Today marks the fourth and final day of Séries Mania Forum, and as expected, the agenda includes one of the market’s most anticipated sessions, “The Lille Dialogues”, where Europe's top industry players discuss their needs and share their local visions for the business.

Yesterday’s session began with Amazon Prime Europe’s showcase, where platform leaders such as Nicole Morganti, Head of Originals, Southern Europe, and Thomas Dubois, Head of Originals, France and Japan, highlighted the streamer’s growing commitment to content with international appeal.

‘One example of our strategy in Europe is "Costera", our new series featuring an international cast and set on the Amalfi Coast. Its story and format are designed to attract audiences beyond its country of origin,’ said Morganti. Dubois added, ‘90% of the audience for some Spanish productions comes from outside Spain, confirming the global demand for well-told local stories. In fact, 33% of our audience consists of young adults, a key segment in Amazon’s content strategy’.

Meanwhile, the Japanese delegation, led by public broadcaster NHK, presented its latest Taiga Drama, "Unbound", a historical series about editor Tsutaya Juzaburo and his influence on Ukiyo-e art. Starring Ryusei Yokohama and Ken Watanabe, the production aims to attract international audiences with its quality and authenticity.

‘Taiga dramas are very important to us. It’s a genre with over 60 years of tradition’, said Taku Kato, Strategy & Business Development Executive. ‘Additionally, we are showcasing other recent productions like "Radiance", which focuses on the author of "The Tale of Genji". This reinforces our commitment to expanding these historical and cultural stories globally’.

At the same time, streaming giant Netflix showcased its diversity at the “Celebrating Local Stories” panel, where prominent creators shared their experiences in bringing culturally rich stories to a global audience. French screenwriter and director François Uzan and Galician producer Emma Lustres shared insights from their collaborations with the big N.

‘It’s clear that Netflix has helped each country bring its own unique voice to the international stage’, Uzan noted. Lustres added, ‘the platform has given us the opportunity to tell deeply rooted stories with worldwide impact’.

At he final part of the day, the stage had a discussion between television co-production experts about the impact of New 8, the alliance of eight major European public service broadcasters aiming to strengthen high-quality content production.

According to Marc B. Lorber, Executive Producer at “The Art of Coproduction”: ‘55% of the funding for scripted dramas comes from these channels, making their role in the industry fundamental.’ Representatives from ZDF, NRK, and other broadcasters emphasized that this group allows for faster project financing and the sharing of creative strategies.

The New 8 financing model facilitates production viability through public funding support and pre-acquisition agreements. While some raised concerns about its impact on acquisition budgets, participants agreed that it strengthens the industry and enables European stories to be told on a larger scale.

Paramount Global Distribution was the final major company to lead its own showcase. Lisa Kramer, President of International Content Licensing (Paramount Global Content Distribution); and Lindsey Martin, SVP International Co-Productions and Development (CBS Studios), were the main executives on stage.

‘Our main focus right now in production and distribution is identifying strong new franchises from around the world,’ said Kramer. And Martin added, ‘beyond the merger discussions, our priority remains the production and sale of competitive content in a rapidly evolving market’.

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