As a seasoned film enthusiast with a penchant for international cinema and a soft spot for public broadcasting, I find it fascinating to witness the evolving strategies of these esteemed organizations as they navigate the ever-changing landscape of entertainment consumption. The struggle to capture the elusive young audiences is not unique to any region, but it’s particularly intriguing to see how European broadcasters are embracing streaming platforms to appeal to the Gen Z demographic.
How might television captivate the hard-to-reach younger demographic? For European public broadcasting stations, one solution lies in emphasizing streaming services, as they provide a greater degree of adaptability when experimenting with diverse content approaches
At the Venice Production Bridge, part of the Venice Film Festival, a group of industry leaders convened to explore methods by which streaming platforms and broadcasters can boost the global distribution of locally produced films in today’s crowded marketplace. The conversation frequently returned to the overarching challenge of attracting younger audiences, an issue that significantly influences their current purchasing decisions
“Diana Tabakov, from Ivysilani’s acquisitions team (a streaming platform belonging to Czech Television), stated that they are diligently seeking out audiences who have moved away from traditional TV viewing. While they excel at reaching millennials and the older demographic, engaging Gen Z has proven challenging, a struggle shared by all public service broadcasters.”
Ivysilani boasts a team dedicated to creating content tailored for Generation Z, with a focus on generating YouTube videos to draw viewers towards their streaming service. As they strive to define their unique identity, Tabakov noted, “Our platform is seeking its own identity. Young people often view television as something for their grandmothers. To be honest, as a public service media, we may never embody the ‘cool’ and ‘sexy,’ but we can certainly aim to exude elegance rather than being seen as a grandmotherly figure.”
Maria-Pia Defourny, a program manager at RTL Belgium, not only shared Tabakov’s ambition to make public broadcasters appealing to Generation Z, but also highlighted the benefits of streaming services in terms of giving broadcasters the flexibility to expand their content offerings – something traditional television scheduling doesn’t always accommodate. “Our platform gives us the opportunity to experiment with different types of content. It’s a privilege to be able to provide our audience with the chance to discover new things.”
As a passionate viewer, I appreciate the importance of versatility in broadcasters’ strategies, especially when catering to elusive demographics and venturing into uncharted content territories. Defourny emphasized that, with Belgium having a strong affinity towards French content, it becomes challenging to stand out. However, our streaming platform empowers us to procure and broadcast series and movies beyond the common genres such as comedy and thriller, offering something distinct
In the Arab region, streaming services like Rolla Karam’s (senior VP of content acquisition and head of Arabic Channels at Dubai-based OSN) have been bringing popular American shows onto their platforms to boost their growth. This strategy continues to be effective for them. The unique aspect that sets them apart from other regional platforms is their practice of airing series simultaneously as they do in the US, which is about ensuring freshness and exclusivity while also combating piracy
OSN owns the rights to air shows from Paramount Global, Warner Bros. Discovery, NBCUniversal, Sony Pictures, and other networks, along with an abundance of Arabic, Turkish, and Filipino content. With a vast library of international programming, OSN is now concentrating on production, as Karam closely monitors the narratives emerging from film festivals like Venice
During the COVID period, we made some adjustments, both scripted and improvised, however, production was halted as our attention turned towards significant acquisitions. Looking ahead to 2025, our focus is on receiving proposals for creating short scripted series and films. Since we have shows associated with HBO, I require content that harmonizes within this context, but it must also resonate with the local region. We attend festivals in search of these stories and there’s no requirement for a UAE co-producer, so we are open to collaborative projects
Tabakov is considering the possibility of producing content in-house, particularly focusing on non-fiction. He stated, “Creating local reality shows in our region is challenging, so we resort to buying formats. Instead, we plan to invest more in co-commissioning. This benefits broadcasters because they don’t have to act as dramaturgical partners, and it supports filmmakers from the region. There are numerous talented documentary filmmakers out there, many of whom aren’t accustomed to series formats. Using this approach is also an effective way of engaging younger audiences.”
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2024-09-04 19:17