Starz CEO Stresses Central Role of Global Market

CANNES: In his MIPTV keynote today, which was followed by a Q&A with World Screen‘s Anna Carugati, Starz chief Chris Albrecht stressed the importance of the international market to the profitability of shows today.

"If you want to monetize your show, you have to approach the program from a global perspective," Albrecht said. "It’s impossible to make real money producing for your domestic market alone."

Stressing the "central role of the global market," Albrecht said that producers and distributors "need international sales and overseas contributions to thrive."

"Monetization across borders is part of the norm now," he continued, noting the financial pressures on both broadcast and cable networks. "Even for a premium company like Starz, the global economy has put a tight grip of programming and marketing" budgets.

Discussing the need to create concepts that will appeal to multiple markets, Albrecht cited Starz’s own original production Spartacus: Blood and Sand, which has been renewed for a second season following strong ratings results in the U.S. and Canada. International networks slated to launch the show include Bravo in the U.K., LAPTV in Latin America, HBO in Central and Eastern Europe, Star channel in Japan, OCN in Korea and RTL in the Netherlands. The series, he says, was "built as a truly global enterprise" having been written in the U.S., filmed in New Zealand and cast with actors from Wales, Scotland, Ghana, the U.S. and others.

Albrecht also pointed to Tandem’s Pillars of the Earth, which Starz has acquired, and the upcoming GKTV series Camelot, set for a 2011 debut. Albrecht also revealed that Starz is developing two projects with Ben Silverman’s Electus: William the Conqueror and Peace Keeper.

"The smart producers, the smart buyers, are the ones who look beyond their studio lots, outside their natural comfort zones, and look for TV with a global flavor."

A full recap of Albrecht’s Q&A session with Anna Carugati, World Screen‘s group editorial director, will appear in World Screen Weekly.