here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\u201cWhen it works, it\u2019s so rewarding\u2014when you can find those presales, or it might be that we can invest ourselves. The toughest thing is when you have to say goodbye to some amazing projects that are still being developed, but we just can\u2019t find the international money.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anne Olzmann, managing director of Albatross World Sales, agreed, noting, \u201cAs an independent distributor, we have to stand out much more than we used to. A lot of buyers buy packages instead of one-offs or two hours, so that\u2019s become a bit trickier\u2014the buying behavior is a bit unpredictable at the moment. We know there\u2019s a shrinking volume in presales, so we need to be ready to invest a bit more than we used to. That\u2019s mostly the problem for mid-budget and maybe the non-franchise factual programs. It\u2019s tricky to navigate this whole new universe that is in constant change.\u201d<\/p>\n
There are benefits to being a boutique independent, the panelists said, highlighting the crucial need to be flexible and nimble and offering up a curated slate.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is still demand for high-quality premium documentaries and factual,\u201d McAlister noted. \u201cWe don\u2019t have a huge catalog; we\u2019re bespoke in what we take on. Our producers know that it\u2019s not going to get lost in a large catalog of scripted and kids. We champion the factual genre, and our broadcasters know that, too. They come to us for the top-quality documentaries. So, remaining steadfast and true to our core heartland genres and our goals has served us well, even though it\u2019s a challenging and evolving time in the industry.\u201d<\/p>\n
Producers should be open to receiving market intelligence from distributors, McAlister stressed. \u201cIf a producer comes to me with a show that feels really hyperlocal or it\u2019s a bit too much of a personal story, it won\u2019t be right for our catalog. A global theme is what we\u2019re always looking for. Wildlife is universal. History and science are, too. As long as they are globally focused and developed with that wider market in mind, then we\u2019re interested. I\u2019m always happy to review pitch decks or treatments. Getting the advice of the distributor early is so helpful because it means that we can help a show be shaped with the international lens rather than by a hyperlocal commissioner.\u201d<\/p>\n
AVOD and FAST are proving to be beneficial for further monetizing back library content. Albatross\u2019s wildlife-heavy slate, with a wealth of titles with a long shelf life, has seen strong gains from the AVOD and FAST spaces. \u201cFor us, the VOD sphere is about 30 percent of our revenues in the year; it is significant. But you have to keep in mind it\u2019s packages and many hours. It\u2019s a lot of work; to get the same revenues from one broadcaster, you may need ten VOD deals.\u201d<\/p>\n
On traversing the road ahead, the panelists agreed that being flexible and adaptable is paramount.<\/p>\n
Olzmann is ensuring her team \u201cremains positive and looks for the opportunities so we can adapt and ideally grow. We need to streamline processes to remain flexible. So, hold the fort and be as flexible as possible. We want to stick to our genres as well. We\u2019re not experimenting a lot at the moment because things are so uncertain.\u201d<\/p>\n
Being nimble, flexible and adaptable is also the mantra at TVF. \u201cA key goal is working closely with our producers to develop unique, exciting international ideas that we can help piece together financing for and find co-production partners, presales and deficit finance,\u201d McAlister said. \u201cThere are more opportunities that we will see with the increased presence of AI in the production and distribution world. We work a lot with producers across the world, particularly in non-English-speaking territories, especially across Asia, who are producing amazing documentaries. We are finding abilities with AI companies to help re-version, subtitle, dub and create closed captions. Hopefully, we\u2019ll be able to bring more of these documentaries to the rest of the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
Missed any of the TV Real Festival sessions? Catch up on-demand\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This summer\u2019s TV Real Festival took a deep dive into how independent distributors remain as the bedrock of the global factual sector with TVF International\u2019s Poppy McAlister and Albatross World Sales\u2019 Anne Olzmann.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":290,"featured_media":23659,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[79,69],"tags":[3564,4073,4604,3195],"class_list":["post-23653","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-features","category-top-stories","tag-albatross-world-sales","tag-anne-olzmann","tag-poppy-mcalister","tag-tvf-international","pmpro-has-access"],"yoast_head":"\n
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