A leading distributor of non-scripted content across finished programs and formats in the popular factual, entertainment and doc realms, Tinopolis Group-owned Passion Distribution is using its entire toolkit, from presales and co-production savvy to deficit funding, to navigate the ups and downs of the sector. Nick Tanner, director of sales and co-productions, shares his perspectives on strategies for success in today’s market.<\/p>\n
TV REAL:<\/strong>\u00a0How do you see the overall health of the factual distribution business, against the backdrop of trends in other sectors? Despite ongoing consolidation across the TV world and viewer fragmentation, demand remains high for differentiated, high-quality factual TV content. Unseen worlds, discoveries, untold stories and perspectives are crucial to the success of new shows. This applies across genres, including factual-entertainment formats, lifestyle or crime.<\/p>\n In the factual genre, we see strong demand for iconic history, blue-chip documentary series, zeitgeist pop-culture stories, engineering and world-changing scientific endeavors.<\/p>\n The unstoppable wave of true crime shows no sign of dissipating. While we strongly participate in the genre, we\u2019re working hard on what comes next when, inevitably, viewer fatigue sets in.<\/p>\n TV REAL:<\/strong>\u00a0What are the most significant pressure points in the business right now? And how are you tackling them? Passion Distribution has become a leader in digital distribution and original content for YouTube and social media since establishing our digital subsidiary, UpStream Media. We have a significant and growing online audience and multiple direct-to-consumer initiatives. At the inflection point between long-form and digital-first content, we are incredibly well-placed to ensure our content reaches viewers where they want it.<\/p>\n TV REAL:<\/strong>\u00a0What\u2019s been your approach to aligning with producers? How early do you need to board projects? TV REAL:<\/strong>\u00a0What opportunities have AVOD platforms provided in terms of your library content? TV REAL:<\/strong>\u00a0What\u2019s your approach to FAST? TV REAL:<\/strong>\u00a0What\u2019s your sense of what buyers and commissioners are looking for? TV REAL:<\/strong>\u00a0How do you see AI impacting your business? TV REAL:<\/strong>\u00a0What are your goals for the company in the year ahead, amid an air of uncertainty in the business? Nick Tanner, director of sales and co-productions at Passion Distribution, shares his perspectives on strategies for success in today’s market.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":290,"featured_media":23078,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[67,69],"tags":[5430,904],"class_list":["post-23973","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-interviews","category-top-stories","tag-nick-tanner","tag-passion-distribution","pmpro-has-access"],"yoast_head":"\n
\nTANNER:<\/strong>\u00a0The factual sector is highly polarized into low-cost, high-volume factual series and high-end, agenda-setting pieces. The middle ground is significantly diminished.<\/p>\n
\nTANNER:<\/strong>\u00a0As I say, demand for factual and all non-scripted content remains high worldwide. Meeting that demand is challenging, particularly due to budget pressures throughout the entire supply chain, from initial project development through funding, production, competition for rights and marketing a series appropriately so audiences can find it. That said, \u201ccream always rises to the top!\u201d
\nWorking with our sister companies and our wide network of independent creators, Passion is laser-focused on supporting ideas that can stand out in the marketplace. Our energy and resources are deployed on projects that will generate buzz and stand apart.<\/p>\n
\nTANNER:<\/strong>\u00a0Passion Distribution benefits from early exposure to projects, which allows us to take a strategic, holistic approach to bringing a project to market. The role of the distributor is evolving fast; we\u2019re a commercial content partner, and often now an investor, so supporting and guiding a project from the early stage is crucial in that process. We love to be involved from the very beginning and help shows come to life.<\/p>\n
\nTANNER:<\/strong>\u00a0Our sister company Upstream Media provides an in-house solution for monetizing our content library via AVOD platforms. We also continue to see strong success with third-party networks. We view library exploitation as a mixed economy; we carefully consider the best approach for each show we represent.<\/p>\n
\nTANNER:<\/strong>\u00a0FAST is a useful spanner in the tool kit and continues to be most successful for single IP, though of course, there are exceptions. Our Mech+ channel, which features\u00a0Robot Wars<\/em>, is on every major FAST platform and has a dedicated fanbase.<\/p>\n
\nTANNER:<\/strong>\u00a0We see demand for highly returnable, schedule-filling series, shorter pieces for specific slots or strands, and, at the top end, bold, provocative ideas that push the envelope.<\/p>\n
\nTANNER:<\/strong>\u00a0We are cautiously and deliberately trialing AI in certain aspects of our workflow. Excitingly, we are using AI to create onscreen dramatic reconstructions in an upcoming project.<\/p>\n
\nTANNER:<\/strong>\u00a0Our goal is to continue supporting differentiated TV ideas that align with our content values of familiarity with a unique twist. Passion Distribution is dedicated to a creative and entrepreneurial approach to reach audiences through traditional TV consumption while embracing what\u2019s possible in our fast-changing world.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"