High Drama

October 2009

On Europe’s television screens, locally produced drama has been taking on imported American network series for decades. This summer, there was an entirely new field on which that battle was fought—the United States. NBC aired the BBC One commission Merlin, acquired from FremantleMedia Enterprises, while ABC scooped up the sci-fi mini-series Impact from Germany’s Tandem Communications. And on the heels of becoming a Twitter sensation after its Comic-Con panel, Torchwood: Children of Earth, from BBC Worldwide, gave BBC America its best-ever ratings.

The opening of the U.S. as a new market for European fiction imports is good news for an industry facing heavy pressures on budgets. It has been well documented that several commercial broadcasters, reeling from a depressed ad market, are turning more to lower-cost reality and entertainment fare. Nonetheless, delivering mass viewership is still a priority, and big-budget event productions are known as a go-to source for luring advertisers.

“High-concept big budget is definitely still working and better value than shows that are less interesting to advertisers and audiences alike,” says Justin Bodle, the chairman and CEO of Power.

“It’s in times like this that you are even more careful in how you develop your events—you want to hit male and female audiences, you want to hit the commercial audience, you want to get as wide a reach as you can,” notes Jens Richter, the managing director of SevenOne International. “Of course, channels want to save money, but they also want to avoid risk.”

GERMAN GIANTS

SevenOne has a steady supply of event mini-series and TV movies to offer up, thanks to ProSieben and Sat.1’s continued investment in the genre. On the slate is ProSieben’s Sea of Death, an action catastrophe film, the upcoming Sat.1 mini-series The Frontier and the recently broadcast Crash Point: Berlin.

ProSieben is also a major client for Tandem Communications, which is co-producing The Pillars of the Earth with the German broadcaster. The mini-series, based on Ken Follett’s best-selling thriller, features an international cast that includes Ian McShane, Donald Sutherland and Rufus Sewell. Tandem is expecting its latest production to fare as well on the international market as its previous big-budget events Impact and Lost City Raiders. “Lost City Raiders has been sold in 160 countries so far, Impact in 170,” says Bernhard Schwab, the director of sales at Tandem. “It’s really important to us that we have a title that travels worldwide. That’s the number one point for us. When we get involved in a project, we always need to make sure that it fits the international market.”

It’s not just the commercial broadcasters in Germany that are faring well with one-off fiction. ZDF Enterprises is bringing to MIPCOM Krupp: A Family Between War and Peace, a three-part historical drama based on the real-life family of a German steel baron. “It’s a glamorous, dramatic mini-series with really good production values, a big-screen look and a fascinating cast,” says Christian Massmann, ZDF Enterprises’ head of sales. “It was a big hit in Germany, so we’re looking forward to distributing it worldwide. [Broadcasters] need event programs that are image building. In times when TV broadcasters are not only fighting against other television competitors but also against VOD platforms and so on, awareness is a really big issue. If you want to increase your awareness, you need those event programs in order to build up a certain image and position yourself as someone people love to watch.”

Another major player in Germany’s busy event-production sector is Tele München Group (TMG), whose The Sea Wolf mini-series is slated to air on ZDF later this year. TMG is following that up with Moby Dick, which began production in September. “The RTL Group and the ProSiebenSat.1 Group are tightening their belts,” concedes Herbert Kloiber, TMG’s chairman. “But they do engage in three or four of these prestige projects, and we like to have our hands in at least one or two of them. Christmas, Easter, or whenever days are dark, it’s always good to have one or two of these bigger productions.”

TMG’s slate of what Kloiber refers to as “lavish” events includes its series of TV movies based on Rosumunde Pilcher’s bestselling novels, called the Four Seasons Collection. “We did Coming Home with Vanessa Redgrave. Those clearly have an enormous amount of export value and repeat value—even in their second or third run they will deliver a solid number.”

SHOW ME THE MONEY

Financing these titles, however, has never been more challenging than it is today. “Fiction is still under attack because of its high cost,” Kloiber notes, citing Moby Dick’s €16 million budget as an example. Securing co-financing partners on the two-parter, which stars William Hurt and Ethan Hawke, will be TMG’s priority for MIPCOM. RTL, ORF and RHI Entertainment are already on board.

The international market is integral to getting many of these productions off the ground. Therefore, at ProSiebenSat.1 Media, SevenOne is consulted early on in the development process. “When there is the first outline, the first idea of a potential future event movie coming up, that’s when we become involved,” Richter says. “With a very specific project which has a specific genre, addressing a very specific audience profile, you can immediately think of certain potential channel partners who match that profile. That’s the moment you bring them on board.”

Power, similarly, has built a strong production pipeline by securing advance presales of its event productions, among them The Day of the Triffids. Based on John Wyndham’s bestselling apocalyptic novel and commissioned by BBC One, the two-part drama starring Dougray Scott, Vanessa Redgrave, Eddie Izzard and Jason Priestley, among others, presold to 150 territories. Power is also in production on Ice, a disaster feature, and in pre-production on mini-series based on Alistair MacLean’s bestselling novels Puppet on a Chain and The Dark Crusader.

“The enormous production values, big-name cast and extensive special effects that are an integral part of Power’s brand mean that budgets are high,” says Bodle. “We handle this by sticking to our ambition, and trying to generate as much upfront support as we can. We have a huge client base—the 200 or so broadcasters are immensely supportive, and that continued help keeps our shows being made at the right level of budget, scale and ambition. Without this, we would definitely find it hard.”

THE RIGHT FORMULA

Co-productions with partners from multiple territories, however, can be a challenge to execute. As Richter notes, “What we had years ago, the ‘Euro pudding,’ no one wants that anymore. There needs to be a clear lead in the production and there needs to be close cooperation between the co-financing, co-production partners.”

“It’s extremely important when working on a co-production that you pick the right partners for the project,” Bodle asserts. “It must be a shared vision.”

In this changing economy, it’s not just the event minis and TV movies that are structured as multipartner co-productions. Producers and broadcasters across the board are seeking out new models for keeping a supply of longer-running series on-screen.

“There’s no doubt that the drama budgets have been reduced,” says Emmanuelle Namiech, the director of acquisitions and co-productions at ITV Studios Global Entertainment. Now, she says, “there is more reliance on deficit funding either through co-production or through distribution advance or a combination of both.”

ITV Studios is a volume provider of drama, which for years has dominated the British content-export market. The company is heading to MIPCOM with a mixed array, including the ITV1 commission Identity, a contemporary crime drama, as well as new seasons of the Inspector Lewis, A Touch of Frost, Miss Marple and Poirot franchises. “The thing we are really seeing is the demand for high-volume series,” says Namiech. “We are trying to have a complete mix. Channels have very different needs. Action, disasters, event television, are still in demand, as well as long-running series with established characters and strong production values.”

NEW HORIZONS

ITV Studios’ own production output is a primary source for the company’s worldwide distribution slate, but Namiech points to the increasing diversification of its content supply. “We work with ITV Studios, we work with a number of independent producers through first-look deals or exclusive output deals, and we also work with international producers on a project-by-project basis. We are certainly looking [beyond] the traditional set of suppliers in the U.K.”

For example, ITV Studios contributed to the funding on the Sky1 commission The Take—based on a Martina Cole novel—which was co-financed with the Irish Development Board. It has also taken on the rights to a Canadian drama, Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures, from Shaftesbury Films.

BBC Worldwide has dipped its toes outside of the U.K. pool, as well, representing the rights to the Canadian dramedy Being Erica. Nonetheless, the commercial arm of the British public broadcaster still does its biggest scripted business on prime-time, U.K.-originated dramas.

“Our latest top-selling dramas are Doctor Who, Spooks and Primeval,” says Sarah Doole, the director of drama and comedy for content and production at BBC Worldwide. “Doctor Who has been a phenomenal international success that will undoubtedly continue with the new Doctor. Spooks also has great international appeal as it has been sold to 74 broadcasters in more than 50 territories. Primeval also sells well on the international market with 47 broadcasters in more than 41 territories picking up the hit sci-fi series.”

Joining those returning titles on the MIPCOM slate are in-house productions such as the BBC One period drama Emma, as well as independently produced fare: the five-part crime thriller Paradox for BBC One and Left Bank Pictures’ ITV commission Married Single Other.

“BBC Worldwide is not immune from the economic downturn, so we understand the challenges that are facing broadcasters and producers around the world,” Doole notes. “We are always adapting to changing circumstances and are looking into new and more creative deals that will benefit our clients as well as our business.”

INDEPENDENTS DAY

Another U.K.-based company, FremantleMedia Enterprises (FME), has been ramping up its drama portfolio, announcing a slew of first-look deals with independent producers at MIPTV this year. “There is no doubt about it that advertising is down and audiences are fragmenting, so there is less money for drama,” says Mark Gray, FME’s VP of programming. “While there are fewer slots and lower budgets, the demand is still there, so opportunities for innovative and flexible producers still very much exist.”

One of FME’s biggest drama titles thus far has been The Adventures of Merlin, which has already sold to more than 50 broadcasters in 180-plus countries and has been greenlit for a second season. New on FME’s MIPCOM drama portfolio is the eight-part Trinity, set against the backdrop of an English university where something seems amiss. “It has dark comedic undertones, and there are a wide range of characters that will appeal to a fairly broad viewing public,” Gray says.

Also on offer are talkbackTHAMES’ 7×1-hour Monday Monday and the two-hour British/Canadian co-production Abroad. “It’s based on the true story of writer Leah McLaren, whose chronicles of her dating experiences in London ended up as a controversial and widely read cover story in The Spectator about the failures of the modern English male. It’s definitely a comedic drama but it gets to the core of some universal men/women issues, which will translate in any territory.”

Another important distribution partner for the U.K.’s large community of independent producers is ALL3MEDIA International, which represents sister companies under the ALL3MEDIA umbrella as well as third-party entities. The company’s top drama exports include the hit mystery series Midsomer Murders—produced for ITV1, the show has aired in more than 200 markets—and the family drama Wild at Heart.

“Producers are coming to distributors at an earlier stage with the requirement to gauge the international marketplace for presales and gain higher development advances,” says Louise Pedersen, ALL3MEDIA International’s managing director, on the impact of the downturn on the British drama-production landscape.

At MIPCOM, the company will be looking for presales on the second six-part season of Raw, set in the restaurant business, and on the whopping 13th season of Midsomer Murders. “There’s security in proven long-running drama, and still demand for new crime/thriller mini-series,” says Pedersen.

CONTINENTAL TASTE

While Britain is certainly a dominant force in the export of European dramas, several territories on the Continent are faring just as well. Germany, for example, has for years been churning out hit police series that have made their way across the globe. “The classic ZDF crime shows, such as Derrick, have sold and broadcast in more than 130 territories worldwide,” says ZDF Enterprises’ Massmann. “We have a couple of ongoing, traditional crime series with high volumes, more than 350 to 400 episodes. This is a genre of programming that broadcasters are still looking for.”

ZDF will have more crime dramas to showcase at the market, Massmann adds. “There are new young, urban crime series such as Leipzig Homicide and Cologne P.D. We distribute a couple of very interesting Scandinavian crime series, such as Verdict Revised and now The Protectors.”

There will also be some lighter fare, like the female-skewing romance series Alisa: Follow Your Heart, with some 240 episodes available for broadcasters in need of a volume buy. “Audiences are looking for something that gives them a break from the stress outside of the living room,” Massmann continues. “They are looking for something that lets them relax. There’s a big demand for feel-good series and movies.”

This is a sentiment shared by Richter at SevenOne, which is bringing a slate of romantic-comedy TV movies to market, plus family-entertainment features and a range of mystery thrillers. “Romantic comedies, escapism, good feelings—those are the buzz words ringing some bells at the moment,” Richter says. On the series front, meanwhile, SevenOne has the hit telenovela Anna to offer.

A ROMANCE A DAY

Bavaria Media Television is another major player in the European telenovela market, with a slate that includes the hit Storm of Love. The show, says Oliver Kreuter, the head of Bavaria Media Television, is the company’s top-selling drama. “Solidly established in 20 territories, the telenovela has taken on the role of the ‘must-have’ programming mainstay for many broadcasters and their schedulers. We have received the confirmation to produce 200 additional episodes, which will bring the series to an impressive total of 1,270 episodes available by 2010.”

Kreuter expects the French novela Second Chance to be similarly successful, and Bavaria is launching the 100×25-minute telenovela Lilly and the Girls at MIPCOM.

Also a headline property for Bavaria this year is the Swedish-German crime TV-movie collection Johan Falk. “A nicely balanced mix of investigative work with a solid dash of action, plus some insights into the background of the characters, the collection is offering a mix that should sit very well with international buyers,” Kreuter says. “Solidly produced crime stories are definitely in demand. The upswing of the ‘Scandi-Crime’ genre is a clear indicator that broadcasters are increasingly willing to take a truly international approach when it comes to crime stories.”

CRIME PAYS

Police dramas feature prominently for Mediaset Distribution, but the Italian distributor has shored up slots for a variety of productions this year, according to Patricio Teubal, the head of sales. Top sellers have included Police District, Corleone and Elisa.Properties launching at MIPCOM include the crime series Antimafia Squad, the mini-series The Courage of a Princess and 55 Ways to Death, the TV movie Follow Your Dreams and the comedy Girlfriends.

Teubal says that Mediaset will also be pushing its scripted format slate at the market. “We have closed options for some of our scripted formats, such as Maternity Ward in Portugal and Poland; Family Storm in Greece; The Mall in Poland, and we’re negotiating two others in the U.S.”

Imagina International Sales is also seeing strong demand for its Spanish fiction-formats portfolio, notably The Boarding School, an Antena 3 series that is in its third season. “It’s a mix of mystery and drama,” says Geraldine Gonard, the company’s sales director. “We have sold it in several territories. That’s one of the main stars of the catalogue.”

Another highlight for Imagina is the period drama The Red Eagle, which scored a 25-percent share when broadcast on the Spanish public broadcaster TVE. “We’ll go to MIPCOM with two seasons, which is great,” Gonard notes. “Most channels want to buy a series when it is at least two seasons in.”

Similarly, France’s AB International Distribution is eager to be offering up a third season of Mafiosa. “It’s sold in 61 countries,” says Julien Leroux, international sales manager at the company. “The eight episodes of the second season have attracted nearly 1 million viewers each week on Canal+. The third season will start shooting in October for a November 2010 broadcast and Canal+ has already commissioned the writing of a fourth season for November 2011.”

On AB’s slate, Mafiosa joins a crop of other hit series, including the dramedy The Rookies and the eight-part thriller The Avignon Prophecy, as well as a host of TV movies: Hit and Run, Mont Blanc Mystery, Lady in Chief, The Salengro Case and Ella’s Band.

Whatever the genre, producers are learning how to do more with less. “Simply put, producers are cutting costs and being a lot more realistic about what they have to work with,” says FME’s Gray. “Whereas producers may have looked for extra budget to achieve something in days past, they’re increasingly looking at original and creative ways to deliver quality on a smaller budget and, of course, at different ways of sharing production costs.”

“Budget pressure has been a constant factor for as long as I remember,” says Bavaria’s Kreuter. “However, acquired programming is still a relatively economic way to procure content. And when it comes to production, many European producers have become quite adept at making due with what is available. Although broadcasters should always keep in mind: ‘You get what you pay for.’”