Market opens with an analysis of the TV year across the world

THE FIRST session on the opening day of MIPTV is One TV Year In The World: Cracking Audience Trends. Presented by Avril Blondelot and Frederic Vaulpré of Paris-based research company Glance, the session will highlight content trends in scripted and unscripted genres, focusing on those that have encountered audience success, as well as diving into the 2022 ratings alongside those from the first quarter of this year. “One TV Year In The World will specifically be looking at which new series were most watched in 2022 and in the first quarter of 2023 across more than 30 key TV markets. In an even more fragmented environment, this helps us answer the big questions, for example ‘Which elements do the most widely watched shows share?’, ‘What is common to all markets?’ and ‘What is specific to each market?’”.

Blondelot added some technical insight: “We consider ratings to be the local currency in each market that we cover and these are provided by each country’s respective television audience measurement agency. We’ll be discussing how and why the major broadcasters

‘Demand for non-scripted content remains buoyant’

RECENT months have seen a slowdown in scripted commissioning as streamers double down on profitability. But in 2023 the fac tual market is still looking very vibrant. According to K7 Media communications manager David Ciaramella: “Judging by the projects that come across our desks during our analysis of the global market, demand for non-scripted content remains buoyant.”

Ciaramella will drill down into this subject during his presentation on factual trends at MIPTV. At MIPTV 2023, “one of my headline themes will be the increasing number of subjects being tackled as both scripted and non-scripted productions”, he said.

According to Ciaramella, this trend covers a wide range of scenarios, though it lends itself especially well to true crime. Recent examples include The Staircase, which made its mark as a documentary series before being turned into a big-budget drama starring Colin Firth. Netflix took remain leaders in their respective countries and how the linear and non-linear worlds are slowly converging into one market. The battle for attention is just as intense today as ever, meaning that shows that clearly stand out are even more valuable in the current climate.” Vaulpré offered a breakdown of the major programming trends: “Scripted is predominant overall, with crime series in particular doing well. Entertainment formats resonate well with younger viewers and there’s a clear trend towards games that has become more pronounced over the last few years.

And we’ve observed that the first quarter often features most of the programme launches that will have a significant impact on the year in many markets. April is therefore a good time to be looking at what lies ahead.”

One TV Year In The World

presented by Glance … on April 17, in the Debussy Theatre from 09.00 to 09.45 a similar approach to the Jeffrey Dahmer story — streaming both Ryan Murphy’s acclaimed drama Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story and doc series Conversations With A Killer. “It’s not just US content,” he added. “We’ve seen a similar approach recently with the ITV UK drama The Thief, His Wife And The Canoe — which now has a documentary.”

This approach can work either way round, Ciaramella said, with documentaries and dramas feeding off each other.

Other editorial areas that Ciaramella is planning to discuss include the growth in documentary series that investigate dynasties, both royal and otherwise. “Perhaps it’s because of the drama series Succession, but there seems to be an increased fascination in families like the Murdochs. I also think there’s been some growth in series about cults. Cults have always been a popular subject for filmmakers, but that’s coming back in 2023.”

Ciaramella added that “we’re seeing more factual series that have a high-end cinematic feel to them. Leading distributors are definitely looking to invest in premium factual, so perhaps that’s a response to increased scripted budgets.”

Hear about the latest Factual And Documentary Trends

… from David Ciaramella of K7 Media

Monday, April 17, in the Marguerite, Riviera 8, 10.00-10.30