World Screen July-FAST Festival 2023

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Taking place from October 3 to 5, 2023, the secon the TV DRAMA FESTIVAL will feature keynotes executives and creatives discussing the major trend of scripted series today. It will be streamed live on-demand on TVDramaFestival.com.

You can sign up for your free registration here. For sponsorship opportunities please go here.

second edition of and panels with leading trends in the business live and available

WORLD VIEW By Mansha Daswani.

FREMANTLE’S JENS RICHTER The CEO of commercial and international at the company showcases its FAST strategy.

SPI INTERNATIONAL’S HAYMI BEHAR As chief marketing and digital officer at the CANAL+ Group-owned company, Haymi Behar is driving the rollout of a wealth of lean-back and lean-forward viewing experiences.

LIGHTNING INTERNATIONAL’S JAMES ROSS The CEO of the Asia-focused business discusses its lineup of FAST channels.

FAST MOVES FilmRise’s Tejas Shah outlines the company’s FAST strategy.

FAST FEELINGS Candlelight Media Group’s Scott Wiscombe on feel-good FAST content.

FAST FUN Common Sense Networks’ Eric Berger and Kyra Reppen on filling the gaps in the kids’ FAST segment.

FAST FRIENDS Pocket.watch’s Chris M. Williams on bringing content from the creator economy into the FAST space.

READY FOR TAKEOFF Passion Distribution’s Nick Rees outlines the strategy for UpStream Media.

CRIME PAYS GoQuest Media’s Jimmy George talks about the global appeal of the Polish crime drama Crusade .

CELEBRATING EXCELLENCE A look at the new developments at the Asian Academy of Creative Arts.

TRENDING ON The most-viewed clips on our video portals for the last 30 days.

Publisher

Ricardo Seguin Guise

Editor-in-Chief

Mansha Daswani

Editor-at-Large

Anna Carugati

Executive Editor

Kristin Brzoznowski

Associate Editor

Jamie Stalcup

Editor, Spanish-Language Publications

Elizabeth Bowen-Tombari

Production & Design Director

David Diehl

Online Director

Simon Weaver

Sales & Marketing Director

Dana Mattison

Sales & Marketing Manager

TV KIDS SUMMER FESTIVAL RECAP

All the action from the TV Kids Summer Festival, including keynotes with Disney’s Ayo Davis, BBC Studios’ Cecilia Persson, Evan Shapiro, Drew & Jonathan Scott, M6 Group’s Maud Branly, Moonbug Entertainment’s Nicolas Eglau & Andy Yeatman, Mercury Filmworks’ Heath Kenny & Chantal Ling and Not Quite Narwhal’s Brian K. Roberts; panels on AVOD acquisition trends, French production, working with FAST channels, animation innovation, reviving classic properties and brand building; and insights from The WIT Kids Garden.

Genovick Acevedo

LISTINGS Highlights from several distributors and channel operators.

Ricardo Seguin Guise

President

Anna Carugati

Executive VP

Mansha Daswani

Associate Publisher & VP of Strategic Development

BY MANSHA DASWANI

FAST Times Ahead

Between two simultaneous strikes in the U.S. that have Hollywood largely shut down, a murky economic climate and continuing uncertainty about the strategy at the major global streamers, there is one very bright spot on the horizon: FAST channels.

From connected TV providers like Samsung TV and Roku to the big AVOD services such as Pluto TV and Tubi, there are hundreds and hundreds of FAST channels out there. Akin to the land grab that hap pened at the dawn of the pay-TV age, seemingly everyone is clamoring to be a part of the FAST ecosystem. Distributors of scale are tapping into their huge libraries to create their own services. Smaller distributors are licensing shows to multi-genre channels. Channel operators that have long operated in the cable and satellite space are extending their capabilities to FAST. And there are numerous technology companies popping up to help ease the transition as everyone makes sense of this brave new world that is deeply rooted in the traditions of what “TV” used to be. Channel surfing an EPG? Indulging in a lean-back experience that doesn’t involve trawling through poster after poster on an on-demand menu looking for something compelling to watch? How very 1990s. Of course the economics are different now, and if you’re operating on a revenue share, you might not be seeing a ton of money just yet. But just as the subscription streamers made content owners realize they weren’t trading in analog dollars for digital pennies, the FAST ecosystem holds a wealth of revenue potential, if you’re smart about navigating it. So get smart and tune in to our FAST Festival next week, where we’ll deliver insights on selling to channel operators, curation, managing catalogs of scale and so much more. And like FAST channels, our virtual conferences are free. Register here to ensure you receive our post-event FAST trends White Paper.

Jens Richter Fremantle

To date, Fremantle runs 33 FAST channels across all major platforms around the world. This includes a mix of single-IP channels, such as ones for The Price Is Right, Baywatch and America’s Got Talent , and genrespecific offerings , such as Places and Spaces, Sleuth and Quip. Jens Richter, CEO of commercial and international, shares with World Screen the opportunities that FAST is presenting.

By Anna Carugati

WS: What considerations go into deciding which shows are suitable for FAST or AVOD?

RICHTER: Recognition. What are the beloved brands in the market?

Because FAST is a relatively new space, you want to create channels where the brands are easily recognizable. Number two is, FAST also means you must fill a linear schedule. You have the linear component and the AVOD component. To fill a linear schedule, the rule of thumb is you need at least 200 hours of programming. The next thing is you have single-IP versus genre channels. When we think about single IP, what comes to our mind is it’s easy, there’s clear recognition, and it’s big brands—what you see is what you get. You come down the EPG, and you see Baywatch . So you need at least 200 hours. OK, Baywatch ticks the box. But not many single-IP series come with that level of 200-plus episodes. The other space is thinking about genre channels. Then it’s about: What could the interesting genres be? Perhaps cooking

and home—so, we set up in both genres. It’s a game of the right shows and a game of volume. It’s a game of scheduling. It’s a game of refresh rates. You need to put something up constantly, and then you have to think, What are the ways of engaging with your audience?

WS: How have FAST channels helped bring new life, new viewers and new revenues to classic shows?

RICHTER: For us, it’s another window. Because essentially, we are talking about linear, commercial, free-TV rights. It’s like the same set of rights you could license to a cable channel. You create your own cable channel, but you deliver it over the top to platforms. And it’s an advertising-supported model, so it’s the same set of rights, essentially. It could come as non-exclusive. It could be exclusive. It could be for a longer period of time. It could be for a shorter period of time. A show that is on a FAST channel could eventually go back to cable. That’s the beauty. It extends the possibilities.

WS: Is it a good revenue source?

RICHTER: It’s a good revenue source. But besides it being a good revenue source, it’s gre at for keeping the brand alive. As I mentioned earlier, from FAST, it might go back to cable. So it helps the life of your brand. The other thing that’s exciting in this model is data. In our conventional licensing model, we hand over our programs to the platforms and the broadcasters, and they take over from there. While in the FAST space, when we own and operate our channels, especially in a revenue-share model or inventory, we have data. We can see how the shows perform. We can play with refresh rates; we can play with scheduling; we can play with stunts; we can play with communication. We have a direct impact on how our show performs.

“Because FAST is a relatively new space, you want to create channels where the brands are easily recognizable.”

Haymi Behar SPI International

As chief marketing and digital officer at SPI International, a CANAL+ company, H aymi Behar has been at the forefront of the evolution of the TV landscape, harnessing the combination of linear and digital. The company has responded to the fast-changing ecosystem with the launch of Smart Channels on its FilmBox+ streaming service, with specially curated playlists of on-demand content that play back-to-back in a similar fashion to traditional linear channels. Behar tells World Screen about the lean-back and lean-forward approach es to viewing.

By Kristin Brzoznowski

WS: Walk me through SPI’s FAST offerings.

BEHAR: We have Filmstream, which has been broadcasting for three years on multiple platforms worldwide. It’s an arthouse movie channel that’s localized in multiple languages and available on Samsung TVs and with other operators in the U.K., Australia, the U.S. and a lot of territories. We also have Dramastream, which is a series channel, and Docustream, which is a documentary FAST channel. Fashionstream, which is for fashion content, is available in Latin America. We’re doing FAST in multiple countries with platforms like Pluto TV and many others.

WS: Tell me about SPI’s latest innovation, Smart Channels, which are exclusive to the FilmBox+ platform.

BEHAR: Smart Channels are an innovative way of offering our content to our viewers and operators. They have already launched in millions

of homes globally, as well as across SPI’s core territories such as Europe, the Adriatic region, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Turkey with channel availability varying by territory. We have around 200 Smart Channels, which are digitally curated streaming channels that a re deployed thro ugh our content management system. You can think of it like a playlist on a music streaming app. SPI has around 14,000 pieces of content in its library. It would be an incredible waste of time for a consumer to go through all of this content in order to find something to watch. So, we categorize and recommend content, but we also wanted to tap into the lean-back approach. FilmBox+, which is integrated already with around 50 operators across Europe, is offering linear channels as well as VOD content together in a hybrid model that you can subscribe to directly or through the subscription that you have with your operators. The app is integrated with operators’ apps and smart TVs. You can use the login with your operat or and download our app to your iPhone or iPad and then log into our app as well. We also wanted to offer people the option to discover content in a different way, which is the linear channels. We already have satellite linear channels within our app, and we see that the viewership is very high on those channels from within the mobile app as well. So we said, why don’t we create—for smart TVs, mobiles, tablets, laptops—a product that’s within our Film Box+ app that makes content discoverability much easier. We decided to create some genre-specific channels. Our editors sit down and program, let’s say kids’ content, with 100 hours of programming at minimum, put them together, and then it’s launched with a special logo and brand name. In every country that we’re in, we have at least 25 or 30 channels, including the Smart Channels. This is a great way of discovering content. We launched this at the beginning of 2023, and we see that the viewership is going up. Almost 20 percent of our app viewership is now coming from Smart Channels. People are reacting really positively.

“Smart Channels are an innovative way of offering our content to our viewers and operators.”

James Ross Lightning International

Light ning International has launched a bouquet of 12 FAST channels available for Asia and worldwide. These channels are fully curated and broadcast-quality and include brands ranging from NOW 70s, NOW 80s and NOW ROCK to Action Hollywood Movies, Pet Club TV, TRACE Urban, TRACE Sport Stars, Docsville, NewsWorld and more. James Ross, CEO, shares with World Screen his views on the evolving FAST landscape.

By Kristin Brzoznowski

WS: How do you see this new interest in FAST channels impacting your business in Asia and around the world?

ROSS: Consumers have lots of choice. They can stream, lean forward and pick what they want. They can lean back and watch traditional television. FAST channels are adding to that, particularly through smart TVs. We’re embracing all of that. We have been around for 12 years. In the past, we very much focused on broadcast TV and pay TV, cable, satellite and so on. In fact, we’re now part of the AsiaSat group. We continue to broadcast channels that are suitable for all types of platforms. It could be pay TV still, but these days it’s also FAST. It is giving us a bit of a lift in a different area of our business. As the advertising grows with FAST channels, that is increasingly important to all of us to balance a slight downturn in pay-TV revenues. We’re very optimistic about it. Different parts of the world are

in different stages of growth with FAST. FAST has been pretty big in the U.S., and that’s been leading the market. Europe is growing, and Australia and New Zealand are growing quite well. Asia is kind of a laggard at the moment, but it is growing; there are lots of plans there, a lot of people launching channels and particularly new platforms.

WS: Give us a sense of your overall FAST channel offerings. ROSS: At the moment, we’re offering 12 FAST channels, available in different parts of the world. They include all kinds of different genres. They are fully curated channels, and we plan them as if they are full broadcast channels; we’re not sitting on a pile of content and just playing it out one piece at a time. These are fully thought-through channels. We represent and produce. We represent, for instance, big channel brands like the Now That’s What I Call Music series, with NOW 70s, NOW 80s and NOW ROCK from Universal and bring them out into the FAST world. We also have GB News, which is one of the U.K.’s leading news channels. Action Hollywood Movies is another brand we have, which is classic movies from the ’70s and ’80s. We have Pet Club TV, which is 24/7 pets and vets. We have two documentary channels: the wonderful Docsville, which is real stories about real people from around the world and some really engaging films from some of the world’s leading filmmakers, and Pulse Documentaries, which has another take on docs from Asia and other parts of the world rather than just the Western world. We have another news channel that we are launching, NewsWorld, which is a combination of different news channels from all around the world, all brought together, all live, giving a world view of the news. We look after the TRACE channels, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region, such as TRACE Urban, TRACE Latina and TRACE Sport Stars as FAST channels, and they’re doing particularly well at the moment in Australia. We also work very closely with Genius Brands [now Kartoon Studios] on Kartoon Channel!, which has some fantastic fresh animation for kids.

“FAST is giving us a bit of a lift in a different area of our business.”

FAST Moves

FilmRise’s Tejas Shah outlines the company’s FAST strategy.

By Kristin Brzoznowski

Ea rlier this summer, FilmRise revealed that it had surpassed the 250 FAST channel mark with its global offering and plans to launch another 133 services in 2023, bringing its total bouquet to 384 channels available in the U.S. and internationally. Since launching in 2019, FilmRise’s FAST channels have expanded to 52 platforms across 15 territories, with partners such as Google TV, LG, Rakuten TV, Plex and VIZIO.

“FilmRise has witnessed the transformation of the FAST space from a niche novelty to the first thing you see on a smart TV,” says Tejas Shah, senior VP of commercial strategy and analytics. “FilmRise’s selection of channels has grown with that maturation, beginning with channels curated by genre for enthusiast audiences to finding popular IP to stream on their own 24/7 single-series channels such as Heartland , Forensic Files and Unsolved Mysteries .”

The offering further includes FilmRise Action, FilmRise Western, FilmRise True Crime, FilmRise Free Movies, FilmRise Black TV, FilmRise Family, FilmRise Anime and FilmRise British TV, along with channels for The Dick Van Dyke Show , Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction , Cheaters , Unspeakable , World’s Most Evil Killers , 21 Jump Street , The Rifleman and Hell’s Kitchen with Kitchen Night mares .

FilmRise also has a slate of original productions, including the true-crime series Bloodline Detectives, hosted by Nancy Grace.

The company currently has 251 FAST channels live, with 192 FAST channels in North America, 53 in Europe and 6 in LatAm. The plans to launch an additional

FilmRise FAST channels.

133 FAST channels within the next few months targets platforms such as Amazon Freevee, VIZIO, Plex, Sling and Rakuten TV.

With its international footprint, FilmRise localizes channels with a selection available in English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Italian and Nordic languages.

Since 2019, FilmRise FAST channels have grown at a compound growth rate of 44 percent, with over 1.4 billion hours streamed in that time. “In 2023, FilmRise is on pace to exceed our all-time high hours streamed set in 2022,” Shah adds.

North America has been the driver in terms of FAST growth, but there is plenty of opportunity on the horizon internationally, Shah says. “Cord-cutting outside the U.S. and Canada has been slower, but we do see it accelerating exponentially. The greatest growth opportunities are in those markets with great broadband and smart-TV penetration, where we can replicate the user experience we have refined over the past four years.

“In addition, a global trend will be t he path to discovery,” Shah continues. “With the proliferation of channels, decision paralysis has come to FAST. Enhanced UI and AI capabilities to su rface channels based on user behavior and preferences will drive better performance for everyone, even allowing niche channels to coexist alongside more mainstream content.”

FilmRise has already achieved 90 percent global reach on connected devices with a combination of branded apps as well as its curated and single-IP FAST channels on all the major CTV devices, including Roku, Samsung TV, Amazon Fire TV, LG and others.

Additionally, the company offers over 50,000 licensed and originally produced scripted and unscripted feature films and television episodes across all genres.

“FilmRise has witnessed the transformation of the FAST space from a niche novelty to the first thing you see on a smart TV.”

—Tejas Shah

FAST Feelings

Candlelight Media Group’s Scott Wiscombe on feel-good FAST content.

By Jamie Stalcup

Since 2021, Candlelight Media Group has launched nine FAST channels across multiple territories and platforms. Its primary FAST brand is SparkTV: Light & Love, known as Sparkle Movies in the U.K. and localized as SparkTV: Luz & Amor in Latin America.

“We sub-branded as ‘Light & Love’ very intentionally,” says Scott Wiscombe, VP of streaming and social media. “We want our viewers to feel uplifted and happier after watching our channel—a feel-good and fun escape. The content across our channel is always family-friendly, something that you wouldn’t be embarrassed to watch alongside your young children.”

Titles that fit the bill and are available on the platform include Love’s Portrait , Destined at Christmas and Beauty and the Billionaire.

“We are always on the lookout for new content that fits our brand—family, romance and inspirational,” Wiscombe adds. “It’s been said that ‘content is king,’ and we’ve found regularly having new content (at least new to our channels) is something that is both beneficial for us and our content partners.”

In terms of localizing, the company currently has live channels in Mexico and Brazil, as well as in the U.S. Hispanic market, with content dubbed in the local language (Spanish or Portuguese). The company is also gearing up for launches in the Netherlands, Australia and New Zealand. “We are looking to strike a balance between getting into established markets, where advertising fill rates and CPMs are highest, and emerging markets, where we can get in early and establish ourselves for the long term,” Wiscombe says.

Candlelight Media Group’s Beauty and the Billionaire .

FAST Fun

Common Sense Networks’ Eric Berger and Kyra Reppen on filling the gaps in the kids’ FAST segment. By Jamie Stalcup

As the FAST space grows, Common Sense Networks looks to fill the gap in the kids’ segment by anchoring its channels in safe, thematic programming. Sensical Jr. features digital-first creator and nostalgic content for preschoolers and their millennial parents; Sensical Makers provides content that challenges kids so that they can engage with maker culture in a lean-back experience; and Sensical Gaming features tips, challenges, tutorials and gameplay.

“It’s our industrial vetting process that’s our main point of differentiation,” notes Eric Berger, CEO and co-founder of Common Sense Networks. The company employs a rigorous rubric that scores content on a variety of criteria, including topics, learning categories, personal characteristics, DEI and more. “We’re the only organization with child development experts watching every frame of every video. We say, ‘Vigilance is our filter; consistency is our goal.’ ”

The company has introduced a certification program called SENSICALSELECT, applied to 500 series selected from tens of thousands viewed. It recognizes a program’s high-quality, age-appropriate content. Common Sense Networks is now certifying FAST channels as well, giving brands “peace of mind when associating their products and services with certified channels,” Berger says.

Another point of differentiation for Common Sense Networks is its approach to programming. “We look at day patterns, where we assess FAST viewing patterns across distinct kid age breaks and refine the programming in half-hour increments to maximize engagement,” explains Kyra Reppen, acting chief content officer. “This ensures a continuous thematic flow from one show to the next and, as a result, we experience less churn.”

StacyPlays on Sensical Gaming.

FAST Friends

Pocket.watch’s Chris M. Williams on bringing content from the creator economy into the FAST space. By Jamie

Stalcup

Pocket.watch’s niche is transforming YouTube content into TV-ready programming. Currently, its FAST portfolio includes two channels: pocket.watch and Ryan and Friends. Both “are strategically designed to reach kids and families everywhere they are, offering curated creator content that parents and major platforms can embrace,” says Chris M. Williams, founder and CEO.

“Left to their own devices, kids will seek out and find creator content,” Williams explains. “They’re compelled to. It satisfies their basic impulse to see other kids and families who look and act like they do, and who like doing the stuff that they like to do.”

Together, the two channels have garnered over 100 million hours of watch time. Their popularity is underscored by their distribution presence: Ryan and Friends is on nine platforms across five countries and pocket.watch is on ten.

Pocket.watch processes dozens of hours of content each month for its channels and is constantly looking to expand its creator roster, which is already 40 deep, Williams notes.

The Ryan and Friends channel, though mainly focused on content featuring Ryan Kaji, also serves as a stepping stone for other creators on the roster. “Ryan’s influential role as an ambassador for kid creators enables him to introduce audiences to other creators they will adore, with 40 percent of Ryan and Friends content featuring these ‘friends,’ ” Williams says. “It’s similar to what Looney Tunes did when I was a kid. Bugs Bunny was the biggest star, but we loved the other characters too, and it all fit together.”

pocket.watch FAST channels.

Ready for Takeoff

Passion Distribution’s Nick Rees outlines the strategy for UpStream Media. By Kristin Brzoznowski

Earlier this year, Tinopolisowned Passion Distribution launched UpStream Media as a subsidiary to oversee its FAST and YouTube channel operations. UpStream works to maximize the value of content through protection, distribution and enrichment. The team is able to help clients reach new fans, realize their content’s full potential and build their audience.

UpStream was borne out of Passion’s history of distribution, its understanding of the market and the needs of content owners, says Nick Rees, COO at Passion Distribution.

“We can offer everything from ingesting and managing entire archives of content to creating channels or editing programs to stand out and get discovered. Our team of digital experts works closely with content owners to develop an ongoing strategy to unlock additional revenue streams.

“Our approach is very flexible with windowing and geo-filtering to ensure the interests of the content owners are protected and that we are realizing the full potential of the content, getting it in front of our network of super-engaged subscribers and attaining market-leading advertising rates,” he continues.

The plan is to continue the rollout of existing FAST channels to new platforms and take the knowledge and expertise gained to expand more YouTube channel brands into the FAST space. “With access to thousands of hours of content in multiple genres, we will also be launching new brands and looking for new content opportunities,” Rees says.

UpStream Media.

Crime Pays

GoQuest Media’s Jimmy George talks about the global appeal of the Polish crime drama Crusade .

By Jamie Stalcup

GoQuest M edia represents a slate of diverse dramas across a range of categories for the international stage. One area in which the company is rapidly expanding its catalog is the crime drama space. A current highlight is the Polish police procedural Crusade, in which detectives from the crime and criminal terror division of the Warsaw Metropolitan Police investigate a spate of murders and kidnappings of celebrities.

“ Crusade came up when we were discussing acquiring Erinyes from TVP,” says Jimmy George, VP of sales and acquisitions at GoQuest. “We found it to be the perfect binge-watch for crime drama enthusiasts. It was pacy, had an exciting storyline and, like most procedurals, you could pick up where you left off, and it would suck you right back into the action.”

George adds: “After the success we had placing crime action thrillers like Civil Servant and Traitor on international networks and OTT platforms, Crusade was a natural fit that expanded our offering in the genre.”

The 13-part series sees an organized terrorist group murder people who are pillars of society, including an influential TV journalist and an MP, in an attempt to turn the social and economic order around and influence cultural transformation. “They firmly believe that is the natural way human civilization will develop,” George explains. Director Łukasz Ostalski “has kept this honesty of purpose intact. There is no lens of moral judgment presented to you. People’s motivations are made clear. The terrorists finding kinship in an investigator who had a troubled

GoQuest Media’s Crusade .

childhood and manipulating him to push their agenda just goes to show that there is a complicated vortex of history, Polish politics, technology and psychological manipulation at play here.”

The show also allows viewers to “see a wide cityscape of Warsaw and across social strata,” he says. “We get into the homes of the elite and rich, witnessing their wild shenanigans and exploitations. But we also get to sit with the underprivileged young men in their modest homes internalizing their suffering and understanding the purpose of their action—to cause mass terror. The eternal battle of the haves versus the have-nots against the workings of a flawed criminal justice system, set in a new but quite familiar landscape, will be interesting to watch.”

Adding Crusade to the catalog helps to feed the growing interest GoQuest is seeing for Polish content. “When Poland became the focal point of Netflix’s investment last year in Central and Eastern Europe, it brought to the international market a slate of high-quality and critically acclaimed crime dramas,” George says. “We see this interest only growing and have made important investments in our slate to cater to this appetite.”

The Ostalski-directed series is one example of a title that feeds this appetite, allowing audiences to “find comfort in watching competent, capable heroes working together to solve problems,” notes George. “It is very much in the format of prevalent procedural dramas currently popular worldwide, so its familiar narrative combined with suspenseful action, undiscovered locations, strong acting and a new mystery to solve in every episode makes it appealing to audiences across the board.”

Ultimately, adding the show to the catalog fits in with GoQuest’s overall mission: “to continue building a strong catalog of titles that can help a platform bring the best of i nternational drama to their audiences.”

“We found Crusade to be the perfect binge-watch for crime drama enthusiasts.”

—Jimmy George

Celebrating Excellence

Michael and Fiona McKay showcase what’s new at the Asian Academy of Creative Arts.

By Mansha Daswani

The Asian Academy Creative Awards (AAAs) were launched five years ago by Michael and Fiona McKay to celebrate the best in Asia-Pacific content. Today, the annual awards ceremony is just one prong in the Asian Academy of Creative Arts’ efforts to elevate the region’s storytelling globally.

“We have three missions,” says Fiona. “The first, with the AAAs, is to promote creative AsiaPac talent to the international market. Our second mission is to train the next generation of industry professionals with our skills-development programs, such as our annual masterclasses and a Producers Summit. And the third mission, our newly introduced Elite Membership, combines the first two objectives with a high-level networking program. The Elite Membership recognizes outstanding career achievements. Our exclusive industry networking events aim to create greater cohesion and encourage co-production and idea-sharing among powerhouse filmmakers and creators.”

Entries are now open for the 2023 edition of the AAAs, with submissions due by August 15. National winners, hailing from 16 countries and territories across 35 categories, will be unveiled via an international live stream on September 28, with those honorees then going on to vie for the best-in-AsiaPac Grand Awards in Singapore from December 7 to 8.

“The Asian Academy Creative Awards were created to be hard to win,” says Michael. “You’ve got to be judged the best in your own country, then compete against up to 16 others from around the entire region in each category.”

Jodi Sta. Maria at the AAAs.

According to Michael and Fiona, the foundation stone of the AAAs is the integrity of its judging systems, which were purposely based on the International Emmy scoring system. “We wanted AsiaPac’s works to be judged to the same standard, to be internationally benchmarked,” says Michael, himself an International Emmy winner for his work on The Amazing Race Australia . “We wanted a system familiar to international judges, and we wanted to give confidence to AAA winners that they could compete at a global level.”

And there are clear benefits to an AAAs win beyond the honor of being recognized as among the best shows made in the region. “You can expect an international sales bump of between 8 and 16 percent,” Michael says.

Developing the skill sets of producers across the region is also a core mandate of the Asian Academy of Cre ative Arts, with a series of masterclasses and the Producers Summit in Singapore on July 26 and 27. The newest development at the Academy is the launch of an Elite Membership program, a plan that’s been long in the works but was interrupted by the pandemic. “We always wanted to have an organization that we could all belong to as an industry, that represented us and gave our members opportunities,” Michael says. “Our Elite Membership is an acknowledgment of people’s achievements within the industry. It’s a referral/endorse ment, peer-judged membership. We want it to be a calling card for the industry. Members receive concessions on tickets and complimentary entry to events across the region. We want it to be a terrific member-to-member networking opportunity.”

Those network opportunities include a series of events across Asia, beginning with one in Taipei on June 15 that showcased Taiwan’s attractive foreign production incentives and infrastructure. Up next will be gatherings in Jakarta, Bangkok, Manila, Tokyo and other cities to be announced, Fiona says.

“The Asian Academy Creative Awards were created to be hard to win. You’ve got to be judged the best in your own country, then compete against up to 16 others from around the entire region in each category.”

—Michael McKay

Trending On

The most-viewed clips on our video portals in the last month.

Feelings

Relocated from the city to a secluded village deep in a mystical forest, 16-year-old social misfit Alva befriends the self-assured Esma. Her hopes of a genuine connection are overshadowed by strange goings-on in the forest. Distributor: ZDF Studios

The Big Sex Talk

Fronted by certified sex educator Shan Boodram, with help from experts, culture vultures and personal stories from everyday people, the series unpacks our notions of sexuality. Distributor: BossaNova

Quantum Heroes Dinoster

Discover the amazing world of dinosaurs with the Dinoster team. Through their adventures, they’ll overcome great challenges to protect dinosaurs. Distributor: Alpha Group

The Girl of the Green Valley

Melissa Çelik was left without a mother and father when she was a baby. No one knows the truth about what happened to her family. Distributor: Inter Medya

My Eternal

For family. For revenge. Can he forsake the woman he loves?

Daniel and Katerina are star-crossed lovers trapped in a world of greed and betrayal. Distributor: ABS-CBN Corporation

TV Kids Summer Festival Recap

The only video portal for the kids’ media industry.

CONTENTS

DISNEY BRANDED TELEVISION’S AYO DAVIS As president, Ayo Davis leads all operations for the unit of Disney Entertainment that produces imaginative premium content for kids, tweens, teens and families on Disney+, Disney Channel, Disney XD and Disney Junior.

BBC STUDIOS KIDS & FAMILY’S CECILIA PERSSON Cecilia Persson, the managing director of the children’s division at BBC Studios, outlined her strategy for bringing shows with the BBC stamp of creativity to platforms across the globe.

EVAN SHAPIRO The media cartographer and thought leader shared his unique perspectives on engaging with kid audiences today by embracing both the gatekeeper and community economies.

BUYING FOR AVOD In our signature session focused on program buyers, we spotlighted those making waves in the AVOD streaming space, hearing from Kidoodle.TV’s Brenda Bisner, HappyKids’ David Di Lorenzo, Canela Kids’ Maggie Salas-Amaro and Playground TV’s Daniel Nordberg.

DREW & JONATHAN SCOTT After conquering the lifestyle content space with their beloved shows as the Property Brothers, Drew and Jonathan Scott have brought their signature style to the kids’ arena with their animated series Builder Brothers Dream Factory

TV KIDS PIONEER AWARD: MAUD BRANLY For her achievements as children’s acquisitions director and international TV channels children’s programming director at M6 Group, Maud Branly received the TV Kids Pioneer Award after outlining her content strategy.

THE WIT KIDS GARDEN Bertrand Villegas, co-founder of The WIT, spotlighted the kids’ properties making waves across the globe on social video, SVOD streamers and linear channels.

FRANCE IN FOCUS Superprod’s Clément Calvet, Mediawan Kids & Family’s Julien Borde, Dandelooo’s Emmanuèle Pétry-Sirvin and HARI’s Sophie “Kido” Prigent discussed the latest developments in French animation.

MERCURY FILMWORKS’ ANIMATED EDGE Heath Kenny, chief content officer at Mercury Filmworks, and Chantal Ling, VP of original series and co-productions, showcased the creativity at the heart of the animation studio.

THE MOONBUG WAY Moonbug Entertainment is pioneering new production and distribution models with its slate of popular titles; Nicolas Eglau and Andy Yeatman took delegates inside what’s driving the buzzy company’s gains.

TOO FAST? How should kids’ content distributors be approaching the FAST segment? We heard expert insights from pocket.watch’s David B. Williams and WildBrain’s Lara Ilie.

TOON INNOVATION From attempting to shorten production timelines to pioneering techniques that give creators the tools they need to bring stories to life, we heard about new approaches to animation from Cyber Group Studios’ Raphaëlle Mathieu, Toon2Tango’s Ulli Stoef and Sinking Ship Entertainment’s Matt Bishop.

CLASSIC PROPERTIES REVISITED Banijay Kids & Family’s Delphine Dumont, Mondo TV Group’s Luana Perrero and ZDF Studios alum Katharina Pietzsch shared insights into what goes into resurrecting and rebooting classic properties.

BRAND PROMISE 9 Story Media Group’s Katrina Hitz-Tough, Aardman’s Rob Goodchild, Epic Story Media’s Ken Faier and Cookbook Media’s Rob Bencal shared perspectives on how to build 360-degree brands in a fragmented and crowded landscape.

NOT QUITE NARWHAL’S BRIAN K. ROBERTS The co-executive producer offered up an inside look at the new DreamWorks Animation series for Netflix, which is based on the beloved picture book of the same name by Jessie Sima.

Ricardo Seguin Guise Publisher

Mansha Daswani Editor-in-Chief

Anna Carugati

Editor-at-Large

Kristin Brzoznowski Executive Editor

Jamie Stalcup Associate Editor

David Diehl

Production & Design Director

Simon Weaver Online Director

Dana Mattison Sales & Marketing Director Genovick Acevedo Sales & Marketing Manager

Ricardo Seguin Guise President

Anna Carugati Executive VP

Mansha Daswani Associate Publisher & VP of Strategic Development

AYO DAVIS Disney Branded Television

As president, Ayo Davis leads all operations for the unit of Disney Entertainment that produces imaginative premium content for kids, tweens, teens and families on Disney+, Disney Channel, Disney XD and Disney Junior.

Read the recap here.

ision’s

We have this huge slate that helps serve a global audience from preschoolers through adulthood. All these shows are filled with signature Disney qualities of magic and wonder, adventure and heart, with heroic characters that are relatable and reflective of the world that we live in and are truly guided by kindness and understanding, respect and optimism. Music is so integral to our stor ytelling. It’s about creating stories and characters that encapsulate the best of Disney and forge deep emotional connections that stay with the hearts of our audiences for their entire lives.”

CECILIA PER BBC Studios Kids & Famil

Cecilia Persson, the managing director of the children’s division at BBC Studios, outlined her strategy for bringing shows with the BBC stamp of creativity to platforms across the globe. Read the recap here.

ERSSON amily’s

It’s very important that you give individuals the space and the support to realize the original idea that was appealing to us and fit with what we needed for our slate in the first place. But then also, one of the reasons we feel that we’ve gotten a lot of positive interest in what we’re developing is that trust that comes with being the BBC and the values that we uphold. It’s an ongoing process and one that our team is very well versed in to be able to work with this talent to accomplish and deliver.”

EVAN SHAPIRO

The media cartographer and thought leader shared his unique perspectives on engaging with kid audiences today by embracing both the gatekeeper and community economies.

Read the recap here.

When you look at where they spend their video time, increasingly there’s this ‘yes/and’ point of view among all consumers, but especially among those under the age of 20. YouTube is one of the first places that they’ll go for video content. Netflix is the second place. Twitch is a place where they spend a tremendous amount of time, but then also Disney+. There’s this real acceptance of the idea that I’m going to jump from free media on social video to premium video on a subscription platform and back and forth. The idea that publishers don’t see social video as premium video is a big mistake. They’re going to miss a whole generation if they don’t pay attention to social video consumption, which younger consumers see as equal to premium video. The amount of time that young people spend on Twitch, YouTube and TikTok and all these other social media platforms is really important to pay attention to.”

AVOD Buying for

In our signature opening session focused on program buyers, we spotlighted those making waves in the AVOD streaming space, hearing from Kidoodle.TV’s Brenda Bisner, HappyKids’ David Di Lorenzo, Canela Kids’ Maggie Salas-Amaro and Playground TV’s Daniel Nordberg. Read the recap here.

We’re serving kids under 12 in 160 countries. It’s curating the biggest brands in the world. It’s not a quantity play but a quality play for us. We want partners that care about that mission and what we’re doing to better the children’s experience online around the world.”

—Brenda Bisner

Getting

region.”

—Daniel Nordberg

We promote our space as safe, 100 percent in Spanish and an always free environment for our families.”

—Maggie Salas-Amaro

We’re 0 to 12, but our focus lately has been on juggernauts in the preschool space. We’ve got a very strong presence in preschool. One of the challenges for us is trying to find that older audience content. ”

—David Di Lorenzo

multilingual content throughout Europe is a key driver for growth in this

DREW & JONATH SCOTT

After conquering the lifestyle content space with their beloved shows as the Property Brothers, Drew and Jonathan Scott have brought their signature style to the kids’ arena with their animated series Builder Brothers Dream Factory.

Read the recap here.

THAN

When we did our book series originally, that was our first dip in the pool just to see what the process would be like. We then took all of the feedback that we had and listened to the audiences and what they were looking for. People know our shows for technology; that 3D technology where you see things flying in and out. We decided to bring a whole new type of 3D technology to the animation, which you usually would only see in feature films, not in regular ani mated series.” —Jonathan

Innovation is always important to us, with everything we do. We’re one of the larger lifestyle, unscripted producers in North America. This is an original 3D preschool series. To be able to have 40 episodes launching with this full 3D feel is pretty amazing.” —Drew

Scott

Scott

MAUD BRANL TV Kids Pioneer Award:

For her achievements as children’s acquisitions director and international TV channels children’s programming director at M6 Group, Maud Branly received the TV Kids Pioneer Award after outlining her content strategy. Read the recap here.

It is now more and more important to acquire ‘deep rights’ and to be able to propose the right combination between linear broadcast and nonlinear exploitation. We are looking for content that we can exploit across all our platforms without limits. It is essential for us to propose exclusive content for kids that they will find only on our channels and services. We are taking exclusive rights wherever we can and covering broader usage across VOD. Having said this, if a show is outstanding and already on pay TV or a [digital] platform, we are happy to be part of it anyway. We work on a case-by-case basis and have different approaches depending on the program.”

THE WIT KIDS GARDE

Bertrand Villegas, co-founder of The WIT, spotlighted the kids’ properties making waves across the globe on social video, SVOD streamers and linear channels.

Read the recap here.

Kids watch the content, they remix the content, they co-create the content and then they rewatch this content. ”

NikkieTutorials from the Netherlands “pivoted from social media to TV on NPO Zapp. She was able to translate her social media content to a TV show with a makeup competition.”

My Magic Closet tries to capitalize on the craze for K-pop stars.”

FRANCE IN FOCUS

Superprod’s Clément Calvet, Mediawan Kids & Family’s Julien Borde, Dandelooo’s Emmanuèle Pétry-Sirvin and HARI’s Sophie “Kido” Prigent discussed the latest developments in French animation. Read the recap here.

Parents and broadcasters don’t want kids to just be eyeballs anymore and be entertained; they want to have takeaways... intertwined into the story.”

—Emmanuèle

Pétry-Sirvin

French animation can travel; more and more, you can see our content on the channels or platforms in every country in the world, including the U.S.”

—Clément Calvet

Traditional broadcasters are more open than ever. They can go to more serialized series for different demos. We have seen the streamers moving to more commercial IPs. ”

—Julien Borde

Budgets have been a bit challenged. We see more flexibility, but as much as possible, [broadcasters and platforms]

love to have that exclusivity, or at least they make compromises in one season or shorten the length of the holdbacks.”

—Sophie “Kido”

ANIMATED ED Mercury Filmworks’

Heath Kenny, chief content officer at Mercury Filmworks, and Chantal Ling, VP of original series and co-productions, showcased the creativity at the heart of the animation studio. Read the recap here.

EDGE

We have a deep and robust pipeline, but it’s thanks to our people that it’s able to be flexible and agile at the same time. We can do something that feels slapstick, cartoony and almost hand-drawn, and then something that is subtle in its performance and complex. We can flex and move our pipeline to suit the creative. We’re always thinking about how the technology and our people serve the creative.” —Heath Kenny Mercury started as a service company, and we took that word ‘service’ literally.

We realized we needed to be the guardians of the creative. We take that very seriously. It’s in our DNA from the service, and it’s fed into our originals team as well.”

—Chantal Ling

WAY The Moonbug

Moonbug Entertainment is pioneering new production and distribution models with its slate of popular titles; Nicolas Eglau and Andy Yeatman took delegates inside what’s driving the buzzy company’s gains.

Read the recap here.

We’re taking this popular content that’s found an audience on digital platforms and investing time, resources, skill and money in building them into brands and franchises for kids and families all over the world. It’s all about the audience. We’re constantly testing new things. Does this new character resonate? Did this type of animation, this storyline resonate? The audience is our North Star.”

—Andy Yeatman

Each IP we acquire or build is born on YouTube. Then we extend the distribution. We add it to premium platforms, streamers and broadcasters. As we own every IP, we have the freedom to package the content and fulfill the needs of our clients. We’re not big fans of windowing or exclusivity. We don’t want to dictate to people or households how they watch our content. Our content works on all these platforms, whether advertising-funded or subscription-funded.”

—Nicolas Eglau

TOO FAST?

How should kids’ content distributors be approaching the FAST segment? We heard expert insights from pocket.watch’s David B. Williams and WildBrain’s Lara Ilie.

Read the recap here.

We look at the FAST channels in a lot of ways as a platform for driving awareness and excitement about our SVOD platform. But then also our other businesses: the consumer products and the games. It helps create market enthusiasm for all of our brands and lines of business.”

—David B. Williams

The FAST channels in the U.S. started and still reside within the CTVs and the free AVOD apps. Europe is taking an already baked-in concept and making it available as an option to already well-established local broadcasters who put FAST channels on their sites. That’s not to say that the CTVs of the world are not going to try to get their market share in Europe as well; they are. But if you think about it, a TF1 or an ITV has already a built-in audience and advertising, so if they’re going to launch FAST channels within their own experience, they’re going to have more viewers than anyone entering the market fresh.” —Lara

Ilie

TOON INNOVATION

From attempting to shorten production timelines to pioneering techniques that give creators the tools they need to bring stories to life, we heard about new approaches to animation from Cyber Group Studios’ Raphaëlle Mathieu, Toon2Tango’s Ulli Stoef and Sinking Ship Entertainment’s Matt Bishop. Read the recap here.

Back in the day, we used to have feature animation and television animation and never the two shall meet. Now, you’re starting to see things that look like feature animation, but it’s television. As things continue to advance, that gap is going to shorten, and the quality is going to increase.” —Matt

Bishop

Quite some money has been taken away from the market, so at the moment, budgets are a little bit tighter. We have to be really innovative and cost-effective in order to produce great shows with the utmost creativity. That almost cries for innovation .” —Ulli

—Raphaëlle Mathieu

Stoef

[Real-time animation] gives us more possibilities, flexibility and greater ability to speak in a language that is appropriate to the content or to the cost-eff ective need of creating content with budgets that are getting smaller.”

REVISITED Classic Properties

Banijay Kids & Family’s Delphine Dumont, Mondo TV Group’s Luana

Perrero and ZDF Studios alum Katharina Pietzsch shared insights into what goes into resurrecting and rebooting classic properties. Read the recap here.

We do a lot of research and insights about who is the target [audience] to make sure that we have all the values and what they really care for and that we can incorporate that in some ways into our show without losing the original DNA. You want to get the older generation on board as well. ” —Delphine

Dumont

Content-wise, we always look at what’s at the heart of the IP.

What do we love most about it? What is it known for? And then can it still be relevant for kids today and how can it be made that way? ” —Katharina

Pietzsch

The parents can be the influencers of their children. The parents will be our strongest supporters.”

—Luana Perrero

BRAND PROMISE

9 Story Media Group’s Katrina Hitz-Tough, Aardman’s Rob Goodchild, Epic Story Media’s Ken Faier and Cookbook Media’s Rob Bencal shared perspectives on how to build 360-degree brands in a fragmented and crowded landscape.

Read the recap here.

There are lots of diff erent directions you can go in in terms of how you build a brand. And there’s no longer one size, one model fits all.”

—Katrina Hitz-Tough

It is about making decisions on where it is just for a touchpoint and where you want to invest time and energy to make it the most compelling experience it can possibly be.”

It’s never been easier to reach a consumer, but it’s also never been harder. It’s expensive for brands to reach all those diff erent platforms. It’s time-consuming. And it requires spending upfront.”

—Rob Bencal

—Rob Goodchild

You have to think about where the audience is, where it is going to be, and develop your content strategy and engagement strategy accordingly. ”

—Ken Faier

Not Quite Narwha l ’ s BRIAN K. ROB

The co-executive producer off ered up an inside look at the new DreamWorks Animation series for Netflix, which is based on the beloved picture book of the same name by Jessie Sima. Read the recap here.

OBERTS

Whenever we were thinking about stories, about characters, we were always pointing back to [the book] as our inspiration, and also something to live up to. We all wanted to do Jessie’s story justice and honor it with the series itself, even though the series is a diff erent thing. One of the main big ways that it’s diff erent is that there are no other named characters in the [original] story at all. If you’re telling 26 half-hours, actually 52×11-minute episodes, you need other characters. So, we had to build out that world and look at what made Kelp special, but then also fill the world with other unique characters, both underwater and in unicorn land above water.”

CANDLELIGHT MEDIA GROUP

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Lost in Love (Romance, 1x90 min.) Hope and Jeb get left behind on a tour in Turkey and encounter obstacles and beauty as they try to catch up.

Secret Santa Admirer (Holiday, 1x89 min.) Lila struggles as her childhood bully, Glenn, starts working at her company, all while she starts to fall for her Secret Santa.

Lost in Love

A Model Christmas (Holiday, 1x85 min.) Cali, a model with a heart of gold, gets stuck during the holidays with her driver, Jack.

Cinderella in the Caribbean (Romance, 1x90 min.) Ashlyn attends a stepfamily destination wedding and faces demanding siblings and step mother but also a kind young man.

Destined at Christmas (Holiday, 1x86 min.) Kim and Theo meet during a Black Friday shopping night but will need some Christmas magic to find each other again.

Timeless Love (Romance, 1x88 min.) When Megan meets the man she dreamed about while in a coma, she helps him fall in love with her.

Prescription for Love (Romance, 1x88 min.)

Claire, a nurse, fights for a chance at love with a charming new doctor.

Mythica 6: Stormbound (Fantasy, 1x95 min.) The heirs to a legacy of evil are beginning to threaten as unlikely heroes are fated to rise and face them.

Love’s Portrait (Romantic mystery, 1x91 min.) Lily heads to Ireland to find out more about the artist who painted a portrait that looks exactly like her.

Scarlett (Thriller, 1x90 min.) A college student must resort to the skills taught to her by her spy father to protect and save him from a shadowy enemy.

CINEFLIX RIGHTS

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Tempting Fortune (Fact-ent., 6x60 min.) The ultimate test of willpower, 12 strangers are dropped in a remote wilderness where an epic cash prize awaits. But will they resist temptation?

Good Morning Chuck (Drama/comedy, 10x60 min.) A beloved morning show host reluctantly checks into rehab to salvage his reputation and relationships.

Holiday Homes in the Sun (Fact-ent., S1-3: 80x60 min.) Scouring the continent for the ultimate mortgage-free getaway, a fun-loving showcase for Europe’s most incredible rentals.

The Yorkshire Auction House (Fact-ent., S1-3: 65x60 min.) Celebrated auctioneer Angus Ashworth

clears out cluttered homes—and turns forgotten gems into windfalls of cash.

Secret Life of the Auction House (Fact-ent., 8x60 min.) Featuring exclusive access, riveting stories, surprising revelations and jaw-dropping hammer prices, goes behind the scenes at one of Britain’s busiest auction houses.

Hitler’s Engineers: Building the Third Reich (History, 6x60 min.) The Führer’s most prominent planners, designers, architects and builders tried to downplay their role in the Holocaust; this series exposes the truth.

Designing Dreams (Fact-ent., 12x60 min.) Get a rare glimpse inside New Zealand’s most spectacular homes as the country’s best architects open the doors to their all-time favorite properties.

Retro Electro (Factual, 10x60 min.) Follows Britain’s last vintage electronics repairman as he finds, fixes and restores these marvelous machines to their former glory.

Last King of The Cross (Crime drama, 10x60 min.)

Inspired by John Ibrahim’s best-selling autobiography charting his rise from a poverty-stricken immigrant

Holiday Homes in the Sun

with no education, no money and no prospects to Australia’s most infamous nightclub mogul. Ride of Your Life with Courtney Hansen (Factual, 12x60 min.) Joined by an all-star team of expert custom car builders, Courtney Hansen transforms rusty old lemons into rolling works of art.

COMMON SENSE NETWORKS

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Sensical Jr. (Preschool/kids & family FAST channel)

The only free streaming channel for preschoolers backed by Common Sense Media. Educational and entertaining videos feature feel-good stories, clas sic nursery rhymes, cosmic yoga, timeless music and engaging crafts.

FILMRISE

O (1-718) 369-9090

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FilmRise Western (Western FAST channel, 400+ eps./250+ hrs.) Featuring TV shows like The Rifleman and The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, plus films like The Proud Rebel and The Shooting (starring Jack Nicholson and Harry Dean Stanton).

Sensical Makers (Lifestyle/kids & family FAST channel) An entire streaming channel of aspirational videos that will have kids asking, “How did they do that?”

Sensical Gaming (Gaming/kids & family FAST channel) Features the biggest names in gaming playing kids’ favorite games.

FilmRise True Crime (True-crime FAST channel, 350+ eps./hrs.) Featuring World ’s Most Evil Killers; Killers: Caught on Camera ; Bloodline Detectives ; Meet, Marry, Murder; Women Behind Bars and more. FilmRise Action (Action/drama FAST channel, 200+ hrs.) Featuring Final Days of Planet Earth (Daryl Hannah), American Yakuza (Viggo Mortensen), Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (Nicolas Cage), Killing Season (Robert De Niro, John Travolta) and Avenging Angelo (Sylvester Stallone).

Unsolved Mysteries (True-crime/mystery/ paranor mal FAST channel, 200+ eps./hrs.) Robert

Sensical Jr.

FilmRise Western

Stack hosts retellings of crimes, lost loves, inexplicable deaths, paranormal events and mysterious history. The series is celebrating its 35th anniversary.

Hell’s Kitchen/Kitchen Nightmares (Cooking FAST channel, 350+ eps./hrs.) Get your fill of cutthroat contests, culinary cook-a-longs and delicious drama from these Gordon Ramsay-led shows on this food-centric FAST channel. Cheaters (Reality FAST channel, 340+ eps./hrs.) Featuring people who think their significant other is cheating on them and hire a hidden camera crew to investigate their suspicions.

The Rifleman (Western FAST channel, 160+ eps./80+ hrs.) An action-packed FAST channel dedicated to a series about a dedicated rancher trying to raise his son in a turbulent, untamed West. Highway to Heaven (Drama FAST channel, 110+ eps./hrs.) The legendary Michael Landon stars as Jonathan Smith, an angel who has been stripped of his wings and who hopes to do enough good to return to heaven by teaming up with ex-cop Mark Gordon, played by Victor French.

Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction/X-Factor

(True- crime/mystery/paranormal FAST channel, 40+ eps./hrs.) Jonathan Frakes and James Brolin host this cult-hit anthology series of stories of the supernatural, ghosts, psychic phenomena, destiny and the divine.

The Dick Van Dyke Show (Comedy FAST chan nel, 150+ eps./70+ hrs.) One of television’s most celebrated shows playing 24/7. Follow the misadventures of comedy writer Rob Petrie. Starring the legendary Dick Van Dyke and Emmy Award winner Mary Tyler Moore.

FREMANTLE

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Sullivan’s Crossing (Drama, 10x60 min.) From bestselling author Robyn Carr and executive producer Roma Roth, creators of the Netflix hit series Virgin River.

Little Bird (Drama, 6x60 min.) Inspired by true events, follows the story of Indigenous woman Bezhig Little Bird on a journey to uncover her past. Negotiator (Drama, 8x60 min.) Captain Gabriel Menck is the best at negotiating saving lives, but when he becomes the main suspect for the disappearance of his wife, can he save himself?

Bay of Fires (Drama, 8x60 min.) A blackly comedic crime drama about society on the brink, filmed across the stunning rugged landscapes of Western Tasmania.

Sisters (Drama, 6x30 min.) A razor-sharp, characterdriven comedy-drama about shifting identity and family ties, written by and co-starring Sarah Goldberg and Susan Stanley.

Sullivan’s Crossing

Africa Rising with Afua Hirsch (Factual, 6x60 min.) Join writer and presenter Afua Hirsch for a series celebrating the culture, history and politics of six of Africa’s most dynamic nations.

Shadow of Truth (Factual, 5 eps.) A true-crime masterclass and one of the most unsettling shows in Israeli history: who killed 13-year-old Tair Rada? The Baby Daddy (Factual, 1x90 min.) Meet Ari Nagel, the Brooklyn math teacher whose addiction to donating sperm has made him a father to more than 120 children.

On the Line: The Richard Williams Story (Factual, 1x60 min.) The father of Venus and Serena Williams retraces his family’s meteoric journey, in his own words. Whale with Steve Backshall (Factual, 4x60 min.) In this brand-new, blue-chip natural history series, adventurer and conservationist Steve Backshall takes us closer to the lives of whales and other cetaceans than ever before.

GOQUEST MEDIA

O (91-22) 495-591-00

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Erinyes (Crime drama, 12x45 min.) In pre- and postwar Lviv and Wrocław, Poland, Edward Popielski is a detective inspector of extraordinary intellect and physical strength who is tormented by visions caused by epilepsy attacks, which he uses to his advantage in investigations.

Crusade (Crime drama, 13x45 min.) Detective Jan Góra and his colleagues from the crime and criminal terror division of the Warsaw Metropolitan

Police investigate a series of murders and kidnappings of celebrities.

Troll Farm (Dramedy, 5x50 min.) After being wrongly fired from a cosmetics empire she founded, corporate diva Ana struggles to clear her name while slowly embracing the dark side of vengeance and becoming the monster she’s fighting.

Sacrificiul (Drama, 100x45 min.) Revolves around the extraordinary stories of three sisters who were separated and only reunited years later by the fortuitous connection of their children. Crazy in Love (Drama, 260x22 min.) Piotr and Asia had a brief summer romance, and then he forgot about her. Now they meet again after ten years. Secrets of the Grapevine (Romance drama, S1-2: 72x50 min.) Tells the incredible story of two winemaking families, the Tomovics and the Smiljanics.

Traitor (Espionage/spy thriller, S1-2: 12x58 min.)

Greed and the need for recognition lead Alfred Vint, an Estonian Ministry of Defence official, to cooperate with Russian intelligence and start a thrilling cat-and-mouse chase with a young Estonian counter-intelligence officer.

Crusade

Civil Servant (Spy thriller, S1-3: 36x50 min.) A young, ambitious Serbian Secret Service (BIA) agent, while learning the rules of the international spy game, is compelled by his sense of duty to make dangerous decisions to protect his nation, family and himself.

Debt to the Sea (Mystery thriller, S1-2: 24x50 min.) In a beautiful coastal village in Montenegro, Olga and her family must face the consequences of an earlier tragedy as she seeks to learn the truth behind the curse of the “debt to the sea.”

Divorce in Peace (Dramedy, S1-2: 20x28 min.)

Businesswoman Laura wants to end her marriage to music teacher Aksel after 20 years.

LIGHTNING INTERNATIONAL

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Aqua Challenge (Ent., 20x60 min.) Pairs scuba diving photographers with free diving models to create magical underwater photoshoots in tropical waters. The Coach Can Cook (Lifestyle/health, 6x30 min.) Combining fitness and food, Gavin works with his guests to devise a workout routine to help achieve his/her goal, and then demonstrates cooking one dish.

Love of the Wild (Factual, 6x60 min.) Follows the lives of five passionate nature lovers in different corners of Europe through four seasons, European nature and a natural way of life.

Abroad (Comedy, 12x30 min.) A satirical sketch that focuses on the immigrant experience. Starring

Isabel Kanaan, it presents a humorous look at how immigrants think about living in a new country.

That Was Then, This is Now (Music, 5x30 min.)

A new music show from Mike Stock of StockAitken-Waterman fame with huge pop acts from the last 50 years performing their biggest hits and latest songs.

Circle Chart Awards (K-pop, 1x210 min.) One of the biggest K-pop awards celebrates the most popular songs and artists with a full lineup of incredible and unforgettable performances. The Embezzlers (Drama, 6x60 min.) This docu drama series looks back through Soviet history and focuses on some of the most notorious corruption scandals.

The Street Food Chef (Cooking/travel, 9x30 min.) Street chef Will Meyrick continues his tour of the food, history and culture of Asia in Kalimantan, Indonesia, and Kolkata, India, with his guest chefs. Amazing Spa Towns of Europe (Travel, 7x60 min.) In the 17th and 18th centuries, wealthy British families traveled across the English Channel to visit the thermal towns in the hope they would be healthier.

The Coach Can Cook

Classic Hollywood Movies Catalog (Movies)

Hollywood movies with big names—including Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Charles Bronson, Sylvester Stallone, Jack Nicholson, Sean Connery and Mel Gibson— and many Westerns.

PLUTO TV

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Pluto TV The leading free streaming television service delivering hundreds of live linear channels and thousands of titles on-demand to a global audience of 80 million monthly active users.

video superstar Ryan, along with his parents and animated friends, work together to identify a mystery guest.

Toys and Colors Kaleidoscope City (Liveaction/CGI, 10x22 min.) Starring global sensation Toys and Colors, a magical world where kids learn to see the world through new perspectives. Love, Diana (Animation/live-action, 13x22 min.)

Real-life vlog superstar siblings Diana and Roma take you on a magical adventure where imagination rules and anything is possible.

Ryan’s World Specials (Live-action/animation, 193x22 min.) Kid video superstar Ryan, along with his family and animated friends, play games, make crafts, learn science and go on adventures.

Toys and Colors Ultimate Mishmash (Liveaction, 90x22 min.) YouTube’s number one kids ensemble, Toys and Colors learn life skills, letters, numbers and more through musical and pretend play adventures.

Popcorn Summer Movies Brings in hundreds of feature films and franchises all summer long to Pluto TV’s stacked library of thousands of titles.

POCKET.WATCH

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Ryan’s Mystery Playdate (Live-action, 90x22 min.) In the top-rated, Emmy-nominated series, kid

Kids Diana Show Ultimate Mishmash (Liveaction, 45x22 min.) Join family vlog superstar Diana, aka the Princess of Play, and her brother Roma on their hilarious pretend play adventures.

Video interviews with leading players in the media business, industry analysis and a recap of the week’s events—delivered to your inbox every Thursday. FOR A FREE SUBSCRIPTION, PLEASE VISIT SUBSCRIPTIONS.WS

Pluto TV

Toys and Colors Kaleidoscope City

LankyBox Ultimate Mishmash (Liveaction/gameplay, 60x22 min.) YouTube’s number one gamers, LankyBox is Justin and Adam, two best friends who love playing Roblox and making funny videos with sidekicks Foxy, Boxy and Rocky.

Onyx Family Ultimate Mishmash (Live-action, 45x22 min.) Best known for their silly and spooky adventures, follow YouTube’s most popular AfricanAmerican family creators as they sing, try fun challenges and investigate mysterious occurrences.

Onyx Monster Mysteries (Animation, 8x22 min.)

The Onyx family comes to cartoon life in epic adventures to save the most endangered species of all: monsters.

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Mech+ (FAST channel) Multiplatform science, engineering and robotics streaming service. Featuring cult classic Robot Wars remastered in HD. Now on Samsung TV Plus, Rakuten, LG, Vidaa and Plex.

Filth (FAST channel) The dirtiest channel on the web. Filth will shock and amaze with its catalog of extreme cleaning content.

Find It Fix It (FAST channel) Wholesome shedcore content. Specialists compete to flip barn finds

for a profit. Restorations, antiques and upcycling at its finest.

Mucky Pup (FAST channel) The home of heartwarming, funny and fascinating animal stories. Family-friendly and fun for all.

Naked Science (FAST channel) Learn and discover with the channel dedicated to bringing you the world of science and technology.

OMG Stories (FAST channel) The home of incredible stories and unique insights into unusual lives and lifestyles from around the globe.

OMG Weddings (FAST channel) From dresses to cakes to the drama, brings you the best of weddingrelated entertainment.

Origin (FAST channel) Award-winning mom, baby and parenting content. Featuring content produced for major TV stations, including TLC, ITV, Channel 4 and the BBC.

Mech+

Taking place from October 3 to 5, 2023, the second edition of the TV DRAMA FESTIVAL will feature keynotes and panels with leading executives and creatives discussing the major trends in the business of scripted series today. It will be streamed live and available on-demand on TVDramaFestival.com.

You can sign up for your free registration here.

For sponsorship opportunities please go here.