WWW.WORLDSCREEN.COM THE MAGAZINE OF INTERNATIONAL MEDIA August 2022 Inside House of the Dragon / WorldScreenings: All3Media International MIA & Unifrance Rendez-Vous Profiles / EbonyLife’s Mo Abudu
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Publisher Ricardo Seguin Guise Group Editorial Director Anna Carugati Editor Mansha Daswani Executive Editor Kristin Brzoznowski Managing Editor Chelsea Regan Associate Editor Jamie Stalcup Editor, PublicationsSpanish-Language Elizabeth Bowen-Tombari Production & Design Director David Diehl Online Director Simon Weaver Sales & Marketing Director Dana Mattison Sales & Marketing Coordinator Genovick Acevedo Business Affairs Manager Andrea RicardoMorenoSeguin Guise President Anna Carugati Executive VP Mansha Daswani Associate Publisher & VP of Strategic Development AUGUST 2022 CONTENTS 4 WORLD SCREEN 8/22 WORLD SCREEN is a registered trademark of WSN INC., 1123 Broadway, Suite 1207, New York, NY 10010, U.S.A. Phone: (212) 924-7620 Fax: (212) 924-6940 Website: www.worldscreen.com ©2022 WSN INC. No part of this publication can be used, reprinted, copied or stored in any medium without the publisher’s authorization. For a free subscription to our newsletters, please visit www.subscriptions.ws. WORLD VIEW By Mansha Daswani. INSIDE HOUSE OF THE DRAGON Miguel Sapochnik, coshowrunner, executive producer and director, talks about the big-budget prequel to HBO’s megahit Game of Thrones. RIPE FOR REMAKES All3Media International’s Stephen Driscoll, Sabrina Duguet and Sally Habbershaw discuss the opportunities for scripted formats across EMEA, AsiaPac and the Americas. REUNITING IN ROME MIA—Mercato Internazionale Audiovisivo gears up for its next edition, taking place October 11 to 15. BACK IN BIARRITZ Unifrance Rendez-Vous in Biarritz returns for its 28th edition from September 4 to 8. EBONYLIFE’S MO ABUDU The founder and CEO of EbonyLife Media on the importance of telling stories from Africa and spotlighting the Black experience around the world. TRENDING ON The most-viewed clips on our video portals for the last 30 days.
But those angling for a slice of that huge pie have plenty of “fault lines and fractures” to be aware of, PwC cautions.
The $3 Trillion Opportunity BY MANSHA DASWANI
“The stable overall growth pattern masks an underlying volatility. It is clear that the pandemic accelerated changes in consumer behavior and digital adoption in ways that will affect future growth trajectories. Some of the sectors that saw immense gains amid the pandemic will not be able to sustain that growth, while others will continue to build from their higher bases.”
By 2026, the global entertainment and media (E&M) business will be worth almost $3 trillion, according to PwC’s latest Global Entertainment & Media Outlook , with the business steadily growing after 2020’s pandemicinduced contraction.
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PwC concludes that this remains a golden age for con sumers, but for those serving them, “intense competition and continual disruption remain the order of the day. That means strategy can’t remain static. The data clearly shows that the mix of revenues and spending is changing rapidly. And as the fault lines continue to proliferate and widen, it will be easy to end up on the wrong side of disruption. All participants who seek to thrive in 2026 will need an ‘and’ strategy that goes beyond their core: great content and mul tiple revenue streams and ties to broader commerce plays and compelling immersive experiences. The challenges are substantial—but so, too, are the rewards for those able to meet consumers where they will be. ”
AT MIPCOM SPACE RESERVATIONS: September 16 AD MATERIALS: September 20 For more information, please contact Ricardo Guise (rguise@worldscreen.com) or Dana Mattison (dmattison@worldscreen.com)
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The series is based on Martin’s Fire & Blood, chronicling the Targaryen family saga 200 years before the events that unfold in
Miguel Sapochnik talks about the bigbudget prequel to HBO’s megahit Game of Thrones .
By Mansha Daswani House of the Dragon
Inside
O ver eight seasons, Game of Thrones , b ased on George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire fantasy novels, deliv ered to HBO record viewership across the globe, much fodder for watercooler conversation, almost 60 Primetime Emmy Awards, including four for outstanding drama series, and a raft of other honors. Since it ended its run in 2019, HBO has been developing a range of pre quels and sequels. The first, House of the Dragon, premiered this month.
Sapochnik is aware of fan expectations about the new show— and he’s not letting any of that rattle him. “My responsibility is to the story. I think about it inasmuch as it’s important to not think about it and to focus on the task ahead. This isn’t Game of Thrones; it’s House of the Dragon. The responsibility I have to the fans is to make sure I do the best job I can of telling this story.”
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Game of Thrones. It was created by Martin with Ryan Condal, who serves as co-showrunner with Miguel Sapochnik, executive producer and director who worked on several Game of Thrones episodes, including the acclaimed “Battle of the Bastards,” for which he won an Emmy Award.
—Miguel Sapochnik
“The responsibility I have to the fans is to make sure I do the best job I can of telling this story.”
“Originally, one was a woman; one was a girl. [We decided to] give them a shared childhood, so they grew up together. Suddenly you have an opportunity to talk about the patriarchy—but through the eyes of these women. It was no longer going back and seeing more boys with toys. [Game of Thrones] had great female characters, but it wasn’t told from their point of view. Here was an opportunity to do that and be pointed about it.”
Key to the sprawling story is the relationship between Princess Rhaenyra, eldest child of King Viserys I Targaryen, and Alicent Hightower, daughter of Ser Otto Hightower, the Hand of the King.
ll3Media International has a wide range of new and return ing drama titles that offer viable global opportunities for scripted format success. This includes the thriller Liar, which has now been remade in ten markets, the latest being Spain, and the more lighthearted romance Step Dave, which has had iter ations in Central Europe and Greece. The AsiaPac office has seen a huge increase in interest in this route to production. Blood, for one, is on Disney+ Hotstar in India as Masoom, while China produced a All3Media International’s Stephen Driscoll, Sabrina Duguet and Sally Habbershaw discuss the opportunities for scripted formats in their markets. By Kristin Brzoznowski
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Ripe for Remakes
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local version of Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries a few years ago under the name of Miss S . In the U.S., the new iteration of Rus sell T Davies’ Queer as Folk is garnering praise as a positive LGBTQ juggernaut for Peacock.
And it doesn’t necessarily matter how long ago a scripted for mat was created, either. Sally Habbershaw, executive VP of the Americas, points out that Peacock’s adaptation of Davies’ Queer as Folk comes more than 20 years after it first debuted in the U.K., and FOX has an iteration of Jimmy McGovern’s Accused, first launched in 2010 in the U.K., in the pipeline.
“There has been an explosion in demand for our scripted formats.”
The desired genres are diversified, as Stephen Driscoll, execu tive VP for EMEA, says there is demand for thrillers, comedies, young adult dramas and more. Duguet concurs, adding, “One of the main genres is thrillers— crime, detective and psychological thrillers—which we have a lot of. We are also very lucky that our catalog has some more light hearted series: comedies or rom-coms, as well as family dramas. And all of them have sparked an interest in the market.”
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—Sabrina Duguet
Sabrina Duguet, executive VP of the Asia-Pacific region, notes that “there has been an explosion in demand for our scripted formats.”
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T
he eighth edit ion of MIA—Mercato Internazionale Audiovisivo (International Audiovisual Market) is slated to take place in Rome from October 11 to 15, with a focus on European and international anima tion, docs and factual, drama and film.
MIA—Mercato Internazionale Audiovisivo gears up for its next edition, taking place October 11 to 15. By Kristin Brzoznowski Rome,Italy Reuniting in Rome
The event has seen significant growth since its first edition, with an average of 2,500 delegates attending the last one. “MIA has rad ically changed throughout the years, fostering co-productions and the circulation of audiovisual works,” says Gaia Tridente, newly appointed director of MIA. “Today, MIA is one of the key events among the European network and, with an impressive lineup of conferences and speakers, has set its place among the must-attend
“We look forward to the forthcoming edition that promises to be brighter than ever!” Tridente says.
The 2022 event will be held at Palazzo Barberini and Barberini Theater. Meanwhile, the MIA digital platform will allow delegates to have access to all sessions (live and on-demand).
8/22 WORLD SCREEN 13 conferences in the international agenda. Last year saw more than 2,000 professionals attending from 56 countries.”
The eighth edition of MIA will feature an enriched coproduction market and pitching forum, featuring a brand-new animation section, added to the preexisting ones dedicated to documentaries (features, series and one-offs), drama series and films. “A week after closing the call for entries of the ani mation, doc, drama and film co-production market, I’m proud to share that this year marks a milestone for MIA,” Tri dente says. “We received the highest number of interna tional projects since MIA was created.”
Alongside the new animation strand, MIA, this time around, is offering support to the Ukrainian audiovisual industry, thanks to its collaboration with Film.UA and Media Resources Management and the Kyiv Media Week organizers, within the brand-new B2B Exchange Program.
“We received the highest number of international projects since MIA was created.” —Gaia Tridente
FranceBiarritz,
Unifrance Rendez-Vous in Biarritz returns for its 28th edition from September 4 to 8. By Kristin Brzoznowski
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There are 64 companies planning to be present at the event.
“Considering the frequent mergers and acquisitions in the French industry over the past two years, this figure shows how important this market is for French distributors,” says Hémar. Back in Biarritz
A fter two years in a digital format, Unifrance RendezVous in Biarritz is welcoming attendees back in person to the French seaside town.
“We are so proud and thrilled to be back for a physical edition,” says Sarah Hémar, director of the audiovisual department at Unifrance. “Industry professionals have been longing for this event to meet again in person in the beautiful city of Biarritz and to discover the freshest French TV programs.”
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With the 2022 event, more than 1,000 programs, including new and exclusive ones, will be available in a dedicated screening room.
“Above all, international buyers value the quality and diversity of the programs presented during the Rendez-Vous, as well as the French distributors’ know-how,” says Hémar. Around 250 buyers are expected to attend.
“The Unifrance Rendez-Vous in Biarritz will come back as a real meeting space and a place to analyze the market and its shape and health,” Hémar says.
“We are so proud and thrilled to be back for a physical—Sarahedition.”Hémar
To make it easier for buyers to navigate the diversity of French programs—spanning animation and kids, documentaries, entertainment, fiction and performing arts—Unifrance is launching a new viewing platform.
“More flexible, modern and adapted to the spe cific needs of the markets, it will allow a greater editorialization of all the programs showcased in Biarritz through thematization and highlights, helping international buyers to access the content they seek or the most anticipated French TV programs,” says Hémar.
Also, she adds, as Unifrance is now home to the export of audio visual content and films, “we want to take the promotion of audiovisual programs and artists to a whole new level on the occa sion of the Unifrance Rendez-Vous in Biarritz.”
MoBrzoznowskiKristinAbudu EbonyLife 16 WORLD SCREEN 8/22
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bonyLife Media, headed by Founder and CEO Mo Abudu, is Nigeria’s premium media conglomerate. Its focus is on creating original and inspiring content that showcases a pioneering and progres sive Africa. This focus, and the result ing storytelling, have now gone global, with several international partnerships and projects in place. Abudu talks to World Screen about the importance of supporting and nurturing African creativity and telling stories about the Black experience around the world.
WS: What are the greatest opportunities for EbonyLife in the global content landscape?
ABUDU: I see opportunities in the fact that the world is chang ing, and no one really cares where [stories are] coming from anymore. What they’re after is a good story, a great story. We’ve seen so much evidence of that in the world. We’ve seen evi dence up close and personal with Blood Sisters, a show from Nigeria going into the Netflix top ten with 11 million viewing hours in five days. That tells you something. It tells you that people around the world are watching. It got into the U.K. top
By
ten, the U.S. top ten, the top ten in France, Germany and so many countries. People around the world just want a good story.
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“We want to be telling stories that are coming from Africa, but also that are about the Black experience.”
WS: Tell us about the pact with BBC Studios Drama Productions.
—Mo Abudu
ABUDU: We want to tell global stories. There’s local for local, and there’s local for global. Sometimes we do stories that are very local, and they may be regional in that it’s really specifically for a local audience. But increasingly, we’re sitting in a space whereby we’re creating a local story coming out of Africa that is for a global audi ence, but also creating stories that are coming out of the U.K. or coming out of the U.S. about the Black experience. The Black expe rience exists everywhere in the world; there’s no corner of the world today where there aren’t Black people present there, where they aren’t living their lives there, where they aren’t running busi nesses there, where they aren’t going through the usual family dramas and things that everyone is going through there. They need to have a voice. They need to be represented in the media and on all platforms the same way every other nationality is. At EbonyLife, we want to be creating content that, yes, is telling stories that are coming from Africa, but also telling stories that are about the Black experience, wherever that Black experience may be happening.
The Holiday (Drama, 4x60 min.) While on holiday, Kate makes a discov ery that leaves her questioning whether her husband is having an affair. Distributor: All3Media International
The Play Doh Show (Preschool, 142x2 min.) Join the Doh-Dohs and their friends in a play-dohmation world where they find creative solutions to all kinds of situations. Distributor: eOne Family Brands Chain Reaction (Drama, 6x52 min.) From the Emmy Award-winning team behind Generation War comes the gripping story of the fate ful consequences of a failed robbery. Distributor: ZDF Studios
The Makery (Preschool, 25x15 min.) A make-and-do show packed with creative ideas. Distributor: NBCUniver sal Global Distribution Aziz (Drama) In 1934, Aziz, son of the prosperous Payidar family, must flee after killing French delegate Monsieur Pierre’s son Lieutenant Andre. Distributor: Inter Medya
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The most-viewed clips on our video portals in the last month.
