here<\/a>.<\/p>\nMarch noted that the landscape has changed, with producers now somewhat less willing to do a global deal fully funded by a streamer and a \u201cmomentum back into traditional distribution, both for having the ability to sell a show and to have upside.\u201d<\/p>\n
Like many others, Dynamic is looking to get involved earlier in a project\u2019s life cycle. \u201cThere\u2019s so much content supply in the marketplace that buyers can be really choosy, Sitting back as a distributor and just waiting for content to come to you, that\u2019s harder. We need to work with our partners to make sure the shows that we do invest in are successful locally but can be successful globally as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
March then talked about financing models, which he believes are still largely the same from an independent distribution perspective. \u201cYou get a commission, which is going to cover a certain percentage of the budget. A percentage of that budget will be financed through local incentives, tax credits, soft money. And then you\u2019re looking at a big chunk that you have to cover one way or another. Generally, you get a co-production partner, presales and then you\u2019ll invest the 10 percent to 15 percent to 20 percent remaining against the rest of the world that you feel pretty confident will generate a positive return. That very simple model has not changed. The numbers have changed dramatically, and that\u2019s what makes it harder. That\u2019s part of the reason why you get involved early and you try to develop the right projects at the right price and find the right places to make those shows that ultimately everybody wins. Most shows that we get involved in on the distribution side, we don\u2019t profit unless that show is successful globally. It really needs to be done at the right way and the right price.\u201d<\/p>\n
As for where the money actually is, March noted that the European public broadcasting commissioning system, while under pressure, remains a vibrant part of the ecosystem, and the global SVODs are still spending significant sums of money on content. \u201cIf you step back and you look at all the challenges streamers are under, their investments are still in the billions of dollars every year in content. That doesn\u2019t have to entirely be global buyouts\u2014it still can be acquisitions. If you buy a show, 99 percent of the time it\u2019s going to be cheaper than making that show in that particular territory. As streamers start looking at optimizing their spend, we anticipate it\u2019ll move a little bit back to an acquired strategy. I don\u2019t think the money is going away. You have distributors like Dynamic that are well capitalized and want to invest in content. There\u2019s been so much negative price pressure, this is as careful as we ever have had to be in evaluating and analyzing the potential of a show.\u201d<\/p>\n
March also weighed in on co-productions, noting that it\u2019s become harder \u201cto find that alignment because of the fluctuations in audience, when investment can be allocated and when needs are aligned. As a buyer buys fewer shows, you have fewer opportunities for that alignment. With costs going up, two co-production partners might not be enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
U.S. broadcasters and platforms are becoming more open to co-pros, March noted. \u201cI\u2019m more optimistic and positive today than I have been in a while because the economics are demanding that. There\u2019s been such decline in linear viewership that the traditional studio model is hard to sustain. Not enough people are watching. We\u2019re not selling enough ads to warrant that old 60 to 70 percent investment on a $4-million hour. Some broadcasters are willing to look at alternatives. The challenge is that the American audience wants American shows. So, yes, there is a growing and interesting need to look at co-productions. But threading that needle is really challenging because what U.S. buyers are looking for is something that looks, feels and tastes like an American show for an audience that primarily wants American shows. I\u2019m pretty encouraged that there are going to be more opportunities to start exploring some co-productions in the U.S. It\u2019s just going to be tricky to navigate the creative.\u201d<\/p>\n
March also discussed the increasing role that distributors are playing in packaging and attracting the right talent, on- and off-screen. \u201cTalent really moves the needle. It\u2019s never been more important to find tools we can bring our partners and say, Hey, this is how you\u2019re going to get an audience. The role of a distributor is to work with the buyer to show them how we\u2019re going to attract an audience to that particular program.\u201d<\/p>\n
And providing compelling marketing imagery is crucial, March noted. \u201cMarketing is storytelling in your imagery, in your assets. It\u2019s being able to know what you\u2019re selling to an audience. Sometimes we\u2019re selling a genre, sometimes we\u2019re selling location, sometimes we\u2019re selling the cast, sometimes we\u2019re selling the IP. But you have to understand what your goals are and how you\u2019re going to attract that audience. That should resonate in your imagery, your assets, your entire campaign and your trailer.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Dan March, managing partner of Dynamic Television, highlighted how the role of the independent producer-distributor is evolving in the scripted business as the TV Drama Festival continued.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":290,"featured_media":19323,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[70],"tags":[4339,628,7672],"class_list":["post-19322","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-top-stories","tag-dan-march","tag-dynamic-television","tag-tv-drama-festival-2023","pmpro-has-access"],"yoast_head":"\n
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