SCREENING NOW: Beat the Box Inquiry leads to storytelling, and things get up close and personal
Export earners
The TV arm of the governmentbacked Israel Export and International Cooperation Institute is helping producers to make the most of global opportunities and expand their horizons, writes Richard Middleton.
Hatufim (Prisoners of War), a ‘brilliant example of an Israeli show travelling’ Backed by both the government and the country’s local industry, the Israel Export and International Cooperation Institute (IEICI) has played a key role in helping its TV exports travel further over the years.
The wider organisation has been operating for more than 50 years and is designed to facilitate trade for countries looking to work with Israeli firms, while ensuring domestic companies are well placed to exploit markets abroad.
A key aspect of its role is assisting Israeli firms’ attendance at the numerous trade events each year, overseeing pavilions abroad but also organising events to attract potential partners to Israel itself.
“We are governmentfunded but operate autonomously and are focused on developing Israeli businesses across all sectors, including film and TV,” explains Mira Geshel, film and TV manager for the IEICI.
“So we oversee pavilions at events such as MipTV and Mipcom but also Natpe markets and others to enable Israeli production companies to meet partners and develop contacts and business.”
The proliferation of Israeli content around the world has been well documented but Geshel and the IEICI’s wider ambition for further growth is clear.
“Our TV/film exports totalled US$268m last year, so it really is a considerable business for our country, and it’s increased a lot over recent years – a decade ago it was only about US$65m,” Geshel says.
“Israel is already the third biggest provider of content for the US, after the Netherlands and the UK, so we’re a major player.”
Mira Geshel Indeed, domestic companies such as Gil Formats, Dori Media Group, Armoza Formats and Keshet have become regular partners for international producers and broadcasters, selling both finished programming and formats.
It’s the latter that have truly exceeded expectations, with all manner of Israeli formats now reaching international shores. Keshet International entertainment show Masters of Dance, for example – originally produced by Tedy Productions – has been picked up by buyers as diverse as Norwegian pubcaster NRK, Endemol Shine in Spain and Vietnam’s Purpose Media, which is producing for HCM City Television’s Channel 3.
Israel has also become something of an expert in scripted format exports, with series such as Keshet Channel 2 drama Yellow Peppers being remade as The A Word for the UK’s BBC and Sundance in the US.
Geshel also cites Hatufim (Prisoners of War) as “a brilliant example of an Israeli show travelling,” with the format arguably becoming one of the breakthrough hits for the country when it was remade for US cablenet Showtime as Homeland.
But while Hatufim might be the poster boy for Israeli drama, Geshel points out there have been numerous other successes that stretch back years. HBO in the US remade HOT3 drama BeTipul, running three seasons of its own version as In Treatment, with the last airing in 2010.
The A Word, the BBC and Sundance version of Israeli format Yellow Peppers More recently, Fauda has proven that original Israeli programming can sell too. The show, which follows an Israeli army unit working undercover in Palestine, was originally produced for Israel’s DBS satellite service Yes and was picked up by global streamer Netflix as well as operators such as Ciné+ in France.
Geshel puts the shows’ success down to the “unique ideas” they tap into, be it the littleexplored world of autism with Yellow Peppers or BeTipul’s intriguing angle on psychology.
She also highlights the role of the country’s broadcasting industry, which has previously supported local producers by providing an environment in which new ideas were commissioned. That has changed more recently, however, as regulatory changes saw former Channel 2 cofranchisees Reshet and Keshet launching separate networks.
Rather than increasing competition in the market, separating the two broadcasters seemed to spread advertising revenues too thinly, with the risk appetite in turn declining. Then, in June, Reshet and Channel 10 reportedly agreed to a merger, causing further uncertainty in the market but also sparking optimism among many producers.
Geshel chooses not to comment on the tumultuous recent developments in the local broadcast industry, admitting prior to the ReshetChannel 10 news that it was “too soon to predict how the industry will be impacted.”
“The local broadcasters will be very important to encourage further growth, especially the state broadcaster in addition to Keshet and Reshet,” she says.
If anything, the domestic landscape changes only make the IEICI’s job more important. Geshel highlights the numerous events being planned to ensure Israeli producers can plough new furrows of business abroad without necessarily having to rely on the local broadcast industry, with delegations of format buyers being brought to Israel to discuss ideas with local producers.
Israeli firms are also being subsidised and encouraged to explore markets and opportunities abroad, while the IEICIbacked International TV Formats Conference has also helped turn the spotlight back onto Israel programming.
The second edition of the annual event, held in Tel Aviv last September, welcomed execs such as FX Networks CEO John Landgraf and Propagate’s Ben Silverman to share their expertise. Taking place just before Mipcom, it also allows new business to be developed between local firms and international visitors.
This focus on developing strong global relationships runs throughout the Israeli production industry, and numerous Israeli firms have already struck codevelopment deals with partners abroad.
The recently launched US arm of Israel’s Studio Glam is now working with Germany’s Red Arrow The second annual International TV Formats Conference was held in September Entertainment on a slate of shows, for example, while Gil Formats has paired up with South Korean giant CJ E&M to develop programming. The first format to emerge, Kids in Power, debuted at Mipcom last October.
Israeli companies are also developing their own shows for foreign broadcasters, with Armoza’s format The Four produced for Fox in the US with ITV Entertainment. The first season debuted in January, with a second following in June.
Armoza has also sold the music competition format to CPL Productions in the UK, while Antena1 in Romania ordered its own version in March. It was only in May this year that a local Israeli network decided to get in on the act, with Reshet 13 picking up rights.
“We are very innovative with our formats and we embrace new technology,” Geshel says, explaining the reach of Israel’s unscripted formats abroad. “We have incorporated mobile elements into our shows, for example, that have pushed the [boundaries] of what is possible on TV.”
While the focus for Geshel and the IEICI is very much international, the exec is looking to secure new partnerships in Asia particularly, reflecting wider industry trends. “Asia is really important,” she says. “We are looking to develop our relationships across the region. That is a real focus for us in terms of expansion.
“Our ambassadors are also helping to increase contact with producers in Asia, introducing us to directors in China and India, for example.”
Israel’s domestic broadcasting landscape might be in a state of flux – and there’s little doubt it is impacting the local production scene – but the IEICI’s global outlook and strategy is helping to ensure such disruption can be navigated by Israel’s increasingly internationally facing production industry.
Richard Middleton 26062018 ©C21Media
GENRES: Drama, Entertainment, Format PEOPLE: Mira Geshel COMPANIES: Israel Export and International Cooperation Institute SECTIONS: C21Drama, Formats Lab COUNTRIES: Israel
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