World Screen September 2022

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September 2022

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THE MAGAZINE OF INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

Premiere: All3Media International’s Ridley / Heart of Europe Co-Production Forum Preview Tubi’s Adam Lewinson / RTÉ’s Dermot Horan / Showmax’s Yolisa Phahle

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CONTENTS

SEPTEMBER 2022 WORLD VIEW By Mansha Daswani.

PREMIERE: RIDLEY Adrian Dunbar stars in this new detective drama from All3Media International.

PARTNER POTENTIAL IN POLAND The Co-Production Forum at Heart of Europe International TV Festival is looking to foster connections.

TUBI’S ADAM LEWINSON The chief content officer at the AVOD service talks expansion and programming strategies.

RTÉ’S DERMOT HORAN The director of acquisitions and co-productions at the Irish public broadcaster on his content remit.

SHOWMAX’S YOLISA PHAHLE The CEO of general entertainment and connected video at MultiChoice discusses the gains at Showmax.

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

Publisher Ricardo Seguin Guise Group Editorial Director Anna Carugati Editor Mansha Daswani 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 Coordinator Genovick Acevedo

WHERE’S THE MONEY? Leading distributors discuss changes in funding models.

KIDOODLE.TV’S BRENDA BISNER A Q&A with the platform’s chief content officer.

TOULOUSE TOONS IN Cartoon Forum returns for another installment in Toulouse, France.

WORLD SCREEN is a registered trademark of WSN INC., 1123 Broadway, Suite 1207, New York, NY 10010, U.S.A. Phone: (212) 924-7620 Fax: (212) 924-6940 Website: www.worldscreen.com ©2022 WSN INC. No part of this publication can be used, reprinted, copied or stored in any medium without the publisher’s authorization. For a free subscription to our newsletters, please visit www.subscriptions.ws.

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Business Affairs Manager Andrea Moreno

Ricardo Seguin Guise President Anna Carugati Executive VP Mansha Daswani Associate Publisher & VP of Strategic Development

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CREENINGS.COM The only video portal for the global TV drama community.

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SCREENINGS.COM The only video portal for the factual programming industry.

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The only video portal for the kids’ media industry.

Our Playground is Getting Bigger

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SSCREENINGS.COM The only video portal for the television formats business.

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WORLD VIEW

BY MANSHA DASWANI

Back to the Beginning?

From pay-TV operators angling to deliver bundles of the leading OTT subscription services to subscription-only operators now realizing that perhaps having a slice of the still massive global advertising pie isn’t a terrible idea, it does feel a bit like everything old is new again.

The move of many SVODs toward ad-lite tiers is expected to be a significant revenue opportunity; of note, Ampere Analysis is projecting that Netflix’s launch of an ad tier will see it earn $2.2 billion more by 2027 than it would by continuing with a subscriptiononly model. “The ad tier is primarily a customer retention tool in the U.S., with sign-ups coming largely from Netflix’s existing subscriber base,” observed Ben French, analyst at Ampere Analysis.

“The U.S. ad tier will be an effective measure against a shrinking and less engaged audience rather than a new customer acquisition tool. Increasing advertising rates will grow total ad income over time, offsetting the negative impact of a fall in viewing.”

As for the global advertising opportunity, AVOD remains a significant bright spot. New projections from WARC indicate global ad expenditures will rise by 8.3 percent this year to reach $880.9 billion (with growth slowing significantly in 2023 in the absence of U.S. elections and the World Cup—and a potential recession). WARC anticipates ad revenues in the video streaming sector will grow by 8.4 percent this year and 7 percent next year.

Within this, AVOD will be up 8 percent in 2022 and 7.6 percent in 2023 to reach a value of almost $65 billion. BVOD is also on the rise, with revenues on track to grow by 9.7 percent this year and 5.2 percent next year.

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UPFRONTS

All3Media International

The English

The English / The Gymnasts / The Ex-Wife Among All3Media International’s highlights, The English tells a love story set in the American Wild West and stars Emily Blunt and Chaske Spencer.

“It’s a hugely appealing piece of television because of its stunning setting, compelling romance storyline and A-list cast,” says Lauren Jackson, scripted content executive. The Gymnasts features a murder mystery and “offers buyers a unique, propulsive young adult thriller that appeals to both young adult and adult audiences,” Jackson says.

The domestic thriller The Ex-Wife centers on a woman who has a seemingly perfect life.

“We have such an exciting catalog this year.”

—Lauren Jackson

GMA Network Broken Faith / I Left My Heart in Sorsogon / To Have and To Hold Leading GMA Network’s slate, Broken Faith sees a wife seek revenge against her husband’s other woman only to become the person she hates the most: a mistress. The romance drama I Left My Heart in Sorsogon centers on a top fashion designer and socialite who reluctantly returns to her hometown to confront the life she left behind. In To Have and To Hold, a loving husband decides to leave his comatose cheating wife for a new love. Soon, though, his wife wakes up without memory of her infidelity.

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I Left My Heart in Sorsogon

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Inter Medya Another Chance / The Girl of the Green Valley / Hicran In Another Chance, teacher Sadi Payaslı’s longlost son enrolls at his school—though neither is initially aware of the relation. “It tells a fatherson story in a striking and heartwarming way,” says Can Okan, Inter Medya’s founder and CEO. The Girl of the Green Valley follows the adventures of the orphaned Melissa Çelik, whose life changes when she meets Metin and goes to live with him and his sister Meral.

Centering on the titular young woman, Hicran tells a story of a mother reuniting with a daughter she’d long thought dead.

Another Chance

“This year’s MIPCOM has a very special meaning for us; we will be celebrating Inter Medya’s 30-year anniversary.”

—Can Okan

ZDF Studios Boundless / Grisù / Surviving Hothouse Earth A period drama on ZDF Studios’ slate, Boundless tells the story of the first circumnavigation of the Earth by Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan. “Boundless is one of the biggest and most ambitious dramas that ZDF Studios has ever had the pleasure of being involved with,” says Dr. Markus Schäfer, president and CEO of ZDF Studios. Produced by Mondo TV and Toon2Tango, Grisù, about a firefighting dragon, is among the kids’ series the company is highlighting. A three-part docuseries, Surviving Hothouse Earth tackles the issue of climate change.

Surviving Hothouse Earth

“We cordially invite everybody with good ideas to talk to us at ZDF Studios or to our production companies about investments, sales and distribution.”

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—Dr. Markus Schäfer

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Ridley

By Kristin Brzoznowski

L

ine of Duty’s Adrian Dunbar stars as a charismatic, recently retired DI in the new detective drama Ridley, produced by West Road Pictures in association with All3Media International.

The show features Dunbar as Alex Ridley, a retired police officer who resumes his partnership with former protégée DI Carol Farman (Bronagh Waugh) to solve complex murder cases. As the investigation takes a dark and unexpected turn, their formidable and successful partnership is revived. The series is set against the atmospheric rural backdrop of the Yorkshire Moors.

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“There is very much an existing audience for detective shows in the U.K.,” says Jonathan Fisher, co-creator and executive producer of Ridley. “The key thing is that you don’t alienate your audience in any way. You have to work within the

“The detective genre can keep people fixated.” —Sally Habbershaw

parameters of what they might expect from a Sunday night detective piece, but at the same time, bring something that makes it feel fresh and different from the many shows that have gone before it in this genre.”

In this series, Ridley co-owns a jazz bar, where he also performs, and every episode culminates in a musical number.

“Adrian Dunbar is a hugely popular and well-known actor in the U.K., but what’s slightly lesser known about him is the quality of his singing voice and passion for music,” Fisher says.

ITV is the U.K. home of Ridley, and PBS came on board the project early, taking North American rights. All3Media International is selling the show globally. “The detective genre—if it’s really hooky, with a twisty-turny narrative and a really strong lead, somebody like Adrian—can keep people fixated,” says Sally Habbershaw, executive VP for the Americas at All3Media International. “Shows like Ridley are accessible to a broad audience because they’re not too cutting edge.

They are more open for family co-viewing.”

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Partner Potential

in Poland

Warsaw, Poland

The Co-Production Forum at Heart of Europe International TV Festival is looking to foster connections.

By Kristin Brzoznowski

W

ithin the framework of Heart of Europe International TV Festival, Polish Television (TVP) is introducing the first edition of the Co-Production Forum. The event is designed to create an opportunity to establish co-productions and business exchanges for participants within the CEE region.

“As we set up Heart of Europe International TV Festival last year, we have learned there is a need for an industry networking event in our region,” says Marek Solon-Lipiński, Heart of Europe 20 WORLD SCREEN 9/22

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International TV Festival general manager and director of the international relations department at Polish Television. “With some successful collaborations that started last year, we felt called to expand our festival part of the event with an industry

“We have learned there is a need for an industry networking event in our region.” —Marek Solon-Lipiński branch. Being one of the largest TV broadcasters in the CEE region, we also assumed that it is our duty to lead with such an initiative in hopes of creating a space for growing opportunities for cooperation within the region but also to build a community in the field of TV content production that could undertake dialogue with possible partners outside of CEE.” The organizers will select up to ten projects in three different categories: feature film, feature series and documentary. Those selected will be able to present their work in front of CEE broadcasters, TVP decision-makers, film funds and other media industry professionals. The pitching sessions will take place from November 14 to 17.

The Co-Production Forum is looking for projects at various stages of preproduction. For this edition, organizers are keeping it relatively open and unlimited with the eligibility terms, “as we want to use this event also as a means of recognizing the industry needs in our region,” Solon-Lipiński says.

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WWW.TVKIDS.COM

SEPTEMBER 2022 EDITION

Financing Models / Kidoodle.TV’s Brenda Bisner / Cartoon Forum Preview

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CONTENTS

Lightning Pace What a difference a year makes. Just 12 months ago, the kids’ industry was heralding HBO Max’s arrival as a major new supporter of fresh content; today, that streamer’s positioning in the children’s and family segment is up in the air amid the impending combination with discovery+.

Ricardo Seguin Guise Publisher Anna Carugati Group Editorial Director Mansha Daswani Editor 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 Coordinator Andrea Moreno Business Affairs Manager

Ricardo Seguin Guise President Anna Carugati Executive VP Mansha Daswani Associate Publisher & VP of Strategic Development TV Kids ©2022 WSN INC. 1123 Broadway, #1207 New York, NY 10010 Phone: (212) 924-7620 Fax: (212) 924-6940 Website: www.tvkids.com

Several animated projects have been in flux at Netflix as that giant faces slowing subscriber growth. AVOD is still a significant revenue opportunity—but, as many distributors have learned, also timeconsuming when it comes to deliverables and potentially a headache in your windowing strategy. Oh, and now you probably need a metaverse strategy, and perhaps deals with TikTok influencers as you work on building your brand.

The kids’ business, however, is remarkably adept at navigating change. No surprise, given that the youngest viewers are early adopters, always keen to check out the next big thing as they dive deep into what they love.

There are some other constants in this ever-changing business. Kids will be loyal to beloved brands if you give them reasons to be. Shows that make children laugh and bring families together will find a way to cut through the clutter. Financing still requires creative solutions. And the endgame is still the same: delight, educate, shape and inform the content creators of tomorrow.

—Mansha Daswani

GET DAILY NEWS ON KIDS’ PROGRAMMING

WHERE’S THE MONEY? As the streamers continue to upend the traditional models for financing shows, leading distributors weigh in on piecing together funding formulas today.

KIDOODLE.TV’S BRENDA BISNER The chief content officer at Kidoodle.TV discusses her programming wish lists and reflects on the platform’s success.

TOULOUSE TOONS IN Cartoon Forum returns for another installment in Toulouse, France.

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Headspinner Productions

Gisele’s Mashup Adventures / Happy House of Frightenstein Emma Memma: Sing. Dance. Sign.

Headspinner Productions’ catalog features Gisele’s Mashup Adventures, which sees a child talk to Gisele, who selects three words from their conversation and mixes them up into a silly story.

“Silly and fun appeals to everyone around the world,” says Michelle Melanson, president.

Happy House of Frightenstein follows a group of mini monsters as they have fun and play together.

Emma Memma: Sing. Dance. Sign. sees Emma Memma and her friends navigate challenges and adventures using sign language.

Gisele’s Mashup Adventures

“We are excited to ignite kids’ imaginations and sense of adventure.”

—Michelle Melanson

Grisù

ZDF Studios Grisù / Törtle / Mimo & Leva—Back to the Bronze Age Leading ZDF Studios kids’ highlights, the preschool series Grisù follows the titular little dragon who wants to be a firefighter.

For the 6-to-9 set, Törtle centers on the eponymous tortoise as he explores life in suburbia among other wild and domesticated animals after growing up in a pet shop. Also targeted at kids aged 6 to 9, Mimo & Leva— Back to the Bronze Age is “a great series about kids not living in faraway lands, but way back in history,” says Katharina Pietzsch, director in ZDF Studios’ junior department.

“We will be attending Cartoon Forum, MIPJunior and MIPCOM and really look forward to these events.”

—Katharina Pietzsch

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The only video portal for the kids’ media industry.

Our Playground is Getting Bigger

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WildBrain’s Ruby & the Well.

Where’s the Money?

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As the streamers continue to upend the traditional models for financing shows, leading distributors weigh in on piecing together funding formulas today.

By Mansha Daswani t’s been an excellent run for the kids’ business over the last few years, with the likes of Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV+, Paramount+ and HBO Max, among others, making big deals to fully finance compelling children’s IP. Is the honeymoon over? The jury is out on that question, but the streamers clearly have a bit of reckoning to face amid slowing growth projections and consolidation (indeed, as HBO Max gears up to combine with discovery+ in an as-yet-unnamed service, several animation projects have already been axed).

And it’s not just the streamers at a crossroads. Linear channels, both ad-funded and pubcasters, are facing their own challenges. Amid recessionary fears, there are questions about the sustainability of the ad market’s post-Covid bounce-back. And concerns about the future of consistent government financing of public broadcasting for kids remain; of note, CBBC, the BBC’s beloved channel for kids, is transitioning to an online service in the next few years.

“You used to be able to finance a $300,000 budget ten, 15 years ago with Canadian financing and maybe an acquisition from the U.S.; now you can’t do that,” says Caroline Tyre, VP of global sales and rights strategy at WildBrain. “As distributors, we would rather have something where we can finance it with two broadcasters, and we get the rest of the upside. It’s financed, and everything else is gravy, and that’s the dream. But I think budgets are so high now,

I

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Cyber Group Studios’ Nefertine on the Nile is a French and Italian co-production.

and everything has become so much more premium that it becomes much harder.”

“For linear, traditional broadcasters, it has become a bit trickier to invest and sometimes a bit delayed,” reports Raphaëlle Mathieu, executive VP of Cyber Group Studios.

Meanwhile, usage of SVOD services surged amid the pandemic, “so they have been able to invest more money, but it has had some tricky consequences,” observes Hanna Mouchez, the founder and CEO of MIAM! animation. “As a French producer and distributor, we used to be able to combine two different broadcasters in one territory, for instance, a free-TV channel and then a pay-TV channel. The SVOD platforms…need exclusive content. We come to a paradox where we have more potential clients and opportunities to finance our shows, and nevertheless, each one wants exclusive rights. So they exclude the possibility of working together. Where we used to be able to finance our shows with two broadcasters and presales, today we’re facing the situation where an SVOD platform is interested, but in

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France, we’re not able to find another broadcaster to complete [the financing] because often those linear broadcasters will not agree to come as a second window. So, in appearance, we have more clients, but it’s more tricky to finance our shows.”

Genevieve Dexter, the founder and CEO of Serious Kids and Eye Present, adds, “With the SVODs, we used to get significant presales with Amazon and Netflix; they are no longer prebuying. And in fact, Netflix is no longer co-commissioning animation. That’s a big hole for us. But, luckily, there are new entrants. Our skill as the distributor-producer, as it were, is in making those rights compatible with numbers of rotation or available episodes and trying to find a compromise on those points.”

“Budgets are so high now, and everything has become much more premium.” —WildBrain’s Caroline Tyre

The trend of streamers taking all global rights on a property can be problematic, Mathieu notes. “It can be interesting financially speaking on a short-term basis, but it has consequences in creating your own IP and developing your own brand and catalog. For independent producers, it has become trickier because there is a lot of money, theoretically, that can be invested or allocated, but it might not necessarily be the best way for us to grow. Making all this investment and

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Serious Kids brokered a deal with Cartoonito EMEA for Spookies from Germany’s Wolkenlenker.

development and then having it all taken away can be an issue and is hardly a complete business model.”

Dexter adds, “There’s always this period of new entrants in the market. They haven’t got any content, so they’re very flexible. And then, as time progresses, they become vertically integrated. The party’s over. If people have become very reliant on the Netflix model and everything they’re doing is exclusive or they won’t coproduce, then that’s quite a dangerous place to be.”

Andrew Fitzpatrick, the chairman and founder of Monster Entertainment, remarks, “I think these things are all somewhat cyclical. We’ve already seen the peak in the rights grab by the streamers. Up to fairly recently, Netflix wanted everything exclusively, and they wanted to own everything.

Amazon was playing that game at one point. Neither of them is doing that anymore. It could be that the next streamers in line may start doing that too. But we’re seeing a little bit of a fragmentation of the streaming market, which is probably a very healthy thing. It leads to more competition and more opportunities for independents.”

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Fitzpatrick also notes that it’s “essential” to be involved in an IP as early as possible in its life cycle. “We’re finding we’re having to get a lot more involved at an early stage in either advising the producers on financing or helping them raise the financing, whether it be from presales, sales, finding equity investors, maybe sources of debt, gap financing and co-production funding. We’re often introducing producers to co-producers if they don’t have the contacts to help get it over the line.”

“For linear broadcasters, it has become a bit trickier to invest and sometimes a bit delayed.” —Cyber Group Studios’ Raphaëlle Mathieu

As for what this all means for funding models, Cyber Group’s Mathieu reports: “No project looks like the previous one. It’s a question of momentum. It’s a question of topic. It’s a question of money or a theme in the market. We need to customize our approach each time. Of course, the earlier we’re in, the better it can be done and adjusted. Every single detail does matter; sometimes, €20,000 in x, y or z territory can generate much more interest in the global financing. So you need to be inventive, and you need to adapt. And you need not be afraid to have a partner saying yes and then a partner saying no right after, which can still happen.”

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Monster Entertainment distributes Fia’s Fairies, an RTÉjr commission from Little Moon Animation.

Serious Kids’ Dexter reflects a similar sentiment when she says, “You start with a clear idea about how you’re going to put it together. What ends up happening is quite another thing. It’s incredibly technical, especially an official co-production. Sometimes you suddenly realize a minor legal point that has quite catastrophic implications for the production. It can be quite scary.”

Creative Europe remains a “significant source of financing for production and development,” Fitzpatrick says. “They’re pushing totally in the direction of co-production. In the past, you could get development funding as a single producer for a project. Now, you need to be going as a co-development.

That means that people are going to have to, if they want to get development funding from Creative Europe, start talking to co-producers at an earlier point. People who might not have even thought of co-production in the past will be thinking of it in the future. That will be the beginning of a significant increase in co-production in Europe.”

Private-equity funding is also on the rise, Fitzpatrick says. “I think that’s a good thing. You could say that it’s because it’s hard to get the money elsewhere, but it’s also great to have that available as

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a source of finance. These funds realize that IP has a longterm value and potentially an increasing value. There’s a very long tail on income from animation projects. I think we are going to see more of that. I don’t think it will become the only source of finance.

But I think it’s a healthy thing that it’s becoming more available.”

“We used to get significant presales with Amazon and Netflix; they are no longer prebuying.” —Serious Kids’ Genevieve Dexter

When you’re taking private equity, “you are then accountable to these people who’ve invested in your program in perpetuity,” Dexter explains. “So you have to continue to attend board meetings for that special purpose vehicle that you’ve created for the program. It becomes quite an onerous long-term obligation because you’re having quarterly board meetings, and you’re preparing presentations and reports over a 10- to 20-year period for that one property. It comes with quite a price for project investment as opposed to company investment.”

MIAM! has not yet used private equity, but if it did, “we would be looking for an investment aligned with our values and what we want to do,” Mouchez says. Taking financing from companies not aligned with your values “can be dangerous in terms of independence and creativity of your projects, your company and what you do and why you do it.”

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Brenda Bisner Kidoodle.TV he kids’ AVOD landscape has been developing at a rapid clip. An early mover in this space, Kidoodle.TV is on a mission to set the standard for Safe Streaming. It features curated content that is human-vetted, rather than driven by algorithms, across a catalog that boasts 40,000 episodes— and counting. Brenda Bisner, chief content officer at Kidoodle.TV, tells TV Kids what’s guiding the platform’s current strategy.

T

TV KIDS: What has been driving the recent gains for

By Kristin Brzoznowski Kidoodle.TV? BISNER: We have led the Safe Streaming movement in the AVOD space. We action those words on a daily basis and adhere to the highest letters of the law for kids, period. We have an award-winning user experience and a best-in-class team. We always say, “Welcome to the Kidoodle.TV family,” and we mean that. We also are the only AVOD platform to offer a back-end analytics portal, so providers have backstage access to the daily heartbeat on performance, as well as easy access for reporting and marketing wins.

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TV KIDS: How is content curated on Kidoodle.TV? BISNER: We have been known for our impeccable UX, and with that, our programming of not just Safe Streaming vetted content by actual humans but screened adverts systematically placed for a seamless content-viewing experience. We offer a curated and refreshed category-based service where kids can easily find their favorite content and discover something else they will love. Parents trust us, and kids love us; we hear it every day.

“We have led the Safe Streaming movement in the AVOD space.”

TV KIDS: In an increasingly crowded AVOD space, what must a platform do to win the approval of parents while satisfying kids’ entertainment requests?

BISNER: It’s always about the content, but we are also about the parenting experience and meeting families where they are at. We are an anytime, anywhere platform with no barrier to entry that believes in co-viewing.

TV KIDS: What opportunities do you see in the AVOD landscape for children’s content?

BISNER: There is a huge win for offscreen opportunities to tie into a service like ours, which is trusted by families.

We were one of the first to dabble in kids’ podcasts and

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currently offer an audioonly music stream. Also, the social media component is hugely important— for brands and for us. We want to be part of the “raising a child” experience, and our social channels reflect that. As a company, I think transparency is important. We have grown a lot and have hundreds of valuable relationships that care about our success Kidoodle.TV is available in over 160 territories because, at the end of the on connected-TV devices and platforms. day, we are a new revenue stream, and we believe in keeping kids safe online, which is something everyone should care about.

TV KIDS: What’s Kidoodle.TV’s current footprint, and what’s the strategy for expanding the service to more platforms and territories?

BISNER: Kidoodle.TV is available in over 160 countries and territories across our ecosystem of connected-TV devices and platforms to accommodate anytime, anywhere viewing for free, with no barrier to entry.

Currently serving as a trusted channel for kids globally in millions of households, as a free app on supported iOS and Android devices, online as a browser at kidoodle.tv and as a channel in connected-TV environments, look for us on Roku,

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TV KIDS

Apple TV 4, Android TV, Hisense, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, LG smart TVs, Plex, Samsung and JioPhones, with more to come.

TV KIDS: What’s the strategy for localizing content across the broad footprint?

BISNER: Currently, we have a large Spanish-language content offering, for which we are implementing ways families can select that language with us as their first point of entry. This will roll out across all languages.

TV KIDS: What’s on your acquisitions wish list?

BISNER: As we serve kids under 12 and their families, Kidoodle.TV seeks out content made for those ages. Broken down categorically by preschool, 6-plus and 9-plus, we are looking for brands that come with awareness and partners who are excited to participate in their brand’s success on our service and, most importantly, care about the important work we do to keep kids Safe Streaming.

Guru Studio’s True and the Rainbow Kingdom is among the shows on Kidoodle.TV.

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Toulouse

Toons In

Toulouse, France

Cartoon Forum returns for another installment in Toulouse, France.

By Jamie Stalcup

C

artoon Forum is slated to return for its 33rd edition from September 19 to 22 in Toulouse, bringing together producers, investors, broadcasters and other potential partners for co-production opportunities on European animated series.

After two years of disrupted editions, Cartoon Forum is back in person with networking opportunities. The success of the digital integrations from the past two years, such as the online catch-up sessions, however, will be continued at the request of the buyers, according to Annick Maes, general director of Cartoon.

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With the catch-up sessions, participants will be able to watch or rewatch a pitch at their own pace after the event until October 9.

“Our goal is to offer each project as much visibility as possible in order to increase its chances of finding investment and securing

“Our goal is to offer each project as much visibility as possible.”

—Annick Maes international distribution,” says Maes. However, “it is the producers’ choice to offer a catch-up session; it is not mandatory.”

The organizers have developed a notification system that will remind buyers to complete feedback forms for projects, and the forms will be sent immediately to participants after being filled out.

The organizers are also working on implementing voting for the Tributes awards into the app. Winners will be announced on the last day of Cartoon Forum.

As for the event itself, 80 new TV series, miniseries and TV specials representing 488 hours of animation were shortlisted from 137 submissions. France leads the selection with 37 projects, followed by Spain with 8 and Ireland and Germany with 6 each.

Italy is represented with 5 projects, Poland with 3 and Belgium and Denmark with 2. Austria, Croatia, Finland, Greece, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Serbia and Sweden are participating with 1 each.

This year, a spotlight is on Spain. “The rise of Spanish animation in recent years will not have escaped anyone,” Maes says.

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A DIVISION OF World Screen

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Adam Lewinson Tubi he AVOD business is booming—as evidenced by several one-time subscription-only players now realizing that an ad-lite version is key to boosting slowing revenue and customer growth—and the team at Tubi is feeling bullish about its positioning in this growing segment. Launched back in 2014, Tubi was acquired by Fox Corporation in 2020 for $440 million. With its new corporate backing, Tubi has expanded both its original programming efforts and its international footprint. Adam Lewinson, chief content officer, tells World Screen about Tubi’s unique proposition and how it’s adding to its slate of 40,000 movies and TV shows and 100-plus local and live news and sports channels.

T

WS: What has the acquisition of Tubi by Fox meant for your growth story?

LEWINSON: The Fox acquisition of Tubi strategically on both sides has always made so much sense. Ultimately, both companies are focused on ad-supported television, whether linear live, on-demand or FAST channels. Tubi has always believed the free ad-supported model is the past, present and future of the bulk of television viewing. Fox’s investment in Tubi is helping us grow, helping us expand deeper into Latin America and giving us some unique opportunities. For 9/22 WORLD SCREEN 53

By Mansha Daswani

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Tubi features more than 40,000 movies and TV shows across a range of genres.

example, we’ve launched a Gordon Ramsay FAST channel in the States. We have The Masked Singer exclusively as an AVOD and FAST channel offering. As of a little over a year ago—and largely thanks to Fox’s investment—we’ve expanded into original content.

WS: Tell us about the international expansion strategy.

LEWINSON: We’re continuing to eye further international expansion. We’re doing it through a very deliberate lens. We want to ensure that wherever we launch, we have a truly localized experience and the Tubi DNA in that experience.

That means a localized content library paired with localized ad serving, data targeting, etc. That’s the Tubi playbook. Our Canadian business has grown by leaps and bounds. Our Canadian service is the only one that has a French-language section. That speaks to how we’re localizing. It’s similarly personalized in Australia. Mexico has been the key to seeing how we want to continue expanding across LatAm. [In August, we launched] in Costa Rica, Ecuador, El 54 WORLD SCREEN 9/22

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Salvador, Guatemala and Panama. We’re continuing to look at more countries.

We launched in 2020 in Mexico with TV Azteca being our key partner in terms of content, advertising and tremendous year-one growth metrics. In year two, we saw TVT—total view time, meaning the number of hours viewed—grow 60 percent year over year in Mexico. Total viewers grew 40 percent year

“We want to ensure that wherever we launch, we have a truly localized experience and the Tubi DNA in that experience.” over year. At launch in Mexico, everything was in Spanish, whether that is native or dubbed. We wanted to ensure we had a personalized experience and a great mix of locally produced content. We have great content from TV Azteca and other partners, including Hollywood content that is globally popular, localized in Spanish. Eventually, the viewers in Mexico told us they would like some subset of English-language content. We’re happy to listen to viewers and tailor it to their wants. That’s our job. It’s so interesting for us as we expand to make sure that this is the specific Tubi experience—highly localized, highly personalized—because that speaks to our mission, which is ultimately to democratize content.

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Dermot Horan RTÉ

W

ith so much change in the media business during the last few years—from the rise of the streamers to the impact of Covid-19 on production—flexibility has become an invaluable asset for all media executives. Dermot Horan, the director of acquisitions and co-productions at the Irish public broadcaster RTÉ, explains how he has switched to buying scripted programming yearround and is looking at new territories for quality drama. When creating high-end series, finding partners to share costs is essential nowadays, as is maintaining rights to programming.

By Anna Carugati

WS: How has your acquisition strategy changed since the pandemic?

HORAN: The pandemic accelerated the growth of streamers because people were stuck at home. They couldn’t go to restaurants, they couldn’t travel, so they spent [money] on streaming. Netflix and Disney+ certainly benefited in that first 56 WORLD SCREEN 9/22

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year and a half of the pandemic. Since then, we’ve had the rollout of the other studios’ streamers, such as Paramount+ and HBO Max. HBO Max is not available in the U.K. and Ireland because of their Sky deal till 2025, but Paramount+ has launched. What’s happened from an acquisition perspective is that you used to go to the L.A. Screenings and say, I’d like to buy this and that. Now you go there with probably at least one hand tied behind your back in terms of what is available.

“We started looking at new areas for acquisitions, particularly Canada, Australia and New Zealand.”

We’ve all had to pivot. The interesting thing during Covid, when there was less content around, is that we started looking at new areas for acquisitions, particularly Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Australia and New Zealand weren’t really affected by the pandemic during the first period in terms of production. They continued to produce. We, out of necessity, started buying some Australian series. They performed really well. And what is clear now is that Australia is producing dramas that are every bit as good as anything we’ve had out of the U.K. or even the U.S. When I went to the L.A. Screenings, there was a lot of material that was shown that isn’t available in our territory. The pivoting we had to do during Covid because there was less content around, and the nimbleness of that, has allowed us to create a new modus 9/22 WORLD SCREEN 57

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operandi of working, which is all year round buying. We’re not dependent on the L.A. Screenings anymore. There were times when at the L.A. Screenings, you would see all the U.S. content, the new series for the fall, the midseasons and maybe showcase a few other shows. That would buy you 70 percent to 80 percent of your [scripted] series acquisitions. Essentially, we are now looking for content all year round. You have to do more research, ferret material and find out who has it.

WS: What shows have you acquired in the past year?

HORAN: The Secrets She Keeps, an Australian series for Network 10. One of the main stars is Laura Carmichael, who played Lady Edith in Downton Abbey, so there was a recognizable lead character. We bought Secret Bridesmaids’ Business, about three very close friends in their 40s in Australia, all with their own

RTÉ acquired the drama All Creatures Great and Small from All3Media International.

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Australian dramas such as Secret Bridesmaids’ Business have done well for RTÉ.

issues in terms of life, health, boyfriends, husbands and business.

We bought All Creatures Great and Small, a very reassuring series about a group of rural vets working in the Yorkshire Dales in the 1930s. These are shows that, a few years ago, we would not have thought about. And now, they are part of our mainstream schedule.

WS: To produce quality programs, do you have to partner up?

HORAN: You do. Nobody is paying fully these days for the costs of a scripted program. Non-scripted, yes; there are non-scripted programs that people will fully fund themselves. But not when it comes to scripted, be it comedy or drama. We are lucky in Ireland that we have significant tax relief, which can generally get to at least a net 25 percent of your budget, which is great. We work very closely with Screen Ireland, formerly called the Irish Film Board but a few years ago renamed themselves Screen Ireland because they realized that more and more content is being made for the smaller screen as well as cinema. They are co-funding drama with us as well.

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s streamers in more mature markets struggle with slowing growth rates, Africa’s Showmax is on a tear, delivering a 68 percent year-on-year gain in paying subscribers. For Yolisa Phahle, the CEO of general entertainment and connected video at parent company MultiChoice, the subs boost is a testament to Showmax’s über-local strategy, with customers across sub-Saharan Africa responding to the SVOD platform’s curated slate of originals alongside top-tier international fare. On the heels of the company scoring 45 wins at the South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTAs), Phahle tells World Screen about how tapping into MultiChoice’s long history in this region has positioned Showmax for success as the number of SVOD players proliferates.

A

Yolisa Phahle Showmax

By Mansha Daswani

WS: You’ve seen significant usage gains. What’s driving that?

PHAHLE: The first thing is that SVOD is taking off in Africa.

We’re thrilled we outgrew the average growth rate. The reason we grew so much last year is the content. At the SAFTAs, we scooped up 45 awards—more than half of the total awards given out. We got more awards than any other individual channel or platform. Out of our 45 awards, 17 were for Showmax originals. Both the industry and the audiences 60 WORLD SCREEN 9/22

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have enjoyed our increased local content, which has been the major driving force of the new strategy. It’s really about being local and very different from anything else in our market.

WS: How do you decide which markets you will invest in for those originals?

“Both the industry and audiences have enjoyed our increased local content, which has been the driving force of the new strategy.”

PHAHLE: Our strategy is to follow the biggest market opportunity.

South Africa is a significant market to us; it has a big population, well-established mobile network operators and consumer access to data and fiber is probably in the top five on the continent. We are still a continent that doesn’t have equal access to data. There’s no point in us investing huge amounts of money in localized content if we are not sure there is a sizable number of people with access to the required data and WiFi. Nigeria is a huge country with a very mobile population that consumes vast quantities of local programming. The Nigerian film industry is massive, so they have a strong precedent of enjoying and improving their local productions. Kenya was one of the earliest markets [to adopt] YouTube and Facebook and all those services that require data.

That’s another big market for us.

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A co-production with Canal+, the epic Blood Psalms launches on Showmax this month.

WS: Are you exploring co-production partnerships with platforms or distributors internationally?

PHAHLE: For about four years, we’ve had a co-production strategy at the MultiChoice Group whereby if we find a great story but doing it justice requires extreme investment, we then have gone out and looked for partners. We are actively pursuing co-production opportunities when they make sense. Notwithstanding that, we commission a huge amount. Our library is around 70,000 hours of local content in the MultiChoice Group.

MultiChoice is producing content in 17 languages and counting.

We have the largest library and continue to produce more hours in more languages and genres than anybody else in our market. That really is the huge differentiator for Showmax, along with the opportunity to buy Showmax Pro, where you get access to the best football, locally and internationally, provided by SuperSport.

WS: Are you starting to see less content on the market because of studios’ D2C ambitions for Africa?

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PHAHLE: We are quite comfortable with the international content pipeline. We remain the only place where people can watch the critically acclaimed programming produced by HBO. You can’t watch it on any platform other than Showmax or DStv. It is becoming a crowded marketplace. There are more choices for consumers. While we know that this is an attractive market, and we are building our strategy around the fact that many more people may still choose to enter this market, it’s not a picnic. Disney has gone direct to consumer. We remain very confident that we will continue to have a great supply of international content.

WS: Netflix is among the SVOD players adding an ad-supported tier. Is that something you’re exploring?

The Wife is back for a new season on Showmax.

PHAHLE: We are purely SVOD. We are not at the point where we’re considering launching anything AVOD. We are still seeing nice growth. We’re priced in local currencies. We make it very easy for people to pay because we take money in their local currency. We can take payments from non-credit-card holders.

WS: Any other upcoming highlights you’re looking forward to?

PHAHLE: We will carry the FIFA World Cup 2022 on Showmax.

We’re hugely excited about the return of The Wife, which was our standout production last year. We are looking forward to launching our first exclusive drama for Showmax in Nigeria, Diiche.

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

The Traitors Format with recent commissions from Peacock in the U.S., BBC One in the U.K., M6 in France, HBO Max in Spain and Network 10 in Australia. Distributor: All3Media International

The Age of Anger The television adaptation of the novel of the same name by Fernando J. López, published by Espasa in 2011 and finalist for the Nadal Prize. Distributor: Atresmedia Televisión

The Andes Tragedy: 50 Years Later In 1972, a plane carrying an Uruguayan rugby team disappeared into the Argentinean Andes. Now, the full story is finally comprehensively told. Distributor: BossaNova Media

Surviving Hothouse Earth The series investigates our planet’s distant past to understand its present and unravel our future. Distributor: ZDF Studios

Mini Mind Warriors Mini warrior heroes Taffy and Snug must power up their positive energy and use their combined strengths and smarts to restore our lives to normal. Distributor: Tencent Video 64 WORLD SCREEN 9/22

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