FEDERATION ENTERTAINMENT
The fast-expanding French group which recently secured a €50m capital increase to invest in international talents and companies, has been an early co-financier of Nordic TV shows such as the Finnish crime Bordertown. After the Swedish thriller Partisan - voted best series at Canneseries 2020, Federation is set to make a splash again at this week’s Cannes TV festival and market, with the French/UK period Around the World in 80 Days (out of competition) and Finnish comedy noire Mister 8 screening in competition.

Four questions to Jean-Michel Ciszewski, Head of Int’l Sales and Sarah Zarka, Int’l Sales Manager

How important is MIPCOM for you, considering the changes that have occurred in deal-making and festival/market attendance after the pandemic?
JMC-SZ: So important! We are so happy to meet with the buyers again and to take the time to discuss our new contents.

We are launching several series, including Around the World in 80 Days and Mister 8, both present at Canneseries. In addition, we are organising a screening for our new kids live-action Theodosia. We can't wait to see the reactions of the buyers. Both are selected at Canneseries and having the creative team with us when we present the series is a real pleasure!

Seeing people in real life again, as we did in Series Mania, is a whole different perspective and a much more constructive dynamic, which we missed. The big advantage of a market like MIPCOM is that we are all in the perspective of doing business and we are convinced that it will be fruitful. The only downside, unfortunately, is that not everyone can be there, to our great regret.

What genres/formats are popular these days among traditional broadcasters and global streamers and what Nordic TV shows in your lineup are attracting a lot of interest?
JMC-SZ: Traditional formats are still appealing to traditional broadcasters. We have a very productive experience on procedural crime, especially with historical broadcasters whether it's in Northern or Southern Europe.

With streamers and pay TV, we are fascinated by the development and strength of the Young Adult format. We have a super beneficial experience on Viaplay’s Delete Me, and we are in full development on new projects in this target group.

Obviously, for us, what works really well at the moment is Around the World in 80 Days, as it's an incredible brand, an evergreen property with a high repeatability.

At what stage did you board Teemu Nikki’s Mister 8 and why? What type of broadcasters do you feel the show is best suited for?
JMC-SZ: When we discovered this super high concept and extremely unique series, we were immediately caught. We have a history with high concept shows, with some of our Israeli series which are always interesting to pitch. It's a very stylish series and for us, it's sophisticated content that we believe should be appealing for the streamers.

How are you dealing with the complexity of windowing under the streaming era? Do you feel platforms and broadcasters are more flexible with exclusivity and right splitting?
JMC-SZ: All cases are still possible. Today, we can have extremely exclusive requests but also very constructive conversation for complex windowing. It really depends and every conversation is different. We are in a world where there is no longer a single case that exists and we can tailor each case, according to our needs, whether we are financing a project or we have an already finished series.


BANIJAY RIGHTS
Since its merger with Endemol Shine in 2020, the mega indie French group Banijay controls more than 120 production labels, including 20 in the Nordics.

On the scripted front, although not present with its usual mega-stand in front of the Palais, the company is launching at MIPCOM event series from its in-house brands such as well-known IP’s Germinal (France/Italy), Bonnie & Clyde (Benelux) and the original Norwegian comedy show Countrymen from Rubicon, competing at Canneseries.

Two Jarowskij-produced series are also on the company’s extensive Fall slate:

• Detective Maria Kallio, Finnish crime, based on Leena Lehtolainen's best-selling novels. The Espoo-set series starring Elena Leeve (Arctic Circle) premiered on C More in August.
• A Class Apart, Swedish YA drama, inspired by true events, about the dark secrets of an elite boarding school for super rich. The drama starring Aliette Opheim, Henrik Schyffert and Valter Skarsgård, premiered in Viaplay late August.

Questions to Claire Jago, Executive Vice-President, EMEA Sales and Acquisitions

How important is MIPCOM for you?
CJ: Face to face meetings are invigorating and key to the business. There is nothing more exciting that to speak about our content to our clients. At this market we’re not attending with an office, but we’re having MIPCOM meetings virtually. And marketing-wise, we will have a strong presence at the market. We’ll go back to travelling when we can. We’re looking forward to that.

You have one of the largest catalogues in the world, with over 110,000 titles across scripted, factual, entertainment. On the scripted front, what would you say is the share of Nordic shows? How do you make sure they stand out?
CJ: Nordic produced shows are key and we have a high number of highly-reputed brands with worldwide appeal. Nordic drama remains really popular with buyers and have opened up the trend of foreign language drama. Today, we have strong content coming from all over Europe – Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Spain, Italy, among others.

As a company that’s grown over the years, we’ve accumulated our knowledge. There is not one show that we sell that we don’t know and haven’t watched. To make it easier for our clients to 'come into our shop' and find what they want, we have themed collections, including a Nordic drama theme.

Typically, what type of deficit financing do you offer producers against global distribution rights? How many third-party Nordic pick-ups do you make on average each year?
CJ: There is no one size fits all. It’s about the overall package. We represent a wide range of budgets in scripted content and partner with people based on the needs of each company. We work with many third-party producers, look for the best drama to fit our catalogue and complement what comes from our own productions. We are open minded.

At what point did you start discussing Countrymen with Rubicon and what makes it unique for you?
CJ: We came on board at script commissioning stage, and worked closely with Rubicon. It’s a unique and engaging story from a well-known creative team, with a strong track record as Anne [Bjørnstad] is associated to Lilyhammer and Beforeigners.

Nordic productions have a reputation of being dark, but then Rubicon has successfully created quite a few comedy dramas. I believe Countrymen is appealing across all linear and streaming.

What scripted genre/format is popular these days? On linear and streaming
CJ: Good storytelling will always win. People need to feel engaged. Diversity in all its relevance is something that broadcasters are focusing on and need to focus on. There is also an appetite for post-Covid escapism and familiarity of titles, with new seasons of existing shows or remakes.

How are you dealing with the complexity of windowing under the streaming era?
CJ: It makes my job more interesting. It’s an evolving world we’re working in. So many platforms emerge. We as a company are very flexible and open to making financing work in the rights jigsaw. We see ourselves as platform agnostics.


KESHET INTERNATIONAL
The global content producer and distributor with a network of seven production outfits and distribution hubs between Tel Aviv, London, Germany, N.Y. and L.A., has been ramping up its acquisition of Nordic content in the last couple of years.

The latest pick-ups (format and ready-made originals) include:

• the Swedish feelgood Dreaming of England from Young Royals’ creator/head writer Lisa Ambjörn, produced by Art & Bob for SVT, with backing from Nordisk Film & TV Fond,
• the Finnish relationship-based anthology series Pillow Talk, produced by Solar Republic for Elisa Viihde.

Three questions to KI’s VP Sales Rose Hughes

How important is MIPCOM for you?
RH: “We are attending this year to meet our clients face-to-face. We’ve been in constant contact with them throughout the pandemic via Zoom and our virtual events, but there’s nothing like actually spending time together in person. So this trip to Cannes is about reconnecting with those clients that are also able to attend as well. For those that can’t make it, we’ve showcased our new Fall slate at a virtual event on October. 5.

What genres/formats are popular these days among traditional broadcasters and global streamers and what Nordic TV shows in your line-up are attracting a lot of interest?
RH: Foreign language dramas are growing in popularity and Series Mania did a great job of shining a spotlight on Furia and Pørni for us. We have acquired five new series for our fall slate, including dramas Journey (Iceland), Blue Moon (Canada), Pillow Talk (Finland), Dreaming of England (Sweden) and The Kidnapping of Phil Frisco (Belgium) – alongside factual series Property Superstars (UK), and formats The Perfect Dessert (Israel) and Killer Camp (UK/USA).”

Nordic TV shows are a hugely important part of our line-up, with three Nordic shows now launching. These shows are all very different to the traditional ‘Nordic Noir’ genre which was such a prominent export for Scandinavia before. All are strong character led, universal shows looking at relatable human moments – from mid-life crises and the confrontation of privilege in Journey, to the journey of womanhood in Dreaming of England through to the many stages of a relationship in Pillowtalk.

How are you dealing with the complexity of windowing under the streaming era?
R.H.: It’s imperative to maximise opportunities for our producers in this competitive market. We understand the importance of flexible deal-making both for our producers and also, to find value for our partners. It’s common now with key titles to negotiate multiple windows simultaneously, or at the very least to be hyper aware of the value of those second/third windows etc. I’m pleased to confirm that our partners are increasingly flexible as well, understanding the importance of all corners in the distribution triangle receiving the most value possible.