Artist View Entertainment’s Scott J. Jones & Patti Rose on TV Movie Trends

For more than three decades, Artist View Entertainment has been distributing feature films and television programming via a variety of outlets, including through theatrical releases, linear channels, streamers, AVOD and YouTube channels. From new projects to library products, the company offers buyers numerous genres and budget ranges. President Scott J. Jones and Patti Rose, the VP of international distribution, spoke to TV Drama about market trends and upcoming movies.

TV DRAMA: What factors have contributed to the ongoing popularity of TV movies?
JONES: Different people like to watch different varieties of entertainment. Some want to binge-watch a whole series in one weekend. Other people are content to have 90 minutes of enjoyment, especially when it comes to Christmas movies, rom-coms, and we do a lot of Lifetime female-driven thrillers. It’s just like any business where you look at a target [audience]. Now, I’ve noticed that in the U.S., they are starting to play old Hollywood movies again. There used to be the “Movie of the Week.” That went by the wayside as reality television began to take over those slots. It’s ever-changing.

TV DRAMA: You mentioned Christmas movies. Do you have a specific focus for them?
JONES: Not really. After 35 years, we have only had a few Christmas movies come through our library. The ones that really do well lean toward the Hallmark Channel-type, which is a mix of a rom-com and a Christmas movie. We had a really nice Christmas movie that would get so many views, except for the fact that the Secret Santa, if you like, passed away at the end. The guy died—what’s wrong? A Christmas movie is supposed to be happy! How can you have the good guy pass away? So, the big thing about Christmas movies is that you add in romance, and they’re for fun.

TV DRAMA: I see Joan Collins is coming back to the small screen! Are mystery movies also in demand?
JONES: Yes, especially if something is well-written, like the Joan Collins one, A Murder Between Friends. It’s going to be released in January 2026, and, as I said to the distributor we are working with, when you watch the movie, you will think you know who did it—“Oh, I figured this out”—but it’s not that person. It’s an Agatha Christie-type of mystery with another twist and another twist. It’s fun to watch those types of movies, too. It’s not fun to watch a mystery where 10 minutes in, you say, “That’s the killer.” It’s got to be clever.

TV DRAMA: Are there other titles you would like to highlight?
JONES: Six Days In Evergreen, [about a famous rock star struggling to reclaim her career], which will be released in the first half of next year. We have The Legend of Van Dorn, which will be released early Q2. [It’s based on] a true Civil War story that has never been told. The impression is that it’s a Civil War movie, but it’s very much a romance. Van Dorn was a very powerful general who had his way of winning most battles, but he was also too busy winning women’s hearts and got himself into a lot of trouble! Van Dorn wins hearts!

TV DRAMA: You have worldwide clients. Do you mainly sell to linear channels, or do you also go to AVOD?
ROSE: We go everywhere, including YouTube. We have our new releases that we present to broadcasters, streamers, our all-rights distributors, and the other half [of our offering] is our library. To YouTube, we supply literally hundreds and hundreds of channels worldwide in a variety of languages.

TV DRAMA: Which markets do you attend each year?
JONES: We start every year with Berlin, then Cannes. Since MIPTV in April is gone, we checked out NATPE Budapest. And then we have MIPCOM and AFM. It’s five markets in 12 months. Next year, [we’ll see] how people will react to the Toronto International Film Festival launching a proper, organized market—TIFF: The Market—alongside the festival. How will that influence the fall markets?
ROSE: [There are] a lot of European buyers at [TIFF]. It’s easy for them to get there; they know it is well-organized, and the Canadian dollar is very weak.