Rodolphe Buet
Earlier this year, STUDIO TF1, formerly Newen Studios, unveiled its new brand, aiming to leverage the strength of the TF1 brand to gain greater visibility in Europe and around the world through its core areas of expertise: production and distribution. Señal News spoke with Rodolphe Buet, Chief Distribution Officer, who outlined the company's distribution strategy, market positioning, and expansion plans.
STUDIO TF1 was created with a focus on expanding into intellectual property. What is the business distribution strategy behind the new identity of this unit?
"The IP business is strategic to support the distribution growth. Some of our key successes in 2024 and 2025 relied on existing IPs such as 'Cat's Eyes,' 'Erica,' 'Mlle Holmes,' or 'La Comtesse de Montecristo.' In the meantime, Studio TF1 has been extremely active in securing format rights, partnering with ABC in the US for the remake of 'Call My Agent,' which has multiple formats in Europe (Amazon UK, Disney+ Germany). Our format business has doubled in 2025, illustrating the quality of the projects developed in France. STUDIO TF1 DNA relies on passion, agility, and a winning mindset."
What are the company's international positioning and expansion goals?
“STUDIO TF1 is one of the Top 10 distribution companies. On non-English speaking projects, we are the leading distributor, and we are extremely pleased to partner with producers such as UGC, Quad, Banijay, Big Bang, or Gaumont, in addition to the Studio TF1 series. We've been developing solid skills in international coproduction and financing engineering for ambitious projects, such as 'We Come in Peace' ($2+ million per episode) and 'La Comtesse de Montecristo' ($3 million), which were cofinanced with TF1, Netflix, and Mediaset. Our next chapter is to bring this know-how to English-speaking shows, supporting fantastic producers such as Claperboard or Riff Raff."
How do you identify and approach the current global market demands?
"The market has been drastically shifting from an abundance approach to a curation one. Our partners are looking for fewer shows but with higher production value, featuring recognized names (writers, directors, cast). In the ocean of content available, the only way for linear channels or streamers to make a difference and attract audiences is to support event shows such as 'Montmartre' (TF1 & Disney+), 'Surface,' (France TV), or 'Etty'".
What is the strategy to expand the company's distribution expertise?
"At STUDIO TF1, we rely first on our connection with our partners to better anticipate the market evolutions. Our shareholder, TF1, is one of the most innovative broadcasters in the world, with recent developments including a Netflix distribution agreement, micro-payments, and more integrated cross-platform offers for advertisers. We have a significant advantage in understanding what's going on. The other challenge is to develop the best talents internally who will bring about a 10% uplift and make a difference in supporting and financing their shows. We've been nurturing those talents, not only in sales, but also in marketing and business foundation and growth teams, which are always looking for excellence in skills, integrated tools to support the business. At Mipcom, we will ensure that every single show matches with a broadcaster and entertains audiences around the world."
How do you define the international business opportunity for the cinema division?
"We strongly believe in the film business for several reasons. The cinema experience is unique and develops more brand & Ips than the TV. The multi-windowing is strengthening this situation. A positive ecosystem supports the European talent and stories. We've seen a new appetite for films from linear channels and streamers emerge in recent years, generating long-term value for our catalogues. It's currently one-third of our revenues, and we aim to reach 50% of it within the next three years."
After the launch of STUDIO TF1 America, what distribution strategy will be employed to expand into the English-language content industry?
"On fiction and films, new team members such as David O'Donnoghue or Julia Stuart are reflecting our ambition to strengthen our English slate. We are fortunate to work with great internal producers like Mike Benson and partners like Riff Raff. We are prepared to explore new developments and bring our expertise and passion to ambitious productions."