If the mantra is \u201cback to basics\u201d as the industry attempts to recalibrate to the new normal post-peak TV, the headlines coming out of MIPCOM reflect a surging demand for crime series and thrillers, a healthy appetite for proven scripted formats and a heyday for producers of high-volume, mid-budget series (namely, the Turkish distributors, which had a particularly buzzy week with a raft of events up and down the Croisette).<\/p>\n
IP, of course, remains important. We heard that in Dan Cohen\u2019s keynote session with\u00a0World Screen<\/em>\u2019s Anna Carugati, where Paramount\u2019s chief content licensing officer revealed that the company\u2019s\u00a0flagship\u00a0NCIS<\/em>\u00a0franchise has generated some $4.5 billion in licensing revenues<\/a>. Cohen and Carugati were joined on stage by Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo, stars of the latest expansion of the CBS franchise:\u00a0NCIS: Tony & Ziva<\/em>.<\/p>\n In a session I moderated at the busy Producers\u2019 Hub,\u00a0Diego Londono, executive VP of media networks and content for EMEA at The Walt Disney Company, highlighted some of the upcoming scripted originals for Disney+<\/a>\u00a0based on known IP, including\u00a0Rivals<\/em>. \u201cIt\u2019s not essential, but you need to understand the elements that will allow you to cut through,\u201d Londono explained. \u201cKnown IP helps.\u00a0Rivals<\/em>\u00a0has a huge fan base in the U.K.\u00a0This is Not Hollywood<\/em>\u00a0is based on [a true story], but\u00a0A Thousand Blows<\/em>\u00a0is an original story from a fantastic creator. And it\u2019s a genre we know has had success. So, it\u2019s not essential, but we do love it.\u201d<\/p>\n The session also featured Paolo Agostinelli, senior VP of affiliate and content distribution for EMEA at Disney, who touched on another critical theme reshaping the scripted landscape: a resurgence in co-pros and new approaches to exclusivity and windowing. \u201cIt made sense when we launched direct-to-consumer to protect this new screen by holding a good chunk of content almost exclusively to Disney+. Things have changed. Direct-to-consumer is in a different stage of its life cycle. The service is well established in more than 150 million homes across the world, which is a testament we did the right thing at the moment. There was a need to rebalance our distribution strategy, which is something we had planned from the very beginning. We want to maximize reach and believe in windowing between direct-to-consumer and third parties. Not only do we maximize reach, we have an opportunity to generate synergies and create further value. We can have an exclusive window on Disney+ and then license to third parties.\u201d<\/p>\n He mentioned as an example\u00a0Extraordinary\u00a0<\/em>from the U.K., which was licensed to ITV2 and ITVX just ahead of the season two drop on Disney+. \u201cIt raised the profile of season one and engaged fans in season two. We\u2019ve done more than 20 such deals in the last few months.\u201d<\/p>\n ZDF Studios used MIPCOM to announce the\u00a0addition to its slate of the eco-thriller\u00a0Lume<\/em><\/a>, set against the wildfire crisis on the northern Portugal-Spain border. Reflecting a new approach to windowing, the series will be streamed on Max in Spain and Portugal and air on RTP and Televisi\u00f3n de Galicia (TVG), the public broadcasters of Portugal and Galicia, respectively.<\/p>\n With commissions on the downswing, broadcasters and platforms are looking to acquisitions to bolster their offerings, and as referenced earlier, crime dramas are certainly not losing their prime position in the market. All3Media International signed new deals for\u00a0Goalpost Pictures\u2019 mystery drama\u00a0Black Snow<\/em><\/a>\u00a0with Prime Video in Africa and Acorn Media in Spain, among others, while the BBC in the U.K., Sweden\u2019s TV4 and Finland\u2019s MTV OY all opted for season two of the whodunit. All3Media International also inked agreements in key territories for\u00a0Critical Incident<\/em>, including in the U.S. with Hulu<\/a>.<\/p>\n ARTE picked up seasons two and three of the\u00a0Israeli thriller\u00a0Manayek<\/em>\u00a0for France and Germany<\/a>\u00a0from Cineflix Rights, which also\u00a0sealed a raft of deals for\u00a0Whitstable Pearl<\/em><\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Irvine Welsh\u2019s Crime<\/em>, starring Dougray Scott<\/a>. But speaking to the depth of that company\u2019s slate, it also notched up deals on the Icelandic political saga\u00a0The Minister<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0So Long, Marianne<\/em>, which tells the love story of Canadian singer and poet Leonard Cohen and Marianne Ihlen.<\/p>\n Fremantle landed numerous global sales for the drama series\u00a0Nightsleeper<\/em>, taking the thriller into 147 territories worldwide<\/a>, including Australia, Japan and Latin America.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Turkish distributors made their presence known in Cannes last week with various events featuring high-profile talent from the country. Bari\u015f Bakta\u015f and Ya\u011fmur Y\u00fcksel spoke with\u00a0World Screen<\/em>\u2019s Kristin Brzoznowski about their new series\u00a0Vendetta<\/em>, which Global Agency is distributing worldwide<\/a>. Calinos Entertainment marked its 25th anniversary with the launch of\u00a0Hidden Garden<\/em>, bringing stars Ebru \u015eahin and Murat Y\u0131ld\u0131r\u0131m to Cannes<\/a>.\u00a0MADD Entertainment closed new deals<\/a>\u00a0for\u00a0My Wonderful Life<\/em>, Blooming Lady<\/em>,\u00a0Dirty Laundry\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0Margarita<\/em>.<\/p>\n The vibrant Turkish production ecosystem is looking to the global market for new ideas; last week saw\u00a0CJ ENM strike a pact with O3 Medya and DASS Yap\u0131m to adapt the hit Korean drama\u00a0Queen of Tears<\/em>\u00a0in Turkey<\/a>, with Eccho Rights on board to take the title globally. Tokyo Broadcasting System Television (TBS) secured remake option deals for two series,\u00a0Forget Love<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0Tower of Sand<\/em>, with the Turkish producer Fabrika Yap\u0131m<\/a>. In other major scripted format news, All3Media International secured deals for four new versions of\u00a0Two Brothers Pictures\u2019\u00a0Liar<\/em>, bringing the total number of treatments for the drama to 15<\/a>. BBC Studios\u2019\u00a0Doctor Foster<\/em>\u2014which topped\u00a0K7 Media\u2019s latest scripted formats report<\/a>\u2014is\u00a0headed to Greece<\/a>. Also in Greece,\u00a0Nippon TV licensed the scripted format rights for its award-winning drama\u00a0Mother\u00a0<\/em>to Alpha TV<\/a>, marking the 11th global adaptation.<\/p>\n MIPCOM also highlighted Spain as the Country of Honour, marking a big week for the prolific scripted production territory. ICEX Spain Trade & Investment and Parrot Analytics revealed that content from the country generated\u00a0$5.1 billion in global streaming revenues over the last four years<\/a>. The Mediapro Studio inked deals for its new series\u00a0Quiet<\/em>,\u00a0The Head<\/em>,\u00a0Express<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0Chromosome 21<\/em>\u00a0across Europe<\/a>, while in a Media Mastermind keynote session,\u00a0Laura Fern\u00e1ndez Espeso and JC Acosta highlighted the company\u2019s English-language series ambitions in the U.S. and Canada<\/a>. Meanwhile,\u00a0Onza Distribution closed deals for titles from its scripted catalog<\/a>\u00a0in Portugal, Romania, Croatia, Latvia and Mozambique.<\/p>\n The rising prominence of AVOD and FAST, and the potential for originals in that space, came up in numerous sessions across the week as producers and distributors seek new opportunities amid the downtown. Of note, Electric Entertainment unveiled\u00a0ElectricNOW Originals, the streaming platform\u2019s original programming for its AVOD and FAST streaming service<\/a>. Electric also signed four new deals for its series\u00a0Almost Paradise<\/em>; licensed\u00a0all four seasons of\u00a0The Outpost<\/em><\/a>\u00a0to FilmRise for AVOD, FAST and SVOD rights; and\u00a0closed deals globally for\u00a0The Ark<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0The Librarians: The Next Chapter<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n