Television Business International Tbivision.Com October/November 2013
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
KidspOFC OctNov13 18/9/13 12:57 Page 1 Kids Television Business International TBIvision.com October/November 2013 © High 1 Entertainment Limited/QQD Limited/Zodiak Media UK Limited 2013 © High 1 Entertainment Limited/QQD Limited/Zodiak Media UK Limited 2013 NEW PRESCHOOL FUNNY FOR KIDS NEW ANIMATION NEW LIVE ACTION KidspIFC-01 Viacom OctNov13.indd 2 24/09/2013 17:13 NEW LIVE ACTION NEW ANIMATION www.b2b.viacom.com ©2013 Viacom International Inc. All Rights Reserved. KidspIFC-01 Viacom OctNov13.indd 3 18/09/2013 11:35 Kidsp02-03 Xilam OctNov13.indd 2 17/09/2013 11:12 Kidsp02-03 Xilam OctNov13.indd 3 17/09/2013 11:12 The hottest, wackiest, coolest, biggest and most surprising GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS titles the world has TMever seen! 26 x 30’ HD Lion Television for CBBC MIPCOM stand #LR4.02 zodiakkids.com Kidsp04 Zodiak OctNov13.indd 1 23/09/2013 10:02 Kidsp05 Contents OctNov13JWsc 23/9/13 16:55 Page 7 TBI KIDS INSIDE THIS ISSUE 18 28 18THREE -STILL THE MAGIC NUMBER? TBI takes a look at Nickelodeon,Disney Channel and Cartoon Network and outlines the challenges and opportunities for US television’s leading children’s channels 28 FORUM FOCUS:ANIMATED IN TOULOUSE Jesse Whittock heads to France to report on the buzziest projects on show at the 2013 edition of Cartoon Forum 34 KIDS TV SERIOUSLY Andy Fry reports on how broadcasters are approaching children’s factual content in the multichannel, multiplatform era 40 LAST WORD Snapp Productions’ Ben Butterworth reveals his approach to MIPCOM MONITOR 6 Dreamworks 8 Chapman 10 People 12 Eurodata 14 Buyer profile: Celine Chesnay, France Télévisions Buyer 16 Tricon 34 CONTENTS OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2013 For the latest in TV programming news visit TBIVISION.COM TBI Kids October/November 2013 5 Kidsp06-07 Dreamworks OctNov13scJWscSC 23/9/13 19:04 Page 34 TBIKIDS DREAMWORKS DREAMWORKS INTO TV: In diversifying away from movies, DreamWorks has made two key acquisitions,the multimillion dollar deal for digital producer and channel manager AwesomenessTV and US$155 million acquisition of Classic Media.The founders of both talk to Stewart Clarke about becoming part of DreamWorks and how they will help the Studio conquer the digital world and the small screen CLASSIC Engelman in 2000, before selling and rebuying DreamWorks Classics division. it in 2008. Last year’s US$155 million acquisition In June, there was an output deal with Super DreamWorks Classics offers something no of the company by DreamWorks marks the first RTL that stretched to 500 hours of content and other kids company can, says Eric Ellenbogen: time the business is not primarily backed by a titles included The Penguins of Madagascar the ability to provide studio level content that private equity firm and that, Ellenbogen says, through to Rocky and Bullwinkle and covered does not come from one of the big three studio- frees the creative shackles and means looking content from both the DreamWorks and owned kids firms. beyond getting the financials in order and Classic line-ups. While Cartoon Network, Disney and engineering a profitable exit. It is a sign of what’s to come and other output Nickelodeon dominate the kids TV space and are “We wanted a thoughtful and strategic and volume deals are on the cards. There is also primarily concerned with servicing their own partner not just a financial backer and we more content to sell after DreamWorks acquired outlets, DreamWorks Classics can package wanted to have colleagues in the business, not the Chapman catalogue, giving it Fifi and the features including Shrek and Kung Fu Panda with just from the financial side, he says. We have Flowertots and others. classic kids series such as Rocky and Bullwinkle, financial requirements, but it is about a deep “The idea is to be the largest single supplier of Lassie and Sabrina the Teenage Witch. It is also investment and is long term oriented. the highest quality content in kids shopping the original series that will come out of Ellenbogen and Engelman run the entertainment. We have the advantage of being DreamWorks’ production pact with Netflix. international television acitivities at DreamWorks, a major but not having a vertical channel that we Ellenbogen created Classic Media with John covering distribution from London and the new have to supply, says Ellenbogen. AW ESOME H aving tied the k not with D reamW ork s after The second reason was meeting L u cas their whirlwind cou rtship, R obbins is now C ru ik shank , better k nown as Y ou Tu be teen Brian R obbins’ career has tak en a different look ing at local langu age versions of star Fred, and teeing u p a TV project with the trajector to that of man media e ecu tives. To A wesomeness and tak ing the brand, which is online sensation at Nick elodeon, Fred: The viewers of a certain age he is remembered as onl ju st over a ear old, international. M ovie (which was released theatricall in one of the stars of A BC sitcom H ead of the “ I started A wesomness for two reasons some territories). C lass after which he stepped behind the reall,” R obbins sa s. I was watching m own R obbins sa s: I saw what this k id from camera, produ cing k ids shows for Nick elodeon k ids and how the had stopped watching Nebrask a cou ld do and that, along with and series inclu ding S mallville. traditional TV and how drawn the were to think ing abou t the behaviou r of teens and pre- Nick lik el didn’t k now when it was work ing mobile devices and compu ters and how the teens, is when I first got the idea for with him on A ll That, a comed sk etch show, consu med what the wanted on these devices.” A wesomenessTV.” that a few y ears later it wou ld be bu y ing repack aged, cu tting edge digital content from R obbins. Bu t the k ids net has been doing ju st that, topping and tailing A wesomenessTV content for its network . It has ju st ordered more episodes of its A wesomenessTV series, R obbins tells TBI. M imick ing the su per fast growth of su ccessfu l digital firms, the sale of A wesomeness happened almost overnight. R obbins sa s he met D reamW ork s’ boss Jeffre Kat enberg for break fast on a Tu esda and had decided to do the deal by the IMO:AwesomenessTVs girl-skewed teen talk show afternoon of Frida the same week . 6 TBI Kids October/November 2013 For the latest in TV programming news visit TBIVISION.COM Kidsp06-07 Dreamworks OctNov13scJWscSC 23/9/13 19:04 Page 35 TBIKIDS DREAMWORKS CLASSIC AND AWESOME The fact DreamWorks can fully fund content One copro underway is a reboot of Noddy – One key advantage also gives it flexibility and means the company which Classic acquired from Chorion – with we have is we can does not need to assemble a United Nations of Gaumont Animation. The 52x11mins CGI come to market with partners to moved ahead with a project. series is for French public broadcaster fully financed “Independent producers depend on presales France Télévisions. projects,were not and fractionalising their rights to raise the There is also a new season of George of the dependent on on money for production, Ellenbogen says. Jungle for Teletoon in Canada and, Ellenbogen regional presales or “One key advantage we have is we can come tells TBI, there will be a new storyboard-driven coproduction to market with fully financed projects; we’re not version of shortsighted cartoon icon Mr Magoo. dependent on regional presales or coproduction The DreamWorks distribution division will although we can still avail ourselves of these. be selling Turbo: F.A.S.T. (pictured), a TV spin- with international partners about versions of off from the DreamWorks animated movie content from AwesomenessTV, the tween- being made for Netflix. It is the first show to be focused YouTube channel operator. announced following the 300-hour original Localising Awesomeness will be important programming deal between the studio and the Ellenbogen says: It has enormous potential streaming platform. and we’ll be talking to telecasters about the It also has the DreamWorks Dragons series creation of local Awesomeness content. for Cartoon Network, based on the How to “Given its wildfire nature and the audience it Train Your Dragon franchise as well as the addresses, it has the potential to be replicated 26-strong movie catalogue, which has been in with local kids and talent and we would produce film theatres, but Ellenbogen says, is largely it locally with a partner. untouched through other forms of media. He adds:“Digital content that drives linear Ellenbogen is keen to initiate discussions viewing is the Holy Grail for a broadcaster. R obbins teamed with G oogle and Y ou Tu be however, an eas one to profit from, and as it prepared its partner channels initiative brands need to also e ist in other spaces. and A wesomeness now gets comparable or R obbins adds: The economics of ju st being We managed to better traffic than, for e ample, Nick . M ore on Y ou Tu be and su rviving from ad revenu es build a brand with than half of its views are via mobile devices. are ver difficu lt. W e managed to bu ild a brand YouTube and The cost of mak ing shows for A wesomeness with Y ou Tu be and monetise IP in other wa s monetise the IP in pales in comparison to those for a TV network ou tside of Y ou Tu be.” other ways outside – we don’t have time for development” bu t By wa of e ample, boy band M indless of the platform that is almost the point: the tweens watching Behaviou r came to tween attention on are not after a TV e perience.