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Working with US CommissionersHow to get your drama or comedy show commissioned in the USA

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1 WORKING WITH US COMMISSIONERS CONTENTS

Contents About the Authors 02

Introduction 03

Executive Summary 06

PART 1: THE NETWORKS

ABC 09

AMC & SundanceTV 12

Epix 16

Fox 19

FX 22

HBO 25

NBC 28

Paramount Network 31

Starz 33

USA Network & Syfy 36

PART 2: THE PRODUCERS 40

Broadcast Intelligence spoke to six scripted producers to gain an insight into their experiences working in the US. All have earned a commission from a US network (including HBO, Starz and SundanceTV) and they took us through their experiences from pitch to delivery. They discuss what to expect at each stage, as well as giving advice to producers looking to follow in their footsteps.

PART 3: THE AGENTS 46

Agents from WME, ICM and CAA offer their views on pitching in the US and highlight some of the benefits of working with them in order to get shows greenlit in the US. The agents explain in detail about the common expectations on packaging programmes, go into negotiating rights and deals, and how they work with production companies in order to grow their international presence.

PART 4: BREAKING DOWN THE BIG FIVE 50

Our data analysis uses Broadcast Intelligence data to break down the commissions of ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC and The CW by genre and subgenre. We then used this data to suggest what the big US commissioners are looking to be pitched, in which genres, subgenres and on what subjects.

Disclaimer 58

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2 WORKING WITH US COMMISSIONERS ABOUT THE AUTHORS BACK TO CONTENTS

About the authors

Hannah BowlerSenior Researcher

Hannah Bowler started her career in academic research before moving into television production, providing research assistance on a variety of historical documentaries. Now at Broadcast Intelligence as a senior researcher, she primarily oversees the US networks and VoD streamers for the Commissioner Index. Speaking to US channel execs on a daily basis has given her the perfect background to author this report.

Matthew EvensonResearch Analyst

Matthew Evenson is a research analyst at Media Business Insight (MBI) and is working on the company’s burgeoning Insights service, which is part of MBI’s Broadcast Intelligence Suite.Building on an educational background in biological and forensic science, he gained an understanding of the film & television landscape through his work on British television productions and independent research.Bringing analytical expertise from the world of transport planning, Matthew has a key role in the development of core Insight services, beginning with the M&A Index. Matthew also contributes to Broadcast Intelligence’s wider research with a focus on TV and film production.

With Special Thanks to…Alice Redman, media researcher for Broadcast IntelligenceAlice covers a range of UK channels, as well as new streaming services Quibi and Disney+



3 WORKING WITH US COMMISSIONERS INTRODUCTION BACK TO CONTENTS

IntroductionThis report provides a first-hand view of the US commissioning system set out by the buyers themselves, the international producers who have direct experience of selling to the US, and a view from the agents who are embedded within the US industry.

The report seeks to help international producers identify where the best opportunities lie in the US market for their company or their specific pitch.

The report consists of the following main elements:The commissioners’ perspective:Broadcast Intelligence (BI) profiled 12 US TV channels to uncover the original scripted programming strategies of each channel. Of these 12, BI spoke to top scripted commissioners at nine of the channels to find out how best to pitch to them. The interviews unpack how to establish a working relationship with them, their pitching requirements and programming needs, as well as additional insights into the creative relationship from production through to delivery.

The producers’ perspective: BI also interviewed six international producers who have gained a full commission or brokered a co-production deal with a US network. The producers that BI spoke to, who brought shows such as Killing Eve, Penny Dreadful and The Rook to the screen, talked anecdotally about the cultural differences that they experienced. The interviews offer their fellow programme makers some top tips for getting ahead in the US.

The agents’ perspective: Three agents from established talent agencies WME, CAA and ICM discussed

with BI how the US agent system works. The system is one of the more perplexing elements of working within the US television sector and is typically uncharted ground for international companies. The agents talked freely about their key role in the process and offered advice on securing representation.

The US TV LandscapeUS linear TV consists of five main broadcast networks: ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox and The CW. The broadcast networks mandates are to appeal to the general American public and remain non-political. Outside of the five broadcast networks, North American TV is divided into a host of different cable packages. For the purposes of this report, the 12 channels have been classed as either a broadcast network, a premium cable network or a basic cable network (see the table on this page). BI opted not to interview executives from CBS or The CW Network as opportunities for international producers in the scripted space at these broadcast networks are extremely rare.

Channels will often have a similar structure to others within the same grouping and quite often have similar pitch requirements, programming needs and budgets. Broadcast networks largely commission from the main Hollywood studios, have strict seasonal commissioning rounds, and share similar budget ranges. Premium cable networks typically greenlight from independent producers and have the ability to leverage higher budgets. The basic cable networks on the other hand generally have slightly lower budgets than the premium channels and have broader target audiences compared with the more niche premium cable networks.

BROADCAST NETWORKS FEATURED IN THE REPORT

ABC

Fox

NBC

PREMIUM CABLE NETWORKS FEATURED IN THE REPORT

Epix

Starz

HBO

Paramount Network

BASIC CABLE NETWORKS FEATURED IN THE REPORT

AMC

SundanceTV

FX

USA Network

Syfy




From an editorial standpoint, broadcast networks and basic cable have strict guidelines on airing nudity, sexual themes and scenes of drug use, whereas premium cable networks are not bound by the same rules.

The US studio system plays an important role in the US market, which can be unfamiliar to international producers. Most networks either have an associated studio or production company with production and post-production capabilities; it’s typical of the broadcast networks in particular to require shows to be produced by these in-house studios. In these situations, the channel will license the IP from the studio for an agreed time and the studio retains the rights to sell internationally or to syndicate after the network has finished its run.

For the broadcast channels (excluding Fox), producers do not pitch directly to the network. Instead, commissioners will require producers to partner with one of the main studios, who will then pitch to the network. The studios also take on cash flow responsibilities and production services decisions.

Premium and basic cable networks occasionally commission from the studios too, but they are then the ones who seek out the studio instead of vice versa. In those instances, they often start collaboration during the post-pitch stage so the production ensures extra funding or gets access to more production expertise.

The current situation The US has always been regarded as the land of opportunity in the TV and film industries and opportunities for 2019 and beyond have become significantly more fruitful. For scripted television, the American industry is still very much concentrated in Los Angeles. Although most networks have offices in New York (HBO are headquartered in NYC), commissioning teams will most

likely be based out of LA. Frequent travel to LA is expected in the pitching and development stages, but after greenlight and into production and post-production, relationships can carry on remotely.

The scripted sector specifically is booming. According to data from premium cable network FX, published in December 2018, scripted original series in the US totalled 495 shows. The data revealed the streamers accounted for 32% of the total number, with broadcast coming in at 30%, followed by basic cable 29% and premium cable 9%.

Competition with the streamers has led to a rapid acceleration of original scripted programming in the US. With a majority of the main linear channels also joining the streaming wars, most content companies are looking to bolster their volume of original programming to make their service more attractive to potential customers. This drive for more content has opened US commissioners’ eyes to the international market.

In the past, US networks primarily only looked to the UK, Canada and New Zealand as territories to work with. However, the likes of Netflix and Amazon have an inherently global outlook and look to programme local shows in local languages to help build a global audience. Netflix’s Narcos was a major foreign language hit that demonstrated to Hollywood executives that US audiences can connect with this type of content too. This move has led to an increased acceptance of foreign language and a willingness to look to original ideas across the globe. The effect of this trend is starting to be seen on linear networks too; SundanceTV co-produced with Germany’s RTL on German-language drama Deutschland 83 and HBO recently released its first completely foreign language original, My Brilliant Friend, a co-production with Italian broadcaster Rai 1.

“Competition with the streamers

has led to a rapid acceleration of

original scripted programming in

the US”




British born Fleabag is one of 2019’s most hotly talked about shows among Hollywood executives, who are all scrambling to be a part of whatever Phoebe Waller-Bridge, the show’s writer, does next. The respect and appetite for international creatives has never been higher.

Looking at the UK market in particular, the 2019 Broadcast Indie Survey revealed that 20% of UK independent production companies had a least a third of their total hours commissioned in the US in 2018/19, with several producers stating this is likely to be expanded in the 2019/20 period.

Historically, international shows were often adapted for a US-based version, such as NBC’s The Office and Showtime’s Shameless. Otherwise, shows had to have a US connection either via an American lead or locations set in the US. Now that international stories are resonating with US audiences on their own accord, there is a healthy environment for international

production companies to flourish.Despite the scripted boom however,

many US channels have retreated from the scripted space altogether. Over the past few years, cable networks including Viacom’s VH1, A+E Network’s A&E and NBCUniversal’s E! have all bowed out of scripted programming. These networks have instead further embraced non-scripted programming by ordering high volume returning franchises such as A&E’s hit show Live PD with a total episode count (up to series 4) of 233, all at 130 minutes per episode.

The retreat from scripted programming for many of these channels has been due to the inflation of scripted production budgets over recent years. With increased competition from the streaming services and traditional scripted brands raising the bar on high-end drama and comedy, this has resulted in these networks viewing investment as no longer profitable enough.

A breakdown in the relationship between writers and their agents has been hanging over the industry for much of 2019 and could have a significant impact the traditional industry practices.

On 13 April 2019, members of the Writers Guild of America collectively fired their agents over a disagreement over packaging fees for shows – traditionally paid to agencies. Packaging fees can sum to thousands of US dollars, but this is dependent on the success and longevity of a show. The rise of streaming programmes, which often have shorter episode runs per season and a lower number of seasons, means that agencies are seeing less money from their package fees. Some agencies have established affiliated production companies and writers argued that this was an inherent conflict of interest. The WGA feels that their interests are no longer the main priority of the agencies.

Prior to this dispute, a typical pitch to a US commissioner would have been arranged by the talent agent of the writer. More recently however, commissioners have been arranging pitches directly with the writers themselves or through the agent of the producer attached to the project. It is unclear how long this dispute will continue to last.

“Hollywood executives are all scrambling to be

a part of whatever Phoebe Waller-Bridge,

does next”

A VERY HOLLYWOOD DISPUTE


This section will provide insight into 12 American networks, including a breakdown of channel details and thorough interviews with commissioners at nine of the networks. These interviews, conducted by Broadcast Intelligence, unpack the individual needs and preferences of each network exec and feature key information on funding and rights.

ABC 09

AMC & SundanceTV 12

Epix 16

Fox 19

FX 22

HBO 25

NBC 28

Paramount Network 31

Starz 33

USA Network & Syfy 36

PART 1

The Networks


BACK TO CONTENTS

AMC CHANNEL DETAILS

NETWORK TYPE Basic cable

OWNED BY AMC Networks

TARGET AUDIENCE 18-49 M

GENRES Sci-fi, Supernatural, Historical, Mystery

ORIGINAL SCRIPTED HOURS PER YEAR 80

MAIN SCRIPTED CONTACT FOR INTERNATIONAL PRODUCERS Kristin Jones, Head of International Programming and Co-productions. Chris Loveall VP International Programming

EMAIL FORMAT [email protected]

Channel InsightAMC was launched in 1984 as American Movie Classics and predominantly aired pre-1950s classic films. It wasn’t until the early 2000s that the channel rebranded to broadcast both newer and older films, which was behind the decision to abbreviate American Movie Classics to AMC.

Although film still occupies the larger part of AMC’s schedule, it now also boasts an impressive range of scripted and non-scripted TV programming.

The network’s debut original drama, Mad Men, first aired in 2007 and received widespread critical acclaim for its slick cinematic style and ground-breaking representation of sexism in 1960s America. A year later, the network launched Breaking

Bad. The show was a hit with the critics and saw a steady rise to international success. The show ultimately won 16 Primetime Emmy awards, which helped cement its reputation as one of the most highly regarded TV shows of all time.

In 2010, the channel found another big hit with comic book inspired horror series The Walking Dead; the opening episode of the show’s fifth season was watched by a Nielsen estimated 17.3 million domestic viewers, making it one of the highest rated cable TV shows. The show has spawned a raft of spin-offs from magazine show The Talking Dead to prequel series Fear the Walking Dead. The franchise has proved to be successful enough for AMC to announce a further spin-off series, as well as three

theatrical films featuring the series’ original lead character Rick Grimes. While doubling down on its most successful franchise, programmers at AMC are also considering what will fill the channel’s schedule when The Walking Dead nears the end of its run.

Programming on AMC fits into two categories: fandom driven shows, which could sit in the sci-fi, fantasy, supernatural realms, and character driven dramas such as Breaking Bad spin-off Better Call Saul.

AMC has an impressive international co-producing record, having frequently partnered with UK broadcasters. Notable co-productions include BBC/AMC series McMafia, Channel 4/AMC sci-fi drama Humans and upcoming crime drama Quiz, for which AMC have partnered with UK broadcaster ITV.

Programming on AMC fits into two categories: fandom driven shows, which could sit in the sci-fi, fantasy, supernatural realms, and character driven dramas

12 WORKING WITH US COMMISSIONERS THE NETWORKS| AMC & SUNDANCETV

NOTABLE PROGRAMMING

PROGRAMME PRODUCTION COMPANY

The Walking Dead AMC Studios

The Night Manager The Ink Factory

Preacher AMC Studios, Sony Pictures Television

Breaking Bad Sony Pictures Television



BACK TO CONTENTS

SundanceTV CHANNEL DETAILS


OWNED BY AMC Networks

TARGET AUDIENCE 25-54 M

GENRES Relationships, Family, Society, Historical, Crime, Dystopian


MAIN SCRIPTED CONTACT FOR INTERNATIONAL PRODUCERS Kristin Jones, Head of International Programming and Co-productions. Chris Loveall VP International Programming


Channel InsightAlthough now currently owned by AMC Networks, SundanceTV was first launched in 1996 as a joint venture between actor Robert Redford, Showtime and NBC. The Sundance Channel, as it was originally known, was established to air independent films and documentaries, as well as news about the Sundance Film Festival.

In 2008, Rainbow Media, then owners of AMC, IFC and WE tv, added The Sundance Channel to its portfolio of channels for $496 million.

In 2014, the channel was rebranded from The Sundance Channel to SundanceTV and began to invest deeper into original programming, both scripted and non-scripted. For scripted on SundanceTV, drama

is the focus and the channel has maintained a varied drama slate in the family, crime, historical and dystopian genres.

In 2019, the channel launched a one-of-a-kind short form drama series titled State of the Union. Penned by writer Nick Hornby, the series is a 10x10 which features just two main characters (played by Rosamund Pike and Chris O’Dowd). Each episode evolves around the pair meeting in a pub before their weekly marital therapy session. Executives at SundanceTV see the show as setting out their ambitions to play with new form drama, and the willingness of commissioners to experiment with genres and form.

SundanceTV is as equally committed to international co-productions as sister

network AMC. In fact, a larger proportion of SundanceTV’s slate is comprised of international co-productions compared with full commissions. Over the years the channel has partnered with broadcasters from the UK, Australia, Germany, Norway and Italy. Notable co-productions include crime drama Liar, produced alongside the UK’s ITV by Two Brothers Pictures. The series focused on the fallout from a single evening, as both characters’ pursuit of the truth tests them and those close to them. Other notable co-productions from SundanceTV include a joint production with ABC in Australia for dystopian tale, Cleverman, divorce law drama The Split with the BBC and Deutschland 83 from Germany’s RTL.

“The channel has maintained a varied slate within drama, previously playing in genres including family, crime, historical and dystopian”

13 WORKING WITH US COMMISSIONERS THE NETWORKS| AMC & SUNDANCETV

NOTABLE PROGRAMMING


State of The Union See-Saw Films

The Split Sister Pictures

Cleverman Goalpost Pictures, Pukeko Pictures

Deutschland ‘83 UFA Fiction


BACK TO CONTENTS14 WORKING WITH US COMMISSIONERS THE NETWORKS| AMC & SUNDANCETV BACK TO CONTENTS

Kristin JonesEVP of international programming and programming innovation, AMC Networks

PitchAMC, SundanceTV and BBC America (a joint venture with BBC Studios operated by AMC) are all part of the AMC Networks group which looks to source projects from both international broadcasters and individual producers. As international programming EVP for the group, Kristin Jones can deal with international productions such as The Little Drummer Girl, McMafia and Killing Eve, as well as shows taken on by AMC Studios, whose slate includes Preacher and The Walking Dead.

Where individual programme-makers are concerned, said Jones, “we’ve got tons of relationships with production companies around the world, and as long as they’re reputable and have either a real

track record or are represented by lawyers or managers or agents we know, we’re comfortable talking to them directly”.

Jones said her team is open to a range of approaches, “as long as whoever’s pitching has a concise way to tell AMC what they want to do. It can’t be just a notion, but it can be a book, a podcast, a true story, an original idea, even a pitch document.” Producers should, however, make sure they have secured any necessary underlying book or life rights before presenting a project.

The AMC team is also “happy to read scripts from entities that we have either dealt with in the past of that we know are legitimate”.

If possible, the pitch should come from both a producer and a writer, but projects do not need to be packaged at this early stage. “We’re happy to help make that happen,” Jones explained. “That said, if somebody wants to entice us further with some meaningful level of talent, that’s always a good and helpful thing.”

“AMC is happy to read scripts from entities that we have either dealt with in the past or that we know are legitimate”


FALL 2019 - PRIMETIME SCRIPTED SCHEDULE

TIME/DAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY

8pm

8.30pm

9pm The Terror (9-10) (AMC)

The Walking Dead (9-10)(AMC)9.30pm

10pm Lodge 49 (10-11) (AMC)

Preacher (10-11)(AMC) 10.30pm


BACK TO CONTENTS15 WORKING WITH US COMMISSIONERS THE NETWORKS| AMC & SUNDANCETV BACK TO CONTENTS

Production and post How a project proceeds at AMC after a successful pitch depends on its source. If the project is a co-production with another broadcaster, the next step would usually be a series order. If the project is to be made by AMC Studios, which does not normally make pilot episodes, “we would commission a pilot script and possibly a format,” said Jones, “and if we liked all that we’d [set up] a writers room and get a few more scripts written. Then we’d evaluate the material from there and make a decision about whether or not to make the show.”

During production, AMC takes advantage of its ongoing relationships with regular co-production partners - such as the BBC and Channel 4 in the UK and ABC in Australia – to track a project’s progress, though the network also monitors the production itself.

“We’ve always had a really good relationship with other broadcasters involved,” Jones explained. “And as time goes on, especially with people like the BBC or Channel 4 or ABC, you start to develop shorthand in terms of how to handle things.”

In AMC’s own tracking of a production, said Jones, “we don’t want to be overbearing, but if we have any kind of involvement in a show we want to make sure it maintains a certain level of excellence. We have people that look at dailies and monitor script changes.”

Part of the process is to make sure that the show conforms to the editorial standards of US basic cable. “Nudity is an issue,” said Jones of those standards, “and certain language. Violence seems to be less of an issue [in the US] than it is abroad.

“But we always work with the filmmakers

to make sure they know the parameters before they shoot, or certainly as soon as we get involved. We have a standards and practices department that flags things they think are going to be problematic. They help us throughout the process.”

If AMC Studios is backing a show, the division’s production unit will work with producers on production services decisions. If the project is a co-production, the producing entity would make such decisions, though AMC would have approval over all key crew and cast hires.

Funding and rightsSeries screened by AMC, SundanceTV and BBC America can be made under a wide variety of funding models, depending on the companies involved. “There are so many different models,” said Jones, “because we’re dealing with people that have distribution deals and people that are their own entities. And there are things that we wholly own, because like everybody else we like to have ownership when possible. It’s completely á la carte. Everything is evaluated.”

Co-productions represent one of the options. The Little Drummer Girl, for instance, was co-commissioned by AMC and the BBC, financed by The Ink Factory and sold internationally by Endeavor Content. McMafia, meanwhile, was co-produced by AMC and the BBC, produced by the UK’s Cuba Pictures and sold internationally by BBC Worldwide. “That one was more of a co-production, because we read it when it came in as a script in rough draft,” Jones said of the latter drama series.

When AMC Studios fully-funds a project it takes global rights for all platforms. And

doing so is usually more a result of availability than the specifics of the project. “It’s not about genre,” said Jones. “Certain talent makes [a project] appealing, and obviously if the concept is a great one that we think can work globally. Otherwise it’s really just availability. There are lots of projects out there that are carved up in different ways, so it’s a question of availability and what people are willing to do.”

Though no projects from Jones’ group have yet been fully-funded by AMC Studios, that option could in future be taken up more frequently. The executive explained her team is in development on a number of likely projects “and there are a couple of things that hopefully we’re going to be announcing soon.”

Another option might be to work AMC Networks International (AMCNI), which delivers programming to more than 130 territories under the AMC and SundanceTV brands or through local channels specialising in different genres. In southern Europe, for example, AMCNI produces or distributes 24 pay-TV channels including Canal Hollywood, Dark, Xtreme, Somos and Blast.

Jones reported that her team is “constantly in contact” with the international group. “They certainly evaluate many of the same projects [that we do] for their own channels.”

SLOT PREFERENCESDAY TIME CHANNEL FORMAT LABEL

Monday 9pm-11pm AMC 60 mins Drama

Sunday 9pm-11pm AMC 60 mins Genre drama

“When AMC Studios fully-funds a project it takes global rights for all platforms”



Epix CHANNEL DETAILS

NETWORK TYPE Premium cable

OWNED BY MGM

TARGET AUDIENCE 25-54 F/M coastal

GENRES Thriller, Adventure, Crime, Mystery, Historical

ORIGINAL SCRIPTED HOURS PER YEAR 60 hours

BUDGET Between $2-$5 million per hour

MAIN SCRIPTED CONTACT FOR INTERNATIONAL PRODUCERS Nancy Cotton, SVP head of scripted


Channel InsightEpix is a premium ad-free cable channel that launched in 2009 as a joint venture between film and TV studios Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), Paramount Pictures and Lionsgate. The channel was originally conceived to broadcast recent and back catalogue feature films from its owners, but quickly began agreeing acquisition deals with other studios and independents. In 2016, Lionsgate agreed to acquire rival premium cable channel Starz, which called into question the future of the Epix partnership. The discussions culminated in MGM buying out Lionsgate and Viacom’s 80% stake in the channel in a $1.03 billion deal that gave it full control over Epix.

Epix didn’t start commissioning original scripted programming until 2015, when it debuted political satire series Graves. In 2018, the network hired its first original network executives: an EVP of scripted, Nancy Cotton and EVP of non-scripted, Rachel Brill, who have been working to gradually boost the channel’s number of original productions.

The current programming strategy is operating at a 60/40 split between scripted and non-scripted. On the scripted side, the


16 WORKING WITH US COMMISSIONERS THE NETWORKS| EPIX BACK TO CONTENTS

majority of Epix’s slate is serialised drama, typically within the thriller, action and crime genres with occasional historical pieces too. On air in 2019 are Batman prequel series Pennyworth, noir crime tale Perpetual Grace, LTD and CIA thriller Berlin Station. The network also commissions original scripted comedy and its breakout hits are Graves and Get Shorty – an adaptation of the 1990’s novel and film about a Hollywood producer turned gangster.

Non-scripted programming makes up the other 40% of the originals slate, for which the network is focused on premium docuseries and feature docs. Non-scripted on the channel is described by executives as “pop culture with a journalistic lens.” High production values and high-profile contributors are a common factor within factual on Epix. The channel has a well-defined target audience: adults in the 24-49 demographic; coastal viewer – those living on the East and West coast of America – who are on the lookout for more sophisticated TV; and those who enjoy going to the cinema. Channel president Michael Wright defines the network as: “Epix is for adults that love cinematic production values, want to be entertained, but entertained with their minds.”

Epix Now In January 2019, the premium cable network joined the streaming game and launched Epix Now. Priced at $5.99 a month, the SVoD has the potential to nearly double the business’s distribution. At the start of 2019, Epix was available in 70 million American homes but the launch of Epix Now takes that reach to 120 million.

Like most other SVoDs, Epix is increasing original programming to make the service more attractive to customers, jumping from 100 hours of original content to 132 in the first year. Epix aims to drop a new title every week but isn’t set up to compete with the likes of Netflix or Amazon, and instead will offer a smaller, curated slate of originals.

“Epix is for adults that love cinematic production values, want to be entertained, but entertained with their minds”


Funding & rights Despite being tied to TV and film studios MGM, Epix is “not obligated to do everything with [MGM]. We can fully own our content and profit from its success,” in fact the network “welcomes third parties”.

While not disclosing tariff details, Wright says Epix budgets are consistent with the streamers: “In context, we are competitive in the marketplace”. Commissioning fewer titles allows for healthy production budgets.

A typical deal structure at Epix would be for the network to take North American rights and the production company to retain rest of world. However, as Epix looks to build its originals portfolio over the next few years, it will offer to license content for its platform and allow producers to retain the rights to shows in order to attract top production talent. Although this is likely to be a temporary model, Wright hopes that this will help keep Epix competitive in the talent marketplace.

Programming needs Epix’s status as a premium brand, means it wants genres which “allow for premium productions”. These include the mystery,

thriller and adventure genres which require cinematic production, budgets and values to be executed well.

The network president encapsulates his personal programming strategy as “looking for a familiar surprise”. He said: “There needs to be something in the story that people recognise, but we are obligated to say something new.”

This approach is illustrated by Epix’s Batman spin-off Pennyworth, which is an origin story of Batman’s butler set in 1960s London. It is “darker and edgier” than other comic book shows but set within the framework of the recognisable Batman universe – yet the show does not have “a pair of tights or cape in sight”.

Epix is also looking for historical dramas and Wright asks for projects which, although based on historical events, “subtly tell audiences about current social and political issues and themes”. While referring to Godfather of Harlem, Wright says that “the show is really about civil rights in 1960s America, but you’re following this story of a father and husband, and you’re viewing that through the prism on 1960s race relations”. Belgravia also has this intrinsic factor and Wright believes writer Fellowes “marries

great character work and storytelling but is essentially making a point about class and aristocracy”.

Producers should really consider if their historical pitch offers such a social or political angle that has some contemporary relevance before they reach out to Wright.

The network exec highlights both the BBC’s Peaky Blinders and Netflix’s The Crown as history driven shows that could sit on Epix’s roster.

The two shows are glossy productions with the desired cinematic production values and a strong point of view.

Scripted comedy proposals are welcomed at Epix but, as can be expected, the channel is not looking for any multi-camera shows or sitcoms.

Lightly serialised comedy dramas on the other hand would fit well within Epix’s originals library. Wright does ask of producers that “the comedy they pitch must have POV and be character driven”. The network exec wants to know who the writer is, what their POV is and what is their view of the world?

Across all genres which Epix delivers to viewers, producers and writers do not have to fear censorship – shows can be as sexy and as violent as they need to be. As long as they remain story driven.

17 WORKING WITH US COMMISSIONERS THE NETWORKS| EPIX BACK TO CONTENTS

“There needs to be something in the story that people recognise, but we are obligated to say something new.”

SLOT PREFERENCES

DAY TIME CHANNEL FORMAT LABEL

Sunday 9-11pm Epix 60 mins


NOTABLE PROGRAMMING


Belgravia Carnival Films

Get Shorty MGM Television

Graves Lionsgate

Berlin Station Anonymous Content, Paramount Television


FoxCHANNEL DETAILS

NETWORK TYPE Broadcast

OWNED BY Fox Corporation

TARGET AUDIENCE 18-49-year-olds, Female/Male

GENRES Procedurals, Family, Animation , Crime, Thriller, Sitcom, Detective, Music

ORIGINAL SCRIPTED HOURS PER YEAR 375 to 400 hours


MAIN SCRIPTED CONTACT FOR INTERNATIONAL PRODUCERS Michael Thorn, Entertainment President


Channel InsightFox is one of the five main US broadcast channels and launched in 1986 with a plan to deliver elevated drama programming that it believed the existing ‘Big Three’ (CBS, ABC and NBC) were not providing.

Today the channel is best known for animated sitcoms like The Simpsons and Family Guy. In drama, the schedule is made up of soaps, procedurals and event series. Primarily telling contemporary stories, some of its most popular legacy dramas include 24, Prison Break and House.

Fox has a history of incorporating music into its programming, such as musical comedy drama Glee and hip-hop industry drama Empire. Entertainment president Michael Thorn claimed the network will “always continue to do stories that have music at the forefront”.

Fox programs for a multigenerational audience, as well as seeking to cater for middle American viewers. Commissioning teams avoid being too “bicoastal” by trying not to anchor shows in LA or New York. An emphasis is placed on finding stories and characters from areas in the US which are typically neglected by mainstream TV.

Fox only commissions primetime programming and has no daytime originals,


18 WORKING WITH US COMMISSIONERS THE NETWORKS| FOX BACK TO CONTENTS

leaving the rest of the schedule open for syndicated programming and repeats. Fox has a smaller originals slate compared with most other channels of its size, primarily due to the scale of its sports programming. Thursday night football alone takes up more than 30 hours of the network’s fall schedule.

Out of house shiftIn March 2019, 21st Century Fox sold the majority of its key entertainment assets to Disney (including its film and TV studios), but retained the Fox network. The result is that Fox’s scripted projects will now all be produced externally.

This has led to a significant shift in strategy for the network, which can now make commissioning decisions based on what’s best for the channel and not what would be mutually beneficial for both the studios and the network. It previously commissioned with an eye on international sales for the studios as well as ratings for the channel.

It was expected that the Fox-Disney merger would encourage the network to focus more on live sports like the NFL and WWE’s Smack Down Live and therefore reduce its commitment to scripted shows. However, Fox picked up a total of 10 new

scripted series for the 2019/2020 season, compared to the five ordered the previous year.

“We wanted to let the creative community know that Fox is not only open for business, but we feel like we’re stronger than ever,” said Fox Entertainment chief executive Charlie Collier.

Its strategy is to strike first-look talent deals with esteemed producers like Shaun Murphy and Greg Berlanti. While referencing the various development stages for individual projects, entertainment president Michael Thorn said: “One of the exciting things we can do is make first-look deals which removes many of the stages of pitching and development.”

“We wanted to let the creative community know that Fox is not only open for business, but we feel like we’re stronger than ever”


BACK TO CONTENTS

“The most common way to get a meeting is through agents”

Michael ThornEntertainment President, Fox PitchNow leading a newly independent network, Fox Entertainment president Michael Thorn is looking to buy directly from writers and independent producers without needing company with production capabilities attached at pitch stage. From there, projects will be developed internally before partnering with an outside American studio to produce them. “We are looking to collaborate with big and small indies,” and “for the first time [we] will be actively reaching out to the market to form new relationships.” Despite no longer being committed to work with 21st Century Fox, the network does still rely on the studio system, so producers are still obligated to partner with a main US studio.

“The most common way to get a meeting is through agents,” said Thorn. That could be either the producer’s representation reaching out, or the talent agent of the writer helming the project.

For an initial pitch, Thorn asks for a “simple logline and paragraph. If we don’t know the writer, we will want a writing

sample”. Unlike a lot of other US scripted commissioners, Thorn doesn’t require a producer to fully package a pitch for a project to be greenlit. Instead, his team are able to help with the packaging process and are looking for a collaborative approach.

The most common way international producers find success with Thorn is “through a format that we might want to re-develop”. Thorn says: “We have gone a step further and are going out to ask the writers to make adaptations.” Most recently, Fox has ordered an adaptation of Australian series A Moody Christmas and a pilot based on Australian hour-drama Sisters.

Thorn says “the most important thing is the creative team attached. To be able to buy the project, the team have to be able to demonstrate they have the ability to tell the story.” Showrunner POV is what Thorn looks for on Fox: “We are a voice driven company.” A lack of below-the-line talent would be a key reason why Thorn would turn down a pitch.

Commissioners at Fox are open to taking pitches from international producers as a way to kick start its new phase as an independent channel: “We are chasing down talent no matter where they are based, no matter what country,” said Thorn.

19 WORKING WITH US COMMISSIONERS THE NETWORKS| FOX




8pm9-1-1 (8-9)

The Resident (8-9)

The Simpsons (8-8:30)

8.30pm Bless the Harts (8:30-9)

9pmProdigal Son

(9-10) Empire (9-10) Not Just Me (9-10)

Bob’s Burgers (9-9:30)

9.30pm Family Guy (9:30-10)

10pm

10.30pm


BACK TO CONTENTS

Funding and rights: Using the studios system means that Fox operates like the other broadcast networks; it licenses IP from the studios for an agreed time period and then the rights defer back to the studio. This structure means Fox will not be cash flowing the production and rights are not negotiated between the producer and Fox directly.

Subsequently the studio will oversee decisions relating to production facilities in collaboration with Thorn’s commissioning team, but ultimately the studio will have final say.

Historically, Fox does not co-produce with other broadcasters on scripted television. Thorn did not comment on whether this would be subject to change among its independence from sister networks FX and National Geographic.

Tariff-wise, Fox remains consistent with other broadcast networks with hourly budgets sitting in the $3-$6 million range. Pilots come in around $5-$11 million range, but again it is the studio which is responsible for covering pilot production costs.

Programming needs:Thorn’s primary concern is finding drama and animated comedy, with live action comedy currently a lower priority. “Animation is a key part of Fox’s DNA and we have been ramping this up in recent years,” said Thorn. Fox’s fall 2019/2020 slate consists of new animated series Duncanville, The Great North and Bless the Harts.

The other priority in comedy is “how to make it urgent… what is the appointment viewing for comedy?” His first experiment with this will be A Moody Christmas, which is due to air in the Winter 2019 season.

In drama, Thorn’s current shopping list consists of “juicy soaps, elevated procedurals and event series”. In the “juicy soap” category, Thorn provides the example of upcoming series Filthy Rich, which is a contemporary family drama that is set in the South – “a region which is neglected on TV”.

Procedurals are a staple part of Fox’s schedule, across the crime, detective and blue-light genres. The Shaun Murphy and Brad Falchuk helmed 9-1-1 would fit in this bracket with both Murphy’s and Falchuck’s producing expertise and distinct style

20 WORKING WITH US COMMISSIONERS THE NETWORKS| FOX

SLOT PREFERENCES


Friday Prime Fox 30 mins Comedy

Sunday Prime Fox 20x30 mins Animated comedy


NOTABLE PROGRAMMING


The Simpsons 20th Century Fox Television, Gracie Films

Brooklyn Nine-Nine Universal Television, Fremulon

Gotham Warner Bros. TV

Empire 20th Century Fox Television, Imagine Television

helping to elevate the show.Fox’s latest event series is NeXt. Like

legacy programmes 24 and Prison Break, Thorn is looking for contemporary thrillers in this space. Artificial intelligence tracking your every thought and move is the central premise of NeXt, which Thorn believes “gives it an urgency, it touches everyone’s lives”. The commissioner looks to “tap into something that’s happening in our lives in a current way”.

“For the most part everything we do is contemporary”, Thorn says. This is not to say that Fox wouldn’t do a period drama, but the exec would require a connection to present day America in order to greenlight a period piece. Looking back over Fox’s schedule, the network hasn’t produced a historical drama or comedy in recent times.

At the time of publication, Thorn also said Fox is not looking for fantasy and fandom driven shows. “There is so much genre programming right now… no hits come from being derivative.”

Thorn feels passionate about trying new things and does not want the channel to become stagnant with the changes that are surrounding the broadcaster. “We feel like we can’t just sit in our office and do things the same way. It’s about how do we take this change and use it to our advantage,” he concluded.

“Animation is a key part of Fox’s DNA and we have been ramping this up in recent years”


FX CHANNEL DETAILS


OWNED BY Disney

TARGET AUDIENCE 18-49 F/M

GENRES Crime,Thriller, Fantasy, Comedy drama



MAIN SCRIPTED CONTACT FOR INTERNATIONAL PRODUCERS Nick Grad, President of Original Programming Gina Balian, President of Original Programming


Channel InsightFX is an American premium cable channel founded in 1994 by Fox. In 2019, the channel’s 25th anniversary year, control of FX shifted to Disney following the completion of Disney’s $71.3 billion in March 2019

Under Disney ownership, FX programmers are working to increase the output of originals. However, management at the channel are determined to maintain their slower development and production process and are not looking to rush projects through just to fill hours.

Disney has also recently assumed operational control of streaming platform Hulu. While the upcoming Disney+ service


will stream Disney’s family friendly content, Hulu will continue to stream adult oriented programming and is set to remain the online home for FX content in the future; FX’s own branded streaming service, FX+, was shuttered in August 2019.

FX’s programming strategy is spearheaded by FX Networks and FX Productions CEO John Landgraf. Landgraf, an outspoken executive, firmly believes in the success of curation. He programmes according to the mantra that in the cluttered marketplace, consumers will gravitate to brands who present shows which are worth their time. While dealing with competition from platforms like Netflix and Amazon, FX strategy is to remain focused on its core

programming and work towards a strategy of curation to give audiences a clearer and more streamlined choice of content.

In early 2019, Landgraf said he hoped to double the number of scripted originals from 14 in 2018 to possibly 28 within three to five years, alongside filling creating the channel’s first unscripted slate that he hopes will include eight to 12 shows.

In October 2018, FX and British broadcaster the BBC entered into a creative partnership securing UK broadcast and iPlayer rights (the BBC’s online platform) to FX shows. The deal also extended the existing co-production relationship

“At a time when true crime tales can be found all over the media American Crime Story has depth and a nuance and the meaning of the crime story in a larger context”

NOTABLE PROGRAMMING


American Crime Story Fox 21 Television Studios, FX Productions

Pose Fox 21 Television Studios, FX Productions

Atlanta FX Productions

American Horror Story 20th Century Fox Television

21 WORKING WITH US COMMISSIONERS THE NETWORKS| FX BACK TO CONTENTS




between the two parties set up to produce Taboo and now sees the two partners work on a three-part miniseries of A Christmas Carol, an adaptation of Charles Dickens’ classic festive novel. In a statement released by the network on announcement of the partnership, the company said: “At FX, as with the BBC, we are dedicated to curating a portfolio of the best programs television has to offer and working with producers who tell stories that not only entertain but illuminate the human condition.”

Award-winning programmingThe channel’s current comedy line-up includes cult hit It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, the Pamela Adlon-led Better Things and a small screen adaptation of Taika Waititi and Jermaine Clement’s What We Do in The Shadows.

On the drama side, FX has a mix of returning and limited series including Snowfall, Mayans M.C. and the Ryan Murphy produced trio of American Horror Story, Pose and American Crime Story.

Eighties set espionage thriller The Americans, which charted the lives of two Russian spies working undercover in the US, ended its six series with resoundingly enthusiastic reviews as well as various

awards. However, the show was never a ratings hit and, in an interview with Variety, Landgraf recalls a long conversation with showrunners Joe Weisberg and Joel Fields about the direction of the show after its first series. “The conclusion we came to was that anything we would do to intentionally make this show overtly sexier or more exciting… would make it less good. We had to embrace its intent. We had to make it more serialised, more dense, more truthful and emotionally darker.” The show never became a smash hit but it was allowed room to breathe at FX. Through nurturing, The Americans garnered increasingly positive reviews and is now regarded as one of the standout US dramas of the last decade.

Upcoming titles include Mrs America, a limited series about second wave feminism in the 1970s, as well as A Teacher and The Old Man. FX has also partnered with Sky One on co-production Breeders, a comedy starring British actors Martin Freeman and Daisy Haggard.

Having traditionally stuck to scripted programming, FX announced its intention to move into the non-scripted space. At the TCA’s 2019 Summer Press Tour, Landgraf unveiled the first raft of titles

set to premiere in 2020 under this new initiative which range from true-crime stories The Most Dangerous Animal of All and A Wilderness of Error, to music docuseries Hip Hop Untold.

Pitch Speaking in LA to an audience of trade press, FX CEO John Landgraf unpacked the cable channel’s current strategy and programming ambitions.

FX requires pitches to come in via a reputable agent, manager or through legal representation. Submissions should be directed to an exec from within the originals team: entertainment president Eric Schrier, president of original programming Nick Grad, president of original programming Gina Balian and EVP



8pm

8.30pm

9pm

9.30pm

10pm Mayans M.C. (10-11)

American Horror Story (10-11)

Mr. Inbetween (10-11)

10.30pm

“FX will remain niche and work towards becoming more focused and specific to cut down the volume of content for audiences”




of current programming Jonathan Frank.Pilot-to-series is the most typical

commissioning model at FX and producers should expect a lengthy development process. “We’re pretty fussy, pretty detail orientated and pretty careful,” said Landgraf.

“For FX, making as much programming as we can as fast as we can has never worked. That’s just not our philosophy. We’re at our best when we move deliberately, staying focused on our brand and try and put every single show through a filter of originality and excellence, while providing every creator with a profound level of personal attention and support.”

FX, which has a healthy development fund available, looks for premium authored projects and programmers will look at the names and credits of the writers and showrunners as part of the decision-making process. Appropriate packaging is recommended to get ahead at FX. “A recent example of that is The Old Man, a show FX is thrilled to have, which was developed and packaged superbly by Fox 21 Television Studios in association with the Littlefield Company,” said Landgraf.

First-look deals are commonplace for FX’s studio; Donald Glover, Nina Jacobson/Brad Simpson and the It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia trio of Rob McElhenney, Charlie Day and Glenn Howerton have

first-look deals in place. “If I could make a deal with Phoebe Waller-Bridge tomorrow, you know, hallelujah, right? She is one of my favourite creatives and we’ve gone after every creative creator,” said Landgraf, indicating the high calibre of talent he is looking to reach deals with and who would be on his wish list.

Programming needsThe originals team at FX are always looking for a broad range of programming for the channel’s schedule. Speaking broadly, Landgraf explained that the kinds of stories that appeal to FX are those with big characters at their heart, “but,” he said, “they’re also about humanity”. He likes big, profound ideas about art and society, with a special emphasis placed on shows which can examine American society in particular.

FX seeks shows with concepts that “deconstruct” classic genres like crime, thriller and horror. Ryan Murphy’s American Crime Story is one of FX’s most critically acclaimed dramas and Landgraf said of the anthology: “At a time when true crime tales can be found all over the media, American Crime Story has depth, nuance and puts the meaning of the crime story in a larger context.”

Aside from the network’s demonstrable track record in anthologies and limited

SLOT PREFERENCES


Tuesday Prime FX 30-60 mins Comedy or Drama

Wednesday Prime FX 30-60 mins Comedy or Drama

Thursday Prime FX 30-60 mins Comedy or Drama

Saturday Prime FX 30-60 mins Comedy or Drama

Sunday Prime FX 30-60 mins Comedy or Drama

“Unlike competing brand HBO, programmers at FX are flexible on slots, although primetime and late night are the main focus”

series, drama programming typically consists of serialised narrative shows; procedurals are not part of FX’s strategy. As with its comedy programmes, a typical drama runs for 8-13 episodes.

Unlike competing brand HBO, programmers at FX are flexible on slots, although primetime and late night are the main focus. The only nights that FX has traditionally not programmed originals on have been Mondays and Fridays. “The truth is there is plenty of space,” said Landgraf.

FX has a clear audience demographic and programmes accordingly. “Certainly FX is adult; we’ve said always we don’t programme for kids. We don’t make shows for somebody who’s not either an adult or a very mature 16 or 17 or 18-year-old who wants to and is able to start watching adult programming,” said Landgraf.


HBO CHANNEL DETAILS


OWNED BY WarnerMedia


GENRES Sci-fi, Family, Fantasy, Comedy drama



MAIN SCRIPTED CONTACT FOR INTERNATIONAL PRODUCERS Francesca Orsi, SVP Drama Series


Channel InsightHBO launched in 1972 and was one of the first cable channels offered in the US. The brand is known globally for producing premium sophisticated programming and has spawned juggernaut franchises like Sex and the City, The Wire, Boardwalk Empire and of course Game of Thrones. The channel has had a number of different slogans over the years but the longest lasting one, “It’s not TV. It’s HBO”, has come to epitomize the channel’s approach to programming.

The Sopranos was the series which changed everything for HBO. Launched in 1999, the Mafia family drama ran for seven seasons, received a total of 111


Emmy-Award nominations and 21 Emmy-Awards, and held a HBO ratings record until it was finally outperformed by Game of Thrones. The show helped shape HBO’s business model, which evolved into producing a small number of big budget original dramas and comedies with the freedom to air grittier content with sex, nudity and drugs.

The network commissions a wide range of genres from fantasy and crime to period pieces and comedy dramas. Recent shows such as Big Little Lies, fantasy series Game of Thrones (with a budget of $15 million per episode in series eight) and Westworld (with a budget of $10 million per episode) have been key to growing

market share. HBO has also found success with

black comedies Veep and Succession, as well as premium documentaries such as the Channel 4 co-production Leaving Neverland about Michael Jackson, which HBO announced at the 2019 TCA’s consolidated hit 9.4 million views, and true crime miniseries The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst. Despite the vast budgets of some of its shows, HBO has deployed relatively modest increases of 5% per year in annual content spend.

In 2017, HBO and European pay-TV company Sky advanced their distribution partnership by signing a $250 million multi-year co-production deal. Now overseeing a joint development slate, the partnership allows both channels

“In the post-Game of Thrones era, programmers will be looking to diversify the genres of the shows it commissions.”

NOTABLE PROGRAMMING


His Dark Materials Bad Wolf

Watchmen White Rabbit

Big Little Lies Hello Sunshine, Blossom Films

Game of Thrones Television 360, Grok! Studio, Generation Entertainment, Bighead Littlehead

24 WORKING WITH US COMMISSIONERS THE NETWORKS| HBO BACK TO CONTENTS




the power to greenlight and to take pitches from both Europe and North America. The primary strategy has been to produce a roster of high-end drama which can leverage additional production budgets from the co-production model and have a better chance at gaining large audiences on both sides of the Atlantic. So far, the partnership has led to the production of historical miniseries Chernobyl (which, it was announced at the 2019 TCA’s, brought in 12 million viewers), Catherine the Great and The New Pope, a sequel to 2016 miniseries The Young Pope.

Since AT&T assumed control of HBO There has been a significant leap in terms of hours of programming on HBO in 2019. In previous years, the total number of scripted hours has remained static at around the 100 to 105 mark; in 2019, this number has increased to 150 and will likely further increase to 160 or 165 in 2020. Commissioners will be working out how to balance this increase in content volume without decreasing the high quality of programming that has become HBO’s hallmark.

HBO is now expected to release a

substantial piece of content each month, which, it is hoped, will tighten up the channel’s generally long development process. To accommodate the extra hours of programming, HBO has extended the originals scripted slot beyond Sunday night prime into Monday prime. Throughout most of HBO’s existence, the channel has been a Sunday prime brand and this expansion of the schedule demonstrates the scale of change that has happened under new leadership. The first few shows to be broadcast in this Monday slot have all been co-productions with British broadcasters: Catherine the Great, Chernobyl (both with Sky) and Gentleman Jack (with the BBC).

Shortly after its acquisition by AT&T, WarnerMedia announced its intention to launch a subscription streaming platform, featuring content from a range of its brands such as Warner Bros, TBS and HBO. In July 2019, WarnerMedia announced that its upcoming service would be called HBO Max. Even though WarnerMedia counts Harry Potter, Batman and Friends among its high-profile intellectual properties, AT&T opted to us the HBO name for its service, which is an indicator of the strength of the HBO

name within the television landscape. Linear HBO programming will remain a key avenue for Warner to help drive its new digital service.

Pitch HBO does not accept unsolicited pitches from producers or creators that it hasn’t worked with before. Pitches should therefore be submitted via a reputable agent or legal representative. For European based producers, a ‘back-door’ way into HBO’s scripted team would be to take a project to Sky first. Sky might commission the project as a Sky-HBO co-production, and it would then be distributed on both sides of the Atlantic.

It’s widely known that projects at HBO can get stuck in lengthy development and the channel is expected to speed up the

“For European based producers, a ‘back-door’ way into HBO’s scripted team would be to take a project to Sky first”



8pm

8.30pm

9pmThe Deuce

(9-10)

Watchmen

(9-10) 9.30pm

10pmOur Boys

(10-11)

Silicon Valley (10-10:30)

10.30pm


SLOT PREFERENCES


Monday 9pm-11pm HBO 60 mins Drama

Monday 9pm-11pm HBO 30 mins Comedy

Sunday 9pm-11pm HBO 60 mins Drama

Sunday 9pm-11pm HBO 30 mins Comedy



development process in order to meet its increased target of produced hours. Although HBO is relatively slow compared with competing cable networks, it does mean that there are healthy development funds available for the right show.

The executive team has a strict greenlighting structure and every project must be signed off by the president of programming, Casey Bloys, no matter the size or scale of the project.

In the post-Game of Thrones era, programmers will be looking to diversify the genres of the shows it commissions, understanding that the success of the fantasy series won’t be replicated by any one show. Moving forward, HBO’s programming strategy will be to experiment in a variety of new genres or genres that haven’t been represented on the channel’s schedule for several years. In this vein, Bloys ordered a small screen adaptation of the iconic comic book series, Watchmen; the show marks HBO’s first move into the superhero genre and is set to TX in Autumn 2019. Other upcoming scripted shows include The Third Day, a drama about a mysterious island from Utopia writer Dennis Kelly, The Gilded Age, a 19th century period drama from writer Julian Fellowes, and Avenue 5, a spaceship set sci-fi comedy from Armando Iannucci.

While searching for a wide variety

of genres, scripted programming at HBO must provide high-end, prestige television; complex characters and storylines, alongside premium production values and cinematography are highly sought after. High profile talent, both on and off screen is a major priority for HBO and the channel has been able to attract A-List talent such as Amy Adams, Dwayne Johnson and Big Little Lies quartet Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Meryl Streep and Laura Dern in recent years. A typical drama run consists of 10-hour-long episodes but limited drama series are also a staple part of HBO’s slate.

In comedy, HBO has a tradition of producing intellectual and witty comedies which tap into wider cultural themes; political satire Veep and tech-sector sitcom Silicon Valley are indicative of comedy on the channel. Shows that don’t obviously fall into either comedy or drama, such as media family satire Succession and hitman tragicomedy Barry, have also proved successful for HBO.

Like a host of other networks and streamers, HBO has been after young adult (YA) programming. A call for more young skewed programming is likely to coincide with programming strategies for WarnerMedia’s streaming platform HBO Max. HBO has already made inroads into YA programming with Euphoria, a Skins style drama following high school

“In comedy, HBO has a tradition of producing intellectual and witty comedies which tap into wider cultural themes”

students as they navigate sex and drugs, and We Are Who We Are, a coming-of-age drama about two Americans growing up on an Italian army base.

HBO has a strong track record of working with international producers and My Brilliant Friend, the channel’s first wholly foreign language drama, aired in 2018. Executives remain open to exploring further opportunities for foreign language programmes, but their core focus will continue to be dramas with a distinctly American tone and subject matter.

The business has a healthy appetite for both scripted and non-scripted co-productions and has frequently co-produced with international broadcasters. In the UK, HBO has partnered with the BBC, Channel 4 and Sky on a host of projects in 2019; as mentioned earlier, the most likely way for international producers to initially get in at HBO would be via a partnership like this.


NBC CHANNEL DETAILS

NETWORK TYPE Broadcast

OWNED BY NBCUniversal


GENRES Family, Crime, Thriller, Medical Drama, Detective

ORIGINAL SCRIPTED HOURS PER YEAR 500-600


MAIN SCRIPTED CONTACT FOR INTERNATIONAL PRODUCERS Cara Dellaverson, EVP Drama Development


Channel InsightNBC was one of the original ‘Big Three’ US broadcasters and has enjoyed ratings dominance for most of its time on air. But over the past five years, the channel has had to navigate its way out of a challenging period. NBC was previously home to iconic series Friends, Frasier, The West Wing and ER but the network struggled in what industry commentators termed, ‘the post-Friends era’. During 2004/2005, after iconic sitcoms Friends and Frasier left the air, the network found it difficult to curate a successful schedule.

During these years, the schedule lacked cohesion and was largely filled with drama franchises that were kept on past their natural expiry date. There were some successes during this era with the Steve Carrell led adaptation of The Office and superhero drama Heroes. The 2016 launch of comedy drama This is Us signalled a change in fortune for NBC. The series received critical acclaim and has not only become NBC’s most watched show, with an average live viewership of 8.3 million during season three, but one of the most watched shows on tv. As an indicator of its success and importance to the network, NBC awarded This is Us a three-season renewal order,


27 WORKING WITH US COMMISSIONERS THE NETWORKS| NBC BACK TO CONTENTS

taking the show into (at least) six series.NBC have since landed shows like

Manifest and medical drama New Amsterdam, which opened with 8.4 million viewers, helping the network to re-establish its dominance. Last year, NBC overtook CBS to become America’s most-watched broadcast network across 52-weeks, the first time it has claimed this title in 16 years.

Current programming In scripted, the genre breakdown is predominantly sitcoms and crime/legal dramas, with medical and family dramas helping to fill the schedule. NBC has placed comedy at the centre of its strategy for the 2019/2020 schedule. Thursday nights on NBC will consist of The Good Place and three other sitcoms series that will run consecutively.

Management at the broadcaster has been slow to rethink the way it programs, but the strategy has become more fluid this season, especially regarding episode counts. Schedulers have even held back on premiering some new titles until mid-season.

There is a lot less discussion taking place around the traditional notions of summer and fall schedules at NBC. This cultural change is likely to become more

prevalent once NBC’s parent company, NBCUniversal, launches its new streaming platform in 2020.

The as-yet-unnamed platform will be a domestic ad-supported streaming service and will feature new original programming as well as content from NBCUniversal’s wider portfolio. The platform’s influence on the commissioning strategy is already evident in the decision to un-cancel comedy series A.P. Bio. The show was initially cancelled after two series on NBC’s linear channel but was subsequently recommissioned for a third series that will premiere on NBCUniversal’s new streaming service.

The average age of NBC’s viewership is in the 50s, although some shows can skew younger. The audience tends to skew female, which is in line with US broadcast TV generally.

“We give notes throughout most of the editorial process, so I would say we are very involved”


BACK TO CONTENTS28 WORKING WITH US COMMISSIONERS THE NETWORKS| NBC


“The pilot greenlight process involves the NBC chairman and president, and series greenlight decisions involve a host of other departments”

Cara DellaversonEVP Drama Development, NBC

PitchPitches generally come to Cara Dellaverson through agents and managers, although they are occasionally presented to her by a producer’s legal representatives. For her team to hear a pitch, it must have gone through this process to cover NBC legally. However, Dellaverson has indicated that she expects the ongoing conflict between writers and talent agents (see page 5) in the US to impact incoming pitches over the next few seasons.

The commissioning exec likes to see a script at first stage; this should ideally be a 50 to 60-page submission with a five or six act structure.

For verbal pitch meetings “the writer is the only person who is required” to be in the room. The writer can either be joined by the producer, a studio executive or occasionally they will bring an agent.

When coming with a pitch, it is good to know that the channel does not want ideas

to be packaged at this initial stage; NBC are heavily involved in the creative decisions and prefer to be able to shape the project from early development.

The broadcaster’s greenlighting schedule is easy to predict. Pitching season happens between July and October, with pilot greenlight decisions being made in January and series pick-ups happening in May. Verbal pitch meetings take place during the months of July and October, therefore the time between pitch to greenlight will be dictated by how far into the season the pitch takes place.

“The pilot greenlight process involves the NBC chairman and president, and series greenlight decisions involve a host of other departments”. This could be marketing, sales and legal teams. It is worth noting that the drama team receive around 300 pitches during pitching season and will buy around 50-60 each year.

The most common reason for Dellaverson to pass on an idea is that the idea is “similar to something [NBC] already have on air or have tried it recently and it hasn’t worked”. This makes it imperative to research the schedules from the past few seasons for any such examples.



8pmChicago Med

(8-9)

Superstore (8-8:30) The Blacklist

(8-9)

8.30pmThis is Us

(9-10)

Perfect Harmony (8:30-9)

9pmChicago Fire

(9-10)

The Good Place (9-9:30)

9.30pmSunnyside (9:30-10)

10pmBluff City Law

(10-11)New Amsterdam

(10-11)

Chicago P.D. (10-11)

Law and Order SUV (10-11)

10.30pm


BACK TO CONTENTS

Production & Post To work with NBC, a production company must be attached to a well-known US studio, or NBC will partner them to their own studio to co-produce the project. The network then licenses the idea from the producer to develop the pilot before making a series order.

“We are very involved [in the creative],” said Dellaverson. During production of the pilot, NBC will “oversee the day to day of all the creative aspects of the show, from the re-write, to the choice of director, choice of cast, and the choice of location”. A member of Dellaverson’s team will also be on hand for a good portion of the filming of the pilot.

The drama team at NBC are very involved during the production phase and provide notes throughout most of the editorial process.

As the NBC model dictates that a project must be tied to a studio, the studio will then provide all the production services, including post. NBC’s studio, Universal Television, will take on responsibility for production services if a producer is coming in independently.

NBC are open to casting international actors with accents or who speak their native language, if it makes sense to the story. However, it is unlikely that the broadcaster will pick up shows with entire storylines in another language; for all broadcast networks, audience accessibility is crucial.

Funding and rights Pilots are required at NBC, but the attached studio is responsible for the pilot production costs. On average, a studio will spend upwards of $5-$11 million shooting a pilot.

Dellaverson could not recall a time in her four years at NBC when the channel had fully commissioned an international production company on the scripted side. She explained that international producers typically come to the network looking for a co-production partnership and for NBC to take secondary rights.

Because the show is licensed, NBC are not responsible for cash flowing the production or negotiating the rights with the creators. “We make a deal to develop the project, we negotiate rights with the studio as to how long we can have that IP,” Dellaverson said.

Programming needsTone is perhaps the most important element for Dellaverson when reviewing projects. “For us, things need to feel positive, emotional and inspirational - people should feel connected and entertained,” she said.

The channel avoids anything too dark in subject and tone. Reaffirming the current political climate, Dellaverson said: “In regard to things happening externally right now, anything that is too relentlessly difficult to be in for an hour is a hard thing

29 WORKING WITH US COMMISSIONERS THE NETWORKS| NBC


to do entertainment wise right now”. Programmes should emotionally move audiences with This Is Us and Council of Dads being prime examples.

Broadcast TV executives tend to think of audience ‘segments’, with each network catering for their own. NBC defines its as: “the relationship segment”, meaning audiences respond best to character relationships and character dynamics over a protagonist dominated storyline. Dellaverson went on to add that projects shouldn’t “feel too cable or like they could fit on a streaming service”. NBC tends to set shows in the real world with relatable scenarios and avoids concepts that are too heightened or too sophisticated.

Closed-ended procedurals are always sought after by the drama team. These will typically be either medical, legal or detective shows, but any new commissions will be dependent on what is already on the schedule. With medical drama New Amsterdam returning this season and legal drama Bluff City Law slated to premiere in the fall, Dellaverson indicated to Broadcast Intelligence that NBC wouldn’t be looking to take on more shows in this vein for the time being.

Another thing to bear in mind when pitching is that procedurals should be character-driven; Dellaverson uses Bluff City Law as an example of a legal case of the week (a storyline that plays out over the course of a week) show. But, she explained, the focus of the show is “the complicated lives of the people who populate the law firm”, with special attention paid to the lead character’s relationship with his daughter. This makes it a good fit for NBC.

“85% of pitches are a verbal pitch with the writer and producer”

NOTABLE PROGRAMMING


This is Us 20th Century Fox Television

Will & Grace Universal Television

The Good Place Universal Television, Fremulon

New Amsterdam Universal Television


Paramount Network CHANNEL DETAILS


OWNED BY Viacom


GENRES Comedy Drama, Thriller, Crime, Family



MAIN SCRIPTED CONTACT FOR INTERNATIONAL PRODUCERS Keith Cox, President of Development and Production, Lauren Ruggiero, SVP of scripted original series


Channel InsightParamount Network is a pay-TV channel which was launched in January 2018. The network formerly existed as the male-focused Spike channel, but it was rebranded and envisioned to become Viacom’s core scripted brand.

The channel launched with Waco: the 6x60 scripted miniseries told the true story of the 1993 Waco siege between a local cult and government forces. Originally commissioned by Spike, the project was selected to become Paramount Network’s premiering show. Despite receiving mixed reviews, the miniseries helped demonstrate the cinematic style that Paramount Network had set out to achieve.

Waco was paired with Paramount Network’s first true original series, the neo-western drama Yellowstone. Set as equally off-the-grid as Waco, Yellowstone is fronted by actor Kevin Costner and delves into the world of an American ranching family.

More recent scripted greenlights include 68 Whiskey, based on an Israeli series called Charlie Golf One, which centres on Army medics in Afghanistan and is


posited as a dark comedy. Comedy drama Emily in Paris, which stars Lily Collins, and US/Mexico border drama Coyote are slated to TX in 2020. Dramas Sexy Beast and Paradise Lost are set to air in 2021.

Finding its feet Viacom is currently undergoing significant strategy change, especially regarding where scripted budgets are allocated. Shows within Viacom’s portfolio have also been moved around between other channels, including Comedy Central, TV Land and BET.

There has been a significant amount of movement of shows between channels within the portfolio.

When Paramount Network first launched, projects that were on air or in development for other Viacom channels were shifted over to fill the schedule. However, programmers have since realised that many of those shows did not fit the style that the network was hoping to achieve. Shows like American Woman, Nobodies, Heathers and The Mist have all subsequently been cancelled as the commissioning team at Paramount

Network looks forward to developing projects specifically with its own channel in mind.

As part of the early experimentation period, the channel was expected to launch a female leaning ‘dramady night’. This has since been discarded, in favour of a more gender balanced strategy, after executives realised mistakes were made by focusing too heavily on gender-focussed programming on predecessor channel Spike.

Looking ahead to the next three years, Paramount Network will take a rational approach to building a successful roster of drama programming with a target of launching four new scripted series a year.

“Projects must be cinematic, and commissioners are looking for complex and nuanced characters”

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“The setting should be a central part of the show; Yellowstone is emblematic of this mandate”

Keith Cox President of development and production, Paramount Network

PitchPresident of development and production at Paramount Network, Keith Cox, is taking pitches from both independent production companies and studios. Paramount Network executives require pitches to be directed through agents or legal representatives; submissions can be made by either the writer or the producer.

When in a verbal pitch meeting with Cox, the commissioner is looking for more of a Q&A style conversation over a straight pitch. From BI conversations with the commissioner, it is advised not to reel off

favourite thing to commission, I loved this guy’s (Taylor Sheridan) writing. It’s really a story of a dysfunctional family but has the tone of The Wire and it feels like a movie every week.”

Aiming for a broad middle-American audience, the network is looking to avoid more niche concepts of the dystopian and sci-fi genres. Instead, the network is looking to anchor shows in the real world with relatable characters. Catering for the middle American audience also means not casting a show in LA or New York.

Closed-ended serialised dramas and serialised comedy dramas are the main priority on Paramount Network; it’s unlikely that the network would order a procedural drama or a sitcom. Typical series orders for both comedy and drama would consist of 10x60, although recent comedy drama commission Emily in Paris is a 10x30; the commissioner sees that half hours are harder to launch these days.

In the past, Cox has referenced to Broadcast Intelligence shows like The Handmaid’s Tale, Homeland and Narcos as titles that Paramount Network would have taken. “The Handmaid’s Tale felt like a piece of art. I wish I could have had that on air,” said Cox.

In terms of budgets, Paramount Network is in line with other cable networks. The network sees high production values and cinematic style as requirements for achieving their branding ambitions.

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too many alternative pitches if the first few don’t gain traction. Although not normally the best practice, Cox sees that leaving a script behind for him to read is the best way to get him on board. Due to the high calibre of submissions that executives are looking for, Cox has previously revealed that they will know quickly if it’s a yes or no; the channel will often respond within a few days of a pitch (if not before).

The channel frequently gets pitches from international producers and is very open to working with them. For international producers, the most probable chance of succeeding would be to send a tape of an existing show that has the potential to be adapted and remade for an American audience.

Paramount Network places emphasis on the need for highly experienced below-the-line talent: “the writing and creators are key,” Cox said. Being named Paramount Network, the channel carries an expectation of film. To live up to this, projects must be cinematic, and commissioners are looking for complex and nuanced characters. Most crucially, the setting should be a central part of the show; Yellowstone is emblematic of this mandate, with the Yellowstone National Park playing a fundamental role in the show’s story.

Yellowstone is held up at Paramount Network as the gold standard of what the channel is looking for: “Yellowstone was my

NOTABLE PROGRAMMING


Yellowstone 101 Studios

Waco Brothers Dowdle Productions

American Woman John Wells Productions

Coyote Sony Pictures Television


Starz CHANNEL DETAILS


OWNED BY Lionsgate

TARGET AUDIENCE 35-year-old F, large Latinx viewership

GENRES Period Drama, History, Crime, Thriller, Sci-fi



MAIN SCRIPTED CONTACT FOR INTERNATIONAL PRODUCERS Karen Bailey, SVP Original Programming. Superna Kalle, EVP International Digital Networks


Channel InsightStarz is a premium cable channel with around 25 million domestic subscribers. Launched in 1994 the channel was originally focused on bringing theatrical films to the small screen and gradually moved into original programming around 2005. The channel’s first big hit was Scottish-set fantasy period drama Outlander. Commissioned in 2013, the series has gone on to be renewed for a fifth season, set to air in 2020.

Starz was acquired by Lionsgate in December 2016 for $4.4 billion. This has proved to be a mutually beneficial partnership, which has enabled Lionsgate to effectively run its first D2C operation and allows for Starz to make use of the Lionsgate back catalogue to provide its audience with a stronger offering.

Management at Starz have a strong understanding of their core audience demographic and maintain a programming strategy that focuses on premium scripted female-focussed content. Looking to cater for their audience, period drama has become the staple genre on Starz with The White Queen and its spin-offs, The White Princess and The Spanish Princess, being among their most popular series.


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The network defines their target audience as “premium female”, these are women in the 25-54 who have a higher income than other demographic segments. They are loyal to high quality scripted drama and are interested in influential women in history.

Starz has always tried to position itself as the home of “original programming for under-served audience”. In this realm, Starz produced African American crime drama Power and Mexican American series Vida, which resonated with Starz’s loyal Latinx audience.

Drama makes up the majority of Starz’s originals slate and the channel is not actively looking to enter the scripted comedy space at this time. As for non-scripted, the channel has previously only delved into the premium doc space but the channel is primed for a strategy change after hiring its first non-scripted commissioner in early 2019.

Alongside female-skewed romance and period dramas, fandom projects account for another large proportion of the channel’s budget. Neil Gaiman’s American Gods is a large investment for Starz with an estimated $10 million per episode price tag.

International Expansion In May of 2018, Starz launched its OTT platform Starz Play, which is currently available in 50 countries with plans to expand this to as many as 90 over the next three years. Since Starz has mapped out its international expansion, there has been a significant impact on the domestic channel’s linear commissioning strategy.

The channel currently spends around $1 billion on content per year, with the majority going on acquisitions, but COO John Hirsch has pledged to dramatically increase this figure over the next few years to expand their content library.

Having ordered around 13 original series in 2019, up from nine in 2018 and eight in 2017, the business will be ramping up their domestic output in order to serve their international SVoD subscribers. Moving forward, all commissioning decisions will be made for an international audience.

“Anything which is too young skewing or too young adult probably isn’t for us”


BACK TO CONTENTS


33 WORKING WITH US COMMISSIONERS THE NETWORKS| STARZ

“If it’s an unknown writer and an unknown producer, it’s probably a pitch I can’t take on”

Karen BaileySVP Original Programming, Starz

PitchFor creators who have previously worked with Starz, initial pitches can be sent directly to SVP Karen Bailey, either in the form of a logline or paragraph. Outside of this, projects should be directed through a reputable talent agent or manager.

The network does not typically invest in pilots, so Bailey would have to see a number of scripts before a greenlight package is assembled.

At this stage, Bailey said, “once we think a script is great then we need a budget, production plan and filming locations attached to it. Then the project can be rolled out for internal approval.”

In order to get a greenlight at Starz, a pitch must be approved by Bailey as well as EVP of production Melissa Harper and president of programming Carmi Zlotnik. It will then go to Starz CEO Jeffrey Hirsch for final sign off. If the project is “Game of Thrones level”, it will also be sent to the

financial and legal teams for approval, and in some circumstances, the COO of Lionsgate.

Bailey revealed that Starz will turn down projects that don’t sit within the channel’s particular targets, even if the project shows great promise. “Anything which is too young skewing or too young adult probably isn’t for us,” said Bailey.

“If it’s an unknown writer and an unknown producer, it’s probably a pitch I can’t take on,” Bailey explained, highlighting another reason why Starz might turn down a pitch. “It’s unlikely we would roll the dice on a first-time writer or producer.” Management at Starz require that those attached to helm the project have a proven track record in episodic television. However, it is worth noting that Bailey would consider taking a pitch that has a seasoned producer and a new writer who the producer has complete trust in.

Starz also rarely reverse-engineers projects, whereby they will help partner new talent with an established producer. “It’s always better when [projects] come to us with people attached,” said Bailey.



8pm Power (8-9)

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34 WORKING WITH US COMMISSIONERS THE NETWORKS| STARZ BACK TO CONTENTS

Production and PostStarz prefers to give the producer freedom to find and vet the production services for a project but would like to have final sign off. Bailey stressed that “producers will have to run certain people by us for approval”. The services Starz would particularly like approval over would be hair and make-up, costume, cinematography and camera facilities.

Casting decisions are also important for management. “Casting is a big deal, we do have hands on in casting,” said Bailey, who must ensure that the attached cast works for the Starz audience. Starz looks for high profile talent to help with marketing for the domestic audience, but will use new talent if, for example, it’s a period piece where the actors are playing well-known historical characters.

Post-production can be done completely digitally from the producer’s native country and the team at Starz tries to trust the producers at this stage to complete editing without too many notes. “On the final day of mixing, we do a synced playback together and make notes as if in the same room.”

Funding & rights It terms of operating a straight to series model, Starz can offer a generous development fund. When Starz commissions scripts, it can typically extend the fund to budget development and production plans.

The network has a healthy international co-production appetite, especially for productions with the UK.

Due to Starz’s international expansion, its rights strategy has altered slightly: “The more rights we can get the better, it makes the show much more appealing to us,” said Bailey. She added that if Starz is onboard from an early stage and is fully commissioning the project then “we will look to get as many rights as possible, if not all of them”.

Programming needsWorking to service their largely female, and “Outlander” audience, Starz is clear to prospective producers that pitches must tonally align with their strategic demands. This audience primarily responds to costume dramas that are centred on a strong female protagonist; within this realm, romantic

fiction and historical stories that are based on true characters are particularly sought after.

Alongside period pieces, Starz welcomes the exploration of fantasy and supernatural worlds. American Gods, which delves into the opulent world of Neil Gaiman’s imagination, is a prime example. Also, on the 2019 slate is the London-based and UK produced supernatural crime story The Rook.

Starz often takes on crime dramas for both full commissions and co-productions and sees that the genre tends to appeal to women 25-years and older. The network boarded BBC crime drama The Dublin Murders as a co-production partner along with Irish broadcaster RTE.

Along with aggressively pursuing a female audience, Bailey is still looking to maintain a gender balance and not alienate male audiences. Assessing shows which would meet a co-viewing remit, Bailey mentions BBC series Bodyguard as an example that appeals to both female and male viewing audiences. The network will take on a few projects within the action space per year: “We currently have something in the John Wick universe in the pipeline to use as a guide for what we are after.”

The cable channel has seen success with African American crime series Power which concludes in 2019. Programmers at Starz have already lined up projects within this universe so wouldn’t be looking to serve this audience again for the next few commissioning seasons.

A producer who pitched to the channel said that “programming should not be PG”. Instead, Starz asked for “more adult”.

NOTABLE PROGRAMMING


The Spanish Princess New Pictures, Playground Entertainment

Outlander Left Bank Pictures, Tall Ship Productions

American Gods Freemantle

Power G-Unit Films and Television

SLOT PREFERENCES


Saturday Prime Starz 8x60 Drama

Sunday Prime Starz 8x60 Drama


USA Network CHANNEL DETAILS



TARGET AUDIENCE Millennial

GENRES Crime, Thriller, Action, Drama, Legal



MAIN SCRIPTED CONTACT FOR INTERNATIONAL PRODUCERS Alex Sepiol, SVP Original Series


Channel InsightUSA Network is an American basic cable TV network, owned by NBCUniversal. It was launched in 1977 as the Madison Square Garden Sports Network but was relaunched in 1980 as USA Network. The channel’s strength in producing sophisticated original dramas has pushed it up into the top four basic cable networks in America, alongside TNT, TBS and FX.

Legal drama Suits premiered in 2011 and was one of USA Network’s first international breakout hits. The show bows out in 2019 after a total of nine series, making it USA Network’s longest running original series. It was also USA Network’s last remaining original drama offering a ‘case of the week’ on the schedule, as


35 WORKING WITH US COMMISSIONERS THE NETWORKS| USA NETWORK & SYFY BACK TO CONTENTS

programmers at the network have spent the past few years repositioning the channel’s offering.

In 2016, the channel moved away from their traditional half-hour comedies and optimistic drama series to pursue a strategy which focused more heavily on developing series with “intense” storylines and darker themes.

Industry commentators termed this strategy shift as the “end of the blue-sky era” while USA Network unveiled a new slogan: “We the Bold”. The programming strategy aims to cultivate characters “who evoke courage, resiliency, risk-taking and authenticity,” the channel said. The success of hacking drama Mr. Robot, with Rami Malek’s socially anxious anti-hero Elliot

Alderson was central to the development of the new strategy.

President of entertainment networks, USA Networks and Syfy, Chris McCumber told reporters: “‘We The Bold’ reflects the kind of stories we want to tell - rich, captivating stories about unlikely heroes who defy the status quo... and are willing to risk everything for what they believe in.”

Dystopian sci-fi drama Colony, about the resistance fight against a ruling alien regime, was one of the first shows released under this new strategy while drug cartel drama Queen of the South and the first season of crime anthology series The Sinner positioned complex female anti-heroes at the centre of their stories.

Commissioners at the basic cable channel review around 700 to 900 pitches per annum and launch an average of three a year on USA Network.

“One difference with the US is that we are more writer driven, so that’s how we expect things to go”

NOTABLE PROGRAMMING


Suits Universal Cable Productions

Mr. Robot Universal Cable Productions

Queen of the South 20th Century Fox Television, Universal Cable Productions

The Sinner Universal Cable Productions


SYFY CHANNEL DETAILS



TARGET AUDIENCE Millennial

GENRES Sci-fi, Horror, Fantasy, Supernatural, Comic Book



MAIN SCRIPTED CONTACT FOR INTERNATIONAL PRODUCERS Alex Sepiol, SVP Original Series


Channel InsightSyfy is a basic cable channel owned by NBCUniversal and is available in around 92.4 million homes in America. Syfy’s slogan is ‘It’s a Fan Thing’ and the channel caters largely to a fandom millennial audience and features programming within the wider sci-fi genre including horror, fantasy, comic books and animation. The channel has a strong online presence with its Syfy Wire website, which acts as a hub to provide news, insights and commentary on Syfy shows. The brand produces podcasts and also operates on social media platforms and YouTube.

The channel has been rebranded since its initial launch as Sci-Fi Channel in 1992.


Sci-Fi Channel was abbreviated to Sci-Fi in 1999 and then subsequently changed to its current name in 2009. Prior to its acquisition by NBCUniversal in 2003, the channel was formally owned as a joint venture between Paramount Pictures and Universal Studios. When the channel was conceived, it had a tighter focus on science fiction, but the channel has expanded and become more mainstream under NBCUniversal leadership. Although this doesn’t extend into original programming, on the acquisitions and film side the schedule often features sci-fi anomalies.

Syfy’s current scripted originals slate includes fantasy series The Magicians, about a student training at a magician

college, and Van Helsing, a near future set reimagining of the Van Helsing character from Bram Stoker’s Dracula novel that follows the exploits of Vanessa Van Helsing. This series premiered on Syfy in the same year as Wynonna Earp, a similarly gender-swapped reimagining of the adventures of American frontiersman Wyatt Earp, which was acquired by Syfy from Canadian channel Space. Syfy also aired comedy animation Alien News Desk in 2019.

One of Syfy’s most renowned series is the reboot of Battlestar Galactica, which began as a miniseries and ran for four full series and a pair of television films in the noughties. Aside from its original programming, Syfy buys second-run programming of older series. The Twilight Zone, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and Futurama are examples of such shows currently airing on the channel.

Syfy programming is “anything you might see on the comic-con floor in San Diego”

NOTABLE PROGRAMMING


The Magicians Universal Cable Productions

Happy! Universal Cable Productions

Krypton DC Entertianment, Warner Horizon Scripted Television

Van Helsing Nomadic Pictures




“The US format is that the writer leads the pitch, they describe the general plot, the character archs and the depth of the pilot”

Alex SepiolEVP Original Series USA Network & Syfy

PitchFor international producers, pitches generally come in through the main LA-based agencies WME and CAA among a few others. Occasionally however, international producers will have partnered with one of the major US studios and that is their route into USA Network and Syfy.

Alex Sepiol’s originals team take pitches for both channels and evaluate which network the show should air on. The team’s recommendation is then taken to president of scripted content Bill McGoldrick who has final say.

For initial pitches, Sepiol asks for “a top line or log line outlining the general concept, to see if it’s something that [the channels] would do”. Beyond that, it can be helpful if producers have development going or scripts written in their home territory, that can elevate the proposition.

For a verbal meeting, a “sales-style pitch is the typical format”. At this point, video which can demonstrate the specific tone of the project will benefit prospective producers – tone is key.

“The US [verbal pitch] format is that the writer leads the pitch, they describe the general plot, the character arcs and the depth of the pilot.” Sepiol sees this a major difference between the US and UK, where producers typically lead the pitch; for him, it’s better to hear from the writer at this stage.

For verbal pitches, it is recommended to travel to meet the team in person, “it’s much harder via the phone or Skype, it’s inherently conducive for communication”. Meetings with Sepiol consist of around 20-30 minutes presenting followed by a short Q&A.

Due to the volume of scripted series in the marketplace, the exec is seeing more and more packaged pitches come in with cast and below-the-line talent attached. However, packaging is something that can be done their end post commission and isn’t a requirement. However, the EVP added: “A director is different, to have a really skilled director attached is a big plus and can really help with the marketing.”

For both channels they “tend to do pilots for the most part”, but for international producers the production phase is a bit different. “We do a lot more straight-to-series, and with that we need to see a lot more material first,” Sepiol explained.



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10pm Pearson (10-11)

Van Helsing (10-11)

Mr Robot (10-11)

10.30pm


USA Network Syfy



Production and PostThe team at USA and Syfy provide most of their notes during the script phase and in post-production. “We try not to be micromanaging and allow the show to be shaped by the production team,” the exec says. Geography shouldn’t be an issue for the team as all of the notes can be provided and discussed over the phone and in email.

For international producers, it is worth noting that the writers rooms and post-production will be set up in the US, but production can take place globally.

Both USA and Syfy are likely to have specific casting requests. This is not an area the commissioning team has direct input for as both channels have a dedicated casting department who will oversee that part of the process and Sepiol will weigh in if a decision requires further approval.

The business model at USA and Syfy is to license IP from a US-based studio, and the studios hire the producer or the production company who brought in the project. After greenlight, the studios take responsibility for deciding all production services and cash flowing the show. “Usually speaking we might be looped in on that but it’s not our area, we leave those decisions to the studios.”

Funding and rights The channels use the licensing model whereby content is licensed from a studio in exchange for a fee. “We [USA and Syfy] pay the licence fee, we don’t do overall commissioning we just licence, then the studio hires the producer.” Due to this model, all cash flow responsibilities defer to the studio.

The scripted commissioner did provide an indication to BI of the likely price point of scripted shows on air. Over on USA Network, budgets per hour can range from $3 to $8 million. “We haven’t so far done anything as high as the big productions on HBO [$10 million per hour], but it is getting up there,” said Sepiol. Providing a recent example, the executive offered Dirty John which came in north of $5 million.

There can still be lean production budgets for projects on Syfy, where some of the character of the show can come from its lower budget point.

The deal template changes frequently, and the networks can be flexible depending on the project. Typically, both USA and Syfy would take North American rights and the rest of world would stay with the studios to distribute. Since NBCUniversal is primed to launch its own streaming service, this is likely to impact what streaming rights are negotiated.

USA Network does co-produce and has worked recently with the likes of Netflix on cheerleading crime drama Dare Me, however, co-productions are less common than on competing scripted cable networks.

Programming needsUSA Network is a general entertainment channel with shows such as acquisition Modern Family, reality show Chrisley Knows Best and WWE wrestling events across its varied schedule. For scripted originals, programmers try to maintain a clearer focus. The originals slate concentrates on darker complex dramas and executives are unlikely to deviate into comedy.

Sepiol seeks series “from the action popcorn end of things, to complex thrillers and gritty crime dramas”. Dark, edgy and sophisticated storytelling is clear within USA Network’s current and upcoming slate.

Having a small originals output means that Sepiol is looking for projects that do not exist anywhere in the marketplace, not least in his own schedule. Over the next few commissioning seasons, his team are unlikely to greenlight anything in the technology or hacking space due to Mr. Robot, or anything set within the drug cartel world due to Queen of the South. The most common reason the network will say no to a pitch is “if it’s too close to something we already have on air, it’s a simple no”.

“Very broadly speaking millennials like more serialised dramas,” said Sepiol, identifying a general trend against procedurals in millennial audiences. A few years ago, the network primarily aired long running dramas with returning characters. The Sinner was USA Network’s first foray into anthology and limited series formats. “The Sinner had a case which was resolved in one season arc, we are looking to do a lot more event series narratives.”

Now a typical series order is between 6-10 episodes. Sepiol told BI: “Our bread and butter is one-hour dramatic genre programming. Anything you might see on the Comic-Con floor in San Diego.” This goes beyond traditional sci-fi spaces to horror, fantasy and comic book adaptations; the channel’s current flagship series is The Magicians, which is a young adult fantasy series.

In the animation space, Syfy is searching for late night adult animation.

SLOT PREFERENCES

CHANNEL Day TIME FORMAT LABEL

USA Network Any Prime 6-10x60 mins Serialised drama

SYFY Any Prime 60 mins Drama




Broadcast Intelligence spoke to six scripted producers to gain an insight into their experiences working in the US. All have earned a commission from a US network (including HBO, Starz and SundanceTV) and they took us through their experiences from pitch to delivery. They discuss what to expect at each stage, as well as giving advice to producers looking to follow in their footsteps.

PART 2

The Producers



There are different avenues open to international producers to get an audience with a US commissioner. Broadcast Intelligence (BI) sat down with six scripted producers to talk about their experiences working with US networks, from pitch through to delivery.

The producers BI spoke to were all from small to medium-sized indies who have achieved either a full commission or a co-production deal from a US network. Each producer initiated the relationship in a different way, which demonstrates the breadth of opportunities for producers to start creating unique relationships in the US.

Most scripted network executives that spoke to Broadcast Intelligence explained

that generally speaking agents approach them on behalf of the production company. However, it’s not the only route available and other pathways can be explored before signing straight over to an agent for representation.

Prior to the writers/agents conflict mentioned previously in this report, the writer’s agent would typically reach out to the network and set up a verbal pitch meeting on behalf of both the writer and the production company. Producer Kevin Comer said: “A lot of the time that’s how I get my pitches to [commissioners], it will come through the writers who I work with - it comes through the writer’s agents.” Occasionally though Comer sets up meetings through his

41 WORKING WITH US COMMISSIONERS THE PRODUCERS BACK TO CONTENTS

Forging relationships “It’s about setting up lots of different

meetings and seeing if anything sticks,

if it speaks to them you can go in with

the writer and do the verbal pitch”

PRODUCERS THAT SPOKE TO BROADCAST INTELLIGENCE

PRODUCER NAME BIO

Kate Harwood Producer and MD of Euston Films who created ITV, Starz and RTE co-production The Dublin Murders.

Sally Woodward Gentle CEO of Sid Gentle who produced BBC America’s Killing Eve.

Chris Aird Head of drama at Two Brothers Pictures, the creators of Liar, a co-production with ITV and SundanceTV.

Stephen Garrett Executive producer and chairman of Character 7, who were commissioned by US cable network Starz for The Rook.

Kevin Comer Independent producer, whose series Doll & Em was picked up for a second run on HBO and is currently in develop-ment on an upcoming project with Showtime.

Nick Brown Producer at Neal Street Productions, the company behind Showtime and Sky Atlantic’s Penny Dreadful.


legal representation, but that is a less common route.

Comer also explained to BI that it is useful, if possible, to take a couple of trips to LA. “A lot of it is going to meet and greets and then you can reach out directly. It’s about setting up lots of different meetings and seeing if anything sticks, if it speaks to them you can go in with the writer and do the verbal pitch.”

Kate Harwood has boots on the ground in LA: Euston Films employs a co-production executive who is chiefly responsible for setting up pitch meetings with the networks and finding new co-production partnerships.

However, other producers found alternative ways in without the use of agents or having to pour resources into LA-based employees. Killing Eve, for example, was picked up by BBC America after the network sent an executive to the UK and put out a request for general meetings in London. “There was this lovely woman called Melissa Wells who asked if we were around for a general meeting. We said ‘yes’ luckily. If we hadn’t have said yes, if we had been too busy or said we don’t do generals, it might have been a very different story,” said Woodward Gentle.

The Rook wound up at Starz after Lionsgate approached Stephen Garrett looking to partner with a British production company to develop a TV adaptation of Daniel O’Malley’s book The Rook, for which Lionsgate had bought the rights. While in development, Garrett went out to LA with Lionsgate: “We went around all the usual suspects pitching our way.” The project eventually came to Starz as it coincided with Lionsgate buying the cable channel. “Starz loved the show, that’s how we ended up with a relationship with them, fronted by Carmi Zolitnik and Karen Bailey,” Garrett explained.

The latter two instances provide insight into American interest and knowledge of

the UK marketplace. Chris Aird remarked: “What I am in awe of is how much they know the UK market. They know who everyone is and have really done their homework.”

Comer said: “If you get your show sold to the BBC or Sky you have a much greater chance of gaining a US commission and being on their radar, but you have to get commissioned by a UK network first.”

Harwood too sees that “since the drama boom a whole new set of relationships and functions about how to work in the US has opened up”. Creating initial relationships has become more fluid and more fruitful as the US networks are courting UK talent.

It’s not a chat, it’s a pitch All the producers BI spoke to talked anecdotally about the American pitching style, Harwood said: “Americans love structured and polite meetings.” She added that the American execs host these sorts of meetings so frequently that they have adopted a greater degree of “formality in pitching” compared with other territories. Some producers refer to pitching in LA as “the water bottle tour”: in every lobby of yet another network you pitch to “you sit down and they give you a water bottle while you wait”.

Aird advised: “American commissioners and development executives are looking for clarity, they need a very clear and straightforward message,” adding, “if you’re straight talking and down the line no one will take it personally. It’s not a chat, it’s a pitch.”

Comer’s key piece of advice during a verbal pitch to a US commissioner is to “have another pitch ready, they might have something similar already in development”. Being nimble enough to pitch an alternative project will be beneficial as it could take a long time and a lot of work to get a second audience with some of the execs.


“Have another pitch ready, they might

have something similar already in

development”




A common misconception has been that projects should be packaged up with big name cast, below-the-line talent and detailed budgets. Instead, the broadcasters and producers that BI spoke to indicated that it is the script that is most crucial for US commissioners. With Killing Eve, Woodward Gentle took the script to BBC America, “they read it and really liked it, we didn’t package it at all”. In fact, Sid Gentle took Killing Eve out to the States before Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s breakout hit Fleabag had been on TV, so the channel had no knowledge of who she was and read the script blind.

Development With Killing Eve, BBC America’s only real requirement was “to know if it had longevity. They wanted to know it wasn’t just a one season wonder.” The producers were asked to go back to development and demonstrate the arc of the series and where the story would go in future seasons.

The US greenlight structure can be a lot more hierarchical than perhaps other systems. A large group of high-level executives are often involved in development discussions and present at the table. Garrett remembers one or two meetings at which Starz’s former CEO Chris Albrecht was present during a development meeting and the CEO really expressed the style and tone he wanted for the show.

Producers can also expect to have follow up pitch meetings with CEOs and COOs to finalise a greenlight package.

Woodward Gentle found discrepancies in the two systems when it came to having trust in the production company without proper legal interventions. “We funded our own development, which made them feel quite twitchy… they had no contractual hold over it.” In her experience, it was interesting how that made the network feel; “in comparison to us [in the UK] it made them very nervous”.


“A large group of high-level

executives are often involved

in development discussions

and present at the table”

Funding & RightsThere are fewer instances of US networks fully cash flowing productions, as the IP is typically licensed, and funding of the production defers to the associated studio. Like in most territories, funding and rights models are unique to the project at hand, but there were some similarities among those who gained full commissions.

For the main scripted networks in North America, drama budgets per episode sit within the USD $2-$10 million range. Brown’s most recent instance of working with the US resulted in a production fee upon delivery and this seems to be the norm. It is the prerogative of the streamers, not the networks, to bank roll upfront and the traditional linear players to pay upon delivery.

In the case of Killing Eve, Endeavor Content came onboard to bankroll the project and negotiated with the production company for a deal exclusive to the buyer. Due to this deal structure, BBC America took US rights and Sid Gentle have retained rights for the rest of world.

In fact, the US networks just took US rights for all of the shows discussed with producers, leaving the production companies with the rights for the rest of the world. In the case of Doll & Em for HBO, Comer told BI: “The budget was in-line with the type of show we created, and its target audience” and for that the production company negotiated a North American deal with HBO.

However, the US networks are likely to take rights for more territories going forward; many of these historically linear players are launching new digital and streaming services both inside and outside of the US. Starz, for example, now asks for all rights as they move into new international markets.

There was a mixed response from the producers when quizzed about location




“They were way more concerned with the

visibility and profile of one or two leads”

scouting based on tax incentives. For example, filming locations for multiple Two Brothers co-productions, including Liar and The Widow, included South Africa, the Netherlands, Belgium and Wales, and these location choices were based on “fruitful tax incentives”. But alternatively, Sid Gentle had no such requirements from BBC America, adding: “We didn’t recreate cities in one country, we didn’t do that for a tax break.” Instead, Killing Eve was shot in the real locations in which the scenes were set according to the script.

ProductionBroadcast Intelligence’s conversations with producers have indicated that US commissioners tend to be most involved during casting and post-production, while remaining relatively hands-off in other production decisions. With regards to the selection of production services, most producers concurred with Brown’s experience, who simply said: “No, they were entirely hands off about that.”

Garrett relayed that it was in casting that he saw a distinct difference between the US and other markets he had been active in. “They were way more concerned with the visibility and profile of one or two leads,” he said. As seen from conversations with network executives, it vastly helps the marketing opportunities in the domestic territory to have higher profile cast attached to a show. Commenting on working with both Amazon and Showtime, Nick Brown also weighed that the companies requested that casts must have “some resonance in the US”.

On Killing Eve, BBC America’s main request when greenlighting was to have one main character to be American, “and they wanted that person to be high profile, so they got to cast Eve and we got Villanelle [played by British actress Jodie Comer],” said Woodwood Gentle. Sandra Oh, who was a leading cast member for 10 series of ABC’s

primetime drama Grey’s Anatomy, was cast as British intelligence officer Eve Polastri.

Feedback from producers was consistent that all meetings during the production phase can be taken remotely and that any in-person trips to LA ceased to occur after a show was greenlit. Experiences through the production phase were consistent from producer to producer. “Everything was done via the phone,” said Woodward Gentle, “we had weekly production meetings all done on the phone.” For both parties this meant that “everything was very transparent and at arm’s length”. This approach was also used by most other production companies interviewed, i.e. when production commences, the network steps back and communication can be done entirely via phone and email.

Post-productionMost producers found consensus in the differing of approaches to post-production. Having worked with Starz to produce London-set supernatural spy thriller The Rook, Garrett led the discussion on the subject, explaining that the network “was very involved in the post-production”. Not only was the approach different, but the number of network executives involved, he claimed, “was staggering”. During one early mix review, Garrett recalled sitting in a post-production house in London with two editors while simultaneously on a conference call with 20 to 25 people in a room in the States. “The more people you have in the room the harder it is to navigate your way through that,” he concluded.

Having a show tonally match other series on air can be fundamental to a US network and it’s often in the edit that the tone is refined. Garrett explained that sound can make a huge difference in post-production. He detailed that the US network had a lot more input in the score than “anything [he] had dealt with in the UK.”




“Don’t bother taking your idea to someone the

creative line doesn’t match up with”

Aird confirmed Garrett’s observation when it comes to post: “I certainly feel a different culture of note giving and a drilling down to the note detail.” While co-producing with ITV and AMC on Liar, the producer noted that there were a lot more people looking over the editing process: “[In the UK] someone like Polly Hill just does everything.” This discrepancy can be in relation to geography; Aird explained that having an exec in your home territory who can sit in the edit and watch involvement, it is very different to having numerous creatives giving input over the phone.

One final thing to bear in mind if co-producing for an American network is the disparity in US slot preferences to other markets and particularly the much longer advert breaks. Aird explained that “American colleagues will be across the master cut, to be able to sit and cut their slot lengths.”

General Another cultural difference (especially with the UK) that was revealed during BI’s producer conversations was the professional approach the US networks take from pitch through to delivery. When working with SundanceTV on Liar, Aird believed that “US execs are naturally a lot more business-like,” adding, “the American model is that everything is tightly scheduled and diaries are planned, which you are expected to stick to.” American networks are traditionally accustomed to producing material at volume, typically 24 episodes per season run, so creative teams have equipped themselves to deal with this scale of production and are very organised.

Comer advises fellow producers that shows which are uniquely local will struggle to win over US execs. Instead, shows should be a “little bit more global, or incorporate some form of the storyline that will appeal to the American

audiences.” He added: “In our case it was a UK story, but the lead character left London to go to LA.”

When asked for final remarks on getting a show sold into the US territory, every producer concluded with “know your buyer”. Garrett said: “The best way to get your show sold is to immerse yourself with everything [that particular buyer] has done. Find out from them what shows they are proud of, and which speak to their soul.” Harwood said to BI: “Know your stuff, don’t waste anyone’s time… tailor your project to that particular network.”

Brown insists on building a relationship as much as possible prior to travelling to LA but, more importantly he said to: “Do extensive research, understand who you are pitching to and what they will respond to.” In Garrett’s experience working with Starz, he said: “Watching their shows is the equivalent of ‘read my lips’,” you have to understand what shows they like and “what their audience responds to and expects”.

“Do your research, target the people you know will respond to your project. Don’t bother taking your idea to someone the creative line doesn’t match up with,” Comer warned. You might blow your chance getting future meetings with a particular exec if you waste their time taking something which doesn’t align with the channel’s brand.

In terms of maintaining a relationship post-commission, Brown doesn’t believe that getting that first US commission automatically helps getting access to other networks for future projects. “Each show is unique in terms of its ease or difficulty of commission,” he said. On the other hand, Sally Woodward Gentle believes that proving you can turn around an eight hour show every year has helped her get other meetings in the US.


Agents from WME, ICM and CAA offer their views on pitching in the US and highlight some of the benefits of working with agents to get shows greenlit in the US. The agents set out in detail about the common expectations on packaging programmes, negotiating rights and deals, and how they work with production companies in order to grow their international presence.

PART 3

The Agents



A common requirement asked by US commissioners from pitching production companies is to have agency representation.

As recounted in some of the producer interviews in this report, there have been instances where US buyers have given UK production companies a greenlight without an agent in place. For production companies that are new to and unsure of the pitching system in the US however, an agent can not only help to explain the pitching landscape in the US, but can also work to ensure that the company gets a better deal once a project is greenlit.

Gaining representation Production companies are typically approached by an agent, although this can vary. Nick Lafferty, an LA-based scripted agent at CAA (Creative Artists Agency) explained: “When we see a show that we gravitate towards, we want to know who the producers behind it are. But sometimes it is the other way around.” The same conditions exist this side of the pond too, where London-based Ian Moffitt from ICM (International Creative Management) is also always on the lookout for producers to represent. “We have existing relationships, but it can also come from a recommendation or word of mouth,” he said.

Having existing programmes that could have travelled to the US, either as an acquisition or as something that was greenlit without the aid of an agent, also stands a production company in good stead for gaining representation from a US agent. Another London-based agent,

Antonia Melville, who covers non-scripted but has worked at WME (William Morris Endeavour) for six years, said agents look for producers with a “strong track record within their domestic territory”. All three agents largely agreed that a strong existing portfolio and a desire to expand their company internationally are the key factors when deciding who to represent.

Above all, the primary focus for agents dealing with international production companies is to ease any barriers that producers may face when pitching to the US. Moffitt looks at the relationship between a producer and agent as strategic: “We help interpret the buyers, so as not to distract from the day to day [running of a production company].”

Agents as translators Moffitt largely views his role as helping to “translate and interpret” the language of US buyers. Feedback from both producers and agents alike has revealed that US commissioners are reluctant to give an outright ‘no’ answer. “A lot of people go to LA and think they’ve sold their show and then they come back, buy a house and never hear from [the broadcaster] again,” he said.

All three agents look upon their roles as being able to step in and be “the bad cop” in order to keep the producer/commissioner relationship running smoothly. “We can come in and mediate if there’s a systemic problem or people aren’t seeing eye to eye,” said Lafferty. “We’re an accepted part of the landscape,” furthered Moffitt, “if that happened in the UK, it would be the producer, but in the

47 WORKING WITH US COMMISSIONERS THE AGENTS BACK TO CONTENTS

The benefit of pitching with an agent

“All three agents look upon their roles

as being able to step in and be ‘the

bad cop’ in order to keep the producer/

commissioner relationship running

smoothly”



US it’s the agent.” Elsewhere, the translator element can

come into play literally. One agent spoke of an international production company using a title for a senior production role that referred to a much more junior production role in the US. When the buyer came back that they were confused as to why the production company were spending so much money on such a junior role, the agent was there to translate and explain the difference. Being on the other end of the line to smooth over small bumps such as this demonstrates where the added value can be in having an agent – especially if you are unfamiliar with US terminology.

Developing a pitch The style of pitches that commissioners will want can vary and an agent can prepare you for the best approach to each network. Across the board “the more you have developed the better,” said Moffitt. “The more you have on tape, having talent attached… the more you can build and the more you can mitigate the risk, the more likely you are to be successful.”

US networks like to be pitched “packaged” shows – meaning the executives will not just want scripts but attached talent too, either on or off screen. “A studio wants to be able to bank on a big star, a big director, a big show runner… it’s just easier for them to greenlight things when they know they have a sellable element,” said Lafferty. It’s another area in which having an agent can really be of benefit. Melville said: “[We can] decide to attach talent to a project before taking it to market,” and producers can benefit from the agency’s network of available talent.

This also works for ideas, with Melville offering the example of partnering successful podcast or literary talent with production companies in order to create

television programmes using existing IP. All three agents said they would get involved as early as possible with projects or ideas that are in development, as well as helping with the contents of a pitch. “Our job is to work with our clients to put together the most attractive pitch for a buyer,” explained Melville.

Pitching Typically, an agency will set up a week of meetings between producers and buyers either in LA or New York. Melville noted that this was “the biggest difference” that producers noticed when pitching in the US. Pitching to multiple networks in the same week works on both a budgetary level for the production company, whose trips to the US will not be subsidised by the agency, and for the agents who can create a sellers’ market for the production company.

US networks will also give agents commissioning briefs, but Lafferty said that the relationships between an agent and commissioner are another benefit to producers: “There’s a certain amount of trust in those relationships that when we call John Landgraf [chairman of FX Networks and FX Productions] or another exec and say ‘hey we have something special in the pipeline you need to hear it’, you know that’s a little bit of a shorthand [to take the meeting].”

The relationship an agent has with a commissioner proves to be an important element for a production company. In the US, because of the size of the industry, the networks use agencies to issue programming briefs. These network mandates can be very specific. “We send the mandates to clients and discuss if they have anything to fit with it,” explained Moffitt. “Agents are a useful partner for the networks and the production company to make pitching more efficient for both parties.”

Moffitt said the biggest challenge he


“Typically, an agency will set

up a week of meetings between

producers and buyers either in LA or New York”



faces is when a production company is accustomed to the UK system whereby a production company would pitch to one broadcaster and, if interest was expressed, not take it elsewhere. In the US, there is a much more competitive culture designed to engineer a bidding war for the project. There is a move, Moffit said, which is called ‘the agent hang back’ where an agent will strategically position themselves to be the last person to leave the room. Out of earshot of the producer, the agent will explicitly detail who else the production company are seeing that week, what deals have already been offered and how quickly the network executives will need to move to seal the deal. An agent’s job is to “create leverage in the marketplace,” Melville added, illustrating another benefit of having representation.

LegalOnce the greenlight has gone ahead, Moffitt warned that the rights situation is “much more aggressive than it has been in the past”, with US buyers no longer just content with a US-only licence. “They’re aggressive on international rights – but our role is to get [producers] the best deal possible.”

“There isn’t such a thing as a ‘US deal template’,” said Melville, so producers shouldn’t expect what they are offered from one buyer to be the same as another. In terms of rights negotiation, she mentions the benefit of using an agent, as most buyers will “expect to own all the rights to a format and will often [say] this is ‘non-negotiable’”. While a producer pitching alone may not know how to navigate the situation, Melville said: “Your agents will be able to use their knowledge to pass deals with each buyer to make sure you get the very best deal in terms of rights split.”

For Lafferty, a typical deal will be a


“US buyers are no longer just content

with a US-only licence. They’re aggressive on international rights – but our role is to get [producers] the best

deal possible”

“production service fee and whatever bells and whistles we can get the studio to agree to”. Predominantly, all three agents said their main goal when negotiating was to ensure that the production company saw as much profit as possible.

While an agent will be the primary negotiator, it is suggested that a US attorney is hired to check the contracts before signing.

Post-greenlight and beyondOnce the deals have been negotiated and production is underway, all three agents do not consider their work as being done. Lafferty said: “We also think in terms of the arc of the production company – what are the next properties they want to work on? Does it make sense to put them into a first look or overall deal at the studio?”

“Once you become an established producer in the US you need to strike whilst the iron’s hot,” furthered Moffitt.

Although the agents that Broadcast Intelligence spoke to mostly agreed, there was one key difference that could be interesting for a production company to note. Moffitt, based in the UK, felt that the culture was very different in America, quoting “two nations divided by a common language” to summarise his feelings. Melville, also based in the UK, agreed. However, Lafferty, based in LA, felt that the only key difference is that there is a higher number of potential buyers for content.

All three agents looked upon their role as being the middleman and a helping hand for an international producer looking to take their work across to the US. Above all though, the benefit of pitching through an agent was summarised by Lafferty as: “You knock on the door of the agency and they open the doors of the buyers.”


Broadcast Intelligence’s Programme Index contains over 15,000 programmes from linear and digital platforms in the UK and US. We took a look at this data to review the output of the main five US broadcaster networks. To demonstrate what was not only commissioned but ultimately made it to air, the dataset features scripted drama and scripted comedy programmes, from these major broadcasters, whose commission was announced in 2018. Drama programmes commissioned sat within one of 11 subgenres while commissioned comedy programmes sat within one of six subgenres.

The data presented in this section is based on information from Broadcast Intelligence’s Programme Index and Commissioner Index and therefore totals presented here may not directly correlate with totals published elsewhere.

ABC 51

CBS 52

Fox 53

NBC 54

The CW Television Network 55

Key Commissioning Trends 56

PART 4

Breaking down the big five


Sitcom Family

Drama hours by sub-genre

Medical drama Societal Legal Crime Family Fantasy

TOTAL SCRIPTED DRAMA HOURS 132

TOTAL SCRIPTED COMEDY HOURS 69.5

Comedy hours by sub-genre

ABC commissioned the most comedy hours of any of the five broadcast networks covered in this analysis with sitcoms such as Black-ish, The Conners and Schooled making up 84% of ABC’s comedy hours.

Seasons of medical drama duo of Grey’s Anatomy and The Good Doctor made up 32% of ABC’s drama commissions from 2018 and only NBC commissioned more hours of medical dramas in 2018.

Adaptations of international formats are a part of ABC’s scripted programming.

The Good Doctor and The Grand Hotel are adaptions of Korean and Spanish series respectively; two of the original producers, Ramon Campos and Teresa Fernandez-Valdes, serve as executive producers on The Grand Hotel.

Even more recently, ABC announced The Baker & the Beauty, an adaptation of hit Israeli series Beauty and the Baker, due to air midseason 2020. The original series was created for Keshet Broadcasting by Assi Azar, who serves as an executive producer on the US series. While most of ABC’s programming is developed through its in-house production studio (ABC Studios), The Baker & the Beauty is being produced by Universal Television.

ABC

“Seasons of medical drama duo of Grey’s Anatomy and The Good Doctor made up 32% of ABC’s drama commissions from 2018”


BACK TO CONTENTS51 WORKING WITH US COMMISSIONERS BREAKING DOWN THE BIG FIVE

32%

26%

11%

11%

10%

10%

84%

16%




Sitcom Romcom


Crime Legal Comedy drama Politics




In 2018, there were commissioning announcements for 285.5 hours of original scripted programming on CBS, the most of any of the broadcast networks. A whopping 177 hours were for crime dramas such as Hawaii Five-0, Magnum P.I. and the three titles in the perennially successful NCIS franchise and made up 74% of CBS’ total announced commissions. On the comedy side, 99% of CBS’ commissions were for sitcoms including

series orders for The Neighborhood, Happy Together and Young Sheldon. The commission for what turned out to be the final series of The Big Bang Theory was announced back in 2017. Overall, this means that over 78% of CBS’ announced commissions were either crime dramas or sitcoms.

As highlighted earlier, opportunities for international producers are rare at CBS and Broadcast Intelligence therefore opted not to interview them for this report. With updates of legacy shows such as Hawaii Five-O, Magnum P.I. and MacGyver currently on air, it would appear the network is content with mixing originals and reboots to fill its schedule.

CBS also operates a separate subscription streaming service, CBS All Access, which hosts programming from the CBS linear network but also commissions its own originals. These shows have premiered on the online platform, but CBS recently broadcast the first series of CBS All Access series The Good Fight on its linear channel and it’s possible that more shows could cross over to the linear schedule in the future.

CBS

74%

9%

9%

8%

99%

1%

“A whopping 177 hours were for crime dramas such as Hawaii Five-0 and Magnum P.I.”




56%

44%

Animation Sitcom


27%13%

9%

Crime Medical drama Family Sci-fi Comedy drama Thriller

20%

17%

14%


TOTAL SCRIPTED COMEDY HOURS 50


On Fox, drama commissions cover a recognisable mix of crime and medical procedurals like 9-1-1 and The Resident, as well as sci-fi superhero series The Gifted, which was cancelled after its second series.

Commissions for the 17th series of Family Guy and the ninth series of Bob’s Burgers contributed to the 28 hours of animated comedy on the channel. The network also announced the lowest number of hours in 2018 of the five

major networks. The renewal for the 30th series of The Simpsons, now officially the longest running (by episode count) American primetime scripted series, was announced back in 2016.

Fox’s more limited scripted programming slate perhaps translates to fewer opportunities for international producers. However, upcoming drama Filthy Rich is an adaptation of a New Zealand series. Furthermore, president of Fox Entertainment Michael Thorn is keen to keep the network’s programming fresh. “We feel like we can’t just sit in our office and do things the same way,” said Thorn. Music industry drama Empire is set to air its sixth and final season in 2019/2020, which will open up hours on the schedule from next year onwards.

Fox

“Commissions for the 17th series of Family Guy and the ninth series of Bob’s Burgers contributed to the 28 hours of animated comedy on the channel”




As with Fox, medical dramas and crime dramas form more than half of NBC’s 160 hours of scripted drama commissions. Episodes from NBC’s burgeoning Chicago franchise and the long running Law and Order: SVU, all created by US TV titan Dick Wolf, make up more than half of NBC’s scripted drama commissions.

In scripted comedy, series of sitcoms like Superstore and the celebrated returner Will & Grace made up 84% of NBC’s scripted comedy hours.

It’s perhaps in scripted comedy that opportunities for new programming are most apparent. Both Will & Grace and The Good Place will end after the 2019/2020 season, while two of the network’s other comedies, Superstore and former Fox original Brooklyn Nine-Nine are on their fifth and seventh series respectively. NBC has lined up some new scripted comedies for the 2019/2020 season (Perfect Harmony, Sunnyside and Indebted) but these may not connect with audiences and more opportunities may arise when Superstore and Brooklyn Nine-Nine approach their conclusion.

However, comedy programmes don’t always translate well from one culture to another, so any internationally developed original or adaptation of an international format should encapsulate a recognisable element of American society.

NBC

Sitcom Comedy drama


Crime Medical drama Societal Thriller Sci-fi Fantasy




29%

10%

6%

27%

14%

14%

84%

16%

“In scripted comedy, series of sitcoms like Superstore and the celebrated returner Will & Grace made up 84% of NBC’s scripted comedy hours”




Drama is the dominant scripted genre at The CW Television Network, making up 93% of announced scripted hours. The network’s popular strand of DC superhero shows such as Arrow, Supergirl and Black Lightning form the majority of the drama programming and franchise fans have been super-served with crossover series DC’s Legends of Tomorrow.

The CW Television Network is the only broadcaster not to feature any medical dramas.

The CW announced the lowest number of comedy hours of any of the five broadcast networks with just 18, representing 7% of their announced scripted hours.

As with CBS, it is extremely rare for The CW to work with non-US indies on new programming and hence Broadcast Intelligence opted not to interview a programming executive from the network. The channel has doubled down on its superhero and fantasy programming, which has helped differentiate its schedule from the schedules of the other networks but has perhaps limited the scope for new programming for the time being.

The CW Television Network

Musical entertainment


Fantasy Sci-fi Crime Soap Comedy drama Societal


TOTAL SCRIPTED COMEDY HOURS 18


“Drama is the dominant scripted genre at The CW Television Network, making up 93% of announced scripted hours”

100%

32%

9%

7%

25%

9%

18%



56 WORKING WITH US COMMISSIONERS BREAKING DOWN THE BIG FIVE BACK TO CONTENTS

The Programme Index details the programmes and commissions that have made it to air, but tastes and trends can change, and executives may be on the lookout for different stories and characters as they hunt down their next hit.

Complementary to the Broadcast Intelligence’s Programme Index is the Commissioner Index, which features profiles on over 400 UK and US based channel commissioners and executives. These profiles feature up to date information on what commissioners are and are not looking for.

Examining the profiles of US network executives at the likes of AMC, Paramount Network and HBO, as well as those at some of the broadcast networks, reveals some of the key subgenres and themes that these commissioners are currently looking for (see the table on this page).

Graphic novel, sci-fi and horror feature strongly on commissioners’ shopping lists, suggesting that “genre” programmes that can help nurture passionate fanbases, are what networks are putting their money and efforts towards. Shows with strong fandom potential, or those based on IP with an existing fanbase, can foster additional branding or merchandising opportunities, as well as paving the way for potential spin-off series. Aside from their DC superhero programming, The CW Television Network has also aired The Originals, a five series spin-off of eight series hit The Vampire Diaries, and Legacies, a spin-off of The Originals (a spin-off of a spin-off), which is set to return for a second series in October 2019.

WHAT ARE COMMISSIONERS CURRENTLY LOOKING FOR?

SUB-GENRE PROPORTION OF COMMISSIONERS

Crime 39%

Graphic Novel 36%

Sci-Fi 36%

Thriller 36%

Animation 25%

Family 25%

Horror 25%

Anthology 18%

Fantasy 18%

There’s no guarantee that spin-offs will be as successful as their sibling shows; Chicago Fire, Chicago P.D. and Chicago Med have proven successful for NBC, but a fourth show in NBC’s Chicago franchise, Chicago Justice, was cancelled after just one series. It didn’t rate as highly as its sibling shows and at the 2017 TCA press tour, the then-chairman of NBC, Robert Greenblatt (now chairman of WarnerMedia Entertainment), suggested that Chicago Justice was closest to Law and Order in style and tone (also on NBC), and therefore easier to cancel than the others.

However, if done right, spin-offs can allow a network to launch new programming with a potential audience already in waiting, thus reducing the spend and effort needed to find a new audience from scratch.

Anthology series sit somewhere between a spin-off and a new original series for a network and offer executives many of the similar benefits as spin-offs. Anthology shows have a key theme or concept but the characters, setting and story can change each series or episode. Some anthology shows occupy a

discernible genre but explore a different aspect or niche of the genre with wholly new characters in each series.

While there may be some overlap between different series, each series of an anthology is designed to work as standalone work and viewers therefore aren’t required to watch all older series before the most recent series.

This can help a show to develop its audience with each new series, particularly if the show is met with positive critical reception or word of mouth. In the modern television climate where there’s more content than ever before and everybody has a different show to recommend, the immediacy of being able to jump into a current series straight away is perhaps more appealing than having to catch-up from the very beginning.

“Graphic Novel, Sci-Fi and Horror feature strongly in commissioner’s shopping lists”

Key commissioning trends


Deliver the perfect pitch to the right commissioner

Get the latest data and alerts on frequently updated profiles of 400+ UK, US & SVoD commissioners

Access key contacts at more than 190 channels including the FAANGs

Find out the programme requirements and pitch preferences for each commissioner

See team and reporting structures of each channel

Commissioner Index

Find out more: broadcastintel.com/request-a-demo

Or contact Matt Wright: E: [email protected] – T: +44 (0)20 8102 0934



58 WORKING WITH US COMMISSIONERS DISCLAIMER BACK TO CONTENTS

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