\n\tPREMIUM: The L.A. Screenings offered a broad range of pilots, both in terms of quality and of variety, according to Jörg Graf, the head of acquisitions for RTL Mediengruppe.<\/p>\n
\n\t“From our perspective all the major studios offered a huge portfolio of very different shows, for network, cable or SVOD platforms,” noted Graf. “I saw a wide area from action to arty, from flawed to excellent.”<\/p>\n
\n\tGraf said he didn’t feel a real buzz for any single show, although he says, “I heard a lot of people talking about How to Get Away with<\/em> Murder<\/em> (DMD). An interesting and compelling show, but from a German network perspective, not the perfect match for 8 p.m. or 9 p.m. prime time.”<\/p>\n \n\tFinding shows suited for prime-time slots on the RTL Group’s channels in Germany is one of Graf’s main tasks. He acquires for the market-leading broadcaster, RTL Television, for VOX and RTL II, and for a bouquet of digital channels as well.<\/p>\n \n\t“As the German commercial market leader we are always looking for broad mainstream shows,” explains Graf. “Germans love shows like CSI<\/em>, NCIS<\/em>, Bones<\/em> or The Blacklist<\/em>. So we are always hoping to find companions for these existing shows, which means procedural\/crime\/medical dramas. Our Tuesday night schedule has been showing U.S. shows for several years now and it's always a challenge to combine returning shows with new ones. Our focus is clearly to find shows for Tuesday at 8 p.m. or 9 p.m.”<\/p>\n \n\tBefore the Screenings, Graf told World Screen<\/em> he was hoping to find more procedurals this year because the trend in American television is definitely moving toward serialized shows. “The U.S. market is very focused on high-concept, horizontally narrated, edgy, character shows. Honestly, what we are looking for is more the next CSI<\/em>, the next Bones<\/em>, and the next House<\/em>. Even if they are popular in the U.S., if American shows are too supernatural or too high-concept, they are more suitable for a pay-TV or niche channel here in Germany; they are not suitable for big mainstream networks.”<\/p>\n \n\tOnce he had returned from Los Angeles, we asked Graf if he and his acquisitions team found enough procedurals to fill his needs. “Honestly, no, we didn't,” he said. “We would have loved to see more shows like The Mysteries of Laura<\/em> (WBITD) or Battle Creek<\/em> (SPT). Fortunately, the CSI<\/em> franchise is with Mediengruppe RTL in Germany; it airs on RTL and VOX, so we are happy to have the fantastic Patricia Arquette in CSI: Cyber<\/em> (CBSSI). The German audience still loves procedural crime shows and as we all know there aren't too many well-produced and successful shows of that genre in the market.”<\/p>\n \n\tNot only are procedurals preferred by the mainstream German audience—they are also easier to schedule than serialized shows. “It’s not just about finding the right audience but about having the potential to repeat the episodes of these serialized shows. Our financial calculation is still based on the fact that a scripted show has to air three times. What we see is that it is more difficult to air an episode of a serialized show and the first repeat successfully. We never had a dogma saying never put a serialized show on air. We are quite successful with Revenge<\/em> on VOX; it does quite well. But if I could choose between a classic procedural cop show and a serialized show, I would always take a procedural because it’s easier to schedule. Revenge <\/em>is a good match for VOX because it’s a female-skewing channel and Revenge<\/em> targets a female audience. It’s easier to make it successful in that environment.”<\/p>\n \n\tRTL currently has output deals with Disney Media Distribution, NBCUniversal Television Distribution and Sony Pictures Television.<\/p>\n \n\tAmong the trends noticeable in this year’s crop of pilots, Graf commented, “I think—apart from some superhero shows—the real trend is that we see more and more differentiation. We saw all majors producing high-value shows for networks but also very specialized shows for niche channels and smaller target groups. As in other areas, some product becomes more and more individual and special.”<\/p>\n \n\tRead about what ProSiebenSat.1’s head buyer, Rüdiger Böss, had to say about the new crop of U.S. shows here<\/a>, and see Sky’s Sarah Wright’s insights here<\/a>.<\/p>\n \n\tWant more on the U.S. fall season? See a recap of our coverage here<\/a>, or download the new edition of World Screen Reports<\/em>, our iPad publication, which features our handy network grid<\/a>, studio listings, analysis from The WIT on the season’s strongest contenders and more. Download it from iTunes here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" PREMIUM: The L.A. Screenings offered a broad range of pilots, both in terms of quality and of variety, according to Jörg Graf, the head of acquisitions for RTL Mediengruppe. “From our perspective all the major studios offered a huge portfolio of very different shows, for network, cable or SVOD platforms,” noted Graf. “I saw a …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[69],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5368","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","","category-top-stories"],"yoast_head":"\n