Though a yearslong diet of budget cuts, corporate mergers, course corrections and C-suite retrenchments have dimmed the optimism of many TV industry professionals as commissioning numbers continue to dwindle, Banijay Entertainment‘s head of scripted Steve Matthews insists now is the time to think big.
“I do think that there is optimism at the moment, in terms of a little bit of creative risk. Things are not as grim as they were a couple years ago,” Matthews said on Tuesday, speaking at Rome’s MIA Market.
After several painful years in which streaming platforms were hampered by “terribly conservative” decision-making, according to the Banijay exec, those very same streamers are pushing back, insisting that they’re “not quite like that anymore.”
“I think it’s improving. I think there is a kind of doom loop where we’ve convinced ourselves as producers that they’re risk averse, and it’s going round and round in circles,” Matthews said. “But I think now is the time to give a bit of a push…. I think that there is a little bit more openness from the buyers for other things.”
Recent breakout shows, such as Netflix’s “Baby Reindeer,” have offered a blueprint for global success, according to Tesha Crawford, EVP head of international television at New Regency in the U.K., who noted how the hit series used a “very local, very specific” story to reach audiences worldwide.
“I think it really had something to say about abuse and trauma,” she said. “I think if you’re really clear about what you’re trying to say, that also really resonates.”
“What we look for is who’s really the creator — to put a lot of stock in that person and in that [writer’s] room,” said Larry Grimaldi, senior vice president of creative affairs and original movies at Fox Entertainment Studios. “To really look for that singular point of view, that when you read it on the page, and when you talk to a writer, you want to believe that this is the only person that can write this story.”
When it comes time to selling that story to audiences, however, the Fox exec acknowledged that the industry is becoming overly reliant on “the face in the box” — streaming shorthand for casting recognizable actors whose thumbnails drive audience engagement.
“TV used to be a place where you would discover new actors, and you would discover new writers. And it’s kind of a shame that we have to put all this stock in people who are just the easy bets,” he said. “I think there’s a place for both.”
Léo Becker, head of international originals and co-productions at France’s Federation Studios, noted that producers often have to go to such lengths “in a market that’s so competitive for everybody’s eyeballs and attention.”
“Whether it’s the face in the box, or it’s the big creator, or it’s the big IP, or it’s something you’ve never seen before — that’s the kind of show that you can specifically tailor for the international market,” he said.
Becker, who’s executive producing an adaptation of Charles Dickens’ “Tale of Two Cities” for the BBC and MGM+, said he passed on several iterations of the series until he was approached two years ago with a package toplined by “Game of Thrones” star Kit Harington, “who’d been wanting to make this for years,” according to the Federation exec.
“You can have the same IP, the same story, but if you don’t develop it right and if you don’t package it right from the beginning, it’s not going to work for the international market,” said Becker.
Brendan Fitzgerald, CEO of Spain’s Secuoya Studios, agreed that top talent can help push a package past the finish line, describing his company’s strategy to secure in-demand actors as executive producers on a “two-step deal” that ensures they’ll join the cast if the project is greenlit.
“That, immediately from the beginning, adds momentum to the pitches, adds credibility to the pitches, adds excitement and buzz,” he said. “It also gives the actor…the ability to truly engage and help drive the project from the get-go.”
There’s no one-size-fits-all solution, according to New Regency’s Crawford. “You have to do what is best for the project creatively,” she said. “Sometimes there are actors who don’t have a big following on social media, but people do know them and love them. And I think it’s just about finding roles that are really interesting for them.”
“It’s not about calling up an agent and getting the most famous actor on television,” added Christian Rank, managing director at Sweden’s Miso Film. “It’s about packaging organically. And it’s always story first…. How do I make this resonate? How do I attach the right people to the show at the right time to make those commissioners feel safe?”
Coddling commissioning agents might go with the territory for TV producers in 2025. But Banijay’s Matthews doubled down on his conviction that series creators can “push some things a little bit forward” in the current climate — and encouraged them to take big swings.
“Whatever it is you’re trying to do, do it to the maximum,” he said. “Don’t water it down.”
Rome’s MIA Market runs Oct. 6 – 10.
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