{"id":15653,"date":"2021-12-14T08:00:30","date_gmt":"2021-12-14T13:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev2.worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/worldscreen.com\/"},"modified":"2021-12-15T09:18:10","modified_gmt":"2021-12-15T14:18:10","slug":"europes-finest-1021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/europes-finest-1021\/","title":{"rendered":"Europe\u2019s Finest"},"content":{"rendered":"

Amid a renaissance in European drama production, Mansha Daswani checks in with several distributors about new opportunities at home and abroad.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"The conversation about America\u2019s golden age of television has been ongoing since the late \u201990s, as cable TV, and then streamers, ushered in new concepts, innovative narrative techniques, A-list stars and much bigger budgets. \u201cWe may well be now entering the golden age of European content,\u201d Jan Koeppen, president for Europe, the Middle East and Africa at The Walt Disney Company, told delegates at Series Mania at the end of August.<\/p>\n

Koeppen was on site in Lille to tout the success of Disney+ and make it clear to the region\u2019s content community that the streamer is not going to be just a global platform for American content. (Indeed, Series Mania also played host to high-profile sessions with Netflix and HBO Max executives showcasing their latest investments in the region.) Disney+ had previously set a target of 50 European originals by 2024. \u201cWe\u2019re leaning in, and given the reception from the creative community across Europe, we\u2019re on track to exceed 60 originals in that same time frame,\u201d Koeppen said. \u201cIn 2020, there were 50 percent more European commissions than the year before. These commissions are accompanied by bigger budgets. I would call this a real bonanza for the European creative community. It also means that European creatives are busier than ever and consumers have more choice. There\u2019s no sign of this slowing down.\u201d<\/p>\n

DEMANDING VIEWERS<\/strong>
\nThe expansion of the streamers has been paramount in this new European scripted boom. As Rodrigo Herrera Ibarguengoytia, senior acquisitions and co-productions manager for scripted at Red Arrow Studios International, observes, it\u2019s not just the global giants injecting funds into the sector. \u201cRegional European streamers have continued to grow, and many have ambitions to launch in additional territories\u2014as we\u2019ve seen with Viaplay, for example,\u201d he explains. \u201cAs such, they\u2019ve become major players\u2014offering more financing power with a degree of flexibility. The advantage for us is that these local services are multi-territory, not global, which still provides us with the ability to build different financing models and put together diverse partnerships, such as a combination of linear broadcaster and streamer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Working with a variety of different models across the global, regional and local streaming opportunity is crucial, according to Mirela Nastase, director ZDFE.drama at ZDF Enterprises. \u201cStreamers will be increasing their originals, and this could both limit the volume of acquisitions and increase the available premium fiction for distribution. We have started closing volume deals with already existing platforms and with newly launched streamers. This was a very satisfying development this year, and we anticipate it to continue.\u201d<\/p>\n

MIND YOUR LANGUAGE<\/strong>
\nThe streaming giants have helped drive the interest in European drama\u2014think the global success of France\u2019s Lupin<\/em> or Spain\u2019s Money Heist<\/em> on Netflix. For a company like Banijay, with production companies across Europe, the elevation of non-English-language drama has been transformative.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo one is negotiating more with the streamers than we do,\u201d says Lars Blomgren, the European giant\u2019s head of scripted for EMEA. \u201cI also have a scripted fund, which is an important tool for us because we can step in and support a production com\u00adpany in acquiring expensive IP or maybe an agreement with talent. It\u2019s a very useful tool to elevate a production and begin at a better level.\u201d About 70 percent of the scripted slate at Banijay is non-English-language, Blomgren says.<\/p>\n

Austria\u2019s ORF-Enterprise has found a raft of international opportunities for its series, including the Alps-set Soko Kitzbuehel<\/em>, which sold into Germany, Italy, France and several other European markets. \u201cIt is interesting to observe that there is obviously room for so many different types of programs on the market, driven by global, nonlinear players that have been a door-opener for new program types from different cultures,\u201d says Armin Luttenberger, head of content sales international at ORF-Enterprise. \u201cThe success of our strong TV movies and series in various European countries is motivating us to roll out our products in markets like the Americas and Asia.\u201d<\/p>\n

Finding new monetization opportunities is undoubtedly essential as budgets continue to escalate. They were already on the rise, but Covid-19 has added another level of expenses for producers.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe budget increases are a tricky development, putting more pressure on the producers and co-financiers,\u201d says ZDFE.drama\u2019s Nastase. \u201cWe have faced recalculations a few times since the start of the pandemic, and in most cases, we have found solutions together with all partners. As distributors, we are expected to increase our contribution, which is a short-term [solution], but is definitely not sustainable for our business.\u201d<\/p>\n

As has long been the case, the co-production remains a key financial model across the region given that \u201cshared risk is preferable,\u201d Nastase says. \u201cBut I wouldn\u2019t say co-pros are the only solution. Authentic, diverse and innovative ideas that better reflect society today should be the focus of broadcasters and distributors. Streamers are not only well-funded, but they appear to respond with more awareness and precision to what each viewer enjoys watching. That\u2019s why it is not the number of co-producers that matters but the right ones with a common vision. This way, what appears to be an uncommon co-production opens new paths for content creation: take The <\/em>Window<\/em>, a creative financing model between Germany, Belgium and Japan.\u201d<\/p>\n

The brand-new drama, set in the cutthroat world of football, is produced by Germany\u2019s Boogie Entertainment and ZDF Enterprises in co-production with Fuji Television Network in Japan and Belgium\u2019s Velvet Films and Streamz.<\/p>\n

Picking up on Nastase\u2019s point, Red Arrow Studios International\u2019s Ibarguengoytia says that being able to work with multiple different financing models is critical. He cites as examples of Red Arrow\u2019s diverse slate Stella Bl\u00f3mkvist<\/em>, which Sagafilm produced for S\u00edminn in Iceland and Viaplay in Sweden; and Blackout: Tomorrow Is Too Late<\/em>, made by Wiedemann & Berg for Joyn and SAT.1 in Germany. \u201cUsing models like this, we\u2019re able to produce great series that compete internationally and make a difference in the marketplace.\u201d<\/p>\n

NEW NORMAL<\/strong>
\nWith the challenges of the last year, Covid-19 insurance production funds, such as the ones in place in Austria and the U.K., \u201chave helped stabilize the situation,\u201d Ibarguengoytia says. \u201cHowever, the added pressure of finding partners to share the burden of the costs remains. Everyone is dealing with different situations and challenges. Financiers have to figure out a way that works for every partner, on a project-by-project basis, while trying to maintain the respective proportions of each party\u2019s contributions to the greatest extent possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

While much of the high-end drama production coming from Europe tends to hail from the usual big guns\u2014Spain, France, Germany, Italy, the Nordics\u2014several distributors are eyeing opportunities in Russia, Central and Eastern Europe and other markets that are elevating their storytelling techniques.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe keep looking into CEE as a truly rich source of talent,\u201d says Nastase at ZDFE.drama. \u201cWe have launched START\u2019s Sherlock: The Russian Chronicles<\/em> and are thrilled with the market response! We also look closely at the Baltics and Balkan countries, where we\u2019ve noticed visible progress in scripted production.\u201d<\/p>\n

RUSSIA RISING<\/strong>
\n\u201cRussian content is getting better every year,\u201d says Julia Matyash, the director of Sovtelexport, which represents the Russia Television and Radio slate. \u201cWith new content providers appearing (streaming services, for example), viewers are becoming pickier and harder to please. It encourages [producers] to find new ways to keep the audiences happy and attract new ones. Nowadays, a unique plot and high-quality cinematography are crucial, and Russian dramas are proud to have both. The period TV series Ekateri<\/em>na<\/em>, Sophia<\/em>, The Terrible<\/em> and Godunov<\/em> have already conquered their audience and remain Russia Television and Radio\u2019s catalog hallmarks.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sovtelexport series continued to sell well throughout the pandemic, Matyash says, citing deals with Telewizja Polska in Poland, CJ ENM in South Korea, Ginga in Japan, OSN in the Middle East and Amazon Prime.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe themes of Russian projects stand out\u2014they have to do with rich and sometimes tragic Russian history, which keeps motivating directors to create new, exciting stories,\u201d Matyash continues. She highlights the company\u2019s brand-new Cloister<\/em>, based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Zakhar Prilepin.<\/p>\n

Since its 2017 launch, the Russian SVOD service START has been heavily investing in original content\u2014more than 40 to date, ten in the last six months alone, according to Daria Bondarenko, executive VP of sales and acquisitions at the platform. \u201cWe like to think of START as the home to premium Russian drama,\u201d Bondarenko says. \u201cBefore launching a series into production, we always evaluate its international potential because we compete with both Russian and global streamers. We know that our shows are competitive\u2014Russian Affairs <\/em>(Gold Diggers<\/em>) has been shown as part of Amazon\u2019s originals and Walter Presents, and Better Than Us <\/em>was the first Russian series to be presented as a Netflix original. We are breaking the barriers in both domestic popularity and international recognition. Our series regularly top Russian audience charts and entertain global viewers.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of markets have been emerging in recent years,\u201d says Ibarguengoytia at Red Arrow Studios International. \u201cCovid helped accelerate that trend because some smaller markets were able to step in to fill the gaps left by those U.S. and U.K. productions that were postponed or put on hold. We\u2019ve certainly enjoyed working with some of the best producers in those smaller countries,\u201d including Sagafilm in Iceland for Stella Bl\u00f3mkvist<\/em> and De Mensen in Flemish-speaking Belgium on The Bank Hacker<\/em>. \u201cThe focus is on consolidating the presence of those secondary markets as they continue to deliver more,\u201d Ibarguengoytia continues.<\/p>\n

Banijay is tapping into its extensive footprint to make sure it\u2019s aware of all opportunities emerging within this European scripted renaissance. Blomgren says that he and his team stay in constant contact with producers within the group. \u201cWe\u2019re close to their slates; we hear what they are developing. We talk about planning for success\u2026. To create the best content, you just want the best creative to pitch an idea you hadn\u2019t even considered. That\u2019s what creates a trend.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Amid a renaissance in European drama production, Mansha Daswani checks in with several distributors about new opportunities at home and abroad.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":290,"featured_media":15654,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[77,70],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15653","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-features","category-top-stories","pmpro-has-access"],"yoast_head":"\nEurope\u2019s Finest - TVDRAMA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/europes-finest-1021\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Europe\u2019s Finest - TVDRAMA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Amid a renaissance in European drama production, Mansha Daswani checks in with several distributors about new opportunities at home and abroad.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/europes-finest-1021\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"TVDRAMA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-12-14T13:00:30+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-12-15T14:18:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2017\/07\/Huss_ZDFE-0921.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"640\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"360\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Mansha Daswani\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Mansha Daswani\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"9 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/europes-finest-1021\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/europes-finest-1021\/\",\"name\":\"Europe\u2019s Finest - TVDRAMA\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2021-12-14T13:00:30+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-12-15T14:18:10+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/#\/schema\/person\/83da304c8bad8bfdb3edd7eb47cfe5ad\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/europes-finest-1021\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/europes-finest-1021\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/europes-finest-1021\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Europe\u2019s Finest\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/\",\"name\":\"TVDRAMA\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/#\/schema\/person\/83da304c8bad8bfdb3edd7eb47cfe5ad\",\"name\":\"Mansha Daswani\",\"description\":\"Mansha Daswani is the editor-in-chief and associate publisher of World Screen. She can be reached on mdaswani@worldscreen.com.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/author\/mdaswaniworldscreen-com\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Europe\u2019s Finest - TVDRAMA","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/europes-finest-1021\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Europe\u2019s Finest - TVDRAMA","og_description":"Amid a renaissance in European drama production, Mansha Daswani checks in with several distributors about new opportunities at home and abroad.","og_url":"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/europes-finest-1021\/","og_site_name":"TVDRAMA","article_published_time":"2021-12-14T13:00:30+00:00","article_modified_time":"2021-12-15T14:18:10+00:00","og_image":[{"width":640,"height":360,"url":"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2017\/07\/Huss_ZDFE-0921.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Mansha Daswani","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Mansha Daswani","Est. reading time":"9 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/europes-finest-1021\/","url":"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/europes-finest-1021\/","name":"Europe\u2019s Finest - TVDRAMA","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/#website"},"datePublished":"2021-12-14T13:00:30+00:00","dateModified":"2021-12-15T14:18:10+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/#\/schema\/person\/83da304c8bad8bfdb3edd7eb47cfe5ad"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/europes-finest-1021\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/europes-finest-1021\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/europes-finest-1021\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Europe\u2019s Finest"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/#website","url":"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/","name":"TVDRAMA","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/#\/schema\/person\/83da304c8bad8bfdb3edd7eb47cfe5ad","name":"Mansha Daswani","description":"Mansha Daswani is the editor-in-chief and associate publisher of World Screen. She can be reached on mdaswani@worldscreen.com.","url":"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/author\/mdaswaniworldscreen-com\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15653","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/290"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15653"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15653\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15654"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15653"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15653"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15653"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}