Señal News tried to discover the specific new programming needs for European clients and how the Spanish distributors are handling their sales strategies in terms of windowing in this territory. For that reason, executives of the leading companies attending MIPTV explained their business approaches.
● MEDITERRÁNEO - MEDIASET ESPAÑA GROUP
Ana Bustamante, General Director
“If we talk about content opportunities, Europe is undeniably a unique region with a vast contrast depending on each geographic area. The dissonant technological penetration in the territories brings forth numerous opportunities in the diverse areas of content exploitation: traditional free TV channels, major pay-TV companies, and an infinite number of OTT streaming services. Therefore, buyers’ needs are diverse and divergent; there is an invaluable richness in terms of available windows for each type of content. Fiction has always been our mainstay in the territory, as Europe is a wide-open region for international dramas. Titles such as ‘El Principe,’ ‘I Know Who You Are,’ or ‘Truth’ had a fantastic reach in both western and eastern Europe. Apart from that, we see increasing needs relying on outstanding production levels. Last but not least, globalization led to the creation of captivating stories with a universal perspective. For that reason, we realized the importance of shows with international appeal, not only as a must for finished products but also based on the growing interest in format rights for local adaptations. We have several formats optioned in the region. ‘Marriage Scenes’ continues its successful broadcast in France and Greece, ‘Pepe’s Beach Bar’ will arrive in Hungary through TV2. ‘Truth’ and ‘I Know Who You Are’ are in very advanced conversations to reach the Greek market.”
“In the last years, we have experienced a change in how media players operate, especially referring to the business models. Big major VOD platforms tend to require all-rights and be very restrictive in exploiting each title, which normally limits the life cycle of the series. Following that trend, we are increasingly seeing most VOD players requiring more and more territories. It is a great chance to reach global audiences and turn a title into a worldwide mainstream. In our case, we are partnering a lot with OTT platforms to premiere our fiction series and a diverse batch of non-fiction titles. We are now luckily experiencing a moment with enough room for every kind of content. Unquestionably, the arrival of new targeted channels and platforms has contributed to this framework change”.
● ATRESMEDIA
Miguel García, Sales Director
“Our experience tells us that the European clients like and demand amazing new and different stories. That’s what we present at this MIPTV: great high-end series such as ‘Cardo,’ the new drama production of Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, creators of ‘Veneno.’ We will also offer ‘The Age of Anger’ starring the young talent Manu Ríos and based on the best-seller of the same name by Nando López. Finally, we will showcase the hilarious comedy ‘Two Years And One Day,’ a series about a comedian sentenced to prison for a joke that has offended someone he shouldn’t have. They all have the Atresmedia Series seal, which guarantees these shows’ quality and success.”
“At Atresmedia International Sales, we always prepare a specific strategy for each market and territory. Although all our titles have an international appeal, we always adapt our content according to the needs and interests of each client and region. We also sell our catalog to all types of clients: big players, linear channels, or new platforms. We try to reach the largest possible audience.”
● ONZA DISTRIBUTION
Carlos Garde, Managing Director
“Many of our European free-TV clients ask us for great entertainment formats that have been successful in their home country. That's why we are promoting ‘El Desafío’ or ‘El Hormiguero’ in new markets. Drama series perform great in different windows: platforms, thematic pay-TV channels, and even free-TV. We just closed several deals for our Portuguese-produced telenovelas, which also meet the European quota required by many of our clients.”
“We try to have productions in our catalog that meet the needs of the different types of clients and windows that exist in the region. We have shows that are clearly platform products and others that are more of a free TV title. We also have very niche products that are aimed at particular thematic channels. We are in constant contact with both clients and producers, and we try to make sure that the products we bring to the market are what the clients are looking for.”
● DEAPLANETA ENTERTAINMENT
Judit Foz Povill, Head of Media Sales
“Although we see that the main needs of our clients do not change, we are noticing a higher demand for an optimistic tone. Nowadays, kids need optimism to be reassured of what’s going on around them. They have learned new words, like pandemic, and realize the world’s violence nowadays. Helping children find the inner confidence they need to give sense to the world and achieve their goals is what we try to do with ‘Tilly, The Power Within,’ our first original IP. Another trend in the growing streaming consumption is that more product is needed to cover different targets and niches, like purpose-driven preschool content or animation for adults. At the same time, there’s an age compression for which kids consume programs initially built for an adult audience.”
“Our strategy aims to offer our brands the best media exposure related to our targets. Our ideal sequence is to secure the TV content on the best kids’ pay-TV channels, both local and multi-territory. Then, we guarantee its highest and broader visibility on free-TV to each brand. We care a lot that the content is also present in many OTT platforms as possible, as we know that our audience is there. We are following this strategy for our purpose-driven preschool content hit ‘Milo,’ proving to be a success in Europe, where we secured partnerships in almost every country. We have also closed a pan-regional deal in Latin America, where the series will be launched on linear and digital in all countries, including Brazil.”
● ZONA MIXTA
Robert Fonollosa, CEO & Managing Director
“We are focused on the documentaries side, where I notice an intact interest in history and wildlife productions. Perhaps, there is an increasing demand for science and true crime titles. Our strategy today aims to establish direct contact with each window and find out what each of those companies needs. We always work with tailor-made proposals”.
By Diego Alfagemez
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