How far can TV safely lean into generative AI?
PLUS: London TV Screenings diary | YouTube regulation calls Japan’s Yoshimoto Kogyo | RTÉ’s Alan Swan | Views & more Eva Longoria’s Hyphenate writes own rules
The long view: key execs look 5 years ahead
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Define your future in The New Content Economy
C21media.net has an unrivalled 25 years of international TV industry news within its digital archive, all searchable online and full of opinions and predictions, some prescient and some… not so prescient.
One that hasn’t aged so well popped up while I was researching the YouTube piece on page 11, as I looked back at how our industry once viewed the videosharing platform.
The headline, from 2012, reads ‘Bell boss: YouTube not a threat.’ The story goes on: ‘YouTube and other online video services pose little threat to established television networks, according to the head of Canada’s largest TV network.’
has built a citadel for itself that is based on the fact it costs a lot of money to make a show, and that citadel will crumble if it doesn’t cost a lot of money to make a show. The citadel has been breached. The barbarians are not at the gate, they’re over the gate.”
Meanwhile, as this magazine went to press, firefighters were still battling to control the huge wildfires that have claimed numerous lives, destroyed thousands of buildings and forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes in southern California. The tragedy will leave deep scars across Los Angeles and beyond. Our thoughts at C21 are with everyone impacted by this disaster.
To be fair, plenty of others in the TV industry have been guilty of dismissing user-generated content (UGC) over the past decade. The tide has well and truly turned now though, with numerous execs believing UGC is about to enter a whole new era with the assistance of tools fuelled by generative artificial intelligence (see page 18).
Already in 2025 I’ve seen my first AI comedy short, which was not only impressive to watch but enjoyable, due to the quality of the writing of its ‘creator,’ Tyler B Cohen. Depicting a scenario in which Jesus rents his spare bedroom to the Devil, Roommate From Hell was made using Google Veo 2 and blended AI-generated visuals with a mix of AI-generated and licensed audio.
As Simon David Miller, CEO of AI-focused content studio New Forest, says: “The industry
The climate emergency arriving on Hollywood’s doorstop with such ferocity is a brutal reminder of the very real existential threat global warming poses to our everyday lives.
History has shown us how devastating fires can lead to important changes in society. The Great Fire of London, way back in 1666, led to the creation of fire brigades, building regulations and, indirectly but perhaps most importantly for the TV industry, Fireman Sam
Failing to see YouTube as a threat to TV was a bad but understandable mistake. But failing to take immediate and determined action in the face of the climate emergency is unforgivable. Predictions can be risky, but one thing is certain: there will be no TV – human-made or otherwise – on a dead planet. Nico Franks
THE C21 CONTENT TRENDS REPORT
As the television business events calendar bursts into life again, with Content Americas in Miami in January and the London TV Screenings in February, how are international TV execs feeling now, having made it to 2025?
Calls for greater regulation of tech giants have so far amounted to little, but as links between the TV industry and YouTube grow, the pla orm is under pressure to act more like a broadcaster.
THOUGHT LEADERSHIP: Eva Longoria & Cris Abrego
With a question mark hanging over the US business model, the Hyphenate Media duo are pushing ahead with a strategy to nurture the next generation of Latino creators.
C21investigates: TV & AI
As generative AI creeps into production, C21 looks at the consequences for traditional TV, as the tech allows producers to do more for less and empowers the creator economy.
AHEAD OF THE CURVE: The next five years
Key execs predict where the business will be in 2030, the impact of AI and the degree to which it will converge with the new creator economy.
DEVELOPMENT SLATE: Yoshimoto Kogyo
Alan Swan at RTÉ on why ignoring hit YouTube channels such as Skibidi Toilet and LankyBox would be a mistake. 8 11 15 18 23 28 30 11 18 23
The Japanese comedy giant has added microdramas to its formats as it works to reach audiences wherever they are.
PRESENT IMPERFECT FUTURE TENSE
As the television business events calendar bursts into life again, with Content Americas in Miami in January and the London TV Screenings in February, how are international TV execs feeling now, having made it to 2025? By Nico Franks
Mia Ylönen, head of drama, Helsinki-filmi
Is the light at the end of the tunnel an oncoming train?
That’s the hot question the majority of prodcos faced during the industry crisis of 2024. Yes, I will call it a crisis – even more so than during Covid. From the perspective of a midsize Nordic production company, we’ve entered an era of Hunger Games for the film and TV industry. Those with the required skills, talent and muscle can push through to 2026 and there are those who will be left behind. Let’s not beat around the bush: the end of ‘peak TV’ has led to bankruptcies, lay-offs and a general sense of anxiety in the industry. So how do prodcos survive and build up resilience in the time of uncertainty and chaos? One word: flexibility.
Henrik Pabst, chief content officer, ProSiebenSat.1 & CEO, Seven.One Studios
The consolidation trend in the content production space will continue in 2025, as studios seek economies of scale. The economic situation will also accelerate partnership discussions around hard and soft bundling of streaming services, content sharing, content co-investments or shorter content exclusivity windows. Our focus at ProSiebenSat.1 will be on strong content with local roots for our streaming platform Joyn, that our audience in the German-speaking region will love. Furthermore, we want to strengthen the production network Seven.One Studios, which is already one of the largest players in Germany.
Soleta Rogan, MD, Rogan Productions
There is no waiting for ‘things to settle,’ as though we will land on one or two established pathways around which to secure funding and commissions. It’s key to be prepped to build project finance from multiple sources –this is something of a status quo for independent films, for example, but less so for broadcast television.
Bob Higgins, president, Trustbridge Entertainment
The most obvious challenge for 2025 is the scaling back of development deals and commissions from platforms and networks on a global basis. As these exhibitors pause and regroup, it’s creating a ripple effect on producers and studios that are cutting back on their development and/
or hiring. But this does create opportunity. While exhibitors have enough new content to satisfy their audiences right now, that will most likely not be the case in 12 to 18 months, and they will need compelling new characters and stories. Producers who are able to move content/production forward during this dry spell will be in a much better negotiating position when the time comes.
Marie McCann, senior director of children’s content, CBC Kids
A big casualty in this whole downturn has been innovation and creative risk-taking. With the emphasis on sure bets and established brands, I feel like we have seen less rule-breaking, boundary-bending content. What is exciting, though, is that at least in Canada, we are seeing a new generation of creators pitching projects. These are often diverse creators with smaller companies that are taking advantage of available funding opportunities as well as digital platforms. Small is big. Because discoverability is so important, the lure of well-established brands continues. Web-based properties like CoComelon, Blippi and Ms Rachel reach the first media users and are really turning traditional development on its head. Not only are broadcasters and users using YouTube as a distribution channel but really, it’s where they are finding new talent and brands.
Emmanuèle Pétry, producer and head of international, Dandelooo
Unfortunately, the economic crisis has already severely hit independent companies. We will see more mergers and acquisitions, which will consolidate the biggest players and probably more Chapter 11 situations. During this challenging era, companies need to reassure kids and parents with ‘refuge’ programmes. Therefore, I expect to see more reboots of old and classic brands, more book adaptations (and fewer originals) and more seasons of powerful and established brands. There will also be more anime-style programming developed in Europe to get a slice of that cake. Anime-style programmes now account for two-thirds of kids’ watch time overall. YouTube continues to strengthen its position, making the wealthiest companies richer and making audiences lazier. I hope it will lead to strong lobbying and regulation obliging YouTube to invest part of its revenue into original production.
See page 11 for more.
SUNDAY FEB 23
18.00-21.00 Ham Yard Hotel
MONDAY FEB 24
09.00-evening Ham Yard Hotel
Opening Night Party Crazy Coqs, Brasserie Zedel (cabaret + comedy)
21.00-23.00
TUESDAY FEB 25
08.45-11.00 Ham Yard Hotel
09.00-12.00 Soho Hotel
From 14.00 Ham Yard Hotel
15.00-17.00 (scripted) 17.00-19.00 (factual) Soho Hotel
WEDNESDAY FEB 26
09.00-10.30 (factual showcase) 11.00-13.00 (scripted showcase) BAFTA
09.00-15.00 Ham Yard Hotel
14.30-17.00 (formats showcase) BAFTA
15.00-16.30 Curzon Soho
THURSDAY FEB 27
All daytimings TBC Soho Hotel
09.30-12.00 Curzon, Soho
16.00-21.00 Ham Yard Hotel and Picturehouse Central
FRIDAY FEB 28
09.00-12.00 Odeon Leicester Square Timings and venue TBC
16.30-19.30 The Vue, West End
17.00-19.00 Old Compton Brasserie (International Women’s Drinks)
09.00-13.00 Picturehouse Central 10.00-13.00 Picturehouse Central Timgs and venue TBC
19.00-22.00 Charlotte Street Hotel
09.30-11.00 (scripted)
12.30-14.30 (unscripted) Dolby Screening Room
10.00-19.00 Odeon Leicester Square
14.00-16.30 The Green Room at the Century Club
15.00-20.00 Soho Hotel
15.30-18.30 Venue TBC
16.00-19.00 Ice Tank Studios
19.00-22.00 The Century Club (cocktail party)
10.00-12.30 Charlotte Street Hotel
12.00-17.00 Odeon Leicester Square
12.30-16.30 The Vue Leicester Square
17.00-20.00 Charlotte Street Hotel
18.00-21.00 Quo Vadis, 26-29 Dean Street
All details correct at press time.
MONDAY FEB 24 - FRIDAY FEB 28
MONDAY FEB 24 - FRIDAY FEB 28
WEDNESDAY FEB 26 - THURSDAY FEB 27
09.00-18.00 – O ice Screening Room, Marylebone
09.00-18.30 – Central St Giles
UK content showcase the London TV Screenings (LTVS) has unveiled a record line-up of 36 distributors and studios that will take part in the expanded 2025 edition, scheduled for February 23 to 28. That’s up on the total of 29 exhibitors who attended in 2024 as the event is extended by an extra day.
The four founding distributors, All3Media International, Banijay Entertainment, Fremantle and ITV Studios, will all hold events in London throughout the week. They will be joined by LTVS debutants Amazon MGM Studios Distribution, Autentic, Mediawan Rights, PBS International and TGC Global Entertainment.
Those new additions join a line-up comprising: About Premium Content, Beta Film, Blue Ant Media, BossaNova Media, Cineflix Rights, DCD Rights,
09.00-18.00 – Covent Garden Hotel
Disney, Dogwoof, Eccho Rights, Federation Studios, Fifth Season, Fox Entertainment Global, Hat Trick International, Keshet International, Lionsgate, NBCUniversal Global TV Distribution, Newen Connect, Off the Fence, Paramount Global Content Distribution, Passion Distribution, Seven. One Studios International, Sony Pictures Television, Sphere Abacus, StudioCanal, TVF International, Viaplay Content Distribution and Warner Bros. International TV Production. Meanwhile, the 49th edition of BBC Studios’ annual Showcase event will take place on February 24-25 at 180 Studios, The Strand, London.
There have been calls, at varying volume around the world, to regulate online video platforms in the same way as television broadcasters for well over a decade now. These perhaps peaked when the acronym FAANG (Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix and Google) was in vogue in the late 2010s and the quintet of companies were really beginning to throw their weight around the traditional media world.
Since then, Facebook’s rebrand as Meta has put an end to the toothy acronym, while the picture has become a little clearer with regard to each tech giant’s media ambitions, although the existential dread within the traditional media world remains.
Meta is betting big on the metaverse; Apple – for now – remains content to keep spending big on a smattering of high-end series and films; while Amazon and Netflix are both making major plays in live programming, having introduced ad tiers to subscription services that increasingly resemble the tried-andtrue cable TV model.
Then there’s Google, whose ad-supported video platform YouTube has emerged as the true winner of the streaming wars. Apple, Amazon and Netflix – along with Disney and pretty much every TV channel around – now rely on YouTube to publicise their shows and movies, while the platform is also a proven breeding ground for hit intellectual property, from Hot Ones and MrBeast to Amelia Dimoldenberg’s Chicken Shop Dates and CoComelon. TV broadcasters, finally, have taken note.
Calls for greater regulation of tech giants have so far amounted to very little, but as links between the TV industry and YouTube grow, the Google-owned pla orm is under pressure to act more like a broadcaster. By Nico Franks
fellow UK broadcaster Channel 4 by joining YouTube’s partner programme.
This allows ITV’s commercial team to sell advertising around its produced and commissioned programming on the platform, which will stream episodes of shows such as I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!, The Masked Singer and its soaps.
Cue ITV and YouTube agreeing a new distribution and commercial partnership at the tail end of 2024, which will see the UK commercial broadcaster stream full episodes of its shows on the platform, following in the footsteps of
Genre-based channels including ITV News and ITV Sport will be developed alongside channels for ITV daytime shows including This Morning and Loose Women and broader show-specific offerings.
Zoo 55, ITV Studios’ fledgling digital content label, will manage ITV and ITV Studios’ YouTube presence, which also includes The Graham Norton Show, Hell’s Kitchen, The Voice Global and natural history-focused channel Our World.
The move came after Neil Price, YouTube’s head of TV and film content partnerships in the UK, encouraged the industry at C21’s Content London event in December to upload more fulllength episodes to the platform as its popularity continues
It’s a “hard conversation,” admits Price, one fraught
Kevin Lygo, MD, ITV Media and Entertainment
This partnership [with YouTube] is part of our continuing strategic approach to maximise reach and viewing opportunities for audiences, wherever they choose to watch, alongside the successful and thriving ITVX, and our market leading commercial TV channels.
Alison Lomax, MD, YouTube UK & Ireland
ITV is one of the UK’s most beloved TV broadcasters and is home to a hugely diverse range of content –from I’m a Celebrity to Bullseye. So we are thrilled to be strengthening our partnership, which will see hundreds of hours of programmes available on YouTube for the first time. Through full episodes, clips, compilations and brand new fan content, audiences will be able to forge even deeper connections with the shows they love.
Matt Risley, MD, 4Studio Clips and compilations continue to power views and engage audiences at scale. But it’s the introduction of digital-first brands like Channel 4.0, with its own commissioning team, and the pivot to publishing full episodes on the platform (which is now driving more than 100 million UK views each year and has not shown any hint of cannibalisation with our streaming platform) that are driving editorial and commercial growth. And this is evolving how the whole business straddles audiences across linear, streaming and now YouTube.
Samuel Kaminka, CEO at Samka Productions and president, AnimFrance
[YouTube is] taking a lot of eyeballs and does not contribute to the industry, to job creation and does not play by the same rules as the broadcasters. It creates a discrepancy in terms of competition. In my opinion,
with issues surrounding windowing, but if you want to reach your audience – particularly young viewers – then YouTube is undoubtedly the place to be.
However, one consequence of YouTube being a complete free-for-all (which no doubt has played into its popularity among young audiences) is that the global kids’ TV industry is “on its knees.” That’s according to director of BBC Children’s & Education, Patricia Hidalgo, who has seen her audience migrate to platforms such as YouTube en masse in recent years.
Lisa Nandy, the UK’s culture secretary, has promised to put more pressure on the likes of YouTube to make locally made, quality children’s content more prominent on the platform to improve the overall standard of content that kids are directed to via the YouTube algorithm.
Nandy said in January that she has written to videosharing platforms including YouTube to “open a dialogue” about what children are watching and that the government would consider “stepping in and acting” if a voluntary agreement cannot be reached.
During a debate about the crisis in kids’ TV on the BBC’s Radio 4, Baroness Beeban Kidron, founder and chair of 5Rights Foundation, urged the government to “be bolder and more robust” in its talks with tech giants.
Kidron pointed to Moonbug Entertainment preschool phenomenon CoComelon, which is available on BBC iPlayer as well as YouTube, as an example of a show “developed with people watching how to keep children’s eyes on screen and how many hours they can keep children on the screen.”
This was a reference to a New York Times article from 2022 about a tool called the ‘Distractatron,’ which was used to note when a child’s attention shifted away from CoComelon and tweaks would be made to an episode accordingly. Moonbug later claimed the Distractatron was the work of a third-party research company.
Discussing the rise of “brainrot” content on the internet, Kidron said more needs to be done than “writing a letter” to try to improve the situation. Anita Frost, founder of Green Bean Studios, agreed with Kidron and said “disruptive” action needed to be taken to “save our kids.”
The UK isn’t the only country to have seen what has
it is destroying value and disrupting the market without contributing.
Lisa Nandy, Secretary of State for Culture, Media & Sport in the UK
There’s something great about YouTube – it’s democratising, you’ve got these people who start their careers from their bedrooms. But there’s a balance to be struck to make sure children can find that really good-quality content.
Anita Frost, founder, Green Bean Studios
Our kids are accessing channels that are not regulated. We need to educate parents and grandparents about these unregulated channels. The addictiveness of a lot of these shows, the stimuli in the colours, are overwhelming and it’s causing our kids to be locked in and highly addicted. And when you take something from an addict, it’s not pretty.
happened to its children’s TV industry as the impetus for regulation, with the president of producers’ union AnimFrance calling for an increase in the mandatory investment obligations from streamers, including YouTube. Amid a crisis in France’s animation sector, which has seen giants such as Cyber Group Studios enter administration, Samuel Kaminka told C21 YouTube is “destroying value” when it comes to the contributions it makes to children’s content in relation to its huge size and share of the market. YouTube, which launched YouTube Kids to provide a “walled garden” for children’s content in 2015 after various scandals, claims it “provides kids and teens with safe, ageappropriate online experiences that allow them to learn, grow and explore.”
If more and more broadcasters upload full episodes of their own content to the platform, this statement will be harder and harder to contest. However, whether YouTube will voluntarily use its algorithm to push younger viewers towards content made under the watchful eye of a media regulator over Skibidi Toilet remains to be seen.
With a big question mark hanging over the current US business model, Eva Longoria and Cris Abrego are pushing ahead with a new strategy at Hyphenate Media Group – one that seeks to set its own rules and nurture the next generation of Latino creators.
By Pina Mezzera
If there’s one clear takeaway from Hyphenate Media Group’s mission statement, it’s that the company was born at a time when producing traditional shows in the traditional way is no longer a sustainable business model.
Actor, director and producer Eva Longoria, along with producer and Banijay Americas chairman Cris Abrego, both Americans with Latin roots, launched their venture in October 2023. It was a time when Hollywood boulevards were still crowded with striking actors (just weeks after writers had done the same), major studios were laying off thousands of employees, YouTube was starting to be taken seriously as an emerging rival and the entire industry was grappling with a looming question mark about what was coming next.
Given this context, it’s no surprise that adjectives like ‘agile,’ ‘flexible’ and ‘disciplined’ come up when describing Hyphenate’s modus operandi. Equally expected is that the company places its bets on talent – arguably the only constant in an industry increasingly threatened by machines.
to focus on the relatively rare breed of creatives known as multi-hyphenates – multifaceted individuals, as they define themselves.
“I’m an actress, producer, director, philanthropist, entrepreneur. Cris and I saw that our industry in Hollywood wasn’t built to serve that ambition. It’s an industry that makes you stay in your lane. If you’re an actor, just go and act. If you’re a producer, keep doing that,” says Longoria, Hyphenate’s chief creative officer. “We wanted to create a system and a business model that broke the mould and services the ambitions of these multi-hyphenates.”
This concept materialised as a holding company comprising a studio, led by Jada Miranda, president of TV, dedicated to developing original scripted and unscripted content; and an acquisitions arm designed to partner with creators who share a DIY mindset and a desire to push back against an industry that Longoria bemoans as “so slow.”
announced in October 2024.
At the time, Calderón Kellett had an overall deal with Amazon Studios, where she wrote, produced and directed the romcom With Love, following a similar agreement with Sony Pictures Television, where she was showrunner on Netflix’s One Day at a Time
But perhaps more surprising is the Banijay-backed venture’s decision
Its first partner in this second pillar was actor, writer, producer and director Gloria Calderón Kellett, whose company, GloNation Studios, received a strategic investment from Hyphenate,
Hyphenate is working on a Welcome to Wrexham-esque show about a Mexican football club
“In the States, writers go from show to show and, while you’re on the show, you’re doing great but, once it ends, you’re waiting, and it’s feast or famine. That was my life for 15 years, and I’ve been on tons of shows. So, as a writer, what you crave is an overall deal,” says Calderón Kellett. “But what you don’t realise is that when you sign an overall deal, they sort of own you. For the time you’re on it, they own your brain.”
Though she clarifies that Amazon was “lovely” and “backed up the money truck,” the inability to work
From concept to final cut, we bring your series, films, reality shows, and documentaries to life with seamless production solutions. meet us
on more than one project at a time and the lack of freedom to collaborate elsewhere made her receptive to Hyphenate’s approach.
As a result, GloNation now has 23 projects in various stages of development. Calderón Kellett says she oversees the entire slate, which includes multiple titles exploring the life of Cuban salsa legend Celia Cruz, whose exclusive rights were acquired with producer Uncontained Media in a deal brokered by Hyphenate.
Abrego, CEO of Hyphenate, says there are “definitely more” creators the company plans to partner with, but these are “long conversations,” as the goal is to forge strong ties and build enduring relationships with partners.
“This is a long play. We’re even trying to create new vernacular in terms of what this is, because we’re not using the old playbook. If you’re using the same playbook today, you’re done. Being nimble is one of our top priorities: having maximum flexibility, exploring new ways to close deals and making those deals creative,” he says.
“The world has changed so much that we miss the old days of five years ago. We want Hyphenate to be a studio built for the future; for the future audience and the future business.”
That’s probably why Hyphenate’s slate isn’t limited to projects. One of the company’s objectives is to build a pipeline of Latino talent who will become the next generation of showrunners and creators.
“We want to build 80 Gloria companies. We want to create 20 more Eva Longorias. I can’t direct everything!” says Longoria. “If you look at the landscape of female Latino directors, we’re always working. They’re all taken because they’re such a diamond. We need to give opportunities for people to build up their resumés and get their next job.”
“ We want to build 80 Gloria Calderón Kellett companies. We want to create 20 more Eva Longorias. I can’t direct everything!
Eva Longoria Hyphenate Media Group
who are amazing partners,” says Longoria. “Their global reach gives Hyphenate what it needs to service its ambitions. We’ve produced in Mexico, in Spain, in the US, all over the world. Cris and I thought, let’s create something that disrupts the industry and becomes a home for hyphenates like us.”
In original content, Hyphenate has already produced CNN’s travel and food show Eva Longoria: Searching for Spain, a spin-off from Eva Longoria: Searching for Mexico, previously produced by Raw TV. Longoria teases that they’re working on “hopefully” adapting the franchise for France.
Other projects include a docuseries about Mexican-American singer Selena Quintanilla, who was murdered in 1995 by her fan club president, and bilingual docuseries Bienvenidos a Necaxa, focusing on Mexican football team Club Necaxa. Similar to the hit series Welcome to Wrexham, about Welsh club Wrexham AFC, it’s coproduced by Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds, who, along with Longoria, are the club’s main shareholders. Bienvenidos a Necaxa has already been greenlit by FX for the US and Disney+ for Latin America.
Hyphenate’s slate spans scripted series, films and unscripted content, and the firm is open to other formats, including podcasts and even plays. According to Longoria, the company’s vision boils down to being “talentdriven, IP-driven and purpose-driven.”
For this reason, the Desperate Housewives star believes a possible return of the hit ABC series doesn’t fit today’s market. “Every project should answer ‘what are we saying?’ and ‘why now?’ There’s no ‘why now?’ for that series,” says Longoria of the show that catapulted her to fame.
officer at Hyphenate, explains: “The reality is you can’t scale a person, but you can scale a business, a passion, an idea, a work ethic.
Aware that replicating the unique skills and intuition of Longoria or Calderón Kellett may be a daunting task, the company is focused on teaching and replicating working models. Karla Pita Loor, chief strategy officer at Hyphenate, explains: “The reality is you can’t scale a person, but you can scale a business, a passion, an idea, a work ethic. That’s scalable, and that’s what we’re doing.”
While the studio focuses on producing content in both English and Spanish, its ambitions know no borders. “We’re partnered with Banijay,
“Today, a lot of reboots happen because it’s like, ‘Reboot! It’s a good title.’ But I’ve talked to [Desperate Housewives creator] Marc Cherry a thousand times and… we fully mined those characters because we were on air for a decade doing 24 episodes a year – not six. That’s a lot of story that you burn through. I want a show that speaks to something that’s truly in the
thousand times and… we fully mined air for a decade doing 24 episodes a year – not six. That’s a lot of story that you burn through. I want a show that speaks to something that’s truly in the zeitgeist.”
Abrego, however, interjects with a laugh: “For the record, if Desperate Housewives comes back, we’d love to produce it.”
Longoria, Abrego, Pita Loor, and Calderón Kellett participated in a panel at C21’s Content London event in December
Abrego, however, interjects with a laugh: “For the record, if London event in December
TAs generative AI creeps into the production process, C21 investigates the consequences for traditional television, as the technology allows producers to do more for less and empowers an emerging creator economy to compete for eyeballs, eroding the foundations upon which the entertainment business was built. By Jordan Pinto
he next few years will be a tightrope walk for the traditional TV/streaming business as it looks to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into the fabric of content creation and production. But there is a significant degree of peril.
By leaning too far into AI, the traditional business could create the conditions for its own extinction. AI companies are hungry for training data (aka video content) and are seemingly willing to cough up significant sums of money to license it. Some are mulling the prospect of taking the money, knowing full well this data will train its future competitors.
“But not leaning far enough into AI may also spell the beginning of the end. Without it, the traditional business will be left behind by the rising creator economy, which is armed with an increasingly sophisticated set of tools allowing it to compete on an even footing with traditional media – at a fraction of the cost and time it takes to make a TV show or film.
simultaneously devalue their own roles in content creation.
As conversations around intellectual property (IP) ownership, unauthorised use of copyrighted material and ethical AI play out, the TV business is facing the immediate threat of swathes of human jobs being rendered obsolete.
In the not-too-distant future, some believe that one person will be able to create a piece of content in their bedroom with the production quality of The Lord of the Rings or Game of Thrones
“For me the issue is this: the industry has built a citadel for itself that is based economically on the fact it costs a lot of money to make a show, and that citadel will crumble if it doesn’t cost a lot of money to make a show,” says Simon David Miller, CEO of AIfocused content studio New Forest, based in the UK.
The discourse around generative AI (GAI) is perhaps as nuanced as any technological issue that has ever faced the television industry, with wars being waged on legal, ethical and
The industry has built a citadel for itself that is based economically on the fact it costs a lot of money to make a show. The citadel has been breached. The barbarians are not at the gate, they’re over the gate.
The disintegration of the traditional TV and film business model is somewhat unavoidable, believes Miller, as more and more high-quality, low-cost content starts to be released on “open” platforms such as YouTube and TikTok.
Simon David Miller New Forest
“The citadel has been breached. The barbarians are not at the gate, they’re over the gate. The world we’re in now is an open world and we need to recognise that very quickly and jump to this new world,” he says.
Those issues are only set to intensify in 2025 following the recent release of OpenAI’s game-changing text-to-video tool, Sora, in addition to the growing uptake of tools like Google’s Veo 2 and Meta’s Movie Gen.
Almost everyone within the traditional television ecosystem is in a complex, if not precarious, situation. Streaming services and broadcasters want to experiment with the tools without alienating their creative partners and workforces, or enraging unions. It is a balancing act typified by the fact US studios have not yet taken a public position on the reality that their copyrighted work has been scraped to train AI models.
So what does this new world look like? And how can those who have operated in the traditional economy of development, funding, greenlight, production and distribution forge a path in this emerging world? The answer lies almost entirely in building a direct connection with the audience, Miller says.
Towards the end of 2024, the Writers Guild of America sent letters to the heads of every major Hollywood studio, urging them to “come off the sidelines” and sue AI companies immediately.
While discoverability has been one of the biggest challenges amid the rise of streaming, finding an audience is going to become yet more challenging as a torrent of new AI-enhanced content floods the internet. “Wherever you are in the chain, the problem to solve is: how do you connect a piece of content to an audience?” he says.
Louise Holmes, Meta’s director of global partnerships for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, argues that creators find themselves in a “golden age” where their existing ability to connect directly with an audience will be coupled for the first time with high-quality video tools.
Meanwhile, creatives and producers also want the ability to use GAI to enhance their projects, but don’t want to
“In the traditional media model, anonymity largely prevails between producers and viewers. A very polite and
unspoken contract,” she says. “Not so on digital platforms, where audiences engage directly with creators, who usually reply in turn.”
The media ecosystem is at an “inflection point” where creators are “beginning to win the power tug-of-war against platforms,” she adds.
One interesting, and frightening, facet of the future content economy is that streamers and legacy broadcasters are equally imperiled by it. Even Netflix, which has added around 50 million subscribers over the past two years and seen its stock price soar to around US$900 per share, is susceptible to the migration of audiences to open platforms.
“
In the US, YouTube already dwarfs the majority of streaming services in terms of audience share on TV screens, accounting for 10.8% of all viewership in November, ahead of Netflix (7.7%), Prime Video (3.7%), Hulu (2.7%) and Disney+ (1.9%).
uploaded per day, whereas there’s only 42 movies released per day. What happens in a world where there’s double, treble that number, infinitely more movies?” asks Miller.
I get that the lawyers are getting hysterical about the supply of AI content and the copyright question, but I don’t actually see that much demand for it, and it’s very important you debate the two things [supply and demand] separately.”
Will Page
“YouTube is bigger than Netflix, TikTok is bigger than Netflix, and on those platforms 10 million videos get
UK writer and producer Simon Mirren, the former showrunner of procedural juggernaut Criminal Minds, says his immediate concern is how the rise of AI will eliminate jobs across the production ecosystem, estimating that the Criminal Minds crew could “go from 400 to 30 pretty quick.”
Mirren says he is both worried for the future of the business but also optimistic about the next generation of content creators it could empower if harnessed correctly.
“AI is like what fire was to humanity, and I think Web3 will be the wheel. It’s going to empower people, but I think 2025 is going to be turbulent,” he cautions.
With new AI start-ups springing up everywhere, existing AI giants getting bigger and Sora now available widely (except for in the UK and other parts of Europe), that turbulence could bring about what Mirren dubs the “biggest theft in IP history.”
Exactly how the industry should address the fact that
many AI language and video models have been trained on copyrighted material continues to be a defining question –particularly as products like Sora begin to hit the market.
Benjamin Field, founder and executive producer at Deep Fusion Films, producer of a controversial podcast hosted by a digital version of the late British chatshow host Sir Michael Parkinson, is deeply involved in the conversation around the ethical use of AI.
His belief is that the UK government needs to tread carefully while navigating complex discussions around the ethics and legality of AI. He also urges the industry and legislators to be firm in putting in place legal guardrails to prevent the unauthorised use of copyrighted material.
“Those that are making that kind of software are selling it back to the [content] industry, and in a very real sense it’s taking our own work, selling it back to us in order to make our work cheaper and therefore do more people out of a job. And you go, ‘Well, that doesn’t really make sense,’” he says, adding that robust legislation is needed to “ring-fence” copyrighted works and to “make sure we don’t accidentally screw ourselves over.”
As it stands, production companies belonging to UK trade association PACT have agreed consent is required when it comes to using their content to train AI. However, there is nothing enforceable in that, notes Field.
He recently appeared before a UK parliamentary select committee to discuss the impact of AI on British film and high-end television.
Among his proposals is a certification process, similar to the sustainability certification Albert, meaning that if a piece of content was made using unlicensed data, it would not be certified and therefore not allowed on UK networks.
Broadly, Field’s argument is that if the government is not strict enough in setting up strict protocols around text and data mining, the entire foundation of the UK’s creative sector could be damaged, with far-reaching consequences for issues like the use of digital likenesses.
“ AI is like what fire was to humanity, and I think Web3 will be the wheel. It’s going to empower people, but I think this year is going to be turbulent.
Simon Mirren
Reevell says he receives pitches “all the time” that he believes have been written by ChatGPT.
“I would highly encourage people, if you are doing that, to rewrite it so it sounds less like AI, because you can really spot it,” he says. It does, however, reinforce the still unanswered questions about ownership, with Reevell emphasising the importance of engaging with the industry and government to “try and work out where we stand on that.”
There is plenty of panic and uncertainty to go around, a lot of it justified. This, after all, is a technology that will eliminate jobs, undercut the value of existing IP and prompt lawsuits that will likely go on for years. Some of these themes are being looked at in programming such as AI & You, a special from RTÉ in Ireland distributed by TVF International in the UK, which explores potentially positive developments in areas like health, education and climate action, as well as the negatives of misinformation, deep fakes and threats to jobs.
Despite such fears, British economist and author Will Page urges the industry to refrain from hitting the panic button until it has a better understanding of the supply/demand equation for AI-generated and -enhanced content.
Field argues that the Virtually Parkinson podcast approached digital likeness in a responsible way by securing all the relevant permissions, respecting the legacy of its subject and being transparent throughout. In a LinkedIn post following his appearance before the select committee, Field said that if industry guidelines and certification schemes were “backed by clear legal standards, producers could more confidently use AI while upholding trust and integrity.”
Page acknowledges there will be a “democratisation of access” that will eliminate many of the existing barriers to producing high-quality content. However, just because there will be a “tsunami of supply” does not necessarily mean there will be demand to match.
Page, who was formerly the chief economist at Spotify, gives the example that more songs are now uploaded to the music streamer in a single day than were released in all of 1989.
In addition to digital likeness, another major grey area is who has ownership of an idea generated by, or with the help of, ChatGPT.
“As an economist, I get that the lawyers are getting hysterical about the supply of AI content and the copyright question,” says Page, “but I don’t actually see that much demand for it, and it’s very important you debate the two things [supply and demand] separately.”
James Reevell, executive editor for youth audiences, BBC iPlayer and BBC Three, says the UK pubcaster needs its content suppliers to be “transparent” about whether an idea has been conceived by AI, “just because we don’t actually know at this point legally who owns the copyright.”
its content suppliers to be “transparent” about whether an idea has been conceived by AI, “just because we don’t actually know at this point legally who owns the copyright.” itself even a
Beyond scripted and unscripted, the future of news media is also being altered by the implementation of advanced AI video tools. News, perhaps more than any other type of content, was disrupted by the arrival of the internet age. And with the rise of GAI, it may once again be the most disrupted.
The TV business finds itself in something of a Wild West moment as it navigates the beginning of some profound technological advances. But it also means that some are getting sloppy, even lazy, as they now possess tools that can spit out pitch ideas or decks with just a few prompts.
Jan Peter Lacher, senior VP of content at RTL Group, says the company is “convinced that we have to adapt as an industry and question some of our legacy workflows in order to make best and responsible use of the new opportunities.”
For RTL Group, that has meant implementing AI in some of its newsroom processes through a partnership with Google and German press agency Deutsche Presse-
Agentur. Under an AI-supported system, journalists are able to sift through thousands of news items that come in every day and select the most relevant stories for every outlet under the RTL umbrella.
There is one principle guiding the use of the AI tools, though, emphasises Lacher: “Start with the human and end with the human.”
There is also a diversity issue lying at the heart of the AI conversation, partly due to the fact AI tools have inherent biases, based on the data they have been trained on.
“[The tools and models] are being built by handfuls of companies around the world, and they’re being trained on existing data which we know is riddled with bias,” says the BBC’s Reevell.
According to the exec, that is one of the main reasons some potentially “audience-facing” AI tools have not been introduced yet by the BBC. He says there have been multiple AI tools he was interested in but were “not ready to be deployed yet” because they are “built upon structures that are hugely biased already.”
New Forest’s Miller believes the rise of new AI tools will democratise content in a way that will give a new outlet to underrepresented storytellers.
Miller argues that technological developments earlier in history, including the introduction of sampling and synthesisers to the music business, have meant that more diverse groups were able to make art for large audiences. In the case of music, the arrival of this new tech gave birth to hip-hop and dance music in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
“Now that we’re democratising digital storytelling, I’m so excited to see where the new stuff comes from. What is the new genre of television? What is the remix of television, the dance music of TV or film?” he says.
The shift that is underway will cause the content business to move “away from an IP economy to an attention economy, where the value is where the eyeballs are,” argues Miller.
Against this backdrop, producers, creators and platforms have two options as they navigate the future. “Your job right now as an industry is to choose. You’re either going to become a creator and find an audience or become an audience member. And anyone in between those two, they better have tools and processes in place to ensure the content they’re creating matches the needs of the audience.
“That’s the truth of it – you have to jump in with two feet right now, make content, gain attention and monetise it. There’s no other truth to be said about the future.”
As we reach the halfway point of the 2020s, most would agree it’s been an eventful decade in television thus far.
The ‘streaming wars’ commenced as all the major US studios took on Netflix. Squid Game changed the game. The pandemic temporarily brought the industry to a standstill. Netflix appeared to hit a ceiling in 2022, prompting a Wall Street meltdown, but rallied. Free, ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) emerged. Cable snapped. Peak TV peaked and tens of thousands lost their jobs. US actors and writers went on strike in 2023. YouTube became a TV superpower as the creator economy became a viable threat to the television business. And artificial intelligence (AI) burst into view as perhaps the biggest threat and opportunity the industry has ever faced.
But as momentous as the aforementioned events have felt, all signs point to them being a mere prelude to what comes next as AI and the rise of the creator economy upend the traditional business and accelerate the pace of change.
So what is on the horizon? An endless pipeline of Mr and Ms Beasts? The creator as the copyright holder? Shows that change depending on who’s watching? The rise of independently financed TV? Broadcasters airing AI-made content that costs nothing to produce?
Key execs give their best predictions on where the business will be in 2030, how AI will (or won’t) change the game, how content financing will evolve and the degree to which the traditional business will converge with the new creator economy.
C21 asked industry execs to cast their minds forward to the year 2030 and envision how the business of creating content will change, and how big-budget drama, creatorled content, AI-enhanced video and, gulp, AI slop will co-exist in the future content economy. The industry is in broad agreement that the cost of producing scripted television needs to come down. But if that is the goal, what becomes of high-end TV? And, specifically, the higher end of high-end TV?
David Levine, chief content o cer at LA-based studio Anonymous Content, believes that even amid an abrupt scripted pullback, the market for big-budget, high-production-value series will remain robust. However, a market correction was necessary, as costs were ballooning for shows that didn’t need huge budgets, says Levine, who worked on revered shows including Game of Thrones, Sharp Objects, Westworld, True Detective and True Blood during his time as co-head of drama at HBO. At
By Jordan Pinto
“ Please, for the sake of your livelihoods, understand that the traditional ecosystem will not grow, it will only shrink. Consider [the creator economy as] the same part of what you do, and just be part of the wider media landscape.
Adam Mosam
Channel 1
Anonymous Content, his slate includes adaptations of Neuromancer (Apple TV+) and East of Eden (Netflix).
“I like making expensive things, because when you can put a lot of money on screen, you might be able to blow a lot of people’s minds,” he tells C21. “The problem is that not everything has to cost a lot – everything has to cost what it’s meant to cost.”
In the years leading to 2030, Levine believes the industry will see a reacceleration in the amount of TV and film content being produced. “The business is self-corrective, so it grows and shrinks, grows and shrinks. Any contraction where people worry it won’t grow again, that’s an impossibility because there’s always a new audience to reach and a new player to reach them,” he says.
As the consumer is confronted with a deluge of other options, Levine argues the most crucial thing for television is to “preserve the relationship” with its audience. “We must remind the audience, which we are all part of, that film and TV is really important. It’s something that should be primal for us,” he says.
At a di erent end of the spectrum is independently financed television, which, as of early 2025, a small but growing contingent of producers are trying to figure out and turn into a viable business model. Among them is Rachel Eggebeen,
This woman does not exist: AI-generated ‘influencers’ illustrate just how far the tech has come in recent years
“ When you think five years ahead, we’re on a supercharged trajectory of change in how we collaborate within the industry across cultures, language, technology and financing.
Roma Khanna
chief content o cer at LA-based prodco Amplify Pictures, who says independently financing TV could “solve” the industry’s monetary struggles by 2030.
“In the next five years, there’s going to be a big explosion in this area,” she says. “If you look at film, there’s a long history of independent financing, so creators have that escape valve for their creativity – when they get a no, or the project’s not right for a particular distributor, they can go and raise financing. That hasn’t existed in television.”
Eggebeen, formerly Netflix’s director of original series for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, says Amplify Pictures is working on two English-language scripted projects that will shoot in 2025, in Italy and Turkey. The strategy is to begin filming and then bring the projects to market at some point during production or post. It is, of course, a much riskier model than waiting for a streamer to fully fund something, but Eggebeen says that – if done correctly – it will enable the company to hold on to more rights. “I believe it’s the solution to many of the current problems we face – whether you’re a creator, producer, even a distributor/platform, who are almost unable to a ord the content any longer.”
Former Channel 4 drama head Caroline Hollick, who is now senior VP of international production and development at international studio The North Road Company, says scripted drama has become far too expensive for UK-based public service broadcasters (PSBs) to produce on their own. “The tari s you’re being given now by the PSBs, alongside distribution, are no longer enough to make an hour of TV,” says Hollick. A project will go “through all the hoops” with a broadcaster, receive a greenlight, but that won’t be a moment of celebration because the producer must then go out and cobble together the majority of the financing, the exec adds.
buy-out for a certain amount of time, and you were really working as glorified service providers who are getting your profit up front,” she says.
Now, even the biggest streamers are willing to entertain discussions around more flexible rights models, adds Khanna, a development that will enhance the levels of co-financing, coproduction and collaboration in the future. “When you think five years ahead, we’re on a supercharged trajectory of change in how we collaborate within the industry across cultures, language, technology and financing,” says Khanna.
The topic of bringing costs down is a potentially fraught one for the TV industry: new AI tools will certainly reduce production costs, in some cases significantly, but at the expense of jobs. It is becoming increasingly clear that in the future it will be possible for one person to make a movie with sky-high production values, potentially rivalling that of a Hollywood blockbuster. So what will happen if the cost to produce content drops to practically zero?
Adam Mosam, former chief digital o cer at Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment and founder of recently launched AI solutions firm Channel 1, says AI-enhanced content is already broadcast-ready. In December 2024, Channel 1 launched a pair of AI-powered tools designed to streamline video production and distribution. One of the tools turns raw video source materials into “polished” video packages by automating
scriptwriting, video editing, audio mixing and graphics, as well as generating AI presenters and voice-overs, according the company. These tools allow editors to review and finalise videos in a matter of minutes, it claims.
In the next five years, greater e orts must be made to collaborate to bring costs down and find more sustainable financial models, insists Hollick. “Everyone has to work together to bring these costs down, because otherwise you’re going to get stuck, like we all know many projects in the UK are.”
The fact that buyers are becoming less insistent on the worldwide buy-outs that defined dealmaking in the streaming boom is an area of potential opportunity, says former Universal International Studios, HiddenLight Productions and MGM exec Roma Khanna. “Five years ago, as the buying with the streamers was going up, what were the models we were looking at? It was cost-plus, worldwide
This type of technology is already being used on broadcast TV, with Channel 1 working with Swedish free-to-air channel TV4 on a 15-minute daily news show that ran every day for three weeks late last year. This was a news show, so can’t be directly compared to scripted drama. But there’s lots of crossover in how the tools can be applied to content production. The price point is also eye-opening.
“We delivered that final product, after all human labour, at less than US$50 per minute of output,” says Mosam. “There will be a significant shift in economics at every stage of the production process, and that’s what we’re looking at.”
That doesn’t mean flashy, high-end, ambitious shows will cease to get made, he notes, but the average cost of what people watch on screens
will “fall significantly.” “We’ve got to save enough money for [the big players] to make the best content, and then everything else can get cheaper,” he says.
James DeJulio, co-founder and CEO of creator platform Tongal, agrees with this assessment, asserting that “Disney is always going to make Moana 2, and it’s always going to be a hit. But it’s everything else besides that that’s going to be troublesome.” The reason for that is simple, he claims: “The audience size doesn’t support a centralised system anymore, so I just don’t think the economics hold.”
Tongal says it has a global network of 160,000 creators across 175 countries. The US-based company’s network helped to develop, animate and market Piece by Piece, the critically acclaimed animated film about the life of musician Pharrell Williams, produced by Focus Features.
The next five years will see the promise of the creator economy realised, with financial models crystallising, for the first time, around content produced outside the gatekeeper economy. DeJulio expects an entirely reimagined creation model will come to the fore by 2030. Traditional film production, which he says is “largely the same as it was in the 1930s,” will become too financially burdensome, preventing streamers and networks from competing.
Reducing crew sizes is a delicate topic within this industry, but DeJulio believes the formation of a new labour model will give power – and the ability to own IP – to creators. “If you change the labour model and the economic overhead, every piece of content becomes like a start-up, because you can be scrappy and now you’ve got every tool at your disposal. So if I get the right people together and we make a quality piece of entertainment, we can do it for next to nothing – and own it.”
Creators are going to be far more discerning about developing their content in the gatekeeper economy, where they historically need to cede control of the copyright. DeJulio expects to see this model begin to invert. “Five years from now, the creator will become the copyright holder and licensor of that content back to traditional systems, because they’re going to be able to create faster than any centralised system is going to. There’s no way to fight it.”
Khanna thinks the use of AI tools could supercharge this shift and make household names of a broad range of creators emerging from the YouTube ecosystem. “Right now we have a Mr Beast, but there’s going to be many more Ms Beasts and Mr Beasts and creators who are starting on those platforms and then going global, because
what AI does is it takes away the hurdles of what you have to learn, so now the competition is over who’s got the best story.”
As well as underlying business model shifts, expect to see innovation in how content is served to viewers on streaming services. Mosam expects streamers will begin to experiment with generative AI tools that customise versions of a given project for the viewer. There are instances of this beginning to appear. For example, Gary Hustwit’s 2024 documentary Eno, about pioneering music producer Brian Eno, uses AI in a way that means the film appears di erently every time it is screened in theatres.
However, Mosam believes this will go one stage further. He recently filed a patent for a new technology, Adaptive Cut, that would mean a piece of content “runs di erently depending on who’s watching.” For example, a movie might feature more action scenes, or more dialogue, depending on the preference of the viewer. “That is an opportunity for the creative community to start playing with formats, how you shoot your content, how much footage you save, what decisions you make when you’re editing down,” he says.
“I can definitely see an interface in the future where it wouldn’t just be a single final cut, it would be multiple, and then an adaptive technology personalises it to some extent,” he says, while acknowledging that some might look dimly on such an idea.
Among them is Khanna, who says it would remove the surprise element and joy of analysing why certain creative choices were made. “That sounds terrible to me. I don’t want to watch Game of Thrones with a cut that’s catered to me. I want to be like, ‘what did they just do to Sean Bean?’”
So, if we know the business is changing, and the creator economy is rising, where should producers position themselves in this fast-changing environment? And should we expect the creator economy to merge with the traditional business, or will they remain two separate lanes?
Mosam argues producers need to branch out, and quickly. “Please, for the sake of your livelihoods, understand that the traditional ecosystem will not grow, it will only shrink. Consider [the creator economy as] the same part of what you do, and just be part of the wider media landscape. The creator economy, traditional television and everything else will live along aside each other. Think of it that way.”
“
Everyone has to work together to bring costs down, because otherwise you’re going to get stuck, like we all know many projects in the UK are
Caroline Hollick
The North Road Company
Handsome Men Buffet Exclusive For Me That Gloomy Guy is My Brother-in-law?! Revenge of the Egg I Loved My Stalker So Much I Wanted to Die Apparently I’m Having an Affair
These are just some of the new shows focusing on revenge, betrayal and messy love stories available at launch on Japanese comedy entertainment powerhouse Yoshimoto Kogyo’s vertical microdrama platform Fany :D. Something may have got lost in translation, but at just a few minutes long, you’d be tempted to watch an episode simply out of curiosity.
Microdramas are characterised by fast-paced, concise storytelling and have had huge success on platforms such as Chinese app Kuaishou and TikTok sibling app Douyin, with some estimates claiming the sector generated revenues of around US$5.3bn in 2023.
Jointly operated by Yoshimito Kogyo Group’s Fany, NTT Docomo Studio & Live and Minto Inc, Fany :D allows audiences to watch an initial batch of one-to-three minute drama series for free, but they have to pay if they want to watch more. Pronounced ‘fanny dee,’ the platform’s launch content includes many comedians and talent affiliated with Tokyo-based Yoshimoto Kogyo, one of Japan’s oldest and largest entertainment conglomerates.
Founded in 1912, it represents performers and creators active in areas such as live comedy, theatre, movies, TV, radio, podcasts and digital. Most notably to those outside of Japan, it is behind the comedy format LOL: Last One Laughing (Documental), which Amazon-owned Prime Video has remade in markets around the world.
The show, created by Hitoshi Matsumoto in 2016, is in its 13th season in Japan, having originated from a topline pitch to Amazon of ‘10 comedians gather in a room and try to make each other laugh. The last one to keep a straight face wins.’ It has since spawned local versions in more than 20 territories including Canada, the UK, India, Brazil, France and the Nordics. Yoshimoto Kogyo agreed a deal with Amazon that means the US retail giant can license the format in individual markets around the world on a case-by-case basis, excluding China, where Yoshimoto Kogyo has retained rights.
The Japanese comedy giant has added microdramas to the long list of formats it is active in as it seeks to continue entertaining audiences wherever they are watching.
By Nico Franks
means the US retail giant can license the world on a case-by-case basis, excluding China, where Yoshimoto with
comedy,” according to the company. It comes as talent on Yoshimoto Kogyo’s roster, which includes around 6,000 comedians, performers and athletes, increasingly create their own comedy content, or ‘owarai,’ for social media.
Meanwhile, Amazon MGM Studios sent its unscripted teams from around the world to Japan in late 2024 to workshop ideas alongside Yoshimoto Kogyo, with James Farrell, head of international originals at Amazon MGM Studios, describing the Japanese studio, which includes local broadcasters Fuji Media, Nippon TV, Tokyo Broadcasting System and TV Asahi among its owners, as a “comedy goldmine.”
“Fany :D allows our talent to develop shortform content and it’s another way for them to showcase themselves,” says Yoshimoto Kogyo president and representative director Akihiko Okamoto, who encourages other legacy companies, particularly broadcasters, to adapt to new consumption trends by moving with the audience. “Although under-35s are consuming a lot of their content on the small screen, that doesn’t mean what the TV station creates is less interesting or funny. It’s just being consumed somewhere else,” he says.
In future, Yoshimoto Kogyo has said it intends to localise some stories overseas with the help of AI, using translation technology in development at Fany :D “that understands
lthough under-35s are consuming a lot of their content on the small screen, that doesn’t mean what the TV station creates is less interesting or funny. It’s just being consumed somewhere else.
Late in 2024, Amazon MGM Studios and Yoshimoto Kogyo launched another production together, The Golden Combi The talent show seeks to find the next big thing in comedy double acts. Okamoto wants to see the format travel in the same way Documental has, and believes tailoring a comedy format to local tastes is key to its success.
Describing Yoshimoto Kogyo’s strategy to ensure its talent remains within its walls and doesn’t go completely direct-to-consumer, Okamoto says it’s important to make sure talent can create projects in a variety of formats, be it anime, movies, unscripted or microdrama, within the company.
Akihiko Okamoto Yoshimoto Kogyo
After all, these days, there are more tools than ever to allow talent to go it alone, something Okamoto is acutely aware of. By catering to the needs of both its audience and talent, Yoshimoto Kogyo looks set to remain big in Japan for another 110-plus years.
On a recent family trip to Smyths Toys to let my children spend their Christmas vouchers, I had some unexpected validation about the power of digital content.
As I watched them navigate the shelves, I noticed their focus wasn’t on traditional brands or classic toys. Instead, they were magnetically drawn to merchandise tied to YouTube personalities and shows: MrBeast, Skibidi Toilet and LankyBox, to name a few.
Here’s what struck me: they knew everything about each creator. Not just the names, but the lore, the thumbnail designs from past episodes and even detailed insights about views and popularity. These weren’t just toys but physical artifacts of a world my children are deeply immersed in. They had opinions on the characters, they told me subplots of certain episodes and when the next live event for each brand was going to be streamed.
This isn’t about YouTube alone. Back in November, my family gathered in our living room to watch the Fortnite Juice WRLD finale concert. This wasn’t your typical online video event, it was an in-game concert that blended dreamscapes from the late Juice WRLD, Snoop Dogg, Eminem and Ice Spice, creating an unforgettable visual spectacle.
My son had been counting down to this event for days, and was almost like a mini music promoter, hyping it up and priming the whole family for the evening’s entertainment. The event was fantastic, they adored it and sitting there together, I realised how these platforms aren’t just entertaining, they’re creating entirely new avenues for storytelling, connection and engagement.
“
Alan Swan, who leads branded content partnerships at Irish public broadcaster RTÉ, suggests why ignoring the popularity of hit YouTube channels such as Skibidi Toilet and LankyBox would be a mistake.
they’re building. My visit to Smyths Toys was a sobering reminder of how deeply this digitalfirst culture shapes not just entertainment, but the way my children see and interact with the world. It was the best focus group I ever attended – and it was free!!
It’s easy to dismiss these trends as kids’ stuff or passing fads, but that would be a mistake. These platforms are laying the groundwork for the next generation of storytelling. They’re not just channels, they’re ecosystems where content creators, brands and audiences interact in ways traditional media can’t replicate. They’re immersive, interactive and, most importantly, they are deeply personal.
These pla orms are laying the groundwork for the next generation of storytelling. They’re not just channels, they’re ecosystems where content creators, brands and audiences interact in ways traditional media can’t replicate.
For those of us working in traditional media, this isn’t just a challenge. It’s an opportunity. The question isn’t whether we should adapt, it’s how fast we can catch up and learn to play by these new rules. If we want to stay relevant, we need to understand this world – not as spectators, but as storytellers who can meet audiences where they already are.
EDITORIAL
Editorial director Ed Waller ed@c21media.net
Editor of C21Media.net
Jonathan Webdale jonathan@c21media.net
Chief sub-editor Gary Smitherman gary@c21media.net
Head of design John Winfield john@c21media.net
Senior sub-editor Steve Warrington steve@c21media.net
News editor Clive Whittingham clive@c21media.net
Channel21 International editor Nico Franks nico@c21media.net
DQ editor Michael Pickard michael@c21media.net
Research editor Gün Akyuz gun@c21media.net
C21Kids editor Karolina Kaminska karolina@c21media.net
North American editor Jordan Pinto jordan@c21media.net
Senior reporter Neil Batey neil@c21media.net
Special projects editor Louise Bateman louise@c21media.net
EVENTS
Event programming director Ruth Palmer ruth@c21media.net
Event programming manager Stephanie Boffa stephanie@c21media.net
Head of events Gemma Duke gemma@c21media.net
For my children, these digital worlds aren’t just distractions, they’re cultural cornerstones. They watch what they want, when they want and – God help us – when an ad interrupts their experience, unless it is incredibly creative and relevant, or seamlessly integrated into the show, it’s skipped in a heartbeat.
Think about that for a moment. If platforms like YouTube and Fortnite have embedded themselves so deeply in their psyche, what does that mean for the future of storytelling, content and influence? And more importantly, as a producer working in traditional media, what do I need to do to stay relevant now and into the future?
The mad part? The future isn’t just coming, it’s already here, unboxing itself in toy stores, in the stories my kids are living and in the worlds
This means rethinking everything, from how we develop content to how we distribute it. It means embracing platforms that might feel unfamiliar or even uncomfortable at first. It means recognising that the line between creator and audience is blurring, and that the most successful pieces of content are often the ones that invite participation rather than passive consumption. It also means paying attention to the details. My kids notice thumbnail designs and track view counts, engaging deeply with content. If we want to capture their attention, we need to be just as thoughtful and intentional in how we craft our productions.
As a producer, a parent and a storyteller, that’s a challenge I’m excited to embrace. And if my kids are any indication, that future is going to be incredibly exciting.
director Odiri Iwuji odiri@c21media.net
Sales director Peter Treacher peter@c21media.net
Business development director Patricia Arescy patricia@c21media.net
Senior sales executives Richard Segal richard@c21media.net
Yasmin Connolly yasmin@c21media.net
C21TV
Head of television Jason Olive jason@c21media.net
Video editor/motion designer Adrian Ruiz Martin adrian@c21media.net
FINANCE
Finance director Susan Dean susan@c21media.net
Finance manager Marina Sedra marina@c21media.net
PRODUCTION
Head of digital Laura Stevens laura@c21media.net
Production manager Courtney Brewster courtney@c21media.net
Digital content coordinator Sashka Wickramasinghe sashka@c21media.net
Team assistants Caitlin Wren caitlin@c21media.net
Lily Miller lily@c21media.net
Rory Mullan Wilkinson rory@c21media.net
Office manager Katie Reilly katie@c21media.net
Events coordinator Mia Hodgson mia@c21media.net ADVERTISING
Founding partner and commercial
Operations director Lucy Scott lucy@c21media.net
Group CFO (consultant) Ravi Ruparel ravi@c21media.net
Executive director Mark Rowland mark@c21media.net
Editor-in-chief & managing director David Jenkinson david@c21media.net
