The Crown: Movie Magic on TV Plus: Barbara Slater’S Rio Diary with K5 You Can

September 2016

The Crown: Movie magic on TV Plus: Barbara Slater’s Rio diary With K5 you can

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21427_K5 A4 Advert Templates_297x210mm.indd 3 04/07/2016 17:20 Journal of The Royal Television Society September 2016 l Volume 53/8

From the CEO The Olympics may be Chairman of NBCUniversal Interna- If that isn’t enough to whet your over, summer holidays tional. For a preview of what Steve appetite, the subject of the second are a distant memory and Kevin have to say about some of “Anatomy of a hit” is BBC TV’s grip- and soon the nights the issues concentrating minds across ping thriller The Night Manager. will be drawing in. TV and the broader content spectrum, The show itself is mentioned in this But there is no reason don’t miss interviews with them in month’s cover story. In it, Stuart Kemp to be despondent, as this month’s Television. charts how television is making the RTS’s exciting autumn events Our busy September line-up starts inroads into territory that was once programme is gearing up. with an RTS Futures event that should the clear domain of feature films. Our stellar London conference, be irresistible to addicts of shows such Finally, don’t miss Andrew Billen’s “Full stream ahead”, takes place on as Geordie Shore and First Dates. An revealing interview with Sky’s head of 27 September. We have a matchless outstanding panel will dissect “The drama, Anne Mensah, or Barbara Slat- array of speakers, including two of the reality of reality TV”. er’s Rio diary. US’s most impressive media leaders: Also coming up are the latest instal- NBCUniversal CEO Steve Burke; and ments of our “Anatomy of a hit” strand. Ted Sarandos, Chief Content Officer For the first one, sports fans will want of Netflix. to join a group of experts to discuss The conference is chaired by the Sky Sports’s pioneering coverage of indefatigable Kevin MacLellan, the English Premier League. Theresa Wise Contents Barbara Slater’s TV Diary Drama’s different voice Barbara Slater leaves Salford for Rio, where she shares Self-effacing and jokey, Sky’s Anne Mensah is an 5 in Team GB’s euphoria 18 unusual TV executive. Andrew Billen finds out what makes her so unique The lure of the small screen Netflix’s autumn blockbuster The Crown is made by film Our Friend in the North 6 veterans. Stuart Kemp discovers why TV is attracting the Graeme Thompson sees the next generation of TV best movie-making talent 21 professionals hard at work on two local drama shoots The secrets of success High-flyer lands at Channel 4 Steve Burke, Chief Executive of NBCU, explains how the Charles Gurassa’s business credentials are beyond 8 media giant’s performance is exceeding expectations 22 question, says Maggie Brown. But will he succeed as Channel 4’s chair? The global player Kevin MacLellan runs NBCU International. He tells The new game in town 10 Steve Clarke why he is determined to work with the From YouTube to UKTV, sports fans are watching best of the best 24 a huge range of second-tier sports events for free. Ross Biddiscombe investigates A head for figures New media minister Karen Bradley’s grasp of maths One giant leap for broadcasting 14 should make the BBC nervous, warns Anne McElvoy Gordon Jamieson looks at how a succession of small 26 steps has transformed the Amsterdam tech-fest IBC Why TV needs religious literacy Roger Bolton argues that broadcasters must improve 16 their coverage of faith – or else miss out on modernity’s biggest story Cover picture: Gordon Jamieson

Editor Production, design, advertising Royal Television Society Subscription rates Printing Legal notice Steve Clarke Gordon Jamieson 3 Dorset Rise UK £115 ISSN 0308-454X © Royal Television Society 2016. [email protected] [email protected] London EC4Y 8EN Overseas (surface) £146.11 Printer: FE Burman The views expressed in Television Writer Sub-editor T: 020 7822 2810 Overseas (airmail) £172.22 20 Crimscott Street are not necessarily those of the RTS. Matthew Bell Sarah Bancroft E: [email protected] Enquiries: [email protected] London SE1 5TP Registered Charity 313 728 [email protected] [email protected] W: www.rts.org.uk

Television www.rts.org.uk September 2016 3 Your guide to upcoming national and RTS NEWS regional events

Lambert; Kevin MacLellan, SCOTLAND National events Chairman, NBCUniversal Inter- Local events ■ James Wilson 07899 761167 national; Jane Martinson, Head ■ james.wilson@cityofglasgow- RTS FUTURES of Media, The Guardian; John BRISTOL college.ac.uk Monday 5 September McVay, CEO, Pact; Jane Millichip, ■ Belinda Biggam The reality of reality TV MD, Sky Vision; Tom Mockridge, ■ [email protected] SOUTHERN Panellists include: Becky Crosth- CEO, Virgin Media; Cathy New- Wednesday 28 September waite, games producer; Ruppert man, Presenter, Channel 4 DEVON & CORNWALL What actually is Ultra-HDTV? Gabriel, series producer and News; James Purnell, Director ■ Kingsley Marshall Presentation by Richard Salmon series editor; Coco Jackson, cast- of Strategy and Education, BBC; ■ Kingsley.Marshall@falmouth. and Manish Pindoria, BBC ing researcher; Philip McCreery, Jim Ryan, Chief Strategy Officer, ac.uk R&D. A joint RTS Southern and developer and director; Craig Liberty Global; Ted Sarandos, Thames Valley centres event. Orr, director of commissioning Chief Content Officer, Netflix; EAST Register at www.rtssouth.org. and development, MTV Interna- Richard Watsham, Director of ■ Nikki O’Donnell uk/register. 7:30pm tional; 6:45pm Commissioning, UKTV; Sharon ■ nikki.odonnell@bbc.co.uk Venue: Queen Mary’s College, Venue: The Hospital Club, 24 Endell White, CEO, Ofcom; and Pat Cliddesden Road, Basingstoke Street, London WC2H 9HQ Younge, MD, Sugar Films. LONDON RG21 3HF Venue: Kings Place, 90 York Way, ■ Daniel Cherowbrier ■ Gordon Cooper RTS FUTURES London N1 9AG ■ [email protected] ■ [email protected] Wednesday 14 September Sky Academy tour RTS EARLY EVENING EVENT MIDLANDS THAMES VALLEY Waiting list for places only. This Thursday 6 October Thursday 3 November Wednesday 28 September event is aimed at students, Anatomy of a hit: Sky Sports RTS Midlands Awards 2016 What actually is Ultra-HDTV? recent graduates and anyone in Premier League football Booking opens in early See Southern for details an entry-level role. 12:45pm for Details and venue TBC September. 1:00pm start (6:00pm finish) Venue: National Motorcycle Wednesday 16 November Venue: Sky, The Hub, Grant Way, RTS EARLY EVENING EVENT Museum, Coventry Road, Solihull Small camera systems Isleworth TW7 5QD Monday 10 October B92 0EJ Speakers TBC. 6:30pm for Anatomy of a hit: The Night ■ Jayne Greene 07792 776585 7:00pm RTS CONFERENCE Manager ■ [email protected] Venue: Pincents Manor, Calcot, Tuesday 27 September Details and venue TBC Reading RG31 4UQ RTS London Conference 2016 NORTH EAST & THE BORDER Full stream ahead: RTS EARLY EVENING EVENT Thursday 29 September Friday 25 November Commissioning, developing Tuesday 1 November Networking evenings Thames Valley Centre Annual and producing TV content in Virtual reality and television The last Thursday of the month, Dinner Dance the age of on-demand Details and venue TBC for anyone working in TV, film, This year, we are holding a Principal sponsor: NBCUniversal computer games or digital masquerade ball International RTS MASTERCLASS DAY ­production. 6:00pm onwards. Venue: Kings Meadow, Napier Speakers include: David Abra- Monday 14 November Venue: Tyneside Bar Café, Tyne- Road, Reading, Berks RG1 8DF ham, CEO, Channel 4; Sir Peter RTS Student Programme side Cinema, 10 Pilgrim St, New- ■ Penny Westlake Bazalgette, Non-Executive Masterclasses castle upon Tyne NE1 6QG ■ [email protected] Chairman, ITV, and President of Venue: BFI Southbank, London ■ Jill Graham the RTS; Tina Brown CBE, jour- SE1 8XT ■ [email protected] WALES nalist; Steve Burke, CEO, NBCU- ■ Hywel Wiliam 07980 007841 niversal; Delia Bushell, MD, BT TV RTS MASTERCLASS DAY NORTH WEST ■ [email protected] and BT Sport; Tim Davie, CEO, Tuesday 15 November ■ Rachel Pinkney 07966 230639 BBC Worldwide; Michael Edel- RTS Craft Skills Masterclasses ■ [email protected] YORKSHIRE stein, President, NBCUniversal Venue: BFI Southbank, London ■ Lisa Holdsworth 07790 145280 International Studios; Andrew SE1 8XT NORTHERN IRELAND ■ lisa@allonewordproductions. Griffith, Group COO and CFO, ■ John Mitchell co.uk Sky; Tony Hall, Director-General, RTS FUTURES ■ mitch.mvbroadcast@btinter - BBC; Dido Harding, CEO, TalkTalk Tuesday 6 December net.com Telecom Group; Lorraine Heg- Christmas quiz gessey, Chair, Grierson Trust 6:45pm for 7:00pm start REPUBLIC OF IRELAND and Advisor, Channel 4 Growth Venue: London Studios, Upper ■ Charles Byrne (353) 87251 3092 Fund; Tim Hincks; Jay Hunt, Chief Ground, London SE1 9LT ■ [email protected] Creative Officer, Channel 4; Stephen Lambert, CEO, Studio

4 September 2016 www.rts.org.uk Television TV diary

Barbara Slater leaves Salford for Rio, where she shares in Team GB’s euphoria

y week starts ■ A day in the IBC, where all of the incredible success for Team GB on at BBC Sport international broadcasters are based. that night. Here we are again, four HQ in Salford Some broadcasters have more than years later, with the same three ath- at what is a 2,000 staff – and their own Star- letes, Jessica Ennis-Hill, Mo Farah very exciting bucks. It’s the nerve centre of our and Greg Rutherford, competing for time – the output and is always a hive of activity. medals and trying to match the Olympics are Meet with the senior team as well many successes of British competi- under way. I walk to our ground-floor as production teams in the early tors elsewhere. operation,M where the BBC Breakfast morning to get a feel of how every- Meanwhile, it seems we are break- set has been relocated for 17 days so thing is going. We keep across all the ing digital records every day. Saturday that we can bring viewers all of the audience feedback and UK media to sets an all-time high, with an amaz- action from the previous night. track how the Games are being ing 17 million unique users on the Join a morning conference call with received at home. Sport website and 7 million accessing colleagues in London before starting a We look in detail at the previous content before 11:00am UK time. day of back-to-back meetings, both day’s viewing figures and the perfor- with colleagues in Salford and liaising mance of our digital services. There’s ■ After a late finish, it’s an early start. with those in Brazil – the four-hour a chance to check our radio operation, We have another big day of poten- time difference can make for a very which is working with an innovative tial Team GB medals. Little do we long day. split production for the first time – know that today will soon be dubbed the control room is thousands of “Super Sunday” in recognition of the ■ Prepping for tomorrow, when I’ll miles away in Salford, with the medal haul that is to come. fly out to Rio to oversee our Olym- ­presenters in Rio. Another six medals, and history’s pics production and meet represent- been rewritten and records broken all atives of the International Olympic ■ Lots of meetings today. I’m over the place. On days like today, the Committee, the sports community, attending the Olympic Broadcasting editorial teams have to be flexible, rights-holders and the world’s broad- Services briefing – it’s the chance agile and able to make good, last- casters. Before any trip, there is always for the world’s broadcasters to give minute decisions and predict where one of those “what have I forgotten to feedback on the host coverage. the story is moving to. do?” moments. Today is no different. There’s also an opportunity to show- When is it right to move to another case our operations to members of sport or change shot? These sound like ■ Today, I fly out to Brazil (economy, the IOC. small things but, if we get them wrong, for some who will be interested). There’s still lots of liaison back to the audience soon lets us know. When I land, I get my first taste of the UK, both to Salford and to our If we get them right, we have the one of the challenges faced by the London BBC One and BBC Four potential to create those incredible teams in Rio – traffic jams. It’s a scheduling teams. moments that the whole country long, hot bus journey to the BBC talks about. So, it’s another late night centre of operations. ■ With the Olympics dominating but the whole team is on a high after It’s been very tough: those teams out the peak-time schedules, there are a simply incredible day. and about in Rio, and working at the critical decisions to make about The audience reaction is fantastic, many venues spread across the city, how the coverage works across the as well – what better reward? TV has have faced lengthy and tiring delays. different channels and around pro- audience peaks of more than 10 mil- Everyone is working long hours. It’s grammes such as the Six and Ten lion and, online, we score our own intense work but you can feel the O’clock News. new record, of over 19 million. sense of pride and excitement to be “Super Saturday” became synony- working at an Olympic Games. mous with London 2012 due to the Barbara Slater is Director of BBC Sport.

Television www.rts.org.uk September 2016 5 The Crown The lure of the small screen

hen the latest Doctor Who Time Lord Matt Smith as project from Production finance her new husband, Prince Phillip. multiple Oscar An ambitious six seasons of 10 epi- nominees sodes are planned. Netflix is reported Peter Morgan Netflix’s autumn to be pumping £100m into the show. (The Queen) and blockbuster The Crown is The on-demand service hopes that it StephenW Daldry (The Reader) reaches will be a jewel in the crown of its orig- audiences in November, it won’t be in made by film veterans. inal programming to rank alongside cinemas. Stuart Kemp discovers the remake of House of Cards. Morgan has created and written The Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Crown, an extended biopic on the life of why TV is attracting the Sarandos says that The Crown, brought Queen Elizabeth II. Daldry is the exec- into being by film talent, is a story that utive producer and has directed an best movie-making talent his service can “produce on a larger episode of the show. The series begins scale than anybody else and that we with Elizabeth’s marriage in 1947 and think we can win the day on”. aims to recount the story of her life The series is the latest in a string of until the present day. mammoth TV projects mounted and The Crown stars Claire Foy as the produced by people who have been young British monarch and former corralled from the big screen: Oscar

6 winner Steve McQueen is working on a Down for the BBC in the UK and Netflix family-and-friends drama set in west WHY CRAM everywhere else in the world. London for the BBC; and David Fincher A STORY INTO The approach to financing Watership is directing and executive producing Down was very similar to that for an the Netflix-backed FBI crime drama 90 MINUTES independent film in that it involved a Mindhunter. Baz Luhrmann, meanwhile, WHEN YOU tapestry of funders. Moreover, the is in post on The Get Down, a drama set show is bonded (an insurance paid to in 1970s New York, for Sony Pictures COULD TELL IT guarantee the project is completed), a Television and Netflix. IN 10 60-MINUTE new thing for television, thanks to the Danish director Susanne Bier’s reality of these more complex financ- glossy John le Carré adaptation, The PARTS? ing structures. Night Manager, made for the BBC and “We’ve been doing complicated AMC in the US, showcased the skills financial closing on independent films she acquired in the movie business. Andrew Woodhead to lead the compa- for ages,” says Varney. “It’s completely Oscar winner Jane Campion also ny’s British TV arm. He had helped new to television, so traditional TV switched medium to make Top of the steer Sky’s high-profile series Fortitude, producers who are now doing more Lake as a mini-series for the BBC and BBC spy drama Spooks and The Fixer for international shows are having to learn the Sundance Channel, while Martin ITV. Across the pond in LA, veteran TV a new skill just to continue making Scorsese executive produced and executive Andrew Stearn runs the US that type of television. For independ- directed an episode of HBO’s side of the operation. ent film producers it’s the formats, be music-industry drama Vinyl. “Because of the international market­ it series or single films, that they don’t These are just the tip of the iceberg. place, the budgets are changing. This know so well.” The film-to-TV crossover is fuelled means that what you are capable of Also, talent deals are much more partly by the big bucks that well- achieving is greater as well,” says transparent in TV, compared with heeled global distribution networks Woodhead. film’s infamously opaque world of such as Netflix and Amazon can afford With US premium cable shows able residuals and box office-related pay. to lavish on product. But three other to offer between six and 10 hours to “Talent can probably get a deal that factors support the shift. tell a story and develop characters, exceeds what you’d expect to make on The first is the tax credits available television is a very good space for a feature film,” says Bevan. “And tele- in the UK to producers of high-end TV character-driven material. vision displays certainty.” programmes. Second, and just as Harry Potter, Gravity and Paddington Number 9 Films, headed by Stephen

Netflix important to film-makers, is the crea- producer David Heyman formed Hey- Woolley and Elizabeth Karlsen, whose tive breathing space that they are day Television, a joint venture with recent credits include Todd Haynes’s offered when working in TV. Why NBCUniversal International Studios, Carol, starring Cate Blanchett, is stepping cram a story into 90 minutes when last year to create premium, long-form, into TV drama production, too. Karlsen you could tell it in 10 60-minute parts? scripted content for a global market- is teaming up with Nicola Shindler’s Finally, there is the financial squeeze place. “Telling a story over multiple Red Production Company to “learn being felt by mid-range film producers. seasons gives you the opportunity to from the best”. Together, they are shep- Hollywood studios and smaller pro- explore characters in greater depth, herding an adaptation of Henry James’s duction companies alike are concen- develop them and see them grow over Portrait of a Lady to the small screen. trating on fewer, bigger tentpole a period of time,” says Heyman. “It’s “We decided that we would team up properties and on established fran- one of the many things that happened with someone because we haven’t chises. In the $35m range, budgets are with [Harry] Potter in both books and done television before,” says Karlsen. harder than ever to assemble. films. The audience built a sense of Her experience in producing inde- “The creative space that premium ownership over the characters and that pendent films for more than 20 years drama occupies on television is the is both appealing and enjoyable.” has armed her with caution. creative space that a lot of our films Film producers Ben Pugh and Rory She warns against the notion held by used to occupy,” says Tim Bevan, Aitken, who worked together on Eran many independent film producers that Co-chair of Working Title Films. Creevy’s Welcome to the Punch, founded TV is easier to set up than film, both He is the co-founder of one of the 42 with ex-Independent Talent agents creatively and financially. “We only get UK’s most successful film production Josh Varney and Kate Buckley in 2013. to know about the things [on televi- companies. Working Title’s credits It is one of the very few UK compa- sion] that we see,” she points out. “I’m include Love, Actually and Bridget Jones’s nies straddling production and talent sure there are many stories of things Diary. In 2010, Bevan and partner Eric management (such entities are com- that fall by the wayside.” Fellner took the decision to set up a mon in Hollywood) and moves seam- Another market pressure is that the TV division with backing from lessly between film and TV projects. best writers, whether they work in TV NBCUniversal. The company hired former BBC or film, are all booked up now. “We are probably doing a bit more in drama commissioner and author Elea- “Change breeds opportunity and it’s the movie space than in the TV space nor Moran to run its TV division, which a good time to be a disruptive style of right now, but I can see that changing has 10 TV projects in active develop- company in an industry that is differ- in the next couple of years, certainly in ment with UK broadcasters and two ent to what it was five years ago,” notes terms of hours produced,” Bevan says. with US ones. It is half way through 42’s Aitken. “The only certainty we Six months ago, Working Title production on a four-part, animated have is that it will be seismically dif- brought in renowned TV producer adaptation of Richard Adams’s Watership ferent five years from now.”

Television www.rts.org.uk September 2016 7 With a diverse portfolio, strong Qprofit growth and numerous ­ NBCUniversal divisions breaking records, it has been an amazing few years for NBCUniversal since Comcast’s acqui­ Steve Burke, Chief Executive of sition. What do you credit for this NBCU, explains how the media giant’s level of performance? Our performance over the last five performance is exceeding expectations A years has exceeded our expecta- tions. Since Comcast acquired NBCU- niversal in 2011, we have doubled our cash flow and almost every part of our company is firing on all cylinders. The NBC Television network, which had been in fourth place for a long time, has won the broadcast season for two years in a row, thanks to hit shows such as The Voice, and two of our new- est series, Blindspot and Chicago Med. Sunday Night Football remains the number-one show on TV, and we added Thursday-night games to the schedule. On top of that, NBC’s late- night line-up continues to dominate, with Saturday Night Live, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Late Night with Seth Meyers. Our news division is also winning across the board, as NBC Nightly News, with Lester Holt, Meet the Press and Today are firmly back in the top spots. We secured the Olympic broadcast rights in the US through to 2032 and just broadcast a record-breaking 6,755 hours of compelling coverage from the Rio Olympic Games. Our film business completed its best year ever in 2015, shattering all box-office­ records. Universal has had two consecutive record-breaking years and was the first studio to have three blockbuster hits — Jurassic World, Furious 7 and Minions — that each exceeded $1bn at the box office. This summer, we had a very suc- cessful launch of The Secret Life of Pets, which broke the record to become the best opening ever for an original film, animated or otherwise. The Universal theme parks have turned out to be one of the biggest growth businesses in the portfolio, and we have seen our investments in hotels and attractions such as The Wizarding World of Harry Potter pay off – with our cash flow more than tripling since 2009. The secrets We have also placed increased focus on our international business, which is led by Kevin MacLellan and his team, who oversee our businesses in 36 countries. of success Our theme parks division is in the

midst of global expansion, as we are NBCUniversal

8 currently working on a new park in NBCUniversal broader reach to a host Beijing and we acquired 51% ownership of new audiences in the highly com- ALMOST EVERY of Universal Studios Japan last year. petitive kids and family entertainment The international television busi- space. With the addition of DreamWorks, PART OF OUR ness, in particular, has seen strong we will be in a position to launch two COMPANY IS performance this year. Downton Abbey more animated films per year. is the most highly nominated, non-US Thanks to our partners at Illumina- FIRING ON ALL show in the history of the Emmys, tion Entertainment and Chris Mele- CYLINDERS with a total of 69 nominations in its dandri, we have experienced great six-series run. We launched hayu, the success with animated franchises all-reality SVoD service in the UK and – including hits such as Despicable Me, Australia. In Japan, Studio Universal Minions and The Secret Life of Pets – that and E! launched a branded SVoD service have not only fuelled some of our on Avex, the country’s largest mobile- biggest box-office wins, but have also video platform. spawned popular attractions in our The last five years have been great theme parks and helped build our for NBCUniversal, but we still have a consumer-products division. lot to do and see a lot of opportunity DreamWorks will also give us a ahead of us. strong footing in the kids TV space, thanks to its large production opera- How has the culture of NBC­ tion in Los Angeles. Burke’s QUniversal changed under your leadership? What are the leadership NBCUniversal has been making progress values you introduced to the company Qa series of digital investments and why are they so important? including BuzzFeed and Vox Media, We run the company in a very and launching your own SVoD ser­ Steve Burke is CEO of NBCUniversal. A decentralised way. We want busi- vices with hayu and Seeso. How do He oversees the company’s port­folio ness leaders to feel like they are truly these investments play into your of news, sports and entertainment in charge of their own divisions. vision for the company’s future? networks, a film studio, TV produc- I believe very strongly that this is the One of our top priorities over the tion operations, a TV stations group best way to run a company such as A next decade is to make sure that and several theme parks. In April, NBCUniversal,­ and it places an even the company is well positioned to NBCU bought DreamWorks Anima- higher premium on making sure that capture the growing audience of mil- tion for $3.8bn. you have the right people in place. lennials, who are increasingly spend- Burke assumed the role of CEO We like people who manage decisively, ing their time on digital platforms. in January 2011 following Comcast’s put the company first, treat colleagues Last August, we invested $200m in purchase of NBCU from General and partners well and want to win. BuzzFeed, and $200m in Vox – two Electric. He was previously COO of We have also made it a top priority companies that have had tremendous Comcast, having joined in 1998 as for collaboration to be a core part of success in the space and from which President of Comcast Cable. our culture. The best example is our we can learn a lot. During his tenure, Comcast “Symphony” efforts, where every one The Olympics provided the perfect became the largest cable company, of our 22 businesses gets behind the opportunity for us to partner with largest residential internet service launch of a new film, TV series or BuzzFeed and cover the Games in new provider and third-largest phone theme-park attraction. and innovative ways. We sent a crew company in the US, and launched We have also rolled out “Symphony” of BuzzFeed reporters to Rio, who a wireless business. internationally, and have seen impres- captured short, live clips that were Prior to Comcast, Burke worked sive results from our businesses and distributed via Snapchat. for Disney as President of ABC clients in territories around the world. We are also partnering with Vox’s Broadcasting. He joined Disney A notable example was our partner- The Verge to run a live Mr Robot after- in 1986, where he spearheaded ship with Sky around a joint marketing show. This is a great way to engage and the launch of stand-alone Disney campaign for The Secret Life of Pets, grow a young fan base. Stores. In 1992, he moved to Euro which worked very well. Seeso and hayu are also good exam- Disney, where, as President and ples of how we are launching digital COO, he turned the business around. What was the strategy behind businesses that are aimed at connect- The son of a senior TV executive, Qacquiring DreamWorks Ani­ ing directly with avid fans of specific Burke holds an MBA from Harvard mation? How might the acquisition genres. Hayu is an all-reality SVoD Business School. He lives in New bolster NBCU’s portfolio, particularly service, with fully integrated social-­ York with his wife and five children. your film, theme-park and consumer-­ media functionality, which launched in product businesses? the UK, Ireland and Australia in April. Steve Burke, Chief Executive DreamWorks Animation is one of We have been pleased with the results, ­Officer of NBCUniversal, is A the world’s most admired family which exceeded our expectations and a speaker at the RTS London brands, with a dynamic film business provided a lot of learnings to the inter- ­Conference on 27 September. He and an extensive library of intellec- national teams about running direct- was interviewed by Steve Clarke. tual property. The acquisition gives to-consumer businesses.

Television www.rts.org.uk September 2016 9 The global player NBCUniversal

he Chair of this year’s RTS open at the neck, finished off with ele- London Conference, Kevin NBCUniversal gant, suede Chelsea boots. With closely MacLellan, the London- cropped hair and Nordic blue eyes, ­based Chairman of Inter- MacLellan looks more like an off-duty, national at NBCUniversal, Kevin MacLellan runs all-American sports coach enjoying a is proof that talent and hard NBCU International. summer weekend than a media execu- work, rather than privilege and well- ­ tive at the end of a tiring week. placedT connections, can take you to That is until he starts talking. “I aim He tells Steve Clarke the top of the entertainment industry. to leave in time to be home at 6:30pm His blue-collar Brooklyn background why he is determined to feed and put our 14-month-old was about as far as you could get from to work with the best twins to bed. But this week I was out Hollywood or downtown Manhattan. three nights out of four and I’m out MacLellan’s family expected him to of the best again tonight,” he says ruefully. follow in his father’s footsteps: they MacLellan’s manner is direct and wanted him to work for the local phone from General Electric in 2011) famously upbeat. And so it should be. A couple company. He saw his future differently. increased its international channel of days before this interview, Variety “My parents told me that I was nuts subscribers from 17 million to more had published another positive story when I gave them the news that I’d got than 100 million and grew syndication about NBCU’s US business. Steve Burke, a job as a freelance production assistant revenue by over 500%. the company’s CEO, told the paper that working on music videos,” he recalls. His previous jobs include working advertising dollars were returning to TV “They looked at me as if I had six for HBO in Prague (in charge of the after a long period of experimenting heads. My mum was very annoyed pay-TV outfit’s central and eastern with social media and digital. with me… all that money that had been European programming group) and MacLellan was not surprised. He is spent on a college education. She Sony Pictures Television International. convinced that the future of traditional wanted me to take the job my father’s Based in London, MacLellan was advertiser-funded linear TV is secure. friends had arranged for me at the Vice-President of Sony’s International “Listen, I’ve never been a naysayer phone company.” TV Networks business. on linear,” he says. “I think linear is More than 25 years later, MacLellan NBCU’s international division spans going to be around for a very long runs NBCU’s billowing international 36 countries (including the UK) and is time. I believe there is a place for it business. The job encompasses over- a key area for growth at the entertain- that OTT can’t replace.” seeing growth from TV channels, ment giant. He was appointed Chair of He adds: “My belief is that free-to-air movie distribution, TV production and International three years ago. broadcast will continue to be popular a library of more than 75,000 TV epi- MacLellan looks conspicuously and money will continue to move sodes plus news and theme parks. casual and his youthful demeanour into it. He is a Comcast veteran, under may come from being a relatively new “ As humans, we are pack animals. whose leadership Comcast (the US parent. He is dressed in off-white chinos We crave shared experiences. I do cable behemoth that bought NBCU and a summer-weight check shirt, believe that it is linear TV that will

10 MacLellan on… Brexit

Following Brexit, might QNBCU move its interna­ tional HQ from London to Downton Abbey

ITV Paris or Frankfurt? I should never say no to less affinity to our content but certainly A anything but, right now, MY EXPERIENCE there’s large GDP growth in those par- that’s certainly not the plan. ticular markets and you’re seeing a Our CEO felt that you go where HAS BEEN large move to the middle class. the money is – and the money THAT TALENT “People didn’t use to be able to afford is still primarily in western the kind of products and services that Europe. The obvious place to IS PROBABLY we provide.” go was London. THE RAREST For many years, Chinese and Indians From a trade perspective, the have consumed a huge amount of TV product that we distribute from COMMODITY and film, MacLellan points out. The this office wouldn’t be so heav- OUT THERE challenge for companies such as NBCU ily affected [by Brexit] that we’d has been that most viewers have have a reason to leave the UK. tended to ignore Western-style content At least as things are now.… – they have generally tuned in to Probably the biggest thing that continue to deliver those shared expe- local-language stations. This is chang- would decide whether we leave riences in a large way.” ing, now, as young people watch video or not would be the brain drain. NBCU’s financial results are reported on their mobile phones. “We are seeing More than 100 of our London-­ within Comcast’s and the contribution much more of an affinity for English-­ based employees are non-British made by International is not separated language content over the phone with nationals. Most of them work at out. In common with other global US young people in those markets. This is senior levels. If they were entertainment businesses, it is Interna- great news for us,” he says. forced to move or we weren’t tional that is growing faster than the Turning to the UK, he points out that able to get visas, that would be domestic activities. NBCU was one of the first US studios a moment to pause for thought. MacLellan says: “The US advertising to acquire a British producer, Carnival, What London has right now market being so buoyant and the in 2008. The company became famous is the best of the best. You get to pay-TV market there being so large for making a certain English country-­ pool the best talent from differ- means that there’s a long hill to climb house drama that became a global ent countries. If you close your before you get to the point where phenomenon. But how do you find the borders to that you will see international outweighs domestic next Downton Abbey? companies such as ours starting revenues. But in 10 years’ time.… “If I knew that, I’d be writing dramas. to see if there is someplace else “For us, there is growth all over the Listen, you just try and work with the we should work from. place.” He identifies the UK, Germany, best talent,” says MacLellan. “My expe- Australia, Latin America and France as rience has been that talent is probably Kevin MacLellan, Chairman of key growth markets. “We like to say: the rarest commodity out there – that NBC­Universal International, is ‘We build scale where scale matters.’” is, true, creative talent. also Chair of the RTS London He continues: “Obviously, China and “There are lots of discussions about Conference on 27 September. India are big growth markets. There’s how people make a lot of money or �

Television www.rts.org.uk September 2016 11 NBC and Sky 1 show You, Me & the Apocalypse Sky

� are treated incredibly well. That’s quality than quantity. It is not about because there are so few of them. volume of hours. “It’s basic economics. There are so “The idea of buying a big All3Media MacLellan few that they are worth more. Since is not really something that is part of we got here, our goals in the UK have our strategy. Our focus is to work on… Netflix been to work with the best of the best. with the best of the best in Britain. “Gareth Neame at Carnival has “So, if there was a great British What is your take on done a phenomenal job,” MacLellan writer or director or producer who QNetflix? adds. “We’re very proud of that label. had their own production entity, we Netflix has been a revolu- It’s produced one of the highest-rated would certainly be interested in A tionary delivery platform dramas in the UK in the past 20 or working with them. that has performed very well 30 years. It’s had more Emmy nomi- “From that perspective, we would because it has a great service. nations and awards than any other potentially acquire or fund the start-up It took a very complicated drama in its history. of a new production company.” concept and made it quite “When you’re working with people Last year, NBCU announced a joint simple to follow. that good you will find another Down- venture with film producer David Its interface, which, interest- ton Abbey. But there is no exact way Heyman, Heyday Television. The ingly, looks a little old com- into it… you work with the best, sup- initiative followed Heyman produc- pared with some new entrants, port them and make this a place ing BBC Two’s classy The Worricker was groundbreaking when it where they wanna be.” Trilogy, made with Carnival and writ- started. It was simple and If securing hit shows is always ten by David Hare. intuitive. Add to that, a reliable a high-wire act, having access to It has been widely reported that technical streaming service. NBCU’s massive distribution network NBCU has considered making a bid Let me tell you that, having mitigates the risk considerably. for ITV. MacLellan insists that “none of launched these services our- “To be in the production business the stories that appeared were true”. selves, we’ve realised how as a standalone is not a great busi- Might it happen one day? “There’s difficult that is behind the ness,” he explains. “But to be in the a possibility that we make an invest- scenes [NBCU launched reality production business when you’re ment. At this point, there is no plan to streaming service hayu in the working with a distribution business make one,” he says. UK this spring]. the size of ours makes a lot of sense.” NBCU’s strategy in the UK involves The fact that Netflix was able Including Carnival, NBCU owns continuing “to develop the best pos- to do it on the scale that it did, five UK producers. The others are sible English-language content and reliably and intuitively, and Monkey Kingdom, Chocolate Media, distributing that around the world”. then to add all the content, was Telecopter TV and Lucky Giant. MacLellan explains: “A big part of incredibly admirable. Is NBCU considering acquiring why we’re here, and one of the We’ve learned a lot from other UK independents? “Yes,” he advantages of having our own office [how it did that]. The way con- confirms. “A lot have been bought. here, is mining the talent that exists sumers will interact with a There are not a whole lot out there. in the UK so that we can move that product like that has really set We do not have a philosophy that product over to the US. That’s the the path for the rest of us. more is better. It is more about home run for us.”

12 September 2016 www.rts.org.uk Television Music makes it

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RTS_Page_Ad.indd 2 15/08/2016 12:32 A head for figures

aren Bradley’s “She is one of the few people May appointment as Westminster politics would spend time with outside the day ­Secretary of State job,” notes a fellow minister. May invites for Culture, Media few colleagues for a gin and tonic after and Sport came as Anne McElvoy warns work but Bradley is one of them. a Westminster sur- that new media minister In part, this is because May has a prise.K Unexpected that is, except to personal affinity with the hard-working Theresa May’s tight-knit coterie, who Karen Bradley’s grasp Bradley. She is a comprehensive-­ understand the key operating princi- educated maths graduate of Imperial ples of her rise to the leadership. of maths should make College London, who has slogged away The new Prime Minister keeps good the BBC nervous as a senior tax adviser at KPMG. faith with those she deems loyal, level-­ This relative newcomer – she was headed, and unflashy. To that extent, but May has in the past spoken more elected to the Commons only in 2010 the new culture secretary is a thor- warmly of a “strong BBC”, “important – combines the talents of a flinty poli- oughly Conservative appointment of for the UK and the broadcasting indus- tician with high intelligence and a low the old school: she is a trusted adjutant, try as a whole”. profile. It was not always certain that rather than an ideologue or previous The elevation of a more moderate she would reach the upper ministerial expert with hobby horses to ride. ministerial voice reflects May’s general slopes. Westminster watchers (in this As a former shadow culture secre- approach: avoiding unnecessary con- case, me) noted that her main rival for tary herself in the mid-2000s, May troversy as she wrestles with finding a higher office was Andrea Leadsom, a is confident that she knows enough deliverable Brexit plan that does mini- gutsy Brexiteer briefly a candidate for about the broad brief to make the mum damage to UK plc. the Tory leadership. major decisions. A rung under May’s closest ally, As a former accountant, Bradley Bradley’s rise is a case of the pendu- Philip Hammond, who has been pro- knew more about financial projections lum swinging from an ideological moted to Chancellor, the unassuming than many of those in more senior culture secretary to a technocrat. Her Bradley is the politician that May trusts decision-making jobs. “She is very predecessor, John Whittingdale, had a to act instinctively with the grain of calm and focused, and can juggle long history of seeking a smaller BBC her own interests. numbers at top speed,” notes an MP

14 paper is a deal struck by BBC Director-­ a senior BBC management figure: “It is General Tony Hall: in return for no like fiddling with a piece of embroidery major reduction of the corporation’s – you pull one thread and the rest scale and activities, the BBC will pay becomes unstitched.” for the £650m-plus cost of free TV Similarly, there is scant sign of inter- licences for the over-75s. est in resurrecting the mooted sale of Some sticking points remain, how- Channel 4. ever. One is the threat of government-­ Instead, the main concern of the appointed members to a new BBC new DCMS team answering to a PM unitary board. The Government’s orig- keen to underline her understanding inal instinct was to leaven the BBC’s of the UK outside London and the tendency to appoint unchallenging South East concerns the nations and Trust members, who minsters saw as regions. Bradley will want to ensure inexperienced in the commercial sec- that the BBC achieves greater diversity tor and too close to the corporation’s of supply without simply “brass plat- status-quo inclinations. ing” companies based in London. But government appointees run Incidentally, as an MP for Stafford- counter to the long-standing principle shire, she embodies the rise of the of BBC independence. They would be non-metropolitan, May-era Tory. THE UNASSUMING resisted fiercely by Lord Hall and May is not always inclined to accept prominent corporation supporters. the Cameron-Osborne legacy. One BRADLEY IS That, senior BBC sources suggest, clue to her thinking might lie in Brad- THE POLITICIAN might see May trading away the idea of ley’s de facto deputy, Matthew Han- political appointees or agreeing to farm cock, as minister of state with a focus THAT MAY it out to an arm’s-length committee. on digital innovation. TRUSTS TO ACT But in exchange for what? The detail As the corporation’s new regulator, of Hall’s “Compete or Compare” strat- Ofcom will oversee competition ques- INSTINCTIVELY egy on independent production might tions. But there are indications that the WITH THE GRAIN face further scrutiny. Opening up radio new ministers will be keen to ensure to a 60% quota for independents by that Ofcom is rigorous in doing so. OF HER OWN 2022 worries internal suppliers. “Hancock’s commitment to spur on INTERESTS Will Jackson, Managing Director of digital innovation [an area he champi- the trade body Radio Independents oned at the Treasury] means that he Group, says: “I’d expect the focus to be has grounds to look out for outcomes

Getty Images on ensuring distinctiveness in BBC that end up stymying innovation or Radio. The speedy opening up of the competition,” says an official. “Ed who sat with her on the Work and schedules to competition from inde- Vaizey [his Cameronian predecessor] Pensions Committee. pendent producers will be vital.” saw the job as persuading the culture Her drawback, in a job that involves BBC Television, mired in arguments establishment that not all Tories were sweetening many perpetually annoyed about market impact and “distinctive- out-of-date philistines. Hancock is a groups in the arts, media and sport, has ness”, may yet find itself with a fight on tougher, more driven character with a been a lack of discernible personality. its hands over “competitive scheduling” determination to make his mark on But a similar frosty detachment has not of popular shows such as Strictly Come the digital economy, and that can rub stopped her governor rising to the top. Dancing and the effect it has on com- up against the interests of the BBC.” BBC bosses might take note. It is mercial rivals. But Hancock will be constrained by Bradley’s ability to master figures and But, says one Tory backbencher, the realities of May’s position. A small their context that is one of the main “Theresa does not strike one as the Commons majority, plus the combina- reasons she has been given media woman who fancies a big ruckus over tion of running Brexit wars and the fiefdom. Strictly – not least because she is an personality of his boss make it unlikely The chief focus of the role, as far as occasional viewer herself”. that he will rock the boat. May is concerned, is to steer through As for the plans for BBC Studios, the A friend of Bradley says: “She is Charter renewal based on the recent likelihood is that a selectively arranged ambitious enough to be wary of the BBC white paper. As for culture and market will emerge in which ring- fate of previous incumbents Maria sport, it would be hard to see why fenced shows cannot be contended for. Miller or Sajid Javid, neither of whom Bradley, whose only known cultural Other, less well-known programmes left much of a mark, but ambitious indulgence is crime novels, is any are more likely to be farmed out to enough to know that the job can be a better qualified than the next minister. indies in order to make the plan work. stepping stone to greater things.” Policy-makers close to Team May Independents fear that the arrange- Remember Jeremy Hunt, elevated point out that unravelling Charter ment is still too dependent on com- from culture secretary in 2012 to health renewal is not a priority for No 10. missioners who want to protect the secretary. And, ­crucially, that the PM Some trailing wires, however, are in output of existing BBC departments. will always take Karen Bradley’s call. evidence and May requires a trusted The overall impression is that the ally to sort them out. Government is unlikely to revisit Anne McElvoy is senior editor In essence, the trade-off in the white Charter renewal at this stage, suggests at The Economist.

Television www.rts.org.uk September 2016 15 Why TV needs religious literacy

The Wintershall Players perform ‘The Passion of Jesus’ on Good Friday in Trafalgar Square, April 2014 Getty Images

y generation grew returned from exile to Iran in 1979, up thinking that Religion I did not even know which branch of religion was com- Islam he belonged to or why it mat- pletely marginal tered so much (Shia, since you ask). to British life, Roger Bolton argues What followed his return was the which, as for the that broadcasters must Iranian Revolution, the Iran-Iraq war ‘restM of the world, has been proved and just about everything that has more and more wrong,” historian improve their coverage happened in the Middle East since. Simon Schama famously said. Today, religious literacy is vital for In this, if in little else, Schama and of faith – or else miss everyone involved in broadcasting. I have something in common. Born in out on modernity’s Lyse Doucet, chief international the same year, I was also carried along correspondent for BBC News, says this: on the wave of 1960s optimism which biggest story “Sadly, distortions of religious belief assumed that everyone was basically and texts are used as political weapons good, life was getting better for all, and When I became a BBC journalist, in many conflicts, as well as in clashes reason would triumph. I was encouraged to read books on, for over traditional beliefs and practices. As a historian, and a Jew, Schama example, Ireland and the trade unions That requires us to know more about knew this was an illusion, of course, and to learn about the City. No one the tenets of major religions and sys- yet even he misread the importance ever mentioned the Shia/Sunni split. tems of belief, and to be able to assess of faith in the modern world. Indeed, when Ayatollah Khomeini and analyse different interpretations.”

16 In the Sunday Times, the journalist such as Lyse Doucet and Ed Stourton. AA Gill has written: “Religion has RELIGIOUS But it seems to have little or no strat- never been more tangible in world egy, is in an organisational muddle and affairs and public life. Not having more LITERACY IS seems to place religious broadcasting sensible and serious religious broad- VITAL FOR well down its list of priorities. casting isn’t modern, it’s a failure to EVERYONE This may be a harsh judgement, and face modernity.” it would be wonderful if the BBC could In a keynote speech at the 2016 INVOLVED IN produce the facts to contradict it, but ­Sandford St Martin Awards at Lambeth BROADCASTING consider the following, worrying, Palace this June, the Archbishop of evidence. Canterbury, Justin Welby, called on the Ofcom described religious program- BBC to treat religion “with the same ming as one of several “immediate seriousness as other genres such as happened to her son and to come to issues” of concern in its July 2015 sport, politics, economics or drama”. He terms with his death. Would it have report “Public service in the internet went on: “The promotion of religious been better if he had never been born? age”. The point was repeated in the literacy should be a specific duty for the The Radio Times Faith Award went BBC’s own Charter review report of BBC across its broadcasting services.” to a very different sort of programme, September 2015, “British, bold, creative: The BBC has six public purposes set BBC One’s Call the Midwife, and the the BBC’s programmes and services in out by Royal Charter. For some of us, Trustees’ Award to Joan Bakewell for the next Charter”. the promotion of religious literacy her lifelong commitment to ethical But the 103-page corporation docu- ought to be a seventh such purpose. inquiry in programmes such as Heart ment made no further reference to Such literacy is not only necessary of the Matter and The Ethics Committee, religion – the only programme genre to understand the world beyond our which enabled her to explore, with of “immediate issues” that got no shores. Christianity made this country. judicious impartiality, the most inter- mention in the BBC’s proposals for It is impossible to understand fully our esting ethical dilemmas of our age. the next Charter period. politics and our culture, painting, But if the quality is high, the volume Aaqil Ahmed, officially the BBC’s sculpture, poetry and drama, indeed is getting lower. head of religion and ethics, has had our new Prime Minister, without Take Channel 4. According to Ofcom, his commissioning power taken away understanding the Christian faith. its spending on religious broadcasting from him. TV religious programmes And it impossible to understand dropped from £49m in 2008 to £20m are now commissioned by a non-­ the country we are becoming without in 2013 (the latest figures we have). This specialist responsible for several other understanding the beliefs of those who period coincided with Channel 4’s genres, science, business and history. have immigrated here. The 2011 census decisions to dispense with the role of BBC News has editors for a vast range recorded that there were 2.8 million commissioning editor for religion and of subjects, including consumer affairs, Muslims in Britain, or 4.4% of the pop- to eliminate any religious program- the arts, sport, politics, economics and a ulation; those figures will have ming quota. host of others. Religion does not have increased in the past five years. For At ITV, the position is even worse. such a senior figure able to influence many, perhaps most, Muslims, their Spending on religious programme editorial policy, and its correspondent faith is the most important thing in commissions dropped from £40m in has to make do with a part-time pro- their lives. How must they regard jour- 2008 to £2m in 2013. Yes, £2m. ducer, though that may change. nalists who know little of their most In 2015, according to Ofcom, spend- In the light of this apparent vacuum, cherished beliefs and who do not have ing by the PSBs on religious and ethics the Sandford St Martin Trust has been the knowledge to challenge those who programmes was £12m, down 6% on trying to get answers from the BBC to distort their faith? 2014. So much, therefore, depends on three key questions: So, how well are we broadcasters our main public service broadcaster, n Who in the BBC will take overall doing? The picture is decidedly mixed. the BBC. How well is it doing? It makes responsibility for the range, quality There are some cracking programmes some good programmes, and has out- and quantity of religious coverage? being made, as the shortlist for this standingly well-informed journalists, n Are BBC commissioners and pro- year’s Sandford St Martin Awards gramme-makers issued with specific showed. Entries were welcomed from objectives or goals to help ensure news, current affairs, factual, arts, informed coverage of the range of reli- music, drama, children’s and comedy THE PROMOTION gious beliefs and practices in the UK? genres – as well as from teams pro- OF RELIGIOUS n Regarding BBC news, does the BBC ducing specifically “religious” com- agree that, in order for good journalism missions. This year’s TV winner was LITERACY to flourish in this sensitive but crucial My Son the Jihadi, made by True Vision SHOULD BE A area, the same resources and expertise Productions for Channel 4. are necessary as in other areas? If so, In 2011, Sally Evans made a devastat- SPECIFIC DUTY why is there no editor for religion? ing discovery: her son Thomas had left FOR THE BBC Perhaps the BBC has detailed their home in a Buckinghamshire village answers to these questions. If so, and travelled to Somalia to join an Isla- ACROSS ITS could it let us know? mist terrorist group. The film charted, BROADCASTING with immense sensitivity, her subse- Roger Bolton is a broadcaster and a quent attempts to understand what had SERVICES trustee of the Sandford St Martin Trust.

Television www.rts.org.uk September 2016 17 Drama’s different voice Sky Self-effacing and jokey, Sky’sAnne Mensah is an unusual TV executive. Andrew Billen finds out what makes her so unique

hen Anne Admittedly, Mensah is one of the team, he found it in Mensah, a Mensah left the most jokey, self-effacing executives I 44-year-old graduate from ITV, the BBC five years have interviewed for these pages, and, indie sector and a decade at the BBC. ago to become even more winningly, this is in the She may even be topping that score Sky’s drama context of admitting to loving Sapphire when she describes to me her forth- head, the & Steel as a child. Even so… coming Sky 1 drama Britannia, set at the broadcaster’s Chief Executive, Jeremy “There is something,” she says, time of the Roman invasion. It will, she Darroch,W made one stipulation: “about putting the customer first that promises, encapsulate the idea of “Whatever you do, don’t do the same. keeps you honest. It isn’t about “innovation in the mainstream”. People can get the same for free.” whether my mum likes it, or whether It is only, however, when she reveals “And that was the most liberating critics like it, or whether the industry who is writing it that I share her thing anybody could say,” enthuses thinks I’m good. It really does come excitement. It is Jez Butterworth. No Mensah. We are talking in a meeting down to: are you doing something that one has persuaded the author of Jeru- room somewhere in the Sky HQ in somebody else, who doesn’t know you, salem, the best British play of this cen- Osterley, west London. Her commis- and therefore has no vested interest, tury, to write for television for 20 years. sioning team could comfortably join thinks is worth paying for?” To qualify this a little, Britannia was not us because there are just six of them. She says that, for Sky, it is not about his idea; he came aboard later. Still, This may be a healthy indication that the total numbers a show gets, but how Mensah says, we shall hear his voice. ideas here are not imposed from excitedly those who do watch talk “He’s hugely big-brained. He just above, on the whim of a controller, but about it. The BBC has its audience brings energy and a sense of excite- percolate in from outside. Mensah goes appreciation index. Sky obsesses over ment.” We shall witness, she promises, so far as to say: “One reason that our its subscribers’ “passion scores”. a collision between a modern world way is not to imprint on creatives is If Darroch was looking for a passion and a religiously based world, and we because my taste is terrible.” score of near 100% in his creative shall note the parallels with today.

18 Britannia, she thinks, would not fit job in UK television and actually the anywhere on the BBC. This is a big WE DON’T only BAME (black, Asian or minority claim and it is worth asking if it means MAKE AS MUCH ethnic) member of her own team. much, particularly given that the cur- But that, she adds, is because Danny rent BBC mantra is also distinctiveness. AS OTHER Takhar left to write and Madonna Bap- Mensah’s examples of distinctiveness CHANNELS tiste went on to produce the Sky 1 at Sky are sometimes as disputable as show Stan Lee’s Lucky Man. the BBC’s. She speaks of The Enfield ON PURPOSE, Her department has a clear target Haunting in May 2015 succeeding at a BECAUSE EVERY that 20% of writers on a multi-­authored time when “nobody else was doing series should be BAME, plus 20% of ghost stories”. In fact, BBC One’s SINGLE THING WE the cast, and at least one head of a key Remember Me had been broadcast only LOVE TO DEATH department. five months earlier. Enjoyable though “I am incredibly lucky. I mean, God, Agatha Raisin has been on Sky 1, could obviously there are issues around skin it not have sat as happily on ITV? “I colour, but I also think there’s issues definitely think it’s spikier than Mid- round class and opportunity,” she says. somer Murders,” she retorts. That said, the Mensahs were not well Does she think it curious that Butter­ off. Although her sister, who is 10 years worth has chosen to write a state- ­ younger, went to a private school, Anne of-the-nation TV show for Sky, rather went to Sedgehill, a comp in Catford, than for the national broadcaster? south London. Television became her “I would say, ‘Why not Sky subscrib- “friend”: Dallas, The A-Team and, yes, ers?’ It will obviously go out simulta- Sapphire & Steel. Her mother and she neously in the UK, Italy and Germany cried with laughter at It’ll Be Alright on and, at that point, you’re talking to a the Night. The future BBC executive was huge audience. It will also go out in learning to be totally “un-snobbish” America at the same time on Amazon, about television – not that this pre- so it has a huge range.” vented her making short films at school Sky’s native dramas, since she of the “angsty teen” genre. joined, have had their highs and their She graduated from Exeter University lows. Well promoted, they often begin with a first in American and Common- with “record” overnight ratings and wealth arts. There at the same time was then taper off. The big-budget Fortitude, Piers Wenger, the new head of drama at for instance, began in 2015 with the BBC. Midway through university, 700,000 watching live but was seen she took off to UCLA in California, a by fewer than half that number three year that convinced her that there were weeks on. many more talented directors than her. The much less grand Enfield Haunting, Back at Exeter, her tutors nevertheless The Last Panthers the same year on Living (its last Sky implored her to apply for a manage- non-acquired drama), beat it with ment traineeship at Carlton TV. nearly 900,000. and originates in Britain, and doesn’t At the London ITV company, she More importantly, people catch up look like old stars cashing in.” quickly became script editor for the with Sky dramas much more than they “Why am I not devastated?” Mensah late-night soap London Bridge, observ- do with terrestrial dramas. Haunting asks. “Because it’s just not what we’re ing its commercial and creative logic. reached a further 1.1 million for its con- trying to do. What I’m realising is that By 26, quite remarkably, she was Man- solidated audience. The premier of The we really are playing a different game.” aging Director of Noel Gay Television Last Panthers on Sky Atlantic last autumn Perhaps her childhood in south Lon- during its Red Dwarf years. She sold The attracted only 228,000 but accumulated don got her used to being different. Her Fear, a series of ghost stories, to BBC nearly 700,000 on catch-up and record- mother is a Canadian teacher, her late Choice and was associate producer on ings. Mind you, by week 2 live viewing father an accountant from Ghana. They Windrush, which took the Documentary had halved. met while her mother was teaching for Series prize at the 1998 RTS Pro- And, mind you again, the debut of VSO in Ghana. “I am a little bit global, gramme Awards. the fifth season of Game of Thrones on me,” Anne says. “They sort of picked a Her parents must have been incredi- Atlantic was watched by 1.7 million country that was halfway between.” It bly proud? “My dad asked when I was viewers. Even Mensah, for whom it is was a happy home. going to go back and do my MBA,” she not about the numbers, does not pre- “The thing about my childhood is that, deadpans. tend that if her British dramas reached if you grow up in a family where neither She joined Brighter Pictures, made such numbers she would lament that parent was born in the UK, your refer- Cruel Summer, a reality game show for she wanted “a more niche audience”. ences are slightly different. Everyone teens, and joined the BBC and its tire- I quote AA Gill in the Sunday Times on else will go, ‘I grew up reading Tolkien’, somely named “Fiction Lab” in 2001. the (now-renewed) thriller The Five: whereas I can tell you a lot about Anne She rose quickly, becoming, in 2006, “The real suspense surrounds when of Green Gables [the Canadian classic].” head of TV drama for BBC Scotland. In Sky is going to manage to make some- She is one of an embarrassingly Glasgow, she met her husband, the TV thing that is a destination TV moment, small number of black women in a top director Marcus Harben (they have �

Television www.rts.org.uk September 2016 19 Mensah’s smart moves to date

Anne Mensah, head of drama, Sky Entertainment

Born 6 June 1972 Brought up Lewisham, south London Parents Father, a Ghanaian accountant; mother, a Canadian teacher Married to Marcus Harben, ­producer-director; they have two children Education Sedgehill School, Cat- ford, London; Exeter University, BA (first); UCLA, graduate film pro- duction major

1994 Script editor on London Bridge, Carlton TV 1996 Management trainee, Noel The Enfield Haunting

Gay Television Sky 1998 Managing Director, Noel Gay 2000 Freelance development � two children, a boy and a girl, aged Her department makes five series producer, Brighter Pictures three and two). a year each for Sky 1 and Atlantic; they 2001 BBC Fiction Lab, rising to Returning south, she was appointed just about cover 50 weeks. “We don’t script executive, then develop- head of independent drama at the make as much as other channels on ment executive and executive BBC. Within a decade, she had wit- purpose, because every single thing we producer, drama nessed the renaissance of BBC drama. love to death. That’s the whole point.” 2006 Head of TV drama, BBC “I got to work with Jane [Tranter], Has Sky drama had its breakthrough Scotland watching the transition when she moment yet? “Probably. We’ve had the 2009 Head of independent drama, launched Spooks and Auf Wiedersehen, breakthrough for our customers: Forti- BBC Pet, that sudden flourishing. Greg tude, biggest audience on Sky Atlantic 2011 Head of drama Sky. Her first Dyke gave them £50m extra, I think, ever; Lucky Man, biggest audience on commission was The Smoke, and it was incredible to see that many Sky 1 ever; Enfield Haunting, biggest which she axed after one season clever people putting their minds to audience on Living ever for original it. To be honest, they’ve never come shows. We’ve had big success. I think Triumphs before Sky Windrush; down from there. They’ve only gone there’s still room to grow. We haven’t Waterloo Road, Wallander for the up. The BBC is an incredible space.” had that point where you become part BBC – ‘everything beginning with W’ So why did she leave? “Because of the national conversation.” Triumphs at Sky The Enfield ­Stuart [Murphy] said, ‘Do you want to That is an honest assessment. Our Haunting, Fortitude, The Last come to Sky?’ I’d been at the BBC for conversation comes back to the big- Panthers 10 years and he said, ‘We’re having a gest drama on Sky: a cult, a phenome- Triumphs (or not) to come Britannia, really good laugh here’. And then non, a metaphor for Westminster and Guerrilla, starring Idris Elba, Riviera Sophie Turner-Laing rang me when Capitol Hill, an international conversa- Disaster Sky 1’s Critical. Ironically, I was on gardening leave and said, tion – and nothing to do with her. it was a critical hit, but she con- ‘We’re going to put £600m into origi- “I mean, obviously, everybody cedes it may have worked better nal content.’ I was like, ‘Oh wow, OK, would want that many people talking on Sky Atlantic that changes everything.’” about their show globally,” she says, Watching Billions, Inside Amy It has, too. Sky drama is a source of “but was that the ambition the mak- Schumer, Brief Encounters constant interest and some frustra- ers went in with? I think all you can Most influential author Enid Blyton tion. As a critic, I love Mensah’s flair do is be as ambitious as you can, and – ‘There’s a construction to her and her receptiveness to fresh ideas, try and get out of the way of creatives books that is almost perfect in but I do wonder whether Sky has the so they can do what they want to do. terms of the audience’ inclination or the cash to make the “I’m going to sound like a really bad Hobbies Board games – but no critical mass of domestic drama from 1980s movie now. If you build it, they one wants to play against her which a breakout hit might emerge. will come. I really, genuinely believe because she is ‘too competitive’. About budgets, she says, Sky never that. I trust our customers. If it’s good, comments. they’ll come.”

20 September 2016 www.rts.org.uk Television OUR FRIEND IN THE NORTH

Graeme Thompson s if we don’t have do well to eavesdrop on students jug- enough drama in sees the next gling assignments, placements, show- our lives right now, case events and research alongside I have to welcome generation of TV seminars and tutorials, before conclud- the fact that so professionals hard ing that arts and media are “soft”. much of the TV I had the privilege over the sum- variety is being at work on two mer of sifting through more than filmed here in North East England. local drama shoots 100 applications for RTS Production AI dropped in on the set for CBBC’s Bursaries. This year, the scheme is special-effects-laden thriller Wolfblood, awarding cash and mentoring to at a disused office block in North 20 undergraduates from challenging Shields, and of ITV’s long-running backgrounds who want to study whodunnit Vera, filmed at old ship- ­TV-related media and journalism. ping buildings on the River Tyne. The extraordinary commitment and It’s always fascinating to see behind passion of the candidates is humbling. the scenes as designers and lighting Many had provided links to showreels directors transform abandoned floor created at home or in the classroom, space into an authentic provincial by themselves or with friends. police station or – in the case of Wolf- Our selection panel was treated to blood – the headquarters of a group of drama, documentary and animation werewolves. highlighting their skills in scripting, Equally rewarding – for me, at least presenting, directing, camerawork – was running into University of and post-production. And we read Sunderland media graduates working glowing testimonials from teachers. as sound recordists, script supervisors, All the applicants had come from

production secretaries and trainee Hampartsoumian Paul poorer backgrounds and represented crew. Meeting them on set reminded every corner of the country. Many had me why universities who invest in dentistry and veterinary graduates are overcome family tragedy, illness and media and creative industries educa- top of the league when it comes to other setbacks to complete A levels tion have such a transformational getting jobs after university – 93% of and pursue their passion for TV. impact on the next generation of TV them are in work within six months. They had a lot in common with the professionals. But wait: maths graduates fare less graduates I met on Vera and Wolfblood: These are young people at the start well – just 56% manage to land jobs a strong work ethic and an under- of their careers whose relatives have in the same period. standing that what you achieve in the no links to television and, in many So what of those graduating from classroom can be elevated by the cases, are the first in their family to media, communications, design and effort you make and the opportunities have gone to university. creative arts? Happily, the survey you grab beyond the timetable. There is a view – sadly prevalent in reveals that eight out of 10 media grad- Good luck to those that we selected Whitehall – that studying broadcast uates are in work within six months for the bursaries. I hope we’ve chosen media production, journalism, design of leaving university. And it’s a similar well. They join 40 other bursary and animation is a risky choice for picture in arts and design. Unemploy- recipients from the past two years. young people because of apparently ment in this group is 7%, compared And to the ones we couldn’t include, poor job prospects. with 10% in computer science. I predict that their success after leaving Much better, say the experts, to opt But the reality doesn’t easily dis- university will provide further evi- for STEM subjects (science, technol- place the myth: media and arts con- dence of the brilliant careers awaiting ogy, engineering and mathematics) tinue to be seen as “soft” subjects that graduates with a flair for production and medicine. attract the same £9,000 tuition fees as and storytelling. The latest graduate employment “solid” engineering and law. survey by the Higher Education Sta- Parents, teachers, careers advisors Graeme Thompson is Pro Vice-Chancellor tistics Agency confirms that medical, and government policy-makers would at the University of Sunderland.

Television www.rts.org.uk September 2016 21 here is never any shortage of top-quality candidates competing to land the job of chairing Channel 4, but Ofcom looks to have played a shrewdT hand by appointing an unsullied newcomer to this key role. Businessman Charles Gurassa is personable and speaks calmly and quietly. He has none of the overriding self-importance common to those as successful as this veteran of the travel industry and several bruising corpo- rate battles. Gurassa, who celebrated his 60th birthday in February, was appointed as the seventh Chairman of Channel 4 in January. Fears that he was picked solely to facilitate a sale of the com- pany have evaporated – although its future as a publicly owned broadcaster remains uncertain under the current Government. The doubts that linger over his appointment are whether he is a suffi- ciently heavyweight public figure to fight for the channel’s interests in the brutal Westminster world. A previous defender of Channel 4 said: “He is clever, and the airline industry is always very, very political. But is he well connected enough and a canny political operator in a sector like broadcasting where, unlike Michael High-flyer Grade, he doesn’t know anyone?” The indications so far are that Gurassa is settling well in Horseferry Road. His relationship with CEO David Abraham is believed to be good and he lands at C4 seems to be adopting the role of a constructive critic who can encourage creative ambition. Channel 4 Until 2003, when he retired from full-time executive roles, Gurassa’s career was spent primarily in the travel Charles Gurassa’s business credentials are and tourism industries, and, as Deputy Chair of easyJet, he is still linked to the beyond question, says Maggie Brown. But sector. In the airline’s founder, Sir Stel- ios Haji-Ioannou, he is used to dealing will he succeed as Channel 4’s chair? with a restless shareholder. The central issue for Gurassa and

Channel 4 Channel 4 is the sapping uncertainty

22 HE IS CLEVER, AND THE AIRLINE INDUSTRY IS ALWAYS VERY, VERY POLITICAL, BUT IS HE WELL CONNECTED ENOUGH?

regarding its future ownership and Despite the possibility of a post-Brexit impressive and varied, with work business model. This unresolved policy recession, the new Chairman believes commitments that include not-for- issue is entering a second year and that Channel 4 needs to be less finan- profit and charity posts as well as inflaming the UK’s independent pro- cially cautious. The broadcaster holds commercial activities. duction sector. cash reserves worth more than £200m, “I always think we’ve been put on The May Government has opened a a £100m freehold central London HQ earth to make it a bit better,” he says. new chapter, installing Karen Bradley and the ability to borrow up to £200m. “That was the zeitgeist of growing up and Matt Hancock at the Department He talks of its “brilliant” flexible in the 1960s in London.” He served for Culture, Media and Sport – though business model, comparing favourably at the National Trust in roles that Hancock worked with the previous its use of external contractors to sup- included being Deputy Chair for nine culture secretary, John Whittingdale, ply programmes with the heavy run- and a half years. considering options for privatising ning costs of airlines, which have Fiona Reynolds, BBC non-executive Channel 4. aeroplanes sitting on the tarmac in director and former NT Director Gen- Lord Burns, Gurassa’s predecessor need of servicing, not always flying. eral, has said of him: “I loved working and a Whitehall insider, made a mis- Gurassa gained his first business with Charles… he was incisive, clear, judged intervention during 2015 with credentials reading economics at the constructively challenging and pas- his plan to turn Channel 4 into a cou- University of York, after a childhood sionately committed to the cause.” pon-paying mutual company. The idea in north London, where he attended He continues to sit on the board of failed to gain traction and, arguably, Christ’s College, a boys’ grammar English Heritage and is working to fanned the privatisation case. school in Finchley. His unusual sur- establish the UK’s first Migration In fact, Gurassa is not without West- name derives from a French forebear Museum. minster connections: he knows Lord who married a Londoner after the First Gurassa was Chair of Virgin Mobile Best, Chair of the House of Lords Com- World War. “We’re on the World Wildlife when it was sold to NTL in 2006. He munications Committee. In July, the Fund’s endangered species,” he jokes. also chaired Lovefilm before it became committee published a hearty dis- He joined Thomas Cook as a graduate Amazon Prime. missal of the case for privatisation. trainee in 1978 and, as general manager Less happily, he is the senior inde- Best told Television: “We found him of retail, travelled to the US, Hong Kong pendent director at Merlin Entertain- [Gurassa] fiercely opposed to privatisa- and mainland China. He took an MBA ments, listed on the stock exchange in tion. He was extremely impressive.” in Hong Kong, where he was the only 2013, but engulfed in compensation An observer at the Westminster Media Englishman alongside nine Chinese. proceedings following the crash of the Forum in mid-July said: “[Gurassa] is “[A] fantastic experience, I have a deep Alton Towers ride last year. more energetic than Burns, not so safety affection for China,” he says. He now splits his time between a first. He wants to spend some of Chan- Hong Kong also gave Gurassa a brush home in Notting Hill and holiday place nel 4’s cash pile. And, in age, he is far with cable television: he presented six near Lucca, Tuscany, where he culti- closer to David [Abraham], who is 53”. Thomas Cook-sponsored holiday shows, vates a small vineyard. At the Culture, Media and Sport in the vein of Wish You Were Here…? His Channel 4 appointment surprised Committee hearing in June, which In 1989, in his early thirties, Gurassa everyone, including the broadcaster’s examined Channel 4’s 2015 annual was headhunted by British Airways; board. So far, he has sidestepped ques- report, Gurassa reiterated that, overall, there he became head of worldwide tions from MPs about whether he he remained “very impressed” by the sales and, later, its director of passen- would resign if the Government chose broadcaster. He said it was “pretty well ger and cargo. to back privatisation. One reason for run” but voiced concern over the lack A decade on, he became CEO of this is almost certainly because, since of succession planning (Abraham has Thomson Travel Group, assisting with Channel 4’s constitution is based in led Channel 4 since May 2010). its sale to the German Preussag com- statute, change would not be achieved Asked whether, given C4’s healthy pany, rather than allowing it to fall to quickly. reserves, it could return a dividend to a hostile bid from Lufthansa. With the “I knew [Channel 4] as a consumer,” the Treasury, he stressed the need for it business rebranded as TUI and now he says. “It matters hugely, [as] an to use its money prudently. He said the living in Hanover, Gurassa chaired its important, different voice.” channel was examining how it could European division. Whatever the future for the broad- use its resources to “deliver our remit In 2003, buttressed by a bonus, he caster, Abraham is now in his seventh even better”, to increase its support to decided to pursue a portfolio career, year as its CEO. At some point, Charles the UK’s creative industries and, thirdly, feeling this would better suit family life. Gurassa will be the person who hires to up its investment in digital. His experience since then has been Abraham’s successor.

Television www.rts.org.uk September 2016 23 The new game in town

here has never been “We were contacted about five weeks a better time to own a Television sport before the fight,” says Richard Watsham, ­second-tier sports event. UKTV’s director of commissioning. While first-tier contracts “The call happened to coincide with generate mountains of From YouTube to our own thoughts about exploring cash – such as the three- UKTV, sports fans doing live sport on Dave. year, £5.14bn deal for the English Pre- “The Haye camp wanted a free-to-air mierT League – it is the market for are watching a huge partner that would give the fight an second-tier sports rights that is cur- entertaining coverage style. That fitted rently the most dynamic. range of second-tier in with our own ideas.” With darts on Dave, the Henley sports events for free. Haye also knew that, by avoiding the Royal Regatta on YouTube and talk of a sports pay-TV options (his earlier fights Netflix for sports, there are many more Ross Biddiscombe were shown on Sky Sports Box Office), ways to deliver live sport to a broad- he was likely to attract a larger audi- cast audience than the UK’s two pay- investigates ence for a fight that, frankly, was never sports providers and their terrestrial going to be on everyone’s radar. rivals. Second-tier sports rights holders An astonishing peak viewing audi- The boxer said at the time: “Hope- have a new kind of leverage, too, with ence of over 3 million (more than four fully, my fights will keep being free for potentially large, global audiences times Dave’s best-rating entertainment people to watch. I want to keep build- available online on platforms such as ­programme) prompted the channel to ing the viewing figures and, obviously, Facebook Live. look at other sports. get more sponsorship. The more the This year witnessed a major break- A second Haye fight, broadcast on viewing figures climb, the more spon- through with a new channel entering Dave in May, delivered a peak audi- sorship gets involved and the less you the sports arena. UKTV’s Dave had ence of 2.5 million. This was followed rely on subscriptions.” been mulling over an expansion into by the British Darts Organisation’s Second-tier rights owners have four sport when former world heavyweight World Trophy event and Caribbean basic broadcast options: boxing champion David Haye offered Premier League cricket. n Follow the well-worn path to a the channel his comeback fight in The original sports opportunity sports pay-TV channel, with relatively January. caught the broadcaster by surprise. low audiences but plenty of repeat

24 Vine for such a high-quality produc- service that it launched in 2012, to help tion, this year’s competition was grow audiences. WE ARE ALL broadcast simultaneously on BT Sport. While the rights holders will continue “We have a partnership team that to look for income from sponsors or ABOUT PUTTING works with a rights holder and also perhaps via a sports federation, the with broadcasters,” explains Nuttall. options for building audiences and THE FAN IN “That way, there is an option for events revenues are expanding. Facebook Live CONTROL: to work on a number of platforms. formally launched this spring. It has We’re fine with that.” already captured the imagination of the WATCHING THE Terrestrial networks such as the BBC sports world. It works with video pro- SPORTS THEY and ITV are also innovating. Having duction and publishing platforms such lost almost all the crown jewels of as Grabyo. LOVE, ON THE sport, the BBC is turning to second-tier Gareth Capon, CEO of Grabyo, says sports such as the triathlon or swim- that his clients include tier-one sports DEVICE OF ming for its quota of live action, espe- rights holders, such as Spain’s La Liga THEIR CHOICE cially following the November 2015 football champions Real Madrid. The announcement of a £35m cut in its club uses the online streaming option sports-rights budget. as a supplementary service: it showed Under its director of sport, Barbara the post-game Champions League Slater, the BBC is promoting these sports celebrations online this spring. to new and potentially large audiences. By contrast, Formula E motor racing “Competition for sports rights is (for electric cars) has used Facebook increasing all the time,” she says. “We Live as its primary broadcast option. know how highly rights holders value “There are 30 million people accessing the BBC’s huge reach. In 2015, while Facebook every day in the UK alone,” only accounting for 2% of all TV sports says Capon. “A sport like Formula E hours on UK television, we delivered a loves those numbers – and the fact that staggering 37% of all the viewing.” social media is a place that promotes The BBC and ITV can also offer sec- notification and discovery of events.” ond-tier rights holders valuable audi- This shows how the pendulum of ences via their online services. This power for second-tier sports is drifting The International Judo Federation Paris summer, the BBC ran live streaming towards the holder, rather than the Grand Slam was broadcast by French trials with British ice hockey and bas- broadcaster – and that a “Netflix for channel L’Equipe 21

L’Equipe 21 L’Equipe ketball matches, while ITV4 once again sport” concept is not too far away. live streamed the Tour de France. The Indeed, the UK-based media com- showings and almost certainly no terrestrials’ websites are also attractive pany Perform Group has already had rights fee to second-tier sports: the BBC Sports that tag attached to its open-internet n A similar no-money deal with a website, for example, attracts 20 mil- service DAZN, which it launched last free-to-air terrestrial channel that lion unique users per week. month. The service is already available might deliver a larger audience, but Second-tier sports rights holders in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and fewer repeat broadcasts naturally want big numbers of com- Japan. n A more adventurous partnership with mitted viewers. This is increasingly DAZN offers live coverage of the an online platform such as YouTube, pushing them to online platforms. English Premier League, Germany’s which offers a potentially big, global Richard Ayers, CEO of leading Euro- Bundesliga and Spain’s La Liga plus audience and a share of advertising; or pean digital sports consultancy Seven more than 10,000 other live sporting n A mix of all three of the above. League, says: “An engaged audience is events. These range from handball to Stephen Nuttall, senior director of what sponsors and the sports them- darts. The service is available across any YouTube EMEA, says the question for selves want.… Surfing competitions connected device for a monthly fee. second-tier sports rights holders is can’t always start when a normal pro- “We are all about putting the fan in this: why would they not have a chan- gramming schedule wants them to control: watching the sports they love, nel on his platform? because of the conditions in the ocean. on the device of their choice with one “These days, YouTube is an option An online site can alert fans virally and simple, affordable price and no long- for rights holders large and small. We gather a large core audience very term contract,” says John Gleasure, showed the Champions League and quickly.” Perform’s chief commercial officer. Europa League finals this year even Pay-TV giants Sky Sports and BT The DAZN business model rewards though BT Sport was screening them Sport, meanwhile, will never abandon rights holders who drive the subscriber as well. But, then, we also got the Hen- second-tier sports: they have hundreds base and viewing levels. In other ley Royal Regatta on screen for the first of hours of airtime to fill. words, the deeper the penetration of time in 33 years,” he says. Take sports such as speedway on a particular sport on DAZN, the more The coverage of Henley rowing in Sky Sports or UFC mixed martial arts money that rights holders receive. 2015 was a coup for YouTube. More­ on BT Sport: the pay-channels can The growing choice enjoyed by over, thanks to the Henley Rowing supply lots of on-air promotion and second-tier­ sports, from triathlon to Club committee paying many thou- razzmatazz, and even some primetime taekwondo, means this area of broad- sands of pounds to producer Sunset+ slots. Sky also has Now TV, the online casting is a whole new ball game.

Television www.rts.org.uk September 2016 25 IBC preview Gordon Jamieson looks at how a succession of small steps has transformed the Amsterdam tech-fest

s the International Broad­­- casting Convention (IBC) approaches its 50th year, the annual conference and trade exhibition is evolving at the same dizzy speed as the industry it serves. AIBC’s metamorphosis from 500 dele- gates and three dozen vendors in a corner of a London hotel in 1967 to 55,000 attendees and 1,600 exhibitors in Amsterdam’s sprawling RAI centre is more than simply one of scale. The organisers have made increasing efforts to curate and integrate the technological developments on the show floor with the themes being debated in the conference programme. Jostling for our attention are the big, highly visible advances, such as immersive virtual reality, Ultra-HDTV and drones. But the hesitant migration of the broadcasting industry towards an internet-protocol (IP) infrastructure demonstration that the industry is East and Latin America. Dismal eco- is every bit as revolutionary as the shift converging on a common roadmap,” nomic conditions in those regions from standard-definition pictures to says Michael Cronk, Grass Valley VP quashed that ambition. But the experi- HDTV and now to Ultra-HDTV. of core technology. ence of putting on a single show in IP is inherently far more flexible and IP and interoperability will also be Dubai early last year paid dividends, cost-effective – but not necessarily as prominent in the IBC Content Every- with a healthy increase in Middle East- reliable as the technologies that cur- where area and conference sessions. ern visitors to IBC last September. rently connect each part of the pro- Content Everywhere is one of IBC’s “IBC is not a European show per se: duction and transmission chain. A most heavily curated strands, with the we attract manufacturers, speakers and wholesale, overnight switchover is emphasis firmly on connected devices, visitors from all over the world. Increas- simply not feasible, so television com- social media, personalisation and ingly, it is a very broad church that we panies need each new deployment of cloud services, rather than on the are trying to serve,” says Richards. IP connectivity to work reliably within ­traditional broadcast environment. There was a time when CEOs didn’t their existing infrastructure. “Attendees tell us that the rate of go to IBC: instead, the most senior IBC is addressing this with an IP change in their industry is accelerating, visitors were chief technology officers Interoperability Zone, at the heart of and that the amount of information and their senior engineers pushing which is a live, IP-connected studio they are confronted with about new shopping trollies around what was managed by Belgian broadcaster VRT technologies is vast and growing – and effectively a specialist supermarket. and the European Broadcasting Union, they say they need it curated for them,” IBC’s Leaders Summit may have together with 12 technology suppliers. says IBC Chair Tim Richards. “We are started off as something of a crèche for In all, some 30 companies are demon- trusted as an honest and reliable pro- CEOs in the midst of what was still strating their IP products in the zone. vider of business information.” quite a hardware-focussed market, but Visitors will be encouraged to verify Content Everywhere has been a it has been a very successful part of the for themselves how the studio set-up proving ground for this approach to convention’s evolution. handles signal timing and transport, curation. IBC originally intended to use “Four years ago,” says IBC’s CEO, as well as discussing case studies with the Content Everywhere brand to Michael Crimp, “I’m not sure that WPP’s vendors. “It will be a showcase for expand its geographical range, with Sir Martin Sorrell would have seen IBC the reality of the technology, and a plans for regular shows in the Middle as a natural place to speak or to inform

26 hand-­holding – to these start-ups, IBC Out of this world: Nasa TV will make can push the range of products on a presentation at this year’s IBC show that little bit further towards the bleeding edge. This, in turn, widens the appeal of the exhibition. Another feature designed both to bring in new punters and demonstrate to regular attendees how the boundaries of “television” are become ever more porous is Hackfest. IBC describes Hack- fest, now in its second year, as a creative playground for software developers, designers and entrepreneurs. Around 100 of them have been invited to spend 36 hours brainstorming apps or ideas for discovering or sharing content in edu- cation, entertainment or sport. To an extent, Hackfest is an una- shamed pitch to bring in young, cool celebrities but, as Richards points out, app development “is part of our new reality, so it is important that we expose One giant people in the more traditional parts of the content business to this way of working. It is also about cross-­ fertilisation.” At least some of the ­companies attending IBC must agree, leap for because several of last year’s hackers were offered jobs on the strength of their performance. Perhaps the most spectacular event at this year’s IBC will be a presentation broadcasting by Nasa – the space agency has been a ground-breaking TV producer since its

Nasa inception. Carlos Fontanot, imagery manager for the International Space himself by speaking to other attendees. senior people pointers to the future so Station, and Kelly Humphries, the We are pleased that thought leaders that they can make informed strategic voice of mission control for more than who want to talk about the business of decisions,” says Crimp. 50 shuttle missions, will talk delegates media know that there will now be an On show will be ground-breaking through six decades of space explora- audience here for their ideas.” prototypes and proofs of concept from tion video. This year, there will be sessions on 18 of the world’s R&D labs. Among Multi-Oscar-winning director Ang Eurosport’s strategy to sign up 1 million them will be US manufacturer Spheri- Lee, famous for his innovative uses open-internet subscribers by 2017, and cam. It will be demonstrating a fully of new production technologies, will on Spotify’s experience of changing the spherical, 360-degree camera that can deliver the Big Screen Keynote, using way audiences consume music. IBM record Ultra-HDTV video at 60 frames clips from his latest film, Billy Lynn’s Global Business Services will present per second – then automatically stitch Long Halftime Walk. empirical research on the changing the component pictures together and While such crowd-pleasers certainly shape of television. But, as with previ- live stream them to a smartphone, play a role in boosting visitor numbers, ous summits, the debate will remain tablet or VR headset. The company is getting potential buyers and sellers behind closed doors and the guest list now accepting pre-orders for its $2,500 together is still IBC’s raison d’être. And will remain select, with no more than Sphericam 2 model. where the tech fest can really add value 150 media chieftains in attendance. The overarching trend toward is the degree to which it can improve Speakers this year include: Alex IP-based infrastructure and software attendees’ picture of where television is Green, Managing Director of Amazon tools will also be on display in the IBC headed before they shake on that deal. Video; Dominique Delport, Chair of Launch Pad area, where 23 first-time Crimp is clear that “curation across Havas Media Group; Gidon Katz, Man- exhibitors will be gathered. the whole of IBC is our next big step” aging Director of Now TV; and Susanna “New companies sometimes find and that the organisation will have to Dinnage, Managing Director of Discov- themselves thrown into the deep end develop more in-house editorial ery Networks UK & Ireland. without arm bands in this industry, and expertise in order to deliver useful IBC’s Future Zone is a formal part they are up against companies that have content all year round. of the Leaders Summit tour, as well a been exhibiting at IBC for 50 years,” says Future IBC delegates may be able to popular destination for ordinary ticket Crimp. In return for providing market- extend their creative congress long after holders. “It is an opportunity to give ing assistance – and a degree of their footsore week in Amsterdam.

Television www.rts.org.uk September 2016 27

RTS NEWS Support for young film-makers

ometimes, the most of a botanic garden seen later inspired images can in the film, but Ioan admitted be created by chance, that this was probably a suggested director happy accident. ErylS Huw Phillips during a Both agreed, however, that discussion with young the best way to learn about film-makers at this year’s film-making was simply to National Eisteddfod of Wales. keep making films. The “Directors of the The other panellists, who future” event was held in were also members of the early August at “Sinemaes”, a remarkable Nantlle Vale Film cinema in a tepee on the Club in North Wales, were: Eisteddfod field. Begw Dafydd Roberts (11), Sinemaes hosted 50 events who worked on her own film over eight days in a partner- about an alien invasion; Cian ship that included RTS Wales, Dafydd Roberts (13) and Bafta Cymru, Film Hub Wales Gethin Cennin Williams (13). and the National Screen and The last two contributed to Sound Archive of Wales. the three short films shown Phillips began as an actor during the discussion. but moved into producing The group has notched up and directing. His credits an impressive 11 awards and include S4C political drama nominations over the past Byw Celwydd, BBC One com- two years at youth film festi- edy drama The Indian Doctor vals. At this year’s Zoom and the 2012 film The Gospel Actor Rhys Ifans supported many of the Eisteddfod events festival, Ioan took home two of Us, starring Michael Sheen. first prizes and a second He was talking to a fellow place as well as the award for panellist, 13-year-old Hedydd Cymru International Youth Phillips suggested that one the youngster showing the Ioan, producer of the short Film Festival in March, which scene, showing a red pepper most promise. Bywyd, a winner at the Zoom was shown during the event. being sliced, evoked images Hywel Wiliam and Tim Hartley ONLINE at the RTS

n It was all change at the RTS n Elsewhere on the site, Ed Gove n We have also spoken to digital desk as we said a fond has broken down the new TV documentary film-maker farewell in July to Tim Dickens, licensing rules into handy bite- Edward Watts about his who has swapped the world of sized chunks at www.rts.org.uk/ Grierson-shortlisted and RTS telly and Twitter for the good life. I tvlicence. Award-nominated film for ITN am excited to follow in his foot- Productions, Dispatches: Escape steps, supported by online jour- n Toby Hood has been behind from Isis. He explains that the nalist Ed Gove and digital interns the scenes to film at indepen- story of the captured Yazidi Toby Hood and Holly Barrett. dent post-production facility women and their rescuers at Edward Watts Halo Post in London’s Soho to the heart of the film hit him n We’re gearing up for the RTS find out what goes on behind its harder than any other doc he’d London Conference this month, hi-tech doors. Managing Direc- worked on. In the feature, Watts n The RTS website continues where we will be live tweeting tor Will Garbutt explains why also talks about why he decided to evolve and expand, and we from every session. You can find now is an exciting time to be to collaborate with the Middle are always keen to hear about information about the confer- working in post-production, and East charity Amar Foundation stories we should be covering. ence, including how to buy tick- how Halo is trying to remain to raise funds in the aftermath To get in touch, please email ets, on our microsite at www.rts. competitive (www.rts.org.uk/ of making the film (www.rts.org. [email protected] org.uk/LondonConference. halo). uk/EscapefromIsis). Pippa Shawley

Television www.rts.org.uk September 2016 29 RTS NEWS

Ian MacKenzie, Channel 4 nations and regions manager, Goodhand encouraged producers to contact him so he could make introductions and wins young increase production across the region. tech award Colette Foster, the founder of Birmingham-based factual BC trainee broad- entertainment indie Full Fat cast engineer James TV, was enthusiastic about Goodhand is the the future of television pro- winner of the 2016 duction in the Midlands. BRTS Young Technologist of The former Joint Managing the Year Award. Director of Remarkable TV “James impressed the jury has been responsible for some with his technical knowledge, BBC Academy chief Joe Godwin of the most successful popu- ability to solve problems and lar factual programmes on his understanding of the television, including Chan- needs of the user,” said digital nel 4’s Supersize vs Superskinny. media consultant Terry Marsh, Midlands hosts Des Tong, a producer and who chaired the award jury. presenter from Walsall-based Goodhand graduated from local-TV channel Big Centre UCL with a degree in physics TV, talked about the region’s conference… newest broadcaster. Naz Mantoo, audience ixty delegates and The diversity workshop development manager at the guest speakers gath- was chaired by former BBC Edinburgh International ered at the West community affairs corre- Television Festival, discussed Midland Safari Park, spondent Barnie Choudhury, the development schemes Worcestershire,S in early July to and featured actor and open to young people and discuss diversity, digital skills broadcaster Phina Oruche, those new to the industry at and production opportunities. BBC head of business devel- the festival. At the RTS Midlands Cen- opment Tommy Nagra and BBC trainer Marc Settle James Goodhand tre conference, Joe Godwin, Godwin. offered tips, and showcased director of the BBC Academy Choudhury asked whether apps and gadgets for journal- and BBC Birmingham, dis- diversity had been “high- ists and producers wanting before joining the BBC’s cussed training and appren- jacked by those who want to get the most out of their trainee scheme. “He is an ticeship schemes, as well as to stop creativity”, prompting smartphones. extremely impressive and the success of BBC Drama. an impassioned debate. Dorothy Hobson visionary engineer,” said BBC head of newsgathering oper- ations Morwen Williams. Goodhand added: “I would … and crowns child TV champs like to thank all of those who have been involved in my n A team from Weobley The centre held a series ham talked to the students training and development High School, Herefordshire, of workshops at the schools, about their life in TV, and since entering the industry.” has won Midlands Centre’s where students learned picked a winning team from The runner-up prize, the competition for schools. about a variety of TV jobs, the school to go forward to Coffey Award for Excellence Billy the Bear, their idea ranging from the more obvi- the grand finale. in Technology, went to BT for a TV programme that ous roles, such as writers, Fifteen schools took part designer Christos Danakis. features a teddy bear who directors and camera opera- in the programme, with the Matthew Bell educates and entertains kids, tors, to those less associated winning teams attending the stole the hearts of the judges, with the industry, such as finale on 29 June at the Uni- winning them a VIP tour of accountants, engineers and versity of Wolverhampton. Peter Morley BBC Birmingham. facilities managers. At the finale they presented Documentary-maker Midland’s education The students were then their ideas to a panel of programme is in its third year. divided into small teams to expert judges including David 1924-2016 The RTS Centre visited local create a new TV show and Jennings, head of regional and Memorial celebration secondary schools, offering pitch it to a commissioner. local programming at BBC Thursday 15 September, 12- to 14-year-olds an insight At each workshop, a guest Birmingham. 12:30pm, at St Michael’s into TV and visual media. speaker from BBC Birming- Matthew Bell Church, Highgate, London

30 RTS PATRONS

RTS Principal BBC Channel 4 ITV Sky Patrons

RTS Discovery Networks Turner Broadcasting System Inc International Liberty Global Viacom International Media Networks Patrons NBCUniversal International YouTube The Walt Disney Company

RTS Accenture Enders Analysis IBM S4C Major Amazon Video EY IMG Studios Sargent-Disc Patrons Audio Network FremantleMedia ITN STV Group BT FTI Consulting KPMG UKTV Channel 5 Fujitsu McKinsey and Co Virgin Media Deloitte Huawei Pinewood Studios YouView

RTS Alvarez & Marsal LLP ITV London ITV West Quantel Patrons Autocue ITV Meridian ITV Yorkshire Raidió Teilifís Éireann Digital Television Group ITV Tyne Tees Lumina Search UTV Television ITV Anglia ITV Wales PricewaterhouseCoopers Vinten Broadcast ITV Granada

Who’s who Patron President CENTRES COUNCIL History at the RTS HRH The Prince of Wales Sir Peter Bazalgette Lynn Barlow Don McLean Charles Byrne Vice-Presidents Chair of RTS Trustees Steve Carson IBC Conference Liaison David Abraham John Hardie Dan Cherowbrier Terry Marsh Dawn Airey Isabel Clarke Sir David Attenborough OM Honorary Secretary Alex Connock RTS Legends CH CVO CBE FRS David Lowen Gordon Cooper TBC Baroness Floella Tim Hartley Benjamin OBE Honorary Treasurer Kingsley Marshall RTS Technology Bursaries Dame Colette Bowe OBE Mike Green Nikki O’Donnell Simon Pitts Lord Bragg of Wigton Fiona Thompson John Cresswell BOARD OF TRUSTEES Graeme Thompson AWARDS COMMITTEE Adam Crozier Tim Davie Penny Westlake CHAIRS Mike Darcey Mike Green James Wilson Awards & Fellowship Greg Dyke John Hardie Policy Lord Hall of Birkenhead Graham McWilliam SPECIALIST GROUP David Lowen Lorraine Heggessey David Lowen CHAIRS Ashley Highfield Simon Pitts Archives Craft & Design Awards Armando Iannucci OBE Jane Turton Steve Bryant Cheryl Taylor Ian Jones Rob Woodward Baroness Lawrence of Diversity Television Journalism Clarendon OBE EXECUTIVE Marcus Ryder Awards Rt Hon Baroness Jowell Chief Executive Stewart Purvis CBE of Brixton DBE PC Theresa Wise Early Evening Events David Lynn Dan Brooke Programme Awards Sir Trevor McDonald OBE Alex Mahon Ken MacQuarrie Education Gavin Patterson Graeme Thompson Student Television Trevor Phillips OBE Awards Stewart Purvis CBE RTS Futures Phil Edgar-Jones Sir Howard Stringer Donna Taberer

Television www.rts.org.uk September 2016 31 Tuesday 27 September - RTS London Conference 2016

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