ITV Studios boss Ruth Berry has known as 2024 a “bittersweet” 12 months for worldwide TV drama, with an “extremely inventive profitable” 12 months tempered by “excellent storm of macroeconomic challenges.”
In a dialog in the course of the Lille Dialogues session at Collection Mania, she pointed to ITV’s manufacturing arm launching the likes of Idiot Me As soon as, Till I Kill You, After the Flood, Mr Bates Vs the Submit Workplace and Ludwig – the latter of which has bought to 85 territories – as examples of the inventive increase and of the biz remaining in “impolite well being.”
Nevertheless, “What we noticed final 12 months was an ideal storm of macroeconomic challenges that had been inflicting folks to consider what they had been programming, who their key viewers was, who the important thing advertisers they wanted to draw to their broadcast enterprise.
“When that occurs you do have to take a look at your content material technique. How a lot do you have to be making, how a lot do you have to be shopping for in and what it’s you really need. Streamers had been making an attempt to be extra worthwhile, broadcasters had been grappling with promoting considerations and there have been numerous issues occurring directly which meant folks needed to take inventory round what they had been doing.
“It felt bittersweet final 12 months, with a lot inventive success, but it felt that the headwinds had been a bit stronger.”
This week’s Collection Mania has introduced into sharp focus the dearth of American co-production or co-commissioning cash within the European market, with a lot of the chatter on how producers, networks and streamers can pool assets to make new reveals. Broadly, the consensus has been with Berry’s evaluation, that European creativity is a robust place proper now, with the financing aspect much less steady.
Nevertheless, she struck a optimistic tone for 2025, saying: “I’m an optimist, it appears like theres extra buoyancy out there. We launched some nice reveals on the London TV Screenings a couple of weeks again and it feels just like the market is selecting up.”
Elsewhere within the dialog, Berry talked up ITVS’s new digital enterprise, noting how content material round legacy broadcast manufacturers comparable to Love Island, I’m a Movie star Get Me Out of Right here! and The Voice are driving audiences on-line.
In January, it was reported ITV was in early stage talks with All3Media’s dad or mum, RedBird IMI, about merging their manufacturing belongings. TF1, which owns Studio TF1, and System One proprietor CVC Capital Companions have additionally been talked about within the dialog.
