Beyond Distribution’s Broad Factual Focus

TV Real talks to Munia Kanna-Konsek, the head of sales at Beyond Distribution, about the company’s factual catalog.

For more than three decades, Beyond Distribution has been selling a variety of programming to the international market. A large portion of the company’s 4,000-plus hours consists of such factual categories as adventure and travel, crime and investigation, health and medicine, people and society, and wildlife and natural history. Key factual genres include popular science, ***Image***lifestyle and children’s, according to Munia Kanna-Konsek, Beyond’s head of sales. “Our range of high-end property-makeover and crime series also demonstrate a commitment to high-quality programming with returnable appeal,” she says.

Although Beyond’s factual content enjoys success around the globe, Kanna-Konsek has been noticing increasing demand in Central and Eastern European territories, as well as in Africa. “We distribute and produce a wide range of programming that embraces universal themes that are relevant to a mass international audience,” she says.

Some of the most successful factual sales for Beyond this year have involved the fourth season of vehicle-rescue reality show Highway Thru Hell, the U.K. and Vancouver versions of home-renovation series Love It or List It, and the tenth season of science-entertainment show MythBusters. “In total, these titles have been sold to hundreds of territories and form the foundation of Beyond’s key content offering,” says Kanna-Konsek. “They all provide co-viewing opportunities, with both MythBusters and Highway Thru Hell ***Image***creating on-the-edge-of-your-seat scenarios.” She adds: “Our most recently launched titles also embrace a style of programming that seems to be really in tune with what audiences are interested in right now. The male-skewed Boy to Man, launched at MIPTV, and Chasing Monsters, launched last MIPCOM, have both proved extremely popular with buyers.”

More and more, Kanna-Konsek is encountering broadcasters looking to acquire factual programming in which the presenter is part of the action, rather than serving merely as a bystander or commentator. “Our recently launched titles Boy to Man and Chasing Monsters feature characters who push themselves to the very limits, not for the cameras, but for their own sense of pride and achievement,” she says. “From joining snake divers in Peru to the snake-infested waters of Florida, the people who make these shows have a natural passion for their subjects, which is captured for us all to see.”

Among the pan-regional broadcasters with which Beyond has established fruitful relationships are Scripps’s portfolio of networks, Discovery Channel and National Geographic Channel. The company also collaborates with such networks as Seven Network in Australia and CBBC in the U.K. “VOD and digital sales to individual territories, as well as the likes of Netflix, are definitely on the rise,” notes Kanna-Konsek. “The [appetite] for more content in bulk from these operators means that only certain distributors are able to meet the demands. Our focus on quality, returnable series—many of which are in their fourth, fifth or even tenth seasons—means we are able to provide VOD and digital-service providers with highly rated content to help build a loyal fan base.”

Moving forward, Beyond plans to continue its mission of identifying high-quality, returnable factual series from independent producers around the world. “What buyers want is programming that can be screened across a range of time slots, from prime time to daytime, focusing on real issues that are relevant and popular in today’s market,” says Kanna-Konsek. “Our challenge, and that of our competitors, is [not only] to continue to deliver popular programming, but also to look at topics that are ahead of current trends so we can try to predict what will be hot and what will not be up to a year or two in advance. The search, as they say, continues!”