On Thursday's Series Mania, Kathy Payne, CEO of distributor Banijay Rights, said the post-peak scripted content market is “tough.”
“Especially at the high end, it's difficult to raise money as planned. In a market where a few years ago you might have been able to take a bigger risk, now you want it to be backed up.” she said. “Markets and change generally make people more conservative. You don't have to take as many risks.”
He added, “When you think about financing a show, it's not just about raising money to make season one. You have to think about how you're going to finance three to five seasons.” .
Mr Payne said in this situation “we need to find a way to get through it”. Furthermore, she added: “Someone once said to me, 'You've got to say something.' You have to think, 'How do we fund these programs?' ”
She said: “We will have to live within the means available to us, but this will require a change in attitude, including in the way we commission broadcasters.”
Working closely with partners will be a key part of managing these challenges. “We now have to collaborate more with our partners,” she said.
“We don't want to stop people from coming up with really unique stories that break out of the box,” she says. “Looking back at my career, I've been around for a while and the two most difficult shows I've ever had to sell were Peaky Blinders and Black. And look where they went. So you have to keep going for a long time. [view]. And while you're dealing with the realities of the world right now, you can never miss that creative genius and what it brings. ”
Payne said quality doesn't depend on budget. “Some of the best-selling products in our catalog may not be the most expensive, but it's all about content, story, character, and presentation that work at a variety of budget levels. There is a possibility.”
She added that she knew that in the UK many projects led by big producers were struggling to get funding. This is because in the U.S. market, “funding is not available at the moment, but it will come back eventually.''
She said streamers are showing more flexibility when it comes to rights packages, acquiring specific windows and select territories rather than acquiring all rights worldwide. Ta.
At the same time, streamers are moving toward more mainstream programming that appeals to a broader demographic. “In a market that's pretty tough, and it's been tough so far, there's less risk taking. People are looking for content for a wide audience, whether they're streamers or not,” she says. said, citing his experience at a recent London TV screening.
Looking to the future, she said: “Planned funding is going to be a big challenge and that will continue this year. [new] We need to model it and get our partners and broadcasters on board with it. ”
“In order to produce the show, it’s about making the budget more manageable and whether we can have more backing, whether we’re bringing our partners together and understanding all the different soft money schemes that are available. At the moment there is a focus on the genre, which is admittedly pretty strong and gets the most commissions, but how you fund it is important. If it’s a great idea, it will find a home.”
