Amazon Prime Video and SkyShowtime took the spotlight at MIP London on Wednesday, during a session entitled “What Do Streamers Want?,” continuing a streaming focus following an earlier session with Warner Bros. Discovery and Tubi executives.
“Good volume and good cadence of content,” was the answer that Hannah Blyth, head of TV at Prime Video, Amazon, gave to the question about what streamers want. “We are a quite mature service,” so a “broad and well-rounded” slate is the near-term focus.
That includes targeted content for certain audience segments that can also reach broader audiences. She mentioned docu-series Molly-Mae: Behind It All as one such recent example. Among other influencers-focused content targeting their big, loyal fanbases are the likes of Beast Games, he noted.
Kai Finke, chief content officer at SkyShowtime, the European streaming joint venture of Paramount Global and Comcast/NBCUniversal/Sky, said the newer streamer’s focus covers a few areas. “We want to grow market share and present ourselves as a great destination for storytellers,” he said. “We want to be a great partner and asset” and offer a “great content portfolio to choose from for our audiences.”
Confronted with a question about “content austerity” in the post-Peak TV age, the two executives didn’t want to use that phrase but outlined their strategies.
Amazon can help put funding together and “get … projects off the ground,” Blyth explained. The service recently unveiled a deal with Fremantle for revenge thriller series Kill Jackie starring Catherine Zeta-Jonesfor that will bring the show to Amazon in the U.K. and Ireland, with Fremantle keeping other distribution rights. Blyth highlighted that taking it for a “keystone market” and having a seat at the table from the script stage helped Amazon but also ensured that the show would get made.
Meanwhile, SkyShowtime’s Finke shared: “You are navigating this market currently with a lot of creativity” and collaboration, including when it comes to the financing of projects. In fact, he said “commitment” is one thing he wants to focus on, particularly a commitment to partnerships.
And he noted that “windowing is a great opportunity” to reach broader audiences and bring together partners. “Windowing has not been an issue.”
But Finke also highlighted that SkyShowtime is still in its early stages. “We are in growth mode,” he said. “We are investing.”
Original Source: Read More Here
