Mipcom is the main content event at the worldwide calendar, expecting to receive about 11.000 participants in Cannes, France. A key concept to havein mind? After years where SVOD platformshave been the exclusive ‘North’ for the market, now the international sales, windows management and advertisement, are back relevant.
Last May in LA Screenings, Walt Disney organized again its screenings, suspended since 2019 after Disney+ launch. The studio is opening sales of some product lines, depending on each region. Also, AmazonMGM was launched: the online titan offers internationally its originals through its acquired major studio. So, both topmajors and streamers open distribution.
Disney started opening the sales of regional content, if any. Progressively, the studio will free the series from ABC, 20th Century Fox, FX, Freeform, analyzing case by case per region. Feature films? There is not a sure strategy yet, but the idea for new releases is to launch in Theatrical, then in own platforms and later to sell to third parties.
We make focus on Disney because it was the first major studio to close distribution, and the others followed it. Now opening, it will happen the same. Even, the other big studios kept themselves more open, just WBD is still closed, so it is a question of time to have all the market open again.
Ping pong of market trends
Main problem of the current market? The budget reductions of the big SVODs, for content projects. They have been the main engine for the production industry, which has to redefine many business tips nowadays. For instance, the new situation has empowered free TV, which now is seen by the majors as a more stable partner for flagship ventures.
The new big segment? Obviously since this year, AVOD and FAST channels, which have come to solve product waste and more monetization, vs. the SVOD model. AVOD & FAST make again focus on advertisement as the main income source for business, and let move well many products that are put behindrapidly in the big platforms. They can performon demand (AVOD) or through linear channels on digital (FAST). The latter is a very good option to develop as many product niches as audience needs.
Local or international? Today there is a clear international touch in the big player contents, both from the US market, Europe, but also from other regions. We see thatmost of the main projects,are co-productions between US and UK, France, Spain, Italy, the Nordics, APAC countries, especially Australia this year. In LA Screenings, there were U.S. studios where 70% of their slate, had international partners. This satisfies an historic claim of international buyers, who watched the screenings ‘too American’ many years in the past. The U.S.writers strike will deep this factor next year.
Broadcasters? All back to production, with the return of big classic brands for prime time, especially in entertainment: Fremantle’s X Factor, Got Talent, etc. Production? The new thing is the ‘studios’ model: flexible, lower risk, synergies, to catch up with these variable times. Growing business formulas? More alliances, collaborations than buys and sells. A good return? The secondary markets at free TV, Pay TV and digital, to work deeper the produced contents.The new players to come? Big ad massive brands, due to the return of advertising, and 100% financial investment funds, that invest in contents just to obtain profits.
Product Trends?
After MIPTV, LA Screenings and the June events —Budapest, etc.— we can say there is more relevance of feature films vs series this year, more than in previous years. Second, the female empowering is sensible in all the big studios, a disruptive tip from the past, but buyers say that sometimes the matter is too much recurrent. Third, buyers say they have seen better product than last year, though they don’t feel the impact of golden years, when ‘Lost’ and othersused to kick the table frequently.
Above all, the offering today is very polarized between free TV —more traditional, with doctors, lawyers, cops; procedural, episodic— and online platforms —more transgressor, with super natural tips, as premium cable in the past. Broadcasters appreciate this, because there were years where everything was for digital, but at the same time they’d like to have same products in a medium point, to refresh the audiences.
Also, it continues the trend of creating TV series from famous games, films, books, as a direct way to get awareness and 360 business. As a new ‘sub-genre’, we can mention the influence of ‘The Good Doctor’: many series this year have a main role with a pathology that surpasses ‘normal’ people to curate or solve mysteries. ‘True crime’, based on real facts, is a hot topic for many screens.Formats? Travel adventure, odd scenarios. Fictions? Thrillers, everything shorter.
Final conclusion
The return of international distribution pushes health for more market members, and energy for content events, which live due to plurality. More content available, more buyers attend. And the independent players —distributors, producers— are far better considered now by the buyers to compete. We will see a richer and more varied content market from now.
Nicolás Smirnoff
