{"id":7307,"date":"2017-02-14T09:50:46","date_gmt":"2017-02-14T14:50:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/europes-finest\/"},"modified":"2017-02-15T09:43:52","modified_gmt":"2017-02-15T14:43:52","slug":"europes-finest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/europes-finest\/","title":{"rendered":"Europe\u2019s Finest"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mansha Daswani spotlights the latest trends in the European drama business.<\/em><\/p>\n

There were two major business developments in 2016 that are expected to have significant ramifications for European drama this year, and it should come as no surprise that they involve the world\u2019s two biggest streaming platforms: Netflix and Amazon.\u00a0Netflix, on the heels of its whopping $100 million investment in its first U.K.-based original,\u00a0The Crown<\/em>, premiered its first French commission and unveiled plans for original series in Germany, Spain, Scandinavia and Italy. Amazon Prime Video, meanwhile, which wrapped its global rollout at the end of the year, made headlines when it announced it would be backing the continuation of\u00a0Deutschland 83<\/em>,\u00a0Deutschland 86<\/em>. A critical darling that found a U.S. co-production partner in SundanceTV and sold well globally (courtesy of FremantleMedia International),\u00a0Deutschland 83<\/em>\u00a0failed to make waves for its original commissioning broadcaster, RTL.<\/p>\n

The expansion of the European content slates at these two platforms opens up a wealth of new opportunities, both in terms of original commissions and creating new windows. That development, many executives believe, will impact the creative process and forms of storytelling in Continental European drama.\u00a0\u201cIn the more traditional markets, like Germany, France and Italy, the content has been very much defined by the broadcasters,\u201d observes Amelie von Kienlin, the senior VP of scripted acquisitions and co-productions at Red Arrow International. The arrival of OTT platforms provides an environment where \u201ccreatives can break down barriers in terms of the storytelling. This is going to refresh the market creatively, and it will change the traditional broadcasters.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can produce more high-quality drama that is not necessarily dependent on a focus group,\u201d says Fredrik af Malmborg, the managing director of Eccho Rights, on the impact of OTT platforms. \u201cThere is more room for storytelling and there are more clients at the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Robert Franke, the VP of ZDFE.drama at ZDF Enterprises, expresses a similar opinion about the impact of OTT, noting, \u201cThere is certainly a shift toward non-traditional players from the digital world entering the markets and disrupting traditional production models. We believe that co-pros with big SVOD platforms will continue to become more important for gap financing or even as originators of new programs.\u201d<\/p>\n

While the OTT platforms are certainly making headlines with their European scripted investments, the majority of drama from Continental Europe is being backed by linear broadcasters, free and pay. And much of it is making its way well beyond national borders, being licensed to outlets across the region and, increasingly, around the world.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are seeing that there is an ongoing trend to produce high-quality drama where top-notch storytelling is the paramount goal,\u201d reports Alexander Coridass, the president and CEO of ZDF Enterprises. \u201cGermany is just a canvas for these new types of sophisticated narratives and programs.\u00a0Ku\u2019damm 56<\/em>\u00a0or\u00a0Deutschland 83<\/em>\u00a0are good examples of series that have the power to travel the world and find audiences everywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reflecting the scripted opportunities in the German market, all3media International, a major supplier of British and Australian series, is touting its first local drama,\u00a0Heidelberg\u2019s Brain<\/em>, a co-production between Germany\u2019s Filmpool Fiction and the U.K.\u2019s Lime Pictures.<\/p>\n

MADE IN SPAIN<\/strong>
\nSpanish shows, too, are finding new windows. ATRESMEDIA Televisi\u00f3n, for example, sold\u00a0Velvet<\/em>\u00a0to the U.S., France, Italy, Brazil, Russia, Finland and Korea, among other markets, while\u00a0The Secret of Old Bridge<\/em>\u00a0has traveled extensively across Eastern Europe and was even sold into Nigeria. On what\u2019s happening in Spanish fiction today, Jos\u00e9 Antonio Salso, head of sales and acquisitions at ATRESMEDIA Televisi\u00f3n, comments, \u201cStories are more internationally appealing and less oriented to a local audience. On the one hand, romantic stories such as\u00a0Velvet\u00a0<\/em>are trendy, [as are] thrillers such as\u00a0Plastic Sea<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Salso says that the international profile of Spanish drama has seen tremendous gains over the last three years, and ATRESMEDIA is working hard to expand its business in the U.S. and Asia in 2017 and build on its strong presence in Europe and Latin America.<\/p>\n

At Eccho Rights, Turkish dramas have been strong sellers alongside a number of series from Western Europe. A lead title recently was\u00a0Flight HS13<\/em>, commissioned by Dutch pubcaster KRO NCRV and based on the Ay Yapim Turkish hit\u00a0The End<\/em>. \u201cIt was the best-rating series on that channel during the fall,\u201d says af Malmborg. \u201cWe\u2019ve sold it to Walter Presents in the U.K. and we have a deal in France.\u201d<\/p>\n

The End<\/em>\u00a0is also being adapted in Spain and Russia, af Malmborg notes, adding, \u201cIt\u2019s amazing that we have the same script in three different European markets.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another scripted format doing well for Eccho Rights is\u00a0Nurses<\/em>, which first aired in Finland and has since rolled out with a Swedish edition on TV4. Eccho Rights has been actively distributing both versions. It sold the Finnish show to\u00a0 ProSiebenSat.1 in Germany, marking the first time a Nordic drama has aired on a commercial channel in that country.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe haven\u2019t had too many conflicts\u201d with selling the two editions of\u00a0Nurses<\/em>, af Malmborg says. \u201cObviously, there is some cannibalization, but not as much as we would expect. You either like one version or the other, and you can even sell both.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of the major developments in Western European drama taking place these days, af Malmborg observes, \u201cMore relationship and family issues are interesting at the moment. We\u2019ve seen a lot of Scandinavian crime, but there\u2019s more of a social element or more time is spent developing the characters. You can give the characters even more time to grow.\u201d<\/p>\n

SCANDI SUCCESS<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>
\nScandinavian dramas remain among the region\u2019s most popular exports, with several distributors eager to land a hit Nordic noir series. Red Arrow International has been active in the sector, showcasing properties like\u00a0Farang<\/em>, a TV4 and C More production starring Ola Rapace. \u201cIt\u2019s a kind of Nordic noir, but it goes beyond that because it\u2019s set in Thailand,\u201d von Kienlin says. \u201cIt\u2019s a European project but still crossing borders to a different region.\u201d<\/p>\n

Red Arrow is also looking to extend its alliance with Iceland\u2019s Sagafilm on the heels of the success of the psychological crime drama\u00a0Case.\u00a0<\/em>\u201cEven in the small territories like Iceland, you can find great talent,\u201d von Kienlin adds. Similarly, Red Arrow took on the Austrian drama\u00a0Pregau<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The examples cited from Red Arrow are all local-language dramas with global appeal. Red Arrow is also keen on showcasing European projects in English like\u00a0Embassy Down<\/em>, an eight-hour thriller penned by Danish screenwriter Anders Frithiof August for premiere on Viaplay in the Nordics in 2018. \u201cIt has a very international story,\u201d von Kienlin reports. \u201cThis is what we\u2019re looking for, European-based projects and European-financed shows that then have the possibility to also cross over to the U.S.\u201d<\/p>\n

ZDF Enterprises has also been diversifying its scripted lineup. \u201cWe\u2019re involved in many projects with Italian, Belgian, Central European, French, British and Spanish partners, to name a few,\u201d Coridass notes. \u201cZDF Enterprises is a European company at its core and we take pride in our strong Euro-centric lineup and in the fact that we specialize in bringing European-produced high-quality drama to media outlets around the world. Consequently, we will continue to invest in European products.\u201d<\/p>\n

The distribution arm of German pubcaster ZDF was among the first to see the international potential of Scandi series, which remain an integral part of its portfolio. On how that genre is evolving, ZDFE.drama\u2019s Franke notes, \u201cWe are seeing that Scandinavian producers are working hard to expand their lineup beyond the traditional Scandi-noir type of shows.\u201d<\/p>\n

IT TAKES TWO\u2026<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>
\nZDF Enterprises has also been embracing co-production models as it expands its drama portfolio. \u201cIn times of fragmenting markets, it gets harder and harder to produce quality fiction with only one or two partners at hand, which leads to a situation where multi-territory co-pros will increasingly become the norm rather than the exception,\u201d Franke notes. \u201cZDF Enterprises has always been a leader and an expert in navigating these extremely complex co-production scenarios, so we feel very well prepared to cope with this market development.\u201d<\/p>\n

Red Arrow\u2019s von Kienlin says that there are two forces at play in European drama. On the one hand, keen to entertain audiences with relevant stories, platforms are investing in highly local dramas with limited global appeal, outside of potential format sales. On the other, broadcasters anxious to deliver the highest quality possible while working with limited budgets are increasingly open to sharing costs, and potentially creative control, with international partners to get the shows they want.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is where producers become more and more open to co-productions in terms of getting other partners on board or shooting somewhere else in order to access funds and tax breaks,\u201d von Kienlin notes. \u201cIt\u2019s becoming more like film financing. Equity partners are more interested in TV financing as well. The model has become more complex, but I also think there are opportunities for bigger budgets and then one can compete with U.S. content to get the kind of cast on board that you need to stand out. What\u2019s also very exciting about European co-productions is that you can tap into talent from different territories. You have a bigger pool [to draw from] now.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Franke and von Kienlin note, co-pros can be tricky affairs. The number one tactic for keeping them on course is having a single creative lead, von Kienlin stresses.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are different ways of co-producing\u2014it can be just getting financing partners on board. But when it\u2019s a proper co-production with creative parts involved on several sides, then you need to make sure that there aren\u2019t too many cooks. You need to have one strong coordinator who manages this.\u201d<\/p>\n

SERIAL WOES<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>
\nOne of the more high-profile co-pros in the works is\u00a0Gone<\/em>, based on Chelsea Cain\u2019s novel\u00a0One Kick<\/em>, from NBCUniversal International Studios with RTL and TF1 as partners. The show emerged out of the 2015 pact between the three companies to develop U.S.-style procedurals. That move by NBCUniversal came in response to major European broadcasters seeking out hit procedurals and seeing that supply start to shrivel from the U.S.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll the creatives want to work on serialized content,\u201d Red Arrow\u2019s von Kienlin says. \u201cAt the same time, there is such a demand for procedurals. We want to find a way to cater to that demand.\u201d<\/p>\n

She continues, \u201cOur world is becoming so much darker. We feel that people who used to say, We want very edgy [content], are becoming more open and saying, Actually, a bit more blue-sky could work as well. Having more accessible stories might be a trend.\u201d<\/p>\n

Innovation is also happening in episode counts, with an abundance of both limited event series and reliable returnable drama.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of people ask for limited series because then you have the opportunity to attach higher-level talent,\u201d von Kienlin says. \u201cTalent might not be so interested to attach themselves to a longer-running series. But then again, from the distribution side it\u2019s better if you have several seasons. Greenlighting another season already feels like success. The more seasons you have, the more attractive [the show] becomes to platforms.\u201d<\/p>\n

ZDF Enterprises\u2019 Coridass sees a move toward more niche content in the scripted space. \u201cIn times where a lot of consumption is happening on nonlinear outlets, these players need to cater to the content needs of their users, who tend to become increasingly selective as to which programs they invest their time in,\u201d he observes. \u201cIt will become more difficult to reach everybody at once, so genre fragmentation will become the norm, and we will see more smaller shows for niche audiences being produced for that purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n

Niche or mainstream, linear or streaming, platforms across Europe show no signs of letting up on their drama investments, and, as von Kienlin notes, \u201cgreat fresh voices\u201d are emerging all the time. \u201cIt\u2019s about always being open and looking around\u201d for wherever the next big hit will emerge from. Eccho Rights\u2019 af Malmborg stresses, \u201cA good drama can sell anywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Spotlights the latest trends in the European drama business.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":290,"featured_media":7308,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[77,70],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7307","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\/\" \/>\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=\"Spotlights the latest trends in the European drama business.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/europes-finest\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"TVDRAMA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-02-14T14:50:46+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2017-02-15T14:43:52+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2015\/09\/Farang_0_MAIN-IMAGE_Red-Arrow-International.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1\" \/>\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=\"10 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\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/europes-finest\/\",\"name\":\"Europe\u2019s Finest - TVDRAMA\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2017-02-14T14:50:46+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2017-02-15T14:43:52+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/#\/schema\/person\/83da304c8bad8bfdb3edd7eb47cfe5ad\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/europes-finest\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/europes-finest\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/europes-finest\/#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. 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