How do channels commission new factual programs?
TLC is actively premiering new programs as we move into the Streaming Era! Discovery Networks US plans to order 4,500 new hours in 2023, according to Kathleen Finch, chairman and chief content officer at Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) US nets. What pitches do TLC decision-makers want to see from producers? The short answer: female-targeted Reality …
Are A&E and History Channel still buying programs as we move into the Streaming Era? What do they want from their producers? Unlike Nat Geo and Discovery, A+E Networks’ decision-making is not complicated by the need to synchronize with their corporate parent’s streamer. Veteran international programming executive and respected senior consultant Dan Salerno dives deep …
Star Chasers of Senegal premieres on PBS next Wednesday, February 8. Our inspiring Case Study reveals in great detail how indie producer / director Ruth Berry overcame the odds to forge a successful Terra Mater Studios / NOVA coproduction. Read the Case Study here. Our MIPCOM 2022 Coproduction panel video features TMS’s Sabine Holzer with …
Are National Geographic Channel and Nat Geo Wild still buying programs as we move into the Streaming Era? What do they want from their producers? Veteran programming executive and highly-respected senior consultant, Dan Salerno dives deep into their programs schedules in today’s revealing webinar. This is episode #2 in a series produced by Pact, the …
HBO Max‘s release of the David Bowie interpretive bio doc Moonage Daydream reminds us that the market leaders can spend big on Music: $25 million by Apple TV+ for Billie Eilish. $30 million by Disney+ for Elton John. In this post, Camran Shealy updates her July 2022 profiles of commissions that feature musical celebrities and …
My unchanging editorial goals since launching my Documentary Business newsletter in 2011 are to: Capture in a few words how the ever-evolving unscripted ecosystem shapes opportunities for industry veterans and rookies alike, and Publish detailed Case Studies that reveal how productions that aren’t by award-winning A-listers are developed, funded and ultimately delivered to grateful audiences. …
By Ruth Berry Six hundred eighty-four producers, broadcasters and content makers filled the cavernous (but warm) hall of Glasgow’s Scottish Events Campus for the 30th anniversary of WCSFP hosted by BBC Studios Scotland. Over 30% of the delegates were newcomers. It was always going to be special. After a three-year hiatus, contact was craved, masks …
Independent producer / director Ruth Berry creates for Terra Mater Studios and PBS’s NOVA series, a fast-track special that navigates the many cultural challenges to successful field production in Africa while revealing that space exploration is for everyone – not just for the wealthiest countries. Watch our MIPCOM 2022 Coproduction Case Study panel video here. …