WorldScreenings: KI’s Rose Hughes on “Shared, Campfire Viewing”

Rose Hughes, VP of sales at Keshet International, tells World Screen about the types of programming clients are looking for, with an aim to provide entertainment and escapism during these challenging times.

In the wake of production halts and sports being on pause, Keshet International (KI) is fielding a range of requests from clients at present regarding their programming needs. “We are definitely seeing an increased demand for our English-language scripted and factual finished-tape slates as well as quick-turnaround formats from buyers all over the world as broadcasters look to fill slots left empty by this pandemic,” says Rose Hughes, KI’s VP of sales. “We’re finding different territories have different needs—North America is opening up, particularly on the scripted side, while in Europe, German- and French-dubbed finished tape is in high demand.”

She says that high-volume series such as Singletown, World’s Most Evil Killers and Trucking Hell; and escapist, feel-good travelogues such as Around the World by Train and Weekend Breaks with Gregg Wallace are “cutting through,” as is KI’s catalog of English-language dramas that includes The Trial of Christine Keeler, Total Control and Secret Bridesmaids’ Business. “They all allow viewers to get completely swept away in their narratives for long periods, as does ABC’s The Baker and the Beauty, which as a rom-com, has exactly the right combination of feel-good entertainment and humor that so many viewers are craving right now,” Hughes adds.

Regarding formats, she highlights quick-turnaround entertainment series such as The Hit List, Contacts and BOOM! and the musical game show Can’t Stop the Music—which has just been rebooted for prime time in Israel on Keshet 12—as they can be filmed under current safety protocols. There’s also an increased appetite for feel-good formats that can be shot locally without the need for international travel, Hughes says, pointing to the dating reality format Singletown, The Great Gardening Challenge and The Wonderful World of Crafting.

“We all recognize how important television is right now because of its ability to entertain and provide escapism for people isolating at home, and we feel lucky that we can help with that,” notes Hughes.

“Our number one priority is to help buyers find and secure what they need for their viewers as quickly and as easily as possible in this difficult time, whether it’s finished tape to fill their slots or licensing quick-turnaround formats that are suitable for this time or the ‘day after.’”

As Keshet Media Group has its own TV channel in Israel, Keshet 12, KI can “empathize with other commercial broadcasters elsewhere and share genuine insight and solutions from an Israeli channel team that continues to entertain, engage and inform growing audiences at a time when it’s needed more than ever,” Hughes adds. “We are finding there is real demand for shared, campfire viewing, and for broadcasters everywhere, there is an opportunity to connect with audiences they haven’t before.”

An example of this is Tedy Productions’ reboot of Can’t Stop the Music, a prime-time celebrity-led singalong game show that sees viewers participate from home. Keshet 12 commissioned, filmed and broadcast the show during lockdown, and it has “really connected with Israeli audiences isolating at home,” says Hughes. “It was the most-watched TV show in Israel in the week that it launched.”

She adds, “Developing and producing engaging and cost-effective formats is part of our DNA at Keshet, which means that many of our titles are already good value or scalable in terms of budget. And they’re proven, too, having already found audiences in Israel.

“On the sales side at KI, we are working to creatively bundle titles together and carve out rights to give our buyers access to as much content as they need.”

See Keshet International’s Spring 2020 Showcase here.