Global TV Trends – A snapshot from MIP TV

Talk by Jane Roscoe

Numbers were down at April’s gathering of the international television industry, but you couldn’t tell from our schedules. It was still a week of back-to-back meetings, pitching, buying and selling. There was evidence of the impact the GFC – some companies were absent this time round (Warner Brothers, for example), and some companies brought teams half their usual size (MTV, ITV/Granada). Development slates seemed to be suffering with some of the major distributors holding back on bigger projects and waiting for the LA screenings to launch new pilots. Of course, we can’t blame this all on the GFC, drama in the States is still suffering the after effects of the Writers Strike.  Broadcasters such as Channel Four and the BBC talked about having less on the development slate, but being more focused in terms of what was being commissioned. There was a greater emphasis on domestic stories that would connect with their core audiences, and would work for the Broadcasters schedules. With revenue down across the board there seemed to be fewer opportunities for ‘risk taking’.

Collective wisdom tells us that when times are tough, TV is a winner. People stay home more, and need to be entertained. Yet, a recent study conducted in the UK suggested that during this recent economic downturn people are not turning to their TVs for comfort. But, at MIP, it seemed that it wasn’t all bad news.

Positive feel-good television was still scoring points at MIP.  The ‘fish out of water’ formats swapped families, cultures and power structures to give a fresh look to everything from finding a partner to understanding your finances.

Nostalgia ran high with many dramas focusing on the ‘good old days’, and anything to do with money was hot. Of course in the current context we want to be both informed about the GFC, what it is, how we got here, and what we do about it, and  at the same time, we want to escape into ‘yesteryear’ when times were not so tough. There was plenty to satisfy both.

The recent boom in eco-programmes, and the slow food movement have also prompted more formats exploring ways to ‘grow your own’, and understand where your food comes from. There were also many documentaries exploring the economics of our food and clothing, the journey from factory to shop.

Reality formats are still big news, from the Idols and ‘So You Think You Can dance, and Masterchef, to spin offs such as Britain’s Missing Model which puts disability on the catwalk.

There is no denying that times are tough, but there are real opportunities too. European broadcasters are looking for international partners, and we are all trying to find new ways to fund our content. It’s a good time to make new alliances and to look towards new territories for partners.

With MIPCOM just around the corner it will be interesting to see how the mood has shifted when we descend on Cannes in October.

Jane Roscoe

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