All3Media International’s Sabrina Duguet on Selling Formats to Asia

All3Media has a treasure trove of programming to offer audiences worldwide. As Sabrina Duguet, executive VP for the Asia-Pacific region, explains, numerous scripted and non-scripted shows are being picked up in several Asian countries.

WS: What factors have been fueling demand for local adaptations of your shows?
DUGUET: Over the past few years, local content production has increased significantly in volume and quality, leading to a huge demand for new scripted series in Asia. But production companies and writers couldn’t fulfill it, so demand was high, while supply was low. Secondly, a slightly different skill set was needed. Writers were creating long-running series, since there is a tradition in Asia for telenovela-style dramas, and they were writing a lot of movies, but not the six-, eight- or ten-part series that were suddenly in high demand, specifically from the VOD platforms. Scripted formats fulfilled that void. The last point is the ability to fast-track the process. Everybody wants a quick turnaround, and scripted formats make that possible.

WS: Which scripted formats have you been selling?
DUGUET: To date, we’ve done around 20 scripted formats in Asia. Most have been in the thriller, detective and psychological thriller genres for two reasons. First, because a lot of All3Media’s drama series are within that space, and we’ve been working with some fantastic writers and producers. Second, thrillers are challenging to write—to get enough clues and the beats of the series right. Therefore, most of the series we’ve adapted have been in the thriller genre. Everywhere in Asia, especially on the VOD services, they perform incredibly well.

However, I have seen a diversification in the type of scripted formats people are looking for. Some of our latest adaptations have been in the romantic comedy genre. One of the latest shows to air was the adaptation of Step Dave, a New Zealand series produced by South Pacific Pictures. It’s been adapted in several countries around the world. In Asia, the latest adaptation was in Malaysia for Astro and produced by phoSumPro. It’s been a big success.

WS: Are production costs increasing in Asia? If so, how are you helping keep the quality on-screen while containing costs?
DUGUET: Overall, yes, the production budgets have increased in the region. But they also probably started lower than most places around the world. So, there was room for growth, and that has been important. However, we’ve also seen the challenges, as in other places around the world, where production budgets have gone really high and the market doesn’t sustain them. There’s been a conscious effort to reduce the production budgets for quite a few series. What’s interesting about formats, scripted or non-scripted, is that they can replace the money you would spend developing a show. They also help avoid many of the potential errors you could make with an original show.

In terms of managing the budget, particularly in non-scripted, we work closely with our clients to share ideas on how we’ve reduced budgets in other countries, without compromising the show’s success. In the end, we all want the same thing: a very successful series. Bringing knowledge of how we’ve made a series elsewhere is a key reason why people want a format.

WS: What support do you offer the channels, platforms or production companies that are adapting your shows?
DUGUET: I’ve always said to my team: How can we bring more value to the client at a time when everybody—producers, broadcasters, platforms—is facing challenges? Our duty is not just to bring a good idea, but to support them through the [adaptation] process with knowledge about the type of marketing, funding, sponsors and collaborations that have taken place in other countries.

We also help during production. Take The Traitors and the 35-plus versions we’ve worked on; that comes with a huge amount of knowledge: the creative, the execution of the production, the editing, the marketing and the licensing. We don’t just bring a show; we bring a brand. For The Traitors, we’ve seen how successful everything outside the show has been: the companion shows, the clothes that you can sell. It’s a good way to generate extra revenue, and it’s a fantastic way to engage with the audience in a different way.

WS: What factual and natural history subjects are of interest in the region?
DUGUET: Asia is so diverse, but overall, what has always resonated and still works is anything science-related, history, animal-related, natural history, travel to some extent—depending on where the travel is—and lifestyle, but it has to be relevant to Asia. There are strong public-service broadcasters in some Asian countries that are always looking for high-end documentary series.

Luckily, quite a few of our production companies produce a lot in Asia. For example, Lion TV has done fantastic productions in Asia, sometimes producing for Asian broadcasters. We recently picked up a documentary series called The Otter Diary. Entirely shot in India, it offers a rare view of an otter family and its survival strategies.

WS: Are you also selling tapes of scripted shows in the region?
DUGUET: Yes. What has worked well is strong talent, thrillers and detective series. Japan is always a strong territory, as they have such a love for traditional British series that always worked well. We also have some great collaborations in China on some scripted series. India has picked up quite a few finished tapes, and pan-Asia, too. Yes, we still have people who love British content in this part of the world.

WS: Are there any new titles you’d like to mention?
DUGUET: I mentioned The Traitors. We’ve announced some deals, and more are coming. On the format side, we also have The Circle from Studio Lambert. Channel 4 initially commissioned it, and then we did several series for Netflix. And Sexy Beasts, a series from Lion TV that’s been adapted in the past for two Asian countries, and we’ve got a few more commissions coming. And The Assassin, our big series, is coming back, and we’re really happy with that.