In two years, since he joined Nordic World as the company's new CEO, Espen Huseby has brought in new broadcasting partners in the Nordic content export platform that now comprises founding broadcasters TV2 Norway and TV4 Sweden, as well as NRK in Norway, MTV3 and YLE in Finland, TV2 in Denmark.
The recent appointment of former Zodiak Group and Nordisk Film & TV World executive Jan Sallin (photo) as the company's Vice President and Chief Operating Officer marks a new step in Nordic World's expansion. TV veteran Sallin who helped his previous television employees build their business around producing and commercialising original TV formats around the world will apply a similar business model at Nordic World. He believes having a "united and professional sales effort" is essential to prevent Nordic TV formats from "drowning in a sea of mainly English speaking content." Salling will join Nordic World in December and will report to Huseby, but he will continue to be based in Copenhagen. Other staff members based in Oslo includes Tonje Holme, head of marketing and administration, and Camilla Paludan Johansen, sales executive.
To ease buyers' access to content, Nordic World launched this summer a new online screening facility that will enable any customer registered in its database to screen various programmes. "Our experience is that most customers really appreciate this and do not have to wait for DVD's to arrive. We also have a new way of ordering DVD screeners for those that do not want to screen online. You just push a button and it is registered," explained Huseby. Among the company's most high profile titles are the Norwegian TV series Himmelblå (Blue Sky Blue) that also scored with Icelandic and Swedish TV viewers. Almost 600,000 Swedes saw episode 4 on SVT on August 12. Other successful titles are the Norwegian kids programme My Mercy Box (the most popular programme on NRK Super), TV4 Sweden's documentary Bernadotte-A Royal Family, and TV2 Danmark's The 7 Killings (De 7 drab), biggest winner at the recent Danish TV Festival with five top awards.