Inimitable drama is a key selling point for online delivery brands as these platforms consolidate their position in the market. But while digital platforms are hungry for great stories, there’s a desire for quality drama among the pay-TV channels and large free-to-air broadcasters as well, as nothing strengthens a TV brand, digital or otherwise better than high-quality, compelling dramas.
On the talent side, the titans of the film world such as Ridley Scott and Steven Spielberg, two high-profile directors in the cinema world, have both traversed the world of TV over the years. Spielberg, with dozens of films to his name, is now building up his TV interest in dramas. His raft of new TV projects includes, Under The Dome, a third HBO mini-series (yet to be titled) on the Second Worlds War, like Band of Brothers and The Pacific, to be executive produced with Tom Hanks. Napoleon, a mini-series based on a film script by the late Stanley Kubrick, is also on the agenda.
Kelvin Spacey’s U.S. $100 million series, House of Cards, has been hailed as a game-changer, establishing a new route of distribution with an all-you-can-eat offering direct through Netflix. “There’s a lot more demand out there for unique content, unique stories and unique drama,” says Red Arrow International’s Jens Richter. “Traditionally it was the business of big free-TV channels to commission drama. Now you have a lot more players in the market. You have stronger pay-TV platforms in the market, and you have the VOD platforms like Netflix, Amazon and Hulu who all are looking for original content as well. Where there used to be a few potential players there are many now, and in order to give their platform the right USB they need content that stands out and they need shows that are extraordinary.”
Hong Kong’s TVB produces 520 episodes of original drama yearly which is viewed by over 300 million households worldwide and covering more than 40 countries and 100 cities, including Mainland China, Macau, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, North and South America and Africa. TVB is the largest commercial Chinese programme producer in the world and the first wireless commercial television station in Hong Kong.
“Dramas offer diversified stories that satisfy audiences’ imagination. Viewers can take a break from the real world and fantasies in the comedy or adventure. Other genres are often informative, lacking the space for audiences’ imagination. Characters in dramas often resonate with people or project certain characteristics that make the audiences feel connected to the characters,” Sherman Lee, Controller at TVBI explains.
The roadmap for drama seems exhilarating as people’s viewing habits have changed with the unlimited access to programmes via other devices. Mobile and online drama will become a trend and audiences’ involvement in storyline and script development will become one of the essential elements according to TVB, the champion drama producer in Asia-Pacific. Sherman says, “The youth will request for more high- quality programmes with profound storylines, casts and even location of shoot. Parents demand for more infotainment dramas to educate children with the TV while the seniors prefer light-hearted dramas at ease on their sofa.
“We still have to continue to reach all audiences from all walks of life and fulfil their expectation to the best of our knowledge and provide subtitling and dubbing in various languages. We have an established international distribution network and our customers are mainly Chinese across the globe. To localise the content is the key to success of our distribution strategy. Locally-produced programmes by joint-venture production with local production houses will help strengthen our position in individual market. TVB has a huge library of more than 100,000 hours of dramas and more than 200,000 hours of other content. It’s a pre-requisite for a content provider to explore its business scope further. To achieve our KPI, we need to nurture a group of loyal supporters by providing them more quality and creative content. This includes incorporating the content with new media to enhance the market value,” Sherman adds.
Against all odds, drama has survived the rise of today’s reality shows with millions of followers worldwide. What is dramas’ edge above other genres? How is scripted content playing a more defining role in the digital environment? “Reality shows offer an element of thrill which takes us to another level. Drama is endearing; its loving and caring; its life. And for this reason, as audiences we will need the thrill and excitement of something new every once in a while. Hence, drama will stay with us; nurturing us; guiding us and entertaining us,” says Sunita Uchil, Zee Entertainment’s Global Head – Syndication.
She continued, “The audiences continue to love drama as it is aspirational and at the same time it tells us life stories; stories that we live everyday of love, joy, lust, anger, revenge, happiness, sadness, loss, jealously, craving. These are emotions which we all feel and the same reflects on screen associated with characters we come to reckon with, making them a part of our lives. This is drama’s edge over other genres.
“With greater accessibility of broadband and the growing popularity of the internet, the audiences now have the opportunity to watch their kind of content at their preferred time. The advantage of watching their favourite soaps and series is at the fingertips today. Downloading the content to watch at convenience and binge viewing is gaining in popularity.
Older series which have been extremely popular are also making a comeback. The digital environment enables ‘pulling content on demand’ vis-à-vis ‘content being dished out or pushed for appointment viewing’ – and in this environment where the power to pull is with the audience, scripted content is fuelling as well as satiating the hunger of viewers by virtue of its long shelf-life and archival value. After all, as we know, good, well scripted stories or narratives are always remembered, cherished, passed on and repeated without losing their charm or going out of fashion,” she adds.
Singapore’s MediaCorp Pte Ltd, the sole terrestrial broadcaster says drama provides platform stickiness and creates loyalty. MediaCorp’s FTA channels offer a curated mix of top dramas from various sources and regions. “Our challenge as buyers is to seek the content that would draw viewers, content that they may have not already accessed elsewhere, and to provide a comfortable and compelling viewing experience. Invariably, it has been the Korean dramas, Chinese period dramas, Taiwanese longform dramas and Hollywood/British Prime-time dramas that have met our FTA needs,” says Joy Olby-Tan, VP, Programming (Acquisition).
The curated mix of dramas from different regions target different segments of viewers on its multiple FTA channels: Korean (My Love from the Star; Jang Bo Ri is Here) – aspirational and involves strong and diverse storylines, featuring great-looking cast. China period (The Romance of the Condor Heroes; King of Lan Ling) – martial arts themes and historical palace settings are evergreens and have broad appeal. Taiwanese long-form (Night Market Life) – appeals to the heartlanders and mature viewers through melodramatic familyfeud story-lines that keep viewers hooked through the ebbs and flows. Hollywood (The Flash; Marvel’s Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.; How To Get Away With Murder; The Walking Dead) – high quality with vast choice and constantly evolves to capture the imagination. Products tend to travel well and resonate across varied audiences. British (Sherlock; The Musketeers; Grantchester) – represents a selection for the more discerning viewer through a more considered story-telling approach.
Joy says, “Scripted content is playing a more defining role in the digital environment today as there is a glut in content available to the viewer. The digital environment is a vast frontier where viewers have the choice of what to watch, when to watch and how much of it to watch. At the end of the day, it comes back to the art and quality of the story-telling …… the premise, the development, the cast, direction, pacing, denouements, and of course budgets to achieve a stand-out product.”
The broadcaster also pushes its local production worldwide explains Tang Yun Leung, VP, Content Distribution, (Studios). “We are pushing our mid-year and year-end blockbuster The Journey: Our Homeland and The Dream Makers 2. We are seeing increasing demand for our dramas in the Southeast Asian market and as a result. We have plans to step-up a drama sales unit especially for Vietnam and Cambodia. Asia is also seeing an increase in on-demand content and we are also exploring new media platforms such as IPTV in Taiwan as well OTT in Thailand and Vietnam.”
Nippon TV’s recent drama series Death Note is set to broadcast and/ or stream in over 120 countries and regions soon after each episode airs in Japan, setting a new record in the global breadth of distribution for Nippon TV dramas.
In the U.S., Europe, Middle East, and Africa, Crunchyroll, a company that streams animations online, and Mperience, will make each episode available only a few days after airing in Japan. In Asia, Channel J, the South Korean cable channel, will broadcast the programme approximately one week after airing in Japan.
Due to the success of the animation movie abroad, numerous offers from all over the world came immediately after the announcement of the Death Note drama series. One Italian buyer eagerly expressed an interest, saying, “As you know in Europe live-action TV series are very difficult but we think there is a public interested and so we would like to give it a try.” In the U.S., where Death Note has become a formidable brand that is well-known among anime fans, multiple anime streaming companies indicated their strong interest in acquiring the series. Throughout the world, expectations are high for this new live-action drama installation.
An award-winning producer, former head of drama at the UKs channel 4 and one-time controller of drama at Granada, Gub Neal is now the creative director of Artists Studio. Neal, who co-created the acclaimed TV series Cracker and won an Emmy for Prime Suspect believes TV is benefitting from an influx of big film names for very good reasons. “Human drama has blossomed on TV, while commercial film has become about superhuman stunts,” says Neal. He maintains that the big action/3D big screen films of the last few years have dwarfed personal vision and restricted choices. Neal adds, “TV’s business and the creative models are a massive attraction for film talent, especially when they do not have to share box-office expectations over opening weekend figures from an audience that primarily want an accelerated fairground ride, rather than an exquisitely constructed piece of human drama.”
