{"id":18542,"date":"2023-04-18T08:50:22","date_gmt":"2023-04-18T12:50:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev2.worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/worldscreen.com\/"},"modified":"2023-04-19T09:50:50","modified_gmt":"2023-04-19T13:50:50","slug":"high-drama-2023-04","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/high-drama-2023-04\/","title":{"rendered":"High Drama"},"content":{"rendered":"

European drama distributors weigh in on the trends at play in the landscape today. <\/em><\/p>\n

In March, the highly anticipated, big-budget eco-thriller The Swarm<\/em> opened to almost 7 million viewers on German pubcaster ZDF after racking up more than 10 million views on its digital service locally. The show also scored a 23 percent share on Austrian outlet ORF.<\/p>\n

From showrunner Frank Doelger (Game of Thrones<\/em>), the ambitious eight-parter features a wealth of partners; it is produced by Schwarm TV Productions\u2014itself a joint venture between Intaglio Films and ndF International Production\u2014for ZDF, France T\u00e9l\u00e9visions, Rai Fiction, Viaplay, Hulu Japan, ORF and SRF, in co-production with Bravado Fiction and Beside Productions and co-operation with ATHOS. ZDF Studios and Beta Film are jointly handling distribution.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is no better deal than when several partners with similar values and production strategies come together and co-produce,\u201d Norbert Himmler, director-general of ZDF, told World Screen<\/em> last year. \u201cYou pay for one or two episodes and receive eight to ten for your program in return! And it is the only way for us to match financially the streamers\u2019 deep pockets in production.\u201d<\/p>\n

The streamers\u2019 deep pockets may not be as bottomless as they were a year ago amid a slowdown in the growth of subscribers, but broadcasters are still having to find innovative ways to pool their resources to take on the global giants, especially as inflation drives up the cost of production. The streamers, while scaling back, are still making significant investments in scripted; per Ampere Analysis, spending on original titles by global streamers will top $26 billion in 2023\u2014a quarter of all commissioning worldwide\u2014with some 90 percent of that going on scripted. And per many operating in Europe\u2019s drama landscape, even the platforms that for a time wanted nothing but global rights are becoming more open to new financing models as they look to meet local content quotas and drive subs in a slightly more cost-efficient manner.<\/p>\n

\u201cDrama production is getting more and more expensive everywhere,\u201d observes B\u00e9atrice Nouh, head of sales at Spain\u2019s Onza Distribution. \u201cStreamers are trying to maximize revenues and offer more content, so co-productions are a great way for them to face these challenges. Platforms are more open than a few years before to sharing rights and windows to enter projects with higher production values without assuming all the risk. At Onza, we are always trying to push the possibilities of multi-windowing, either in the same territory (for example, a streamer and a free-to-air channel) or between territories.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nouh continues, \u201cWhat is missing in Europe is one big European streamer that would foster European co-productions. For now, most of the streamers present throughout Europe are from the U.S. and focus more on local production country by country and not so much on several countries at a time. The main organized strategic attempt to create these kinds of European co-productions is The Alliance with France T\u00e9l\u00e9visions, Rai and ZDF, but for streamers, it is still very [rare] in Europe.\u201d<\/p>\n

The team at Bavaria Media International has also seen new flexibility on the part of SVOD operators to second windows and non-exclusive rights sharing. Broadcasters, meanwhile, are becoming slightly more risk-averse given the potential of a looming recession alongside reduced ad revenue forecasts.<\/p>\n

SAFER BETS<\/strong>
\n\u201cClients are looking for titles that perfectly fit their slot requirements in terms of format, genre and content,\u201d says Helge K\u00f6hnen, head of content sales at Bavaria Media International. \u201cUnless you have a strong and unique show, they tend to minimize the risk by looking for well-proven formats. Also, there has been a trend for relicenses to cut expenses in acquisitions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Onza\u2019s Nouh, meanwhile, has seen increased requests from linear clients for \u201cbig prime-time event series; the ones that can [bring in big] audiences and thus help them generate ad revenues.\u201d<\/p>\n

She elaborates: \u201cThere is a trend in prime-time series to reduce the number of episodes to create a short event (one or two nights). Ten years ago, most of the seasons were between 12 and 24 episodes, and now broadcasters are sometimes asking for between three and six episodes. We see that the idea is to get more premium event series than filling a slot.\u201d<\/p>\n

Global Screen lands at MIPTV\u2008with the new event series DAVOS<\/em>, made by Contrast Film Z\u00fcrich and Letterbox Filmproduktion Hamburg. \u201cThe cinematically stunning and thrilling six-part show is being co-produced by Amalia Film, Swiss television broadcaster SRF and the German production company ARD Degeto,\u201d says Julia Weber, head of sales and international acquisitions. \u201cThe exciting series will feature an outstanding cast led by Dominique Devenport, Jeanette Hain and David Kross. DAVOS<\/em> finished shooting in March and will be broadcast as a holiday season highlight.\u201d<\/p>\n

Whether a one-off or a returning brand, there is a sense in the market today that audiences are seeking slightly lighter fare when it comes to their drama offerings.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hear that brands do not want to be associated with topics that are too violent or dark, especially for daytime, so some linear free-to-air clients are asking for lighter content, but still premium enough to attract the audience,\u201d Onza\u2019s Nouh explains.<\/p>\n

She adds, \u201cWith risks on ad revenues, linear broadcasters need to rely on safer options when they produce something. It\u2019s not the moment for them to try something transgressive.\u201d<\/p>\n

Broad appeal is the focus of the lineup from Italy\u2019s Lux Vide, with Barbara Pavone, chief sales and marketing officer, highlighting the company\u2019s slate of \u201cfamily-oriented, long-running TV series of all kinds of genres\u2014crime drama, light crime, mystery and comedy. We continue to bring broad, heartwarming family stories with proven international appeal to our buyers,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Fredrik af Malmborg, CEO of Eccho Rights, is of a similar opinion, noting, \u201cThere\u2019s an appetite to be a bit safer. In Turkey, it\u2019s the same\u2014we\u2019re going back to the roots of how shows were made some time ago.\u201d<\/p>\n

While broadcasters are looking for high-profile event pieces, they need a steady, reliable supply of content that will engender viewer loyalty as they brace for what is expected to be a challenging year. Turkish distributors are ready to fill that demand.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe appetite for Turkish dramas continues to grow worldwide,\u201d says Asli Serim, head of international sales at Calinos Entertainment. \u201cTurkish scriptwriters [have] started to evolve stories according to daily social media feedback. This flexibility and pace positively affect the global audience and the local ones. And the buyers love this trend.\u201d<\/p>\n

Turkey\u2019s atv arrives in Cannes with a slate of long-running, established hits, reports M\u00fcge Akar, head of sales for Europe, Africa and Asia. To appeal to buyers\u2014and audiences\u2014atv is emphasizing that its shows all boast \u201csuccessful directors and producers, well-known casts and high-quality production [values] with unique stories.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aysegul Tuzun, managing director of MISTCO, highlights the \u201csustainable\u201d nature of Turkish dramas and points to the company\u2019s openness to co-productions as it expands its global footprint. \u201cWe aim to create an international title with the contribution of our partners all around the world\u2014so we are quite open to co-production discussions,\u201d Tuzun notes.<\/p>\n

CRIMINAL MINDS<\/strong>
\nWhatever the origin, crime dramas and known IP remain in demand as buyers and commissioners look for safer bets to stand out in a crowded landscape. ZDF Studios, for example, is showcasing a wealth of suspense and thriller series, including Before We Die<\/em>, an English-language remake of the beloved Scandinavian series for Channel 4; and two seasons of the Stories to Stay Awake<\/em> anthology reboot. \u201cFour top Spanish directors\u2014Rodrigo Cort\u00e9s, Rodrigo Sorogoyen, Paula Ortiz, Paco Plaza\u2014bring Chicho Ib\u00e1\u00f1ez Serrador\u2019s iconic horror series back to life with a modern cinematic edge,\u201d reveals Mirela Nastase, Director Drama.<\/p>\n

All3Media International also has an abundance of thrillers to showcase of varying stripes, including Better<\/em>, which David Swetman, senior VP of content and commercial strategy, describes as a \u201cmessy, human, crime-filled story from the award-winning team at Sister, set in the atmospheric Leeds and led by gripping performances from BAFTA-nominated Leila Farzad and Andrew Buchan.\u201d Meanwhile, from Australia, Black Snow<\/em> is a crime drama meets coming-of-age series from Goalpost Pictures \u201cthat champions unique, distinct voices from the local South Sea Islander community and features outstanding performances from Travis Fimmel and newcomers Talijah Blackman-Corowa and Jemmason Power.\u201d<\/p>\n

Indeed, \u201ctopics such as diversity, female empowerment and sustainability have gained much higher importance,\u201d reports K\u00f6hnen at Bavaria Media International. \u201cAlso, the number of youth-related themes has been growing.\u201d<\/p>\n

With war ongoing and an abundance of clutter to cut through, the region\u2019s key scripted distributors know that 2023 is set to be a challenging year. Still, the opportunities are clear, especially as a writers\u2019 strike looms in the U.S. During the last one\u2014which ran for 100 days in 2007-08\u2014international content was a blip on the radar for American viewers; today, that situation is vastly different as audiences embrace subtitled content and stories from across the globe.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

European drama distributors weigh in on the trends at play in the landscape today.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":290,"featured_media":18543,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[77,70],"tags":[314,6371,654,2598,6454,4477,6513,444,6301,490,2539,235,6514,6435,2671,1036,2613,6512,6103,1047,4932],"class_list":["post-18542","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-features","category-top-stories","tag-all3media-international","tag-asli-serim","tag-atv","tag-aysegul-tuzun","tag-barbara-pavone","tag-bavaria-media-international","tag-beatrice-nouh","tag-calinos-entertainment","tag-david-swetman","tag-eccho-rights","tag-fredrik-af-malmborg","tag-global-screen","tag-helge-kohnen","tag-julia-weber","tag-lux-vide","tag-mistco","tag-muge-akar","tag-norbert-himmler","tag-onza-distribution","tag-zdf","tag-zdf-studios","pmpro-has-access"],"yoast_head":"\nHigh Drama - 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\/high-drama-2023-04\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"High Drama - TVDRAMA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"European drama distributors weigh in on the trends at play in the landscape today.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/high-drama-2023-04\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"TVDRAMA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-04-18T12:50:22+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-04-19T13:50:50+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2017\/07\/DAVOS-global-screen.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"640\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"426\" \/>\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=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/high-drama-2023-04\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/high-drama-2023-04\/\",\"name\":\"High Drama - TVDRAMA\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2023-04-18T12:50:22+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-04-19T13:50:50+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/#\/schema\/person\/83da304c8bad8bfdb3edd7eb47cfe5ad\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/high-drama-2023-04\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/high-drama-2023-04\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/high-drama-2023-04\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"High Drama\"}]},{\"@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":"High Drama - 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\/high-drama-2023-04\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"High Drama - TVDRAMA","og_description":"European drama distributors weigh in on the trends at play in the landscape today.","og_url":"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/high-drama-2023-04\/","og_site_name":"TVDRAMA","article_published_time":"2023-04-18T12:50:22+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-04-19T13:50:50+00:00","og_image":[{"width":640,"height":426,"url":"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2017\/07\/DAVOS-global-screen.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Mansha Daswani","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Mansha Daswani","Est. reading time":"8 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/high-drama-2023-04\/","url":"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/high-drama-2023-04\/","name":"High Drama - TVDRAMA","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/#website"},"datePublished":"2023-04-18T12:50:22+00:00","dateModified":"2023-04-19T13:50:50+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/#\/schema\/person\/83da304c8bad8bfdb3edd7eb47cfe5ad"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/high-drama-2023-04\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/high-drama-2023-04\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/high-drama-2023-04\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"High Drama"}]},{"@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\/18542","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=18542"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18542\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18543"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18542"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18542"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18542"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}