Mipcom Cannes - Part 2 global distributors on market trends

French-controlled Banijay Group is the home to 20 Nordic production companies out of 120 across 20 territories. Among the high-profile Nordic scripted brands are Endemol Shine Finland, Jarowskij, Rubicon TV, Filmlance and Yellow Bird delivering premium content, handled by global distributor Banijay Rights.

Claire Jago, EVP Sales & Acquisitions, EMEA discusses rights negotiations of some of the Nordic series.

What new Nordic series are you bringing to Mipcom?
CJ: We have extremely talented production companies in the Nordics within Banijay and are thrilled to bring their latest productions to the market, including returning seasons of hit titles The Sandhamn Murders, Beck, Detective Maria Kallio and Backström.

The new crime series Fallen is one to highlight for 2023, hailing from Banijay’s award-winning Swedish label Filmlance and starring Sofia Helin (The Bridge, Lust) and Hedda Stiernstedt (The Restaurant, Wallander). Created and written by Camilla Ahlgren, the series is a coproduction between C More, Film i Skåne and Filmlance, in collaboration with ZDF.

What type of shows (genres, formats) are in high demand and how do Nordic shows compare to other foreign language scripted content?
CJ: Nordic noir has an international reputation as a high-quality genre full of intense, crime storytelling. There has been a continued appetite for these series, and we continue to see healthy sales on our titles in this space. Equally, softer crime series like The Sandhamn Murders also have a place, showcasing the beauty of the country alongside quality writing. We also see an appetite for relicensing titles, including those in different genres, such as The Restaurant. It’s about good quality writing and production; these will always shine through.

What are the key issues that you're facing regarding rights negotiations?
CJ: It’s a fast-moving time in the television distribution business. At Banijay, we’re adapting to those changes. It’s all about getting the best deals for our titles, producers and broadcasters.

Do you feel that the rising inflation rates and pressure on consumers' spending is impacting streamers' own hunger for fresh product?
CJ: Rising inflation rates are effecting everyone and the desire for content will continue. Streamers will always be a valuable partner for Banijay, whether this is in the form of a commissioner in local territories, pan-coproduction partners or those acquiring finished programmes for their services.

FREMANTLE
Fremantle part of RTL Group reinforced its Nordic presence last year by acquiring 12 NENT Group/Viaplay companies or ‘this is nice’ labels, complementing its existing portfolio including its own Fremantle and Miso Film scripted content.

Jamie Lynn, Fremantle’s EVP, Co-Production and Distribution who runs Fremantle’s sales and distribution arm in the Nordics gave us some insight on hot titles and trends.

What new Nordic shows will you being to Mipcom Cannes?
JL: We have an amazing selection of new shows, including series from the Nordics across all of our content genres. For many years it was largely ‘Nordic Noir’ that dominated, but now we see a much wider range of scripted, documentaries and entertainment coming from our extensive range of production companies.

Exit (from the Fremantle team in Norway) is back for a third series after the unprecedented success of Series 1 and 2. It has sold widely around the world and is NRK’s most streamed series ever. In addition, Miso Film continue to set the gold-standard when it comes to Nordic scripted. Face to Face, with its all-star cast including Ulrich Thomsen and Lars Mikkelsen is back for a third series, as well as Cell 8 (a sequel to Box 21). Lost: Those Who Kill is the latest in the Those Who Kill series which the Guardian called “a breath-taking Scandi noir to binge” and continues to sell globally.

As we expand our international growth of premium, narrative documentaries, we will see more amazing projects coming from the Nordics, just like we saw with scripted.

At Mipcom we will present one of the first which is National Security: The Treholt Story from our production company Monster in Norway. This is a true story of international espionage and is a gripping insight into the life of former State Secretary Arne Treholt, who in 1985 was arrested for Soviet espionage.

What type of shows (genres, formats) are in high demand these days and how do Nordic shows fare, compared to other foreign language scripted content?
JL: The Nordics are an extremely competitive region. There is lots of appetite there for all scripted shows as well as premium documentary and entertainment programming, and both English and non-English language shows are in high demand.

A vital group of public service broadcasters, commercial channels, plus local and international streaming and pay platforms all compete aggressively for the best content. I can’t think of another region globally where these different sectors compete for the same first windows on this level. All broadcasters and platforms have very high standards, which is a direct reflection of the sophistication of the audiences.

The Nordics have always been ahead of the curve compared to other regions, both in terms of the programming they make and the programming they consume. They were one of the first to pivot to on-demand viewing as standard, and the rest of the world caught up with them. We always look to this region for future trends.

What are the key issues that you're facing today regarding rights negotiations?
JL: In this fiercely competitive environment, the greatest challenge is keeping all parties happy when everyone is after the first window. We must strike the balance between the right home for our programming, with a commercial proposal that allows us to keep funding the ambitious programming that sets us apart. It’s a tight rope, and we just hope we get it right as often as possible. The Nordics certainly keeps us on our toes!”