The launch of new subscription video streaming services by Disney and Apple in November — soon to be followed by the likes of WarnerMedia's HBO Max and NBCUniversal's new SVOD service Peacock — will dominate discussions and impact dealmaking among the executives who'll descend on Cannes en masse this year for MIPCOM, the world's largest television market and confab.
The new streamers — joining such global players as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video alongside the currently domestically focused CBS All Access and Hulu — are a boon for producers and sales agents, providing a whole new market for top-end series. But they also raise the bar in terms of audience expectations and, by further increasing the sheer volume of series available, make it even harder for any new show to stand out.
"There's never been a better time for shows to get commissioned, but it has never been more competitive either," says Hakan Kousetta of Brit production group See-Saw Films, whose MIPCOM slate includes the star-studded BBC thriller with Jack O'Connell and Colin Farrell. "The expectations of the audience, and the buyers, are higher than ever."
Stephen Mowbray, a buyer for Swedish public broadcaster SVT, notes: "These days we say no to really great shows all the time because there is even better stuff out there. The stuff that stands out either has real star power or — like These nine new shows all pack the sought-after mix of A-list talent and boundary-pushing concepts likely to spark buyers' interest at MIPCOM.