All smiles as comedy comes to the fore

Global distributors are putting their faith in international scripted programming at this month’s Mipcom, with shows from this group accounting for a third of all titles in Broadcast’s Hot Picks submissions.

Of more than 120 titles put forward by distributors as their key shows for the Cannes showcase, 41 (34%) are international scripted titles. That is an uptick of around 14 percentage points from Mip TV in April, when global scripted accounted for a fifth of submissions (22 of 106), and offers some insight into how the market has shifted in 2023.

While Mipcom arrives with the WGA strike having drawn to a close, the knock-on effects of a lack of US scripted programming could still open the door for broadcasters to fill schedule gaps with international programming. It helps that scripted remains in top demand for buyers – particularly English-language drama and comedy.

Our 122 submissions, from 40 global distributors, provide a snapshot of the programming on offer to buyers at Mipcom. Going into the data in more granular detail, there appears to be a commitment by distributors to scripted comedy, or programming that has a comedic edge. A quarter of the international scripted titles (12 of 41) fall into the straight comedy – live-action or animated – dark comedy, comedy-drama or dramedy categories.

Recognising the positive response from buyers to Australian romcom Colin from Accounts, CJ ENM-owned producer-distributor Fifth Season is backing Strife, based on Mia Freedman’s memoir Work Strife Balance, which follows an imperfect woman’s ascent from blogger to the top in women’s media.

The comedy-drama is for Foxtel’s Binge, the same streamer as Colin, so there is precedent. It is one of three Australian comedy or dramedy titles – neatly a quarter of comedic international scripted submissions – alongside ABC Commercial’s Mother And Son (ABC) and Red Arrow Studios International’s While The Men Are Away (SBS).

Other standout titles include APC Studios’ Obituary, an Irish Hulu/RTÉ original about an obituarist who happens to also be a serial killer. This light and shade is a common thread among the shows that blend comedy and drama: ITV Studios’ Amazon Prime original Dead Hot also explores the serial killer element, while Lionsgate is shopping Latin American Lionsgate+ original Yellow, which mixes robbery, suicide and murder pacts with comedy.

Canadian comedy titles are well-represented this year, with two submissions making the cut: Boat Rocker’s Slip for Roku and Distribution360’s Davey & Jonesie’s Locker for Hulu.

At a time when commissioners are being more selective with their scripted orders, acquisitions offer an opportunity for broadcasters to flex their muscles in programming variety.

Nick Lee, head of acquisitions and international at Channel 4, told Broadcast there is a definite trend of “lightness and a general softer tone to more of the drama in the market”.

“There’s a few reasons for this that I can see, some editorial and some economic. There has been a demand swing from genre heavy premium shows that have been heavily promoted by streamers in recent years; but it’s also a consequence of the challenge in co-producing and co-funding pure comedy - so writing talent [are perhaps incentivised in] telling that story through the vehicle of drama or dramedy,” he added.

“The streaming shelf life and chance of repeatability of comedy is higher, therefore drama that plays to that beat rather than being too heavily serialised may amortise over a longer period - a consideration that is increasingly more important in a financially constrained market. I also think the market anticipates that lighter drama and dramedy may lend itself to advert insertion more naturally; platforms are planning for that in a growing AVoD-led business or SVoD platform which offers an ad tier.”

The apparent increased desire for shows at the comedic end of the scripted landscape is interesting, given the changes in buyer demand over the past year, as reflected in Broadcast’s annual Distributors Survey. While just over a third of respondents (37%) reported either a slight or significant increase in buyer demand, 44% highlighted a decrease.

Factual reigns

Comedy may be increasingly popular, but unscripted programming continues to dominate distributors’ attention, be it multi-genre or factual-focused.

Banijay Rights, for example, is taking Channel 4’s reality social experiment Banged Up to Cannes, while, Hat Trick International – which normally submits a scripted-strong list – has four broad non-scripted titles: specialist factual doc Climate Change: The Solution, fact-ent ob-doc Crazy Rich Agents: Selling Dream Homes, true-crime three-parter Gaia: A Death On Dancing Ledge and history-cum-automotive series Bangers: Cars Of The People.

Factual makes up 45% of submissions (55 of 122), although this is down from 55% at traditionally unscripted-heavy Mip TV in April. In contrast with Mip TV, where there were more ob-doc submissions than true crime, distributors at Mipcom have a healthy balance of ob-docs (nine titles) and true crime (also nine).

As interest in true crime remains evergreen, sales houses are scouring the market for stories or storytelling techniques that take the genre in a new direction.

BossaNova Media’s The Flight Attendant Murders has access to the individual sent to prison for one of the murders investigated in the doc, while RTÉ’s The Nobody Zone: Interview With An Irish Serial Killer uses dramatic reconstruction to bring to life a unique 80-minute police interview with a killer.

New takes on the dating format remain in-demand globally, with new precincts, subjects and format beats on display in Paramount Global Content Distribution’s Love ALLways and Newen Connect’s Time To Love. In the former, a pansexual bachelorette looks for a soulmate with the help of coaches in a house full of potential suitors.

In TF1’s Time To Love, five single women faces a gigantic wheel made up of eight illuminated ‘cabins’ in which eight men are hidden. The woman can’t see the men, but when it’s their turn to sit in the middle of the wheel, they choose who to talk to, and for how long. 

Over 100 intensive hours of dating, and cut offer from the real world, the women take on a series of rounds (verbal, physical, sensory and real) designed to reveal different sides of the men’s personalities.

Although UK scripted titles represents less than 10% of submissions (11), six of the 25 Hot Picks are from this sub-section. BBC Studios’ Channel 4 series Truelove, a thriller involving an exploration of romance among older protagonists, and Newen Connect’s Paramount+ original The Serial Killer’s Wife reflect the breadth of stories on display. The latter is indicative of the French giant’s intention to add more premium English-language drama to its catalogue.

Beta Film, which is taking Channel 4/Starz/Lionsgate+ title The Couple Next Door to Mipcom, is in a similar boat – UK drama remains in hot demand for distributors and buyers alike.