Albatross World Sales’ Anne Olzmann on Shifts in the Factual Market

Like every sector of the industry, the factual genre is dealing with major constraints on budgets and changing buying behavior across platforms. Albatross World Sales, which has carved a niche for itself with natural history, has been faring relatively well, according to Anne Olzmann, managing director, given that unscripted content is still in high demand. Olzmann shares her view of the current factual landscape with TV Real Weekly, addressing how the company is responding and adjusting to shifts in the market and the biggest areas of opportunity.

TV REAL: What’s your take on the state of the unscripted programming landscape at present?
OLZMANN: The unscripted and factual television industry is undergoing constant transformation, with platforms and offerings emerging, merging, bundling and, in some cases, disappearing just as quickly. Traditional broadcasters are still reassessing their strategies around exclusivity versus non-exclusivity while also navigating the growing complexities of content windowing.

We have seen major budget cuts across all genres, and buying behavior has been changing significantly. In the past, many buyers focused exclusively on specific genres such as natural history, history, science or travel. Nowadays, most buyers acquire content across multiple, if not all, documentary genres. As a result, we’ve been making fewer one-off deals for specials and have been working on a number of volume deals instead.

Revenues per hour have gone down. This also means that high-budget productions, which often also take a very long time to make, now make similar license fees to productions that were produced at lower costs. Our biggest challenge, therefore, is balancing the sales of specialist factual one-offs at premium licenses while feeding the growing demand for volume deals at lower license fees per hour.

However, overall, unscripted content is generally still in high demand, as it tends to be more affordable and faster to produce than fiction.

TV REAL: What are you hearing from broadcasters about what they want within the natural history/wildlife genre?
OLZMANN: Natural history remains the best-selling documentary genre in our catalog. Its universal appeal, strong and loyal audience and exceptionally long shelf life make it a cornerstone of our catalog. However, it is also the most conservative genre, and a growing discrepancy between buying and commissioning practices has emerged. Many commissioners I speak with are eager to explore fresh narratives that extend beyond traditional wildlife documentaries. The role of humans and their impact on the natural world is gaining prominence, and we’ve seen an increase in commissions within this area. Yet, when it comes to selling completed shows, these programs often underperform compared to pure wildlife content.

TV REAL: How has the natural history/wildlife genre evolved over the past few years? Where do you see the biggest areas of opportunity over the next year or two?
OLZMANN: Overall, natural history remains a strong and marketable genre. Technology has become more affordable, and new production companies are popping up everywhere on the market. However, what looks lucrative at first sight may also be misleading. Most ecosystems and wild places have been portrayed, so productions really need to stand out from the crowd. This also makes it trickier for first-time producers of natural history films. After all, it is a conservative genre—if not the most conservative of all—and with high production budgets, commissioners prefer to work with established producers in this field.

There is also no denying that commissions have gone down significantly. I believe, at least in the near future, lower-risk productions that have medium-range budgets and quicker turnaround times are more likely to secure commissions. As budgets shrink, the focus on compelling storytelling must grow. Narratives need to be fresh, innovative and capable of keeping viewers engaged for a full 50 minutes. Audiences are already familiar with the life cycles of deer and cormorants—it’s time to tell wild stories in new ways.

TV REAL: How are you finding the current overall state of commissioning for factual shows?
OLZMANN: The industry is facing financial difficulties, resulting in fewer commissions, tighter budgets and longer payment schedules. Smaller independent production companies are particularly affected, struggling with heightened competition and increased financial pressures. Many mid-range production companies are disappearing. Obviously, the market is being consolidated, supply and demand adjusted, but it comes at the expense of diversity.

TV REAL: In what ways is Albatross World Sales responding and adjusting to these shifts in the market?
OLZMANN: Compared to many production companies, we are still in a relatively comfortable position. After all, programs are needed, and when commissions decline, acquisitions tend to increase. However, we anticipate feeling the effects of the current producer crisis in the near future, as the lack of commissions now will make securing rights more challenging later on. So, instead of focusing on finished films, we are involved earlier in projects to secure the distribution rights and help with the financing. At the same time, acquisition budgets are also decreasing, so we are closely monitoring all expenses and costs.

TV REAL: How valuable is a library in these times? And how has library fare been performing?
OLZMANN: Libraries are invaluable for securing volume deals in the current climate. While we still position ourselves as a boutique distributor with a strong focus on high-end specialist factual one-offs, we recognize the need to offer a certain level of volume. Natural history titles with a long shelf life are ideal. With budgets tightening and commissioning decreasing, sourcing or re-licensing content from existing libraries proves more cost-effective. Also, extensive catalogs are essential for streaming platforms to maintain subscriber engagement, making libraries a critical component of subscription-based models.