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Tag: BBC Studios

  • BBC Studios signs Alex Gale to develop non-scripted content

    BBC Studios signs Alex Gale to develop non-scripted content

    KERALA: BBC Studios International Production has signed a first-look development deal with award-winning documentary maker Alex Gale. The deal will see Gale co-develop premium non-scripted content with BBC Studios local production companies in Australia, India, South Africa, and Germany. These developed programs will be produced and distributed internationally by BBC Studios.

     

    Alex Gale is the founder of Amped Picture, and has previously directed Amazon Prime’s Sons Of The Soil for BBC Studios India. Other previous works of Gale include BBC documentaries Scotland 78: A Love Story, Glasgow 1967: The Lisbon Lions, and The Fort.

    “Alex is a remarkable documentarian who has a unique approach to creating candid and thought-provoking films; his handle on the sporting world and bringing their iconic figures and stories to life are unparalleled. We’ve been lucky enough to partner with Alex previously and so we’re incredibly proud to be working with him to create original content for our audiences worldwide,” said BBC Studios managing director of international productions Matt Forde.

    Gale revealed that the aim of the partnership is ”to create high production value docuseries with characteristically local narratives that also have the potential to engage an international audience.”

    “It’s very exciting, there’s such a range of untapped storytelling opportunities across these distinct and contrasting cultures. BBC Studios’ local knowledge, industry relationships, and brand recognition in these countries is invaluable, it will help us secure access to talent, previously unseen environments and institutions,” he added.

  • Discovery partners with Ellen DeGeneres to produce natural history content

    Discovery partners with Ellen DeGeneres to produce natural history content

    MUMBAI: Multiple Emmy Award winner and renowned talk show host Ellen DeGeneres has joined the Discovery family, where she will collaborate on a slate of content. Exclusive to Discovery in the natural history space, DeGeneres will develop and produce a variety of specials, series, and documentaries that will bring her unique charm, passion and wit both in front of and behind the camera.

     

    The exciting line-up will highlight the many wonders of the natural world and the incredible wildlife who inhabit it for both Discovery Channel and its subscription streaming service discovery+, launched earlier this year.

    “Ellen’s dedication to the environment and her love for all animals, including the most endangered creatures who call our planet home, is unmatched… We welcome Ellen and her team to the Discovery family as she brings her humour, her voice, and her ability to inspire to these important passion projects,” says Discovery and Factual chief brand officer Nancy Daniels.

     “I’m so excited to partner with Discovery. I’ll get to discover all kinds of things about incredible animals. For instance, did you know the Ring-Tailed Lemur’s tail is longer than its body? I think that’s his tail. I hope that’s his tail. I have so much to discover with Discovery,” quips Ellen DeGeneres.

     From Discovery and the BBC Natural History Unit, Endangered follows the effort of dedicated wildlife conservationists across the globe as they work to compile the latest version of The Red List – the most comprehensive record of the state of the world’s wildlife that has ever been created. In addition to serving as an executive producer, DeGeneres also narrates the documentary, the first time she has done so on a project. Endangered is the BBC Studios Natural History Unit’s first non-BBC commission and launches on discovery+ on Earth Day, 22 April 2021.

     The slate will be executive produced by Jeff Kleeman, president of Ellen’s AVGP company, and Howard Swartz, SVP Documentaries and Specials, Discovery.

  • BBC Studios taps Phil Hardman as SVP & general manager – Asia

    BBC Studios taps Phil Hardman as SVP & general manager – Asia

    NEW DELHI: BBC Studios will align the key markets of India, southeast Asia, Japan and Korea in a group to be led by Phil Hardman as the new SVP & general manager – Asia, BBC Studios. The appointment was announced today by BBC Studios EVP – APAC Jon Penn, as he outlined a simpler, more agile APAC structure to help drive future growth in the region.

    In this new role, Hardman will lead the global distribution teams working in Singapore, Mumbai and Seoul, as well as hold responsibility for developing the Asia growth strategy across the region, in territories including India, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines and Vietnam.

    Until recently, Hardman was the SVP commercial strategy for Asia, and last year he also took on the acting lead role of SVP & GM greater China, while recruitment was underway. This organisational change streamlines the BBC Studios APAC business structure, headed by Phil Hardman as SVP & GM Asia, Ding Ke as SVP & GM greater China and Fiona Lang, as GM Australia & New Zealand, who will all report in to Jon Penn. A new strategy manager for Asia will also be appointed to support the region and report into Penn.

    Leading the region’s new content direction as it explores new partnerships and platforms, Ryan Shiotani will move from his current role as SVP & general manager of south and southeast Asia into a key new role as SVP content, Asia & greater China. He will be the regional editorial lead across existing and new branded services, as well as advising on brand and content strategy in Asia and greater China.

    Jon Penn said: “Phil has demonstrated through his contribution over recent years that he is a strategic thinker and leader who will help turbo-charge our growth in the region. Along with Fiona and Ding Ke, I have three formidable commercial leaders in APAC who will help us identify and build on the opportunities in this rapidly evolving market. The key to our success lies in our premium offering and I am pleased that Ryan, who is a consummate content expert, will be our editorial lead, working across our services and brands in Asia and Greater China.”

  • Myleeta Aga quits Netflix

    Myleeta Aga quits Netflix

    KOLKATA: Following an internal realignment of the southeast Asia and Australia content teams, Myleeta Aga has moved on from Netflix. Aga joined the streaming service in 2019 after a decade-long stint at BBC Studios.

    She was mandated to head content operations for southeast Asia and Australia. “It’s been an amazing year! I am proud of the work that our team has done, putting Southeast Asia and Australia on the map for Netflix, and showcasing the phenomenal potential of the creative community across these countries to audiences at home and around the world. I believe in the power of great stories, and I am confident in the success that lies ahead,” she said as quoted by Variety.

    According to the report, Seoul-based Kim Minyoung will oversee content planning in the region. Aga’s departure is a result of Netflix’s country-specific focus in the region, rather than having a centralised control. The platform has also thanked Aga for her contributions.

  • BBC Studios looks to partner with local platforms to bolster India presence

    BBC Studios looks to partner with local platforms to bolster India presence

    MUMBAI: India has become a fiercely contested territory for major streaming players as they look to drive sub-growth outside the maturing North American and western European markets.  

    BBC Studios, from the stable of the British public service broadcaster, recently unveiled a new content catalogue deal with new kid on the OTT block, Lionsgate Play. Under the agreement, five of BBC Studios' scripted dramas have been selected for the streaming service, with the shows subtitled into multiple regional Indian languages. The new deal, while bolstering the premium Lionsgate Play content portfolio, is tweaked to suit the tastes of the vastly diverse Indian audiences.

    BBC Studios South Asia distribution VP Stanley Fernandes revealed that the partnership with Lionsgate Play was nurtured when the pandemic was at its peak.

    “This augurs well for the state of the OTT industry. It’s good to see that there is demand and a growing audience for quality English-language entertainment. BBC Studios as a brand attracts its own set of audiences and we are happy to see that our programmes will now settle into Lionsgate Play amongst a rostrum of popular US shows,” said Fernandes.

    At the heart of good content is storytelling, for which the BBC is well-known. The series covered under the deal are an eclectic mix of contemporary genres, including Brexit: The Uncivil War, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, which dives into the activities and strategies behind the 2016 "Vote Leave" campaign in the U.K. Also included is the eight-episode series Class, set in the universe of Doctor Who; Les Misérables, starring Dominic West and Oscar winner Olivia Colman; Pure, about a 24-year-old woman coping with obsessive-compulsive disorder; and the epic period drama SS-GB, which tells an alternative history set in 1941, where the Germans have won the Battle of Britain.

    Fernandes is confident that the line-up will attract, engage and be appreciated by the discerning Indian viewer on Lionsgate Play. Said he: “We cater to a global audience and our aim is to bring world-class entertainment, with British sensibilities, to audiences locally. Thus far we have been successful with our content partnerships, branded blocks, and with our own branded channels which are appealing to Indian audiences. Our content is particularly viewed and enjoyed by audiences who invest time and money into their interest in content. This is a segment of the audience that Lionsgate is reaching out to, and we are confident that our content profile proposition will make for a successful partnership.”

    Asked how he plans to distribute the content, he quipped that it’s not about mass appeal, rather it’s about targeted appeal. “It is a partnership – it’s a two-way process. As owners of our intellectual property, we know our content best and our partners understand their audiences. Finding that right mix of shows to not only attract audiences but sustain them is what makes a deal successful.”

    Fernandes pointed out that BBC Studios’ content spans the bandwidth of, without being limited to, drama, comedy, natural history, science, children, lifestyle, documentaries, among others. This range of genres assists the content studio in supporting its partners to curate the right mix of shows that will garner audiences to their platforms by meeting targeted viewing requirements.

    “In India, for now, our business plans are to align with local platforms and it’s in these platforms that we see our best partnerships. Having said that, this is an ever-evolving space and we are always on the lookout for opportunities to increase our brand outreach and audience share,” he explained.

    But is the studio planning to target other Asian countries like Bangladesh, which is another big market in terms of content consumption? Fernandes shared that the aim is to reach out to as many audiences as it can, across platforms and territories. He further revealed that local partnerships in other South Asian markets are in sight.

    “However, currently there is so much to focus on in India; our key business agenda is to grow existing partnerships and create new relationships across both linear and digital services with India as our priority market. Having said that, most of our licensing deals with key partners extend to territories within South Asia, covering territories such as Bangladesh, reaching out to our audiences within these bases,” he detailed.

    BBC Studios is vaunted for its premium shows; it has a huge content library and due to the pandemic, there has been a surge in content consumption. Thus, investing in the streaming platforms is an obvious step, reasoned Fernandes. He pointed to BBC iPlayer in the UK, launched in 2007, and which can be accessed by all license fee payers in the UK. Subscribers of BBC Channels in Singapore and Malaysia have been given access to BBC Player. More recently, it launched BritBox in the US and Canada, followed by Australia in the last couple of months. BritBox is its JV partnership with ITV, bringing the best of British content to one dedicated service. 

    Additionally, BBC Studios all is set to launch a new, ad-free subscription streaming channel, BBC Select, in early 2021 on Amazon Prime video channels and the Apple TV app. BBC Select will offer a rich range of programs from the UK covering three main topics – culture, politics, and ideas. 

    Apart from Lionsgate Play, the studio is in talks with content players in both the digital as well as the linear space with new and innovative deals and business models. These deals are under contractual discussions and will be unveiled when formalised. For now, Fernandes mentioned the studio’s content is well received across both of its operated channels –CBeebies, which provides fun learning through play for pre-school kids, and on its JV partnership channel Sony BBC Earth, showcasing the best of factual entertainment. BBC Studios’ content is also seen across various digital platforms such as Netflix, Amazon, Discovery Plus, Disney+HotStar, Hungama, Tata Sky, Voot, and Voot Kids.

    Shedding light on licensing and merchandising, Fernandes highlighted that content sales over the years have changed from pure fixed-fee license deals. Audiences know and understand content and brands, a key factor for BBC Studios’ businesses. For him, it’s all about adding value. In India, BBC brands and branded content are important to its audiences. The studio’s branded blocks such as BBC First on Zee Café, the cult following for shows such as Top Gear on Discovery Plus, Doctor Who on Amazon Prime Video attract core fan audiences. BBC Studio will also adapt BAFTA-nominated series One of Us in Telugu for Disney+ Hotstar.

    He concluded, “Branded partnerships have been key in shaping our businesses, bringing our audiences closer to the best of world-class, bold, British entertainment in India.”

  • BBC Studios to launch ad-free streamer BBC Select

    BBC Studios to launch ad-free streamer BBC Select

    MUMBAI: BBC Studios is foraying into the global streaming market with BBC Select, an ad-free subscription channel launching in early 2021 in the US and Canada.

    BBC Select will be available on Amazon Prime Video and the Apple TV app and offer a diverse range of programs about culture, politics and ideas. Most of the shows will be exclusive premieres for audiences in the US and Canada.

    “For nearly a century, the BBC has been synonymous with extraordinary television programs – full stop. Name any genre, the BBC is best in class at identifying talent and providing them a platform for expression,” said Americas BBC Studios president Rebecca Glashow. “As we shift our business focus to engaging our fans direct, the digital space offers us the opportunity to bring audiences a portfolio of shows that bring new ideas and perspectives into the conversation. Our research has shown that audiences are looking for an alternative to what is already out there. BBC Select is it.” 

    “BBC Select is for those who crave knowledge, new perspectives, and programs that are not your standard fare,” added general manager and launch director Louise la Grange. “BBC Select will combine a rich line up of never-before-seen shows in the US and Canada with a prized portfolio of thought-provoking, eye-opening programmes that provide context and colour to the world we all share – all in one place.”

    Some of programmes being shown exclusively on BBC Select are:

    Shock of the Nude, hosted by professor of classics Mary Beard, gives a personal take on the nude in western art, right from ancient Greece to the present, and asks why artists seem so obsessed by nudity; 

    Reggie Yates in China sees actor, DJ, and presenter Reggie Yates travel to four very different cities in China to discover the new fault-lines in society and how they affect a generation who have grown up with seemingly more freedom than that of any other in the last 70 years; 

    In Search of Frida Kahlo follows musician Emeli Sandé – who was inspired by the paintings of Kahlo when writing her album – as she visits Mexico City to tell the story of one of Mexico’s most famous artists.

    Fall of an Icon explores the life of Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi, who after 15 years of house arrest was celebrated as an icon of democracy. But years on, she is now seen by many as an international pariah.

    Mystery of the Missing Princess tells the story of Princess Latifa, the daughter of Dubai’s ruler, who attempted to escape from torture and imprisonment at the hands of her father.

    Putin – A Russian Spy Story is the portrait of a politician who modelled himself on the Russian James Bond and whose presidency reads like a spy thriller.

    The Last Igloo follows a lone Inuit as he hunts, fishes, and constructs an igloo. It tells the story of skills that are disappearing and of how climate change is affecting the lives of Greenland's indigenous people.

  • BBC Studios inks deal with Lionsgate Play in India

    BBC Studios inks deal with Lionsgate Play in India

    NEW DELHI: BBC Studios has signed a new content catalogue deal with Lionsgate Play, marking the first-ever partnership between the streaming service in India and the British production powerhouse. The new deal bolsters the premium Lionsgate Play content portfolio with a fresh raft of bold, British drama.

    Lionsgate Play recently made its independent foray in the Indian OTT landscape. The streaming service is currently available on Google Play Store, Apple App Store, Amazon Firestick and via Airtel Xstream, Jio Fiber and Vi Movies and TV.

    Under the agreement, viewers will receive five exciting scripted dramas selected for the Lionsgate Play platform, spanning science fiction, period and contemporary genres to cater to a wide range of viewing interests:

    ·       Brexit: The Uncivil War – Starring Benedict Cumberbatch and an ensemble cast of British talent, the show dives into the activities and strategies behind the ‘Vote Leave’ campaign building up to the European Union referendum of 2016. Produced by House Productions.

    ·       Class – Written by stalwart Young Adult novelist Patrick Ness and set in the iconic universe of Doctor Who, the eight-episode series centres around the Coal Hill School and a group of four classmates-turned-unlikely allies, as they battle against the invasion of the alien Shadow Kin. Produced by BBC Studios and executive-produced by Steven Moffat.

    ·       Les Misérables – An extraordinary cast of A-list actors, including Dominic West (The Wire) and Oscar winner Olivia Colman (The Favourite), bring this epic adaptation of Victor Hugo's classic novel Les Misérables to life, telling the story of fascinating characters caught up in poverty and the unrest of post-revolutionary France. It is produced by Lookout Point and BBC Studios.

    ·       Pure – This critically-acclaimed comedy drama centres around 24-year-old Marnie, as she moves to London for the first time and struggles to control her intrusive obsessive compulsive disorder. It is based on Rose Cartwright’s book of the same name and offers a frank, sympathetic window into mental health. Pure is produced by Drama Republic.

    ·       SS-GB – An epic period drama produced by Sid Gentle Films and based on the novel by Len Deighton, SS-GB dives into a sobering alternative history. It is 1941, and the Germans have won the Battle of Britain. Detective Douglas Archer finds himself working under the brutal SS in occupied London.

    BBC Studios distribution (South Asia) VP Stanley Fernandes said, “These programmes represent the cutting-edge of both BBC and British storytelling as a whole, and we’re really excited to bring even more choice to the discerning Indian viewer, through this deal with Lionsgate. In the midst of India’s dynamic streaming and entertainment landscape, we’re pleased that British drama and formats continue to find new platforms and an enthusiastic public reception in the region, and that these stories are accessible to as wide an audience as possible.”

    Lionsgate South Asia and Networks SEA MD Rohit Jain said, “We are delighted to have partnered with BBC Studios. Indian audiences have always enjoyed British content and the unique content line up provided by BBC Studios covers various genres of entertainment. It is classic, powerful and ground-breaking. We are confident our viewers will be swooped into another world.”

  • BBC Studios’ Stanley Fernandes on his inspiration and future plans

    BBC Studios’ Stanley Fernandes on his inspiration and future plans

    MUMBAI: BBC Studios South Asia distribution VP Stanley Fernandes is currently working across affiliate sales, digital sales, and content sales, in an integrated and geographically focused approach to grow distribution business in these territories. Previously, Stanley led content sales for south and southeast Asia. He now oversees new revenue opportunities for the distribution business in a more holistic offering to the client in south Asia.

    Stanley who initially started off as a journalist has over 24 years of experience in the content business. He has produced content for UTV, he has also played an important role in Disney’s distribution team. In a candid conversation with indiantelevision.com Stanley Fernandes spoke at length about his interests, plans going forward for BBC studios and much more.

    Edited Excerpts:

    What are you reading or listening to right now?

    I am currently reading two books, ‘How Not to Diet,’ by Michael Greger, MD which is an evidence-based study on nutrition and ‘I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings,’ by Maya Angelou which is an autobiography (first in a series of seven books) illustrating her narrative in overcoming racism and trauma.

    When are you most inspired?

    There are moments when you suddenly become mindful of either the simplicity or the complexity of the mind and you learn to separate the cause and effect; new and inspiring thoughts can emerge during this time. It’s about allowing your mind to be at ease. It could happen when you're sipping your morning coffee, reading, driving or meditating.

    You have done a diploma in nutrition and dietetics, how are you utilising this expertise in your day to day life?

    During pandemic, the importance of building immunity and what we eat is of utmost importance. Understanding food and how it interacts with our body is something we know so little of. Everything we eat is a chemical and wrongly balanced food can lead to its ill effects, while a well-balanced nutritional plan can be curative. My understanding of this science aids me in making the right food choices, and eating right is all about balance and moderation. 

    You also have a great interest in painting and sketching, in today's busy world do you get time to follow your passion?

    It is important to always make time for hobbies and set your priorities right. Creative thinking comes many-a-times from not thinking about issues at hand, and hobbies provide you with that shift in mindset and perspective. We all need a break from our daily momentum and trying to make the best of being indoors.

    What is the best thing that has ever happened to you professionally?

    I have had great mentors in my career; ones who have been confident leaders and who were not afraid to be their own. A bigger part of growing is learning by example and I have been fortunate to be surrounded by professionals who have been magnanimous in encouraging me to constantly strive to be a better person and professional. Leaders and mentors have a bigger role than just the job at hand and it’s the things they don’t say and do that set an example.

    Have you taken your time to reflect what all you have accomplished in the past years and what goals you'll be setting for the coming years?

    We have had a great run over the years, from launching branded blocks such as BBC First, showcasing the best of our British drama on Zee Café, or the CBeebies block on Zee Q, to launching branded shows such as Doctor Who on StarFX, HotStar and Amazon. Top Gear and Great British Bake Off across the Sony and Viacom English GECs. Our presence can be seen on digital platforms from Netflix, Amazon, Disney+ Hotstar, Hungama, Tata Sky and soon to launch Discovery Plus.  Going forward, our emphasis is definitely going to be on employee welfare, adapting to the new work-from-home goals and being customer-focused, adapting to the dynamic changes in the market.

    Any exciting things lined up for BBC Studios in the next year?

    We are always looking for opportunities and ways to grow our brands. There is a lot happening in the pipeline and it’s a space to watch out for. We recently re-launched CBeebies – a channel dedicated to pre-schoolers with its emphasis on learning through play, which is currently present in over 30 million homes (and counting), in the country. Sony BBC Earth, our joint venture with Sony continues to showcase the best of our factual entertainment and natural history content, and of course our content can be seen across all leading digital SVOD platforms too.

    What is your number one priority for the business right now?

    Our focus is on supporting our customers right now. The pandemic has left companies and industries looking at creative ways to reinvent their businesses and we want to be there for them. We have relooked at our sales policies and adapted them to current market realities in alignment with our brands. We are in the creative business and we also want our approach to be creative with our partners and support them in the best way we can.

    Describe the BBC Studios culture? What makes it unique?

    It’s a creative place that respects individuality and puts its people first. Emotional intelligence and employee wellbeing is of utmost importance as we believe it drives productivity. BBC Studios is very much focused on promoting a diverse and varied workforce, and a workplace that empowers you to be creative in your approach towards work. It also focuses on being impartial and honest at all times, a key attribute that the BBC Group is well known for.

    What's the best and worst career advice you have been given?

    My best career advice would be, “Don’t be afraid to make a call. Nothing has ever been achieved by being paralysed with indecisiveness. Be honest to yourself and have integrity. People will always see you for who you are and who you are is also a representation of the company you work for.” The worst advice would be “fake it until you make it.”

    You can have a dinner party with any four people in the world. Who’s on your invite list?

    Vincent Van Gogh – to understand his art and life that’s shrouded by mystery.

    Steve Job – for his simplicity in coding.

    Michelle Obama – for being a role model and advocate to so many issues that matter.

    J. R. D Tata – for modernising India during its formative years and setting the standards till today.

    Can you tell me about a tough day you had at work and how you pushed through?

    It’s all a matter of perspective; the glass can be half full or half empty. It’s important to be decisive, fair and true to the moment. Create possibilities out of any given situation and the end will take care of itself. Learn to ‘believe!’.

  • BBC Studios inks licensing deal with Colors Infinity for Top Gear

    BBC Studios inks licensing deal with Colors Infinity for Top Gear

    MUMBAI: BBC Studios has announced a licensing deal with Viacom18 Media, which will see the latest series of Top Gear air on the Indian entertainment network’s premium English entertainment channel – Colours Infinity. The deal for the world’s biggest motoring entertainment show, was revealed today at Showcase, BBC Studios’ spectacular trade event held in Liverpool each year.

    This multi-platform deal with Viacom18 will make series 27 of Top Gear available to Indian viewers that are looking forward to watch their favorite motoring show.

    Top Gear is the world’s biggest and longest-running motoring entertainment show which has had a huge global following across 200+ territories, making it one of the world’s most widely watched factual TV programmes. The much-loved series features gruelling challenges, epic adventures and state-of-the-art supercars with a hint of mayhem, humour and mischief.

    Series 27 introduces a shiny new presenter line up, with comedian and TV presenter Paddy McGuinness and cricketing legend Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff joining motoring journalist Chris Harris. Also back in the driving seat is the enigmatic white-suited professional driver, known across the globe as The Stig.  

    From the brutal heat of the Ethiopian desert to the sweltering Borneo rainforest, from the wilds of Iceland to the pedestrianised shopping district of a British market town, Top Gear is bigger than ever. The team tackle the fastest, hottest, toughest Top Gear challenges to date, pushing their cars and themselves to the limits. At the world-famous Top Gear test track, a fresh batch of celebrities demonstrate their driving prowess (or lack thereof) and face challenges set by the presenters.

    The new presenting line up has been a hit with fans and their debut series on BBC Two in June last year was particularly well received in the UK, with an average consolidated audience of 3.8 million.  Following the success of their first series together, the trio have recently returned to UK screens with even higher audience ratings, with the new series premiere opening to a consolidated audience of more than 4.3 million, the highest in over four years. In between series, they also filmed the Top Gear Nepal Special, which saw Freddie, Paddy and Chris embark on an epic high-altitude voyage from Kathmandu to the Forbidden City of Lo Manthang, thrilling UK audiences when it aired in December.

    BBC Studios South Asia distribution vice president Stanley Fernandes says, “We’re thrilled to partner with Viacom18 to bring the latest series of Top Gear to India. Audiences are going to love the new line up taking control of the wheel and taking the series to another level. Expect plenty of thrills, spills and laughs”

    Viacom18 Youth, Music & English Entertainment, VOOT Select head Ferzad Palia says, “Indian viewers are big fans of fast-paced and adrenaline-pumping automotive content. Globally, Top Gear is recognised as the most popular motoring entertainment show, and we’re thrilled to showcase series 27 of this iconic show to viewers in India. Adding another genre to our bouquet of offering, Viacom18 continues to deliver the best of English entertainment to its audience.”

  • Peak TV and the year of the sheroes

    Peak TV and the year of the sheroes

    A barrage of shows from across the globe has left a thin line between pampering and spoiling our consumers for choice. It, infact, nudged the coining of the term, Peak TV.When John Landgraf, the King of FX, at an industry event for TV critics uttered the phrase “Peak TV”, he was trying to address a problem, a problem all of us face in our lives these days … WHAT TO WATCH? He was only trying to get our attention to the fact that with the volume going up, audiences will find it difficult to find good shows they can enjoy. There is so much of good television around, that at times it is exhausting catching up to these shows.

    New streaming services will add to the existing list of services already present in the country from the ever-popular Hotstar to international services like Amazon Prime and Netflix. 20+ OTT players, pivoting business models, regional explosion, self-censorship, and the classic AVod vs SVod debate will continue for the time to come. In the West, Christmas came early to content lovers with the arrival of 2 more platforms Apple TV and Disney Plus. In this battle of the giants, we will see a few smaller platforms perish and the strain on niche English TV channels will only continue to grow in India. But I am not going to jump onto numbers of platforms and who stands where and who caters to what. As famously said, people watch shows not channels and so I am going to stick to what shows made news this year. But is a burnout in the horizon and will the hyper competition see fewer active players in 2020?

    “Sheroes in Spotlight”

    It’s been the year of the “Writer” along with the Year of the “Female hero”. From Phoebe Waller-Bridge picking up outstanding lead actress to outstanding writing for a comedy series to writing the new Bond Franchise  and Susannah Grant’s “Unbelievable, it’s been a definite year of the Female Hero, whether she has been in front of the camera or behind.These women have been behind some of the biggest hits of the year. Big Little Lies, Watchmen, Dead to Me and Glow Russian Doll were all shows led by female stars. But,also do imagine a year forcontent, where one forgets to actually talk about the last season of Game of Thrones or the last year of the 3 Masterchef Judges.

    If in 2018 Wild Wild Country was the standout documentary series, 2019 was the year of the Fyre Festival and Elizabeth Holmes, the founder of blood-testing technology company Theranos, who went from the tech industry's darling to a pariah in just a matter of years. The streaming giants have exposed us to series of documentaries in 2019 from the ever popular All or Nothing to Drive to Survive or the much awaited docu-series on the Australian Cricket Team. Hopefully, these shows will continue to pave the wave for more docu-series, a genre which is under serviced in nature. It couldn’t reinforce Peak TV any better, not only is there an explosion of scripted content but also genres like documentary series which have added to the ever-expanding wish list.

    The 200 million TV homes market

    If anyone remotely thought the streaming hype and the world of OTT will dent the ‘bhagya’ of the popular soaps, they were mistaken. Even in 2019, we have an ‘Icchadari Naagin’ that continues to garner attention on primetime television sharing space with Yeh Rishta and Kumkum Bhagya. India will continue to remain a single screen market for the time to come and nothing will take away Indians from their staple diet of daily mother in law and daughter in law drama. This drama will continue to fold in front and behind the TV for the years to come. The mobile screen is going to compliment the TV screen, but not replace it in the next few years.Along with mainstream television, regional television is flourishing whether it is the nth year of the popular Marathi Show Chala Hawa Yeu Dya or the popular Tamil daily shows. The staple diet for most viewers is their daily soaps, which are complemented by the popular big-ticket shiny floor shows with big names like Salman Khan on the weekend on Bigg Boss, the popular TV format Big Brother is now in its 13th season or KBC which is now in its 11th season with megastar Amitabh Bachchan. These shows continue to rule weekends for the audience while the bahus take care of weekdays.

    This is what makes India such an exciting market to work in for content producers. At one end of the spectrum, you have Taarak Mehta, Kundali Bhagya, and Kumkum Bhagya to a small show like Little Things that explodes suddenly as a Netflix original in season 2 to Family Man and Made in Heaven picking up all the accolades in their debut season. Delhi Crime was a standout female cop drama on the backdrop of the Nirbhaya case.

    The phrase Peak TV suits India very well, with the mega bucks IPL cricket tournament attracting millions of eyeballs in the summer has made Hotstar a name to reckon with among the streamers in India. There is just so much to watch in these months with Cricket and Kabaddi leagues mushrooming in India. Hotstar launched its set of originals this summer in the middle of IPL and 2 shows that became household names were the popular BBC Drama series Criminal Justice and the popular Israeli drama Hostages, both launched with the same names in India. 

    The obsession of franchises will not fade so easily, whether it is Kasautii Zindagii Kay, Love Lust and Confusion 2, Nagin 4, Inside Edge 2, the yearning to attract audience in a cluttered market will always remain high. This hype supersedes the reality in this Indian market.

    The Chinese year of the pig has ended well for Hotstar and it abodes well for the theme of the “Sheroes”.Out of Love starring Rasika Dugal has emerged as an outright winner in the year, based on the popular BBC Drama series Dr. Foster, starring Suranne Jones who won the Bafta in 2016 for Best Actress. The show has put Rasika Dugal on the top of the list of female actors in the country and has only strengthened her case after Delhi Crime and Mirzapur. The real pleasure after watching this series lies in the fact that a powerful female protagonist is at the center of it all and the series has not treated the character like a victim, which not many players were willing to experiment with, at least with Indian originals to begin with.

    Will the audiences continue to be pampered with more quality shows? Will mainstream TV get their ratings mojo back? Will English cluster in India survive the heat from the streaming giants? Will mobile phones become replacement devices? Will more platforms launch content services? A lot will unfold in 2020.

    Let’s see what content choices it leaves for us in 2020 from being a year of sequels like Family Man, Delhi Crime, Mirzapur, Hostages, Criminal Justice, Out of Love to Peak TV staying  for a couple of more years, only time will tell.

    (The author is business head, Productions BBC Studios. The views expressed are his own and Indiantelevision.com may not subscribe to them.)