Series Mania Forum 2021: what happened on the first day of the event

The Series Mania Forum, the industry arm of Series Mania, started its 2021 edition today in Lille, France, as well as virtually through the Series Mania Digital online platform, which complements the live event, especially for those who were not able to travel.

Designed to promote the creative process at all stages, this three-day event - running through September 1 - encourages co-production initiatives in Europe and beyond. It also presents upcoming trends – from writing to producing, and broadcasting – accompanying the transformation of the global TV market.

●   ACQUIMISSIONS: A NEW BUSINESS MODEL?

During the first day of the event, a live session entitled “Acquimissions: a new business model?” analyzed how the distribution chains are drastically changing, and raised the idea that the borders between acquisition and commissioning are becoming porous. Representatives from France Télévisions, Maipo Film, CBS Studios, and Telepool joined this panel.

“I think the most unusual thing is the entire market we are working in. We really cannot predict what will happen in two years. It is completely madness, but that is the way it is,”  noted Manuel Alduy, Head of Cinema and international Development at France Télévisions. “A few years ago, streamers were sort of a problem, because they wrapped rights and exclusivity. Right now, we have all evolved, and now we know that we can do some co-productions with them on board, although we still prefer to do co-productions the old way, with other broadcasters or distributors, but each in their own markets,”  he added.

“We look at all of these changes in an exciting way, because the streamers coming in opens up a whole new creativity. I think that there has never been a better time for creative people to be active. To have that old comfort zone gone is a great change. Of course, we are concern about our role as sales agents, because everybody is producing for themselves. Our space might be in co-producing, which is new for us,”  added Julia Weber, Head of International Sales and Acquisitions at Telepool.

●   GLOBAL TRENDS IN SCRIPTED SERIES

A presentation entitled “Global trends in scripted series” reviewed the current landscape of international fiction production by geographical area, genre and type of broadcaster (TV/SVOD). The data aimed to reveal who are the largest players in terms of commissioning of fiction.

This keynote’s speaker, Benoît Danard, Head of the Research and Statistics Department of the CNC, revealed that, in 2021, platforms such as Netflix or Amazon Prime Video are expected to spend around €100 million in exclusive French television series. He also noted that there has been a regular increase in the number of TV shows commissioned, specially by streamers.

Regarding territories, Danard indicated that China and the United States were by far the two biggest commissioners of fiction over the last 12 months, followed by Japan, India, and Russia. When it comes to platforms, the largest commissioners are global streamers and studios from the United States, with Disney+, Netflix and ViacomCBS at the top.

●   NETFLIX: FROM EUROPE TO THE WORLD

Also during Series Mania Forum’s first day, the American streamer Netflix had its own session, with representatives from its French, Polish, Dutch and German offices who talked about the growth that the company had in Europe in recent years, in addition to the current strategy and the projects that are being carried out in the territory.

“Over the years, our whole focus has been around going local. Just in the last couple of years we have opened up offices in Paris, Berlin, Rome, Stockholm, and more. It is all about having local creative executives working in their local communities to find storytellers all over the world and to bring stories to our members,”  said Larry Tanz, Vice President of Original Series for Europe, Middle East and Africa at Netflix Netherlands.

As one of the great success factors of Netflix's expansion in Europe, a very diverse continent in terms of language, Tanz mentioned dubbing. “We dub in 34 languages, and we subtitle in 37. It really all comes down to members’ choice, as someone can choose to watch the content however he wants. That really opened up a huge audience for us,”  he commented.

●   CO-PRO PITCHING SESSIONS

Lastly, Laurence Herszberg, Founder and General Director of Series Mania, and professional jury president Polly Williams, Managing Director of Federation UK, announced the winning project of Series Mania Forum’s annual Co-Pro Pitching Sessions. Of the 15 projects selected and pitched on the first day of Series Mania Forum, the jury team selected the Russian period drama series “Red Rainbow” (8x50’) as winner of the Series Mania Forum Best Project Award.

Based on a true story set in 1979 and as a result of a series of mistakes and misunderstandings, “Red Rainbow” follows three young gay activists from West Berlin who are invited to Moscow with an official visit. They are thrilled to see the country of their socialist dreams, not realizing that being gay is a crime there.

●   PARTNERS FOR THE SERIES MANIA INSTITUTE

As a part of a presentation also delivered today, Rodolphe Belmer, President of Series Mania; Pierre Ziemniak, Project Manager of the Series Mania Institute and Laurence Herszberg announced that, in addition to the previously declared support by Lille European Metropolis (MEL), the Hauts-de-France Region and the CNC, the Series Mania Institute, a new initiative devoted entirely to training the makers of tomorrow's European TV series, has finalized deals with three new partners.

First is Newen, one of Europe’s leading producers and distributors of audiovisual content, who has come onboard as a founding partner and will assist with the training progammes that are offered by the institute. Also coming onboard are France Télévisions, the French national public television broadcaster, and Entreprises et Cités, a key partner of regional economic players. The Series Mania Institute is also delivered in partnership with some of the leading European schools, including La Fémis and Sciences Po Lille.

By Federico Marzullo