney+

Apple TV+

Amazon

Netflix

Liberty Global

Canal+ Group

Deutsche Telekom

Orange

Source: MAVISE/OBS

Vodafone

Netflix 54,4 39%

Comcast

0,5

36

2020

54,4

DAZN 4,0 3%

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