MUMBAI: The television trade event MipTV in France saw international launches across all genres as factual, drama, kids and format programming used the spring event to propel themselves into the international market. There were 11,000 delegates from 100 countries and 3,900 buyers.
With interest in high-end drama as strong as ever, international buyers and distributors voiced support for the inaugural MipDrama Screenings.
Underlining the continued appetite for drama, a series of major production and distribution companies announced plans to ramp up drama production either by taking stakes in existing outfits or by launching new drama entities.
On 4 April, Studiocanal, already a major film producer, announced it was taking stakes in Spanish production company Bambu Producciones, as well as London-based Urban Myth Films and Benedict Cumberbatch’s SunnyMarch TV.
Commenting on the move, Studiocanal chairman, CEO Didier Lupfer said, “As with our approach to film, we aim to develop series with strong European roots that also have international appeal.”
Hot on the heels of the Studiocanal announcement, news broke that Germany’s Beta Film is teaming up with Atlantique Productions creative director Patrick Nebout to form a new Swedish-based drama production company Dramacorp.
Meanwhile, powerhouse Endemol Shine Group announced it is setting up a studio in Israel to act as a hub for producing TV series from around the world.
Red Arrow Entertainment Group is another European company that is developing its drama investment. It announced the launch of Mad Rabbit, a joint venture between Canadian director, writer and showrunner Kari Skogland, and Red Arrow Entertainment. Based in Toronto and Los Angeles, Mad Rabbit will produce high-end drama for the international market. Skogland, whose credits include ‘House Of Cards,’ ‘The Walking Dead,’ ‘The Americans,’ ‘Vikings,’ ‘Boardwalk Empire’ and ‘The Borgias,’ will be Mad Rabbit’s CEO.
Another development in the drama series sector took place on 5 April. France’s giant Vivendi (owner of Canal+) told a MipTV press conference that it is launching Studio+, the first global premium series offer for mobile devices. The new company will produce exclusive premium drama series for smartphones, tablets and a dedicated app. Each series will be 10×10’ with an average budget of €1 million.
Studio+ president Manuel Alduy said the service will launch in September in France with 25 complete, original series, before opening in Europe, Russia and Latin America in partnership with major local telecoms. Early series include drama ‘Amnesia’ (starring Caroline Proust), action series ‘Brutal’ and ‘Urban Jungle’ and thrillers ‘Kill Skills’ and ‘Madame Hollywood.’ Sixty more series are currently in development.
According to Vivendi content president Dominique Delport, (STUDIO+’s parent company), 60% of smartphone users watch short-form videos. He said that the directing talent for the new series came from advertising and music videos, two sectors that have experience of reaching Studio+’s target audience of the 15-35-year-olds.
New MipDrama screenings heralded as game changer
Launched this year, the inaugural MIPDrama Screenings gave international premieres to 12 drama series from around the world to an audience of almost 400 international acquisition executives and 50 journalists.
Reaction was universally upbeat with Belgium’s ‘Public Enemy’ winning the MIP Markets Drama Advisory Board’s Coup de Coeur award.
Sky director of acquisitions and advisory board member Sarah Wright noted, “We chose ‘Public Enemy’ because we felt it was brave, it was strong, it was fresh, it had twists and turns. It feels like something that will travel.”
Commenting on the inaugural MipDrama Screenings, Canal+ France senior VP international SVOD Global Acquisitions Aline Marrache-Tesseraud noted, “The quality of the selection made it incredibly difficult to choose a Coup de Coeur. Each presentation made us want to watch the complete series. This event has been a unique opportunity to see international series and it has to be repeated next year. As a buyer, it gave me the chance to get an overview of the big picture in international drama production.”
“The word on the Croisette is that everyone was happy to arrive in Cannes a day early to be inspired by and obviously buy such great content, so I will be working together with Reed Midem and my Drama Advisory Board colleagues to make next year’s MIPDrama Screenings even more of a success,” said Mediaset (Italy) head of acquisitions Zelda Stewart.
Several international sales executives attached to series in the MIPDrama Screenings commented that the showcase had allowed them to begin sales discussions much earlier than usual.
“ ‘Mathilde’ is now in its post production stage. To start pre-sales so early is an unprecedented situation for a Russian drama series. The MIPDrama Screenings have proved very efficient, because the key territories on which we especially counted in terms of sales showed interest immediately. It’s Poland, Germany, France and the Asian countries. We hope to close the deals at Mipcom. We are happy that we brought Michalina Olszanska to present the series – the whole of MipTV fell in love with her,” enthused head of international department, at producers Rock Films Studio Anna Shalashina.
Filmax International, which is selling ‘I Know Who You Are’ with Mediaset, said of the Screenings, “We found the event to be very useful. Thanks to the series’ selection we have started negotiations with the US, France, Russia, Scandinavia, Poland and several Latam territories.”
ZDF Enterprises (ZDFE) unveiled its period drama ‘Ku’damm 56 – Rebel With A Cause’ at the MIPDrama Screenings and company Executive Vice President and COO, Fred Burcksen voiced his support for the event saying, “We were very impressed by the Screenings which added a good element to MipTV. We were happy to have a series selected.”
Included in the 12 premieres was ‘Medici: Masters of Florence,’ starring Oscar winner Dustin Hoffman and Richard Madden (‘Game of Thrones’).
Writer/executive producer Frank Spotnitz, whose credits include ‘The X-Files,’ ‘The Man in the High Castle,’ ‘Strike Back’ and ‘Hunted’ was in Cannes to support ‘Medici: Masters of Florence’ as its Writer/Creator/Executive Producer.
He reacted with enthusiasm to the MIPDrama Screenings. “I think they were an excellent platform for ‘Medici’ and all the European dramas that screened there. We had the undivided attention of 400 buyers who were able to watch extended excerpts and trailers for these shows — in a nice theatre, with proper sound and picture quality. When you are running around at a hectic TV market like MIPTV, a focused and quiet environment is extremely valuable, for both the filmmakers and the broadcasters. I hope the Screenings continue and expand in the future.”
Reed Midem’s television division director Laurine Garaude said that the MipDrama Screenings are destined for development. “This is the first of what we expect to become a signature event at future MipTVs. The success of the MIPDrama Screenings confirms the need for a curated, high-end drama showcase prior to MipTV. They act as a business accelerator, help focus buyers’ attention on great international drama and confirm that incredible drama stories are originating from around the globe. In addition, with 50 specialist journalists at the Screenings, media reporting on the selected series has been phenomenal.”
Frank Spotnitz also welcomed the internationalisation of high-end drama – a development that was once again clearly in evidence at MipTV.
“I think the increasing acceptance of international drama worldwide and particularly in America, is great for the United States. For many years, we Americans made dramas that we sold to the rest of the world, but largely, we refused to buy anybody else’s. In the past few years, that has really changed and now there is not only an openness, but an eagerness from American broadcasters to buy drama from overseas. That’s a wonderful development because not only does European talent have the opportunity to compete on the same scale as American dramas, it means that their voices are going to be heard. We can begin to have a two-way conversation that we haven’t ever really had in television. So that’s good news for everyone.”
Appetite for formats still strong
Formats continue to grab plenty of attention. The inaugural ‘La Nuit des Formats’ (‘Formats Night’) in the Palais Grand Auditorium treated a packed house to three hours of format screenings.
MipFormats’ keynote speakers Gary Carter (who picked up a Formats Gold Award for his career), ITV’s Maria Kyriacou and Newen’s Bibiane Godfroid reflected on how the competitive format market is encouraging major groups to invest heavily in content creativity.
Over on the Warner Bros. stand Warner Bros. International Television brought their smash unscripted comedy/variety format ‘The Little Big Shots’ to the global market for the first time and immediately closed deals for Britain’s ITV to take a local version and Mediaset ordering a local-language version for Spain.
Virginia Mouseler’s Fresh TV formats showcase on 4 April drew format specialists to the Grand Auditorium. Mouseler wowed her audience with 25 shows. They included Fox’s ‘Mygrations’ involving a group of people trying to emulate wildebeest by migrating across Africa.
This year’s MipFormats International Pitch was won by Israeli duo Yaniv Swissa and Liraz Mia Shagrir for their physical gameshow ‘XYZ,’ earning the pair a €5,000 cash prize from sponsor all3media International and €15,000 in development funding.
MIPDigital Fronts Play to Packed Audience:
Returning for a third year, the MIPDigital Fronts remains the primary global market for the distribution and acquisition of original online content and web series. Packed showcase screenings were the order of the day from participants that included Endemol Shine Beyond, FremantleMedia, Fullscreen, Machinima, Maker Studios, New Form Digital, Studio71, Vice and Webedia. And a host of star YouTubers present at MIPTV, with a collective following running into millions, underlined the growing power of online entertainment channels.
Brands were particularly in evidence at the MIPDigital Fronts as they seek to access the elusive millennial audience that is so attracted to online channels.
One sector that is tipped for rapid development within the digital world is eSports, the fast-growing live gaming tournaments. Media groups sat up and recognised eSports in 2014 when Amazon paid $970 million for Twitch, the live streaming platform dedicated to all things related to video games. With some games reaching as many as 55 million registered viewers, advertisers and brands are looking to associate themselves with tournaments and major media companies such as Endemol Shine are already producing eSport content for videos, apps and live events.
Research suggests that by 2017 frequent viewers of eSport content could total 145 million and associated revenues are expected to be running at just over $1 billion by 2019.
On day three of MipTV, news broke in Cannes that Vice Media is continuing its international expansion. Vice is teaming up with France’s Group CANAL+ in a deal that sees Viceland, Vice’s new lifestyle and culture channel, being carried exclusively across all platforms by CANALSAT when the channel launches in France in autumn.
Diverse deals abound
One of the hottest titles in the MipTV exhibition halls was ITV’s eight-part historical drama ‘Victoria,’ which premiered internationally at the MipDrama Screenings. Starring Jenna Coleman (‘Doctor Who’), post-Screenings deals for ‘Victoria’ included Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, the Netherlands, Israel, Canada and a host of African territories.
Another of the hot drama series at MipTV was ‘Capital,’ based on John Lanchester’s best-seller. FremantleMedia International closed deals on the drama in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. ‘Capital’ stars Toby Jones, Rachael Stirling and Gemma Jones.
Germany’s Beta Film acquired international rights to made-for-TV movie ‘Terror,’ which allows viewers to choose their own ending. The German drama follows a hijacked plane that is shot down by a fighter pilot and the ensuing court case against the fighter pilot. Audiences get to decide whether or not the pilot is guilty of murder.
Streaming major Netflix took worldwide streaming rights (excluding UK and Ireland) to ‘Marcella,’ ITV’s crime drama from distributor Cineflix. The series is written by Hans Rosenfeldt, creator of ‘The Bridge.’
Netflix also acquired second-window US streaming rights to Canal+’s English-language drama ‘Versailles’ from distributor Zodiak Rights.
Best-selling author Harlan Coben said that he is in talks for a sequel series to ‘The Five’ – his first original TV drama scheduled to play on Sky and France’s Canal+. The unnamed project will be produced by Coben’s Final Twist production company. Studiocanal will handle international distribution for Final Twist.
Federation Entertainment, Pascal Breton’s company which is behind Eric Rochant’s “The Bureau” and Netflix’s first French commission “Marseille,” has acquired worldwide distribution rights to Belgian crime thriller drama “The Break.”
Toy giant Mattel, MIPTV’s Brand of the Year, signed multiple deals for its ‘Bob the Builder’ children’s animation series from its TV and film division Mattel Creations. These included sales in Australia, Portugal, Norway, Russia and Turkey.
Russia’s NTV acquired Endemol Shine Group’s reality format ‘Hunted’ and has commissioned a Russian adaptation of Scandinavian crime drama smash hit ‘The Bridge.’
Elsewhere in the format business, Discovery Group Italy has licensed game show format ‘Boom’ from Keshet International for its recently rebranded channel Nove.
Focus On Germany
MipTV 2016’s Focus on Germany (backed by lead sponsors ZDFE and Red Arrow International), turned the spotlight firmly on the latest in German programming, co-production opportunities with German partners and the German industry’s growing international success led by the likes of ‘Generation War’ and ‘Deutschland 83.’
Among the hot German shows in Cannes were ZDFE’s ‘Ku’damm 56 – Rebel With A Cause’ and Beta Film’s ‘NSU German History X.’
“We were very happy with this initiative as it gives Germany the extra visibility we wanted. We are global players in drama, factual and kids programming and the Focus helped us push this position forward” said ZDFE’s Fred Burcksen
Key takeaways
MipTV’s conference programme saw a plethora of senior industry executives and thought leaders share their vision of the future of entertainment.
RTL Group Co-CEO Guillaume de Posch acknowledged that video networks operated by the online giants Google, Yahoo! or Facebook posed a challenge to traditional broadcasters. He said that RTL’s response has been to invest heavily in digital studios. RTL Group has set up a Digital Hub division incorporating all digital and tech activities.
Vivendi content president and Havas Media Group Global MD Dominique Delport’s ‘The Future is in your Palm’ keynote proved to be a bravura performance. He talked about viewer bingeing with 54% of the audience for the last season of ‘House of Cards’ watching the whole season in less than six days.
Delport insisted that free TV remains a phenomenal success with shows like ‘The Great British Bake-Off’ reaching 196 countries.
Tackling the question of SVOD’s role in the entertainment market, Dominique Delport noted that pay TV cable in the US is still a $100 billion business, while SVOD is a $5 billion business. And he told his audience that 60% of the 2.5 billion global smartphone users watch short-form videos daily, hence the launch of STUDIO+, Vivendi’s new producer of premium short-form drama series (10×10 mins) for mobile devices.
Mattel president and COO Richard Dickson told his MIPTV keynote audience that the future of major brands lies in their ability to master content and media in order to tell stories that attract the children of millennial parents.
MipTV closes on a high
Speaking at the traditional MipTV wrap press conference, Reed Midem’s Laurine Garaude said that 2016 had been a memorable edition of the event. “With some 11,000 delegates from 100 countries and 3,900 buyers, MIPTV is the Spring event for the global entertainment ecosystem. The inaugural MIPDrama Screenings was a real success and proved to be a launching pad for high-end drama. MIPTV overall was a springboard for shows across all genres, helping them accelerate their sales in the international market. And the coming together of traditional TV alongside the newer digital studios, MCNs, 4K specialists, YouTubers, and Virtual Reality experts confirms that the entertainment ecosystem at MipTV is as vibrant as ever.”