Video Age International June/July 2016

14 June/July 2016 V I D E O A G E I n April, the U.S. non-broadcast TV sector (cable and streaming services) introduced 132 new scripted series for the 2016-17 season, 86 of which were dramas. In May, the broadcast industry followed suit with an additional 59 new scripted TV series. Of these, 43 were dramas and 16 were comedies. The unusual part was that 15 of these new series were picked up well before the broadcast Upfronts. And that large number is without counting returning series. The flood of new series could be the result of two factors: The increased time viewers spend in front of their TV devices and the resurgent TV advertising market. Predictions from media buyers suggest that TV ad-spending commitments could increase anywhere from three to five percent in this year’s upfront market. The increased ad spending is attributed to the fact that last year many advertisers who reduced their commitments at the Upfronts ended up paying up to 20 percent more for commercial time in the scatter market. Plus, according to the Wall Street Journal , some advertisers, like Procter & Gamble, are coming back to TV because the returns on their digital media investments didn’t live up to expectations. The concerns are about digital advertising issues including fake Web traffic generated by computerized “bots” and the lack of consensus on how to judge when an ad is “viewable.” Indeed, during last May’s Upfronts, digital advertising was called “subprime video,” in reference to “junk mortgages.” As FOX Network group president Toby Byrne pointed out during the Upfronts: using TV’s audience metric, 14 million viewers on YouTube would equate to 1,620 people. On the other hand, by using digital metrics, 14 million viewers of FOX’s World Series (baseball) broadcast, would translate to 6.8 billion viewers. Last year, overall primetime upfront volume for broadcast networks decreased 3.7 percent to $8.36 billion, while cable TV’s upfront declined 7.1 percent to $8.95 billion. Predictions of TV ad revenue for 2016 call for a growth of 0.5 percent to $63 billion, excluding special events such as the Olympics and election spending. As to the number of international program buyers who went to Hollywood for the L.A. Screenings while the Upfronts were taking place in NewYork City (e.g., Canadians and Latins), and after the Upfronts (the rest of the buyers), each studio had a different figure, ranging from 1,500 to 2,500. The higher number included buyers from domestic (U.S.) cable, IFE, ships and even prisons, however, there was a reduced number of buyers from small territories such as Iceland, Denmark and Greece. Flooding of the market with an unprecedented number of new series definitely meant more choices and better opportunities for the buyers, even though many of the new series, especially those produced for streaming services, will not go into distribution for a long time. That’s because, in an effort to keep upwith cable and digital networks’ year-round series launch season, broadcasters are following suit. During the presentations, all studio executives were playing the “number-one” card — each vying for the largest number of new series, returning series, ratings, demographics, number of foreignmarkets, number of seasons and follow- ups on digital media. As for describing the new season in overall terms, the expressions often used were “spin- offs” and “remakes” both from movies ( Lethal Weapon , Taken ) and retro TV series ( MacGyver , PrisonBreak )with a gooddose of superheroes and supernaturals, all with a mix of British imported talents (some ofwhomare able to switch toperfect American accents). And all three sexes are well represented, of course. Reboots and remakes of vintage shows are the equivalent of the movie business’ reliance on franchises. The difference between the two is that “remakes” often involve movies (but not franchises), while “reboots” are associated with just the idea and the title of an old TV show. Name-brand shows also help with international sales. Chicago seems to be the new season’s favorite city with four shows, both new and returning (e.g., Chicago Justice , Chicago Fire , Chicago Med , and Chicago PD ) and many others just shot on location or on-screen set up in that city (even if, at times, the actual shooting is done elsewhere, like for the now canceled Buyers Drowned In a Flood of Content. “Subprime Video” Down, Indie Biz Up L.A. Screenings Review Caracol’s traditional evening of screenings, party and entertainment The buying contingent from Italy’s Mediaset at the NBCUniversal screenings. Televisa’s Claudia Silva, Mario Castro with RCN scriptwriter and novelist Fernando Gaitan (center) This year “Meeting Tables” were a new entry at the InterContinental Hotel Telemundo Internacional’s Marcos Santana, Olimpia Del Boccio (Continued on Page 16)