PROGRAMBUYER UNVEILS DIGITAL “STANDS” FOR DISTRIBUTORS AFTER MIPTV CANCELLATION

ProgramBuyer.com, the non-transactional screening site, today announces the launch of a new free service for sellers of content that are unable to meet with buyers since MIPTV was cancelled, and international flights largely grounded.

Officially launching on 30th March, this new feature on the ProgramBuyer portal is dedicated to ‘MIP Releases’ and allows any distributor, whether a current subscriber or not, to showcase all of the new content that would have launched in Cannes.

ProgramBuyer co-founder Roz Parker comments: “Every industry is having its own unique challenges at the moment but ProgramBuyer is perfectly placed to continue supporting the buying and selling of global content from desktops. Not only do we already have 75,000+ hours of content from 125 distributors already in the system for screening, but the swift addition of this new feature will help ensure that all the new programming that would have launched in Cannes can still be promoted, supplementing the on-going marketing efforts of the distributors’ teams.”

OPPORTUNITIES FOR ALL CLIENTS

Existing clients using the new feature include Red Arrow Studios International and Beyond Distribution, while new distributors trying the service for the first time include France TV distribution, Mediterraneo Mediaset España Group, and Canamedia.

Completely free of charge, the ProgramBuyer team will upload information and screeners on individual distributor branded pages, with every new show clearly tagged as such and readily searchable. In addition, distributors can also have their new digital programme catalogues uploaded to their individual pages.

The introduction of this new feature has been driven by high demand from buyers (for whom ProgramBuyer is already free of charge) who are keen to source content online in order to quickly fill current and anticipated future gaps in the schedules, caused by productions shutting down around the world. It is a speedy, simple and effective way to highlight a vast selection of the new content that is currently available in the international marketplace and will efficiently support distributors’ own efforts to launch their new titles and get them in front of as many buyers as possible at this challenging time.

Julia Schulte, SVP international sales at France tv distribution comments: “This is a welcome and timely initiative by ProgramBuyer and we are delighted for this extra opportunity to swiftly get our new 2020 content launches in front of global buyers. We are experiencing high demand for existing content at present and busy servicing deals, so this new function will also save us time, as it allows buyers to screen at their own convenience and then contact us directly to discuss titles that are of interest.”