Execs From TF1, Fremantle & Mediawan Discuss Industry Challenges & Shifts: “YouTube Is Now One Of Our Main Competitors” — San Sebastian 

“There’s no more space for tepid or lukewarm content,” David Atlan-Jackson, Chief Content Officer at the European film and TV studio Vuelta Group, concluded this morning in the first session of San Sebastian’s Creative Investors’ Conference. 

Atlan-Jackson was joined in the session titled “The New European Powerhouses” by Christian Vesper of Fremantle, Rodolph Buet of Studio TF1, and Elisabeth d’Arvieu at Mediawan. The session was chaired by Wendy Mitchell, who quizzed the execs on how they see the contemporary business and the strategies they are using to continue growing in scale and ambition. 

Atlan-Jackson continued to say that for him, the main challenge is the “fragmentation of the landscape” when it comes to distribution. 

“From platforms to TV, cinema, and the competition of the computer, even YouTube is now one of our main competitors,” he said. 

“The audience has become very selective and knowledgeable. The main challenge is to give them content that they can connect with. There’s no more space for tepid or lukewarm content. You have to stand out for one reason or another.” 

Atlan-Jackson’s point was echoed, to varying degrees, by all the panelists, including Vesper, who also highlighted what he described as the unique challenge of continuing to grow the production companies currently working under the Fremantle banner, while not muting the ambition of the projects they produce. 

“What does growing look like?” he pondered.  “How do we create an environment where you can have the Bugonias next to the Pillions, which is a £3 million film versus a $40 million-ish film. That’s been our challenge. For our companies to survive and thrive, we need to find that level of scale and diversity.” 

However, Vesper noted that it is still much easier for Fremantle to make films in Europe than it is to “make TV anywhere else in the world” thanks to the “financing criteria” and the ease with which they can work with partners in Europe. 

“The way we work is, how do we best support our production companies in making the films that they want to make? Producers are talent to a certain extent. For Bugonia, for example, with Element, what we were able to do is greenlight it before taking it to market, which is us putting our weight behind a project,” he said. “On the other end, there is something like Kristen’s film Chronology Of Water, which is based very much on our belief in her as a filmmaker and talent.” 

Vesper said The Chronology Of Water producers were able to piece together financing for the film because Kristen was a filmmaker who “understood that in order to do her first film, it needed to be done that way that minimized risk.”

“For example, she wanted to shoot in Portland, Oregon. But we ended up shooting outside of Riga, Latvia. So it’s about using our expertise in Europe to make things happen,” Vesper said.  

Elsewhere during the session, Buet was asked about the philosophy behind TF1’s landmark deal with Netflix. In June, the pair signed a pact that will see TF1’s commercial stations and on-demand content land on Netflix. The deal will be active from next summer. 

“We decided to partner with Netflix to make sure we reach a broader audience,” Buet told the audience in San Sebastian. 

“Ad revenue is going down all over Europe. People are watching less television, and we’re facing competition from the internet, places like YouTube. And we’re facing the competition of VoD platforms. For instance, in France, 50% of Netflix subscribers have never watched TF1+. So being in the position to get that audience for the films we are financing at TF1 is key.” 

D’Arvieu of Mediawan, however, cautioned everyone in the room against aimlessly following market trends. 

“We are very proud of the series we produced this year called Adolescence. And it’s exactly the reverse of what the market was telling us was wanted. It said people want mainstream and happy. And then there’s this series that is extremely powerful, extremely well written, and beautifully shot. And deeply meaningful.” 

D’Arvieu continued to say that when you can bring together such high-level talent and execution, you can still attract audiences. 

“It’s now the 2nd most-watched series ever on Netflix, just behind Wednesday,” d’Arvieu said. “This tells us that it is increasingly difficult to win the attention of audiences. But when you treat the audience with respect and bring them premium work, they engage.”

San Sebastian runs until September 27.