Distribution in Focus: Blue Ant Studios’ Mark Bishop

With buyers flocking to London TV Screenings and Mip London this week, Broadcast International speaks to Mark Bishop, co-president at Blue Ant Studios, about securing his pipeline and using his company’s channels business to be more agile.

As global commissioning slows, the distribution sector thrives, especially for those with premium catalogue libraries. While buyers struggle to commission original series, they still need fresh, finished content. Distributors with strong catalogs are maintaining a solid position and excelling globally.

Distributors are on an ongoing quest to secure premium content amid rising competition in the global marketplace. Compounding this challenge, producers are facing difficulties in financing high-quality projects, leading to reduced commissioning volumes and fewer new products entering the market. As a result, distributors face greater challenges in finding, co-financing and securing top content, which means that more efforts is required to find and secure great projects.

As global buyers continue to look for creative financial solutions for new content, distributors can now play an increasingly important role to package and co-finance new series, often gaining a creative seat at the table.

Commissioners are exploring alternative financing models to bring in more partners and lower premium content costs. With rising production costs, there’s a focus on reducing financial risks. Buyers are also embracing flexible, multi-tiered distribution models, like shared second windows on FAST platforms, balancing exclusivity with cost savings.

At Blue Ant Studios, which is both an international production studio and rights business, the growth will continue to be driven by our distribution business. We remain committed to expanding our catalog by investing in high-quality, premium content through co-productions, original productions, third-party acquisitions and content investment. Our focus will be on bringing this content to market across our current genres, as well as exploring new genres in the future. This includes investing in fully commissioning our own “distribution-led” series to fast track production and provide new content for the global market.

It’s important to note that Blue Ant’s competitive advantage lies in the close collaboration between our studio and our global channels business. This unique position allows us to co-finance content while maintaining premium windows and exclusivity in certain markets. We pride ourselves on being a flexible partner that can move quickly, co-finance projects and seize opportunities. This approach has proven successful, as demonstrated by our partnerships with organizations like A+E, Peacock and others. We are not only a provider of exceptional creative content but also a strong creative financing partner.

At Blue Ant Studios, we’ve delivered successful scripted co-commissions like Davey & Jonesie’s Locker for Prime Video and Hulu. With experience in partnering with global streamers, we’re focused on growing this area. As scripted content costs rise, streamers are prioritizing territorial rights over global ones. Our strategy is to connect the right partners, and we see growing opportunities for co-financing content across diverse territories.