Video Age International October 2015

34 October 2015 V I D E O A G E L.A. Screenings (Continued on Page 36) shown at NATPE Miami in January. For the studios, MIPCOM will also offer an opportunity to analyze how content can continue to retain value on multiple platforms. A top-level executive explained: “The studios will always produce good content, the question is how we can preserve its value across platforms in an increasingly converging media environment.” In practical terms, this “value preservation” can be achieved by studios requiring buyers to accept “elasticity in pricing related to windowing,” meaning that current windows have to be shortened and in certain cases license fees increased so that previous windows would not be penalized. For example, shortening the transactional VoD window and inducing the following premium window to increase its cost to consumers, both windows wouldn’t lose their strategic advantages and the studios would preserve its value across multiple platforms. This analytical aspect of content sales cannot be done at the L.A. Screenings due to the frenetic schedule there. The major U.S. studios will be arriving in Cannes loaded with 76 new series for the upcoming season, plus 20 shows that premiered during the summer. The majors invested an estimated total of $5 million at the L.A. Screenings last May to cater to some 1,700 buyers. At MIPCOM in October, their cumulative investment is expected to double to $10 million for the availability of 4,400 buyers. The difference is that in L.A. the studios have This year, among the superheroes, buyers will get Supergirl , Lucifer and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow (all from Warner Bros). On the supernatural side, there are shows such as Damien (from Fox), The Frankenstein Code (Fox), Angel fromHell (CBS), Of Kings and Prophets (Disney), Stitchers (Disney), Childhood’s End (NBCUni), Heroes Reborn (NBCUni), and so on. Among the superstars are Paul Giamatti ( Billions , CBS), Jane Lynch ( Angel from Hell , CBS), Don Johnson ( Oil , Disney), John Stamos ( Grandfathered , Disney), Rob Lowe ( The Grinder , from Fox and You, Me And The End of The World , from NBCUni), Jamie Lee Curtis ( Scream Queens , Fox), Jennifer Lopez ( Shades of Blue , NBCUni), Wesley Snipes ( ThePlayer , Sony Pictures) and... Kermit The Frog ( The Muppets , Disney). The recent L.A. Screenings demonstrated the traditional U.S. TV sector’s willingness to fight against the loss of viewers from its linear platforms. The U.S. TV industry’s fight will also ensure that TV networks around the world benefit as well. This two-pronged strategy calls for defensive moves, such as HBO increasing their online offerings, and offensive maneuvers, like boosting buyers’ undivided attention, while in Cannes they will be competingwith over 2,000 exhibiting companies from all over the world. In addition, in L.A. it is more convenient for the studios to show off the actors and show-runners of their new series in front of star- struck buyers, something that is a logistical challenge in Cannes. With 26 new series shown across various theaters on its Hollywood lot, NBCUniversal has followed Sony Pictures’ example this year, and gave buyers blankets to keep warm during the long hours in the cold screening rooms. Other studios with a large number of new series were Twentieth Century Fox with 15, and Disney with 12. In terms of new product at the Screenings, cable saved the day for the studios. U.S. TV broadcasters ordered fewer new series compared to last year: 48 this year versus 58 last year. However, cable and digital orders added 28 shows to the studios’ international catalogs. Of the 76 new series screened in L.A., six were made for digital outlets and another six were commissioned by foreign TV networks, such as BBC, ABC Australia and Sky U.K. As far as the traditional mega parties were concerned, the opening salvo came care of Disney Media Distribution, while the honors for the closing “ceremony” were handled by Twentieth Century Fox TV Distribution. Both parties were held at their respective lots. In between studio lot parties, Lionsgate hosted a major recreational event for 550 guests at the House of Blues, and CBS Studios International offered a reception on the Paramount lot to mark the retirement of Joe Lucas after 43 years with the group. At their parties, both Disney and Fox provided opportunities to meet with talent from their new series. Disney, as usual, provided a gazebo for the casts of each new and returning series, who were ready to take pictures with the guests. Other studios paraded their stars around during lunch breaks, and some even attended private dinners offered to a restricted number of buyers at studio executives’ homes. In terms of content, the new U.S. TV series can be summarized as a triple-S season: superheroes, supernatural, and superstars. (Continued from Cover) At the Lionsgate screenings, Peter Iacono welcomes LATAM buyers On the Twentieth Century Fox lot, Mark Kaner and Jamie Lee Curtis Warner Bros.’ Jeff Schlesinger in the breakfast/lunch area facing the screenings theater The Disney Media Networks LATAM team on the Disney lot