Videoage International October 2021

V I D E O A G E October 2021 26 (Continued on Page 28) Changing Role of TV Exports Scandinavian countries have been successful with a TV genre called “Nordic Noir.” Series in this genre include The Killing (which first aired on DR-1 in 2007) and The Bridge (which was first broadcast simultaneously on Sveriges Television and Denmark Radio in 2011). Italy has produced a series of international hits, including: Medici , a 2016 series that was produced by Lux Video for RAI-1; L’amica Geniale (My Brilliant Friend), which was produced by Fantango, distributed by RaiCom, and aired on RAI-1 in 2018; and Il Commissario Montalbano (Inspector Montalbano) , which was produced by Palomar, distributed by RaiCom, premiered on RAI-2 in 1999, and continued airing on RAI-1 until March 2021. In 2019, Canale 5 first broadcast Il Silenzio dell’Acqua , produced by Vela Film and sold in- ternationally by Mediaset Distribution. In 2020 Canale 5 aired Oltre la Soglia (On The Brink), produced by Paper Moon and licensed by Mediaset Distribution. Before and after the international success of Das Boot , originally produced in 1981 with a TV sequel in 2018, Germany produced several major TV exports. Babylon Berlin first aired on Sky Deutschland in 2017. It was produced by X Filme Creative Pool and distributed by Beta Film. With a 33 million euro (U.S. $39 million) price tag, it was one of Germany’s most expensive productions to date. Das Boot was a co-production between Bavaria Fiction, Sky Deutschland, and Sonar Entertainment. Initially, Sonar also distributed the series internationally, but since 2019 Das Boot has been distributed by NBCUniversal Global Distribution. Therewas also Pagan Peak , whichwas adapted from Scandinavian The Bridge. It was produced by Wiedemann & Berg Television for Sky Deutschland and aired in 2019. It is distributed by Beta Film. Then there was Perfume, which was produced and distributed by Constantin Film for ZDFneo. It first aired it in 2018. For India, we have to go back to 2008 to find a series that became an international hit. It’s Balika Vadhu (Child Bride) , which was broadcast on Color TV, produced by Sphere Origins, and distributed by Viacom18. Israel has been a good source for adaptations for years, starting with BeTipul (In Therapy) , which was first broadcast on HOT3 in 2005 and eventually adapted by 13 countries, including HBO in the U.S. as In Treatment . Another recent adaptation success was Prisoners of War , which was produced by Keshet, and first aired on Channel 2 in 2010. Even though it had limited international sales, it was acquired by 20th Century Fox and adapted into the series Homeland , which ran on Showtime until 2020, and experienced good worldwide sales. From the UAE, Qalb Al Adala (Justice) was produced by Beelink Productions, and aired on OSN Ya Hala TV network in 2017. From South Korea came Mr. Sunshine , a historical drama that was produced by Studio Dragon, distributed by CJ E&M, and aired on tvN beginning in 2018. Australia has had its share of international successes, among these Packed to the Rafters, which was produced by Spectrum Films and aired on Seven Network starting in 2008. More recently, there was Wentworth, which was produced by Fremantle and aired on SoHo (which closed down in 2016) in 2013. Argentina has also had some recent success with local productions, albeit modestly as compared with the volume of a few years back. In 2019 TV Pública (formerly ATC) broadcast El Marginal , a series produced by Underground Producciones and distributed by NBCUniversal’s Telemundo Enterprises ( Underground was acquired by Telemundo). Also in 2019, Telefe aired Little Victoria (Pequeña Victoria) , which was produced by Spain’s MediaPro Studio and distributed by ViacomCBS International Studios (which also owns Telefe). Recently, a spin-off, Pequeñas Victorias, aired. And in 2019, Canal 13 broadcast Argentina Tierra de Amor y Venganza , produced and distributed by Pol-ka Producciones. Mexico launched two major telenovelas this year, both of which first aired on Televisa’s Las Estrellas TV network: La Desalmada and Vencer el Pasado , produced by Televisa and distributed internationally by Televisa Internacional. In 2020, Televisa produced, aired and distributed the series Te Doy la Vida . The next page features a dedicated focus on Turkey, a powerhouse of international content sales, with hundreds of production and sales companies, whose shows have come to rival U.S. exports. (Continued from Cover) television, international series have flourished, so much so that Turkish trade associations claim to be the world’s second largest exporter after the U.S., which remains the single largest TV content export country. A roundup of a few of the world’s most suc- cessful international TV series outside the U.S. included France’s Dix Pour Cent (Call My Agent) , a successful dramedy soon to go into a sixth season. Produced by France Televisions, it premiered on France 2 in 2015. The success of French TV series is also shown by the rate at which streamers gobble up their productions, the latest of which is Laetitia, produced and distributed by France Televisions, and now airing on HBO, which has North American rights. International sales of French TV programs reached 196.9 million euro in 2020, according to a CNC-UniFrance report released last month. According to a report prepared by Bath, U.K.-based content consultant 3Vision for U.K. trade association PACT, in 2020, U.K. TV exports reached £1.48 billion (U.S. $2 billion). Dramas such as His Dark Materials (which aired on BBC1, was produced by Bad Wolf, and was distributed by BBC Studios), The War of the Worlds (which was produced by the BBC and distributed by ITV), The Feed (which was produced by Studio Lambert for Virgin TV and distributed by All3Media), and Doctor Who (which aired on BBC1, was produced by the BBC, and was distributed by BBC Studios) accounted for a large portion of all international revenue. Another international success story was La Casa de Papel ( Money Heist ), a drama that premiered on Spain’s Antena 3 in 2017 and was produced by Atresmedia (formerly Grupo Antena 3). This is an interesting story that explains how a locally produced series could be appreciated more by international viewers than their do- mestic counterparts. After seeing success at first, La Casa ’s audience began to dwindle. But thanks to the intervention of Netflix it became an international hit after the streamer acquired the rights for subsequent episodes. The people behind the series added the Italian folk song “Bella Ciao,” an international hit that’s been sung in 40 different languages, to its soundtrack. In addition, a prop used on the show, the mask of Spanish artist Salvador Dalí, became an inter- national symbol of resistance now seen during various protests. From Denmark, there was Borgen , a political drama produced by DR, the Danish public broadcaster. Borgen is the informal name of Christiansborg Palace, where three branches of the Danish government reside. The series premiered on DR-1 in 2010. A fourth season will be streamed by Netflix in 2022. For years, The Feed was produced by Studio Lambert for Virgin TV and is distributed by All3Media A scene from Mediaset’s Il Silenzio dell’Acqua In Turkey, where local productions are mostly made for broadcast TV, international series have flourished, so much so that Turkish trade associations claim to be the world’s second largest TV exporter after the U.S.