James Norton will likely be available to speak about his historic epic King & Conqueror as Paramount World ushers patrons into the Curzon Cinema in London’s Soho later this week. Giving shoppers a primary take a look at the interval drama is high of thoughts for Lisa Kramer, President, Worldwide TV Licensing at Paramount World Content material Distribution. The studio exec and her group may even be pushing arduous on promoting premium originals from Paramount+ to patrons, with second window gross sales an even bigger precedence for premium tentpoles.
London gives a second for the Hollywood studio to see shoppers earlier than the LA Screenings in Might. Some mid-season community exhibits have hit the air and there’s a useful pause earlier than acquisition execs head to LA to observe new community sequence. Due to that, London is a greater wager for the U.S. heavyweights than the now defunct MIPTV.
“The timing of the London [TV] Screenings in February might be preferable to the previous market in April. It offers a ways earlier than Might and that subsequent wave of anticipation round exhibits,” Kramer tells Deadline. “I’m excited that [London] is rising. It was very particular with patrons going to see the British producers, however now it’s an amazing second for all the trade. It’s a important market now for distribution.”
CBS Studios is a co-producer on Battle of Hastings interval piece King & Conqueror. The present will likely be on the BBC within the UK with Paramount throughout worldwide. A completed episode will display screen for patrons in London and Pleased Valley. Norton, who stars alongside Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, will do a Q+A alongside Kitty Kaletsky, his accomplice within the prodco Rabbit Observe, which is a producer on the sequence.
James Norton and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau in ‘King & Conqueror’ first look pictures
In the meantime, Paramount involves city with a slate of films from the revived Republic Photos label. The Studio’s Chief Content material Licensing Officer, Dan Cohen, additionally serves as President of Republic Photos. He has beforehand defined to Deadline the rationale for getting Republic, an historic banner as soon as famend for Westerns, is to complement the provision of blockbusters from Paramount Photos. Quantity is required, he stated, given robust demand for theatrical motion pictures from patrons within the first and second TV home windows.
Kramer factors to Twinless, which made noise at Sundance, and the Oscar-nominated September 5, as notable latest additions to the Republic slate that will likely be offered in London.
Opening Home windows For Premium
The U.S. distributor additionally has a pointy give attention to promoting premium drama into second home windows. The push is concentrated on the Paramount+ originals, which have their unique second within the solar on the streaming platform and Paramount+ branded blocks around the globe, earlier than coming to market, after a holdback, within the second window.
The buzzed upcoming NCIS spin-off Tony & Ziva is an effective instance, as are present exhibits like Tulsa King and Lioness.
“We’re taking a look at second home windows, that’s a part of our message coming into London,” Kramer says. “Individuals have been speaking about second home windows for a while. I feel the distinction now’s we now have began promoting second home windows on our so-called premium sequence.”
Cote De Pablo and Michael Weatherly at MIPCOM
Deadline
If achieved proper, the speculation goes, worldwide gross sales will help offset the massive budgets that premium dramas command. Or, as Kramer places it: “The price of manufacturing is sky excessive and it’s making an attempt to shore up your online business mannequin.”
Second home windows on large exhibits additionally imply a mainstream viewers seeing the sequence in query, pumping up its tires earlier than new seasons bow on paid-for companies. “It’s fascinating income era for us, however perhaps extra importantly, what we see is when you’ve gotten an IP it’s essential to expose it so as to make it worthwhile.”
Kramer continues: “It opens that product as much as extra viewers who could not have seen it the primary time round, or didn’t see it as a result of they weren’t subscribers. It beneficial properties curiosity and traction. It really sends viewers again when a subsequent season launches.”
As Paramount will get able to tout its wares in London, there’s no ignoring the broader company machinations, particularly the $8BN ongoing merger with Skydance Media.
Come the 2026 London Screenings, the brand new possession construction needs to be effectively established. Kramer doesn’t have a crystal ball handy as she chats to Deadline however sounds a assured be aware about the way forward for the content material gross sales enterprise.
“The worth of our distribution is a important element to determining the general enterprise technique. I imply, they want distribution. It is not going to be an insular group, so I really feel that we’ll be persevering with to drum up enterprise internationally, and hopefully, linking with our worldwide companions for a while to come back.”
