Scripted Series Report: Local series get worldwide inspiration

Levallois, 4th October 2012 – On the publication of the third issue of Scripted Series Report, Lorene Nowicki, Media Consultant and Sahar Baghery, Research Manager at Eurodata TV Worldwide note that “in a fast-mutating TV landscape, scripted series have adapted to multitasking and cross platform consumption, and are embracing a more cosmopolitan identity: at once more local and more open to adaptations and coproductions”.

New and local hits take centre stage
Most of the 16 countries studied in this report have seen programming grids refreshed over the past season with new scripted contents. The programs launched during the 2011-2012 season performed well, among all individuals and especially young adults: they represent 36% of the best performing scripted series1, a rise of seven points compared to the previous season 2010-2011. Italy leads the way with 13 new programs in its top 15 ranking series, followed by Australia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden and Turkey.

Among the best performing newcomers, 86% are local productions and co-productions (75% last season), confirming the trend towards local content as a winning strategy. With virtually no imported scripted series, the US, Turkey and South Korea have achieved all their best performances with local formats. Right behind come the UK, Germany, Italy and Poland, with more than 75% of their top series produced locally.

Worldwide inspiration
An increasing number of local programs are national versions of international series and coproductions.
The growth of the scripted formats market has encouraged producers and broadcasters to look worldwide for inspiration. In the US, adaptations come from the United Kingdom with Shameless on Showtime (the second most watched series on the channel), Denmark (Forbrydelsen a.k.a The Killing on AMC), and Israel (Hatufim a.k.a Homeland on Showtime).
1 – Countries: Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Quebec, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, UK, USA networks

If the volume of imported US series tends to decrease in the rankings – from 19% to 11%2 in 2 years – the US nevertheless feeds local creations with adaptations. For example, Cheers has been revisited in Spain and time-travelling formats continue to seduce viewers, such as Israel’s local adaptations of The Golden Girls and Married with Children, which rank in the 10 best performing series in 2012 among both all individuals and young adults.

Beyond the American influence, other inspirational foreign formats also shine. In Poland, four out of the 15 best performing series are local versions of Italian, Quebec and German series. In Sweden, the local version of the UK The Office ranks as the fourth most watched series among young adults. Meanwhile, in France, the comedy series Scènes de Ménages adapted from the Spanish Escenas de Matrimonio regularly tops the ratings of M6.

On the other hand, international opportunities are developing in the context of co-productions, enabling sharing of creative and financial resources. By diversifying their sources of inspiration, formats manage to appeal to both local and global audiences. In Italy, Maria di Nazareth (Italy / Germany) is the most watched series over the season. In Sweden, Arne Dahl Misterioso (Sweden / Germany / Finland / Denmark) took the second place in the top ranking among all individuals, as did Eva Luna (Venezuela / USA), among Venezuelans aged 18-34.

Scripted series and new viewing habits
TV viewing habits have changed and contents now have to adapt to deal with multitasking and de-linearized viewing across a variety of screens. This means becoming connected by creating significant and effective ways for audiences to engage with programs and channel brands. The USA, Canada and the UK are the most highly developed markets to date in terms of digital DNA in TV contents.
In fiction, transmedia and social TV strategies precede the season premiere in order to build anticipation. Meanwhile, branded content and online promotion (branded apps, web series, social games…) can emerge during or after a show’s season as broadcasters strive to maintain fans’ engagement with their programs. In the USA, the first season of American Horror Story on FX tripled the average market share of the channel, boosted by the parallel social network and transmedia activities.

Eurodata TV Worldwide’s Scripted Series Report – Season 3 covers September 2011-June 2012 across 16 territories: Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Poland, Québec, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the USA and Venezuela. It investigates local and international fiction programming and broadcasters’ strategies among generalist and thematic channels, the national/international performances of local productions as well as the most successful travelling formats in fiction. The report also includes an exclusive analysis on international case studies of transmedia strategies and digital extensions by Vast Media, a company specialized in tracking TV brand extensions and best practices in social TV worldwide.

2 – Countries: Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Quebec, Spain, Sweden, UK. Target: Total individuals.

Find out more about this report as well as our range of thematic studies including Kids TV Report, Entertainment, Cinema and Sport on television by contacting the Eurodata TV Worldwide team or by visiting us during the MIPCOM 2012.

About Eurodata TV Worldwide
Created by Médiamétrie, Eurodata TV Worldwide distributes programming and audience information, based on its partnership with the national institutes operating people meter systems throughout the world. Today, Eurodata TV Worldwide’s database contains more than 5500 channels in more than 100 territories and provides an exhaustive amount of daily program information including: content, production, international distribution and the audience levels for targeted programs, all data emanating directly from the relevant authorized institute based in each country around the world. These data provide a range of services which help in the decision-making process of international professionals within the audio-visual world like producers, distributors, broadcasters, copyright organisations, sponsors, etc. For more information, visit our website: www.eurodatatv.com. Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/EurodataTV and Facebook: www.facebook.com/EurodataTV.

About Médiamétrie
The industry leader in media research, Médiamétrie observes, measures and analyses audience behaviour and market trends. Created in 1985, Médiamétrie is expanding its activities in television, radio,the internet, film, mobile phones, and the cross-media sector in France and abroad. In 2011, Médiamétrie realized a turnover of 73.2 M€. For more information, visit our website: www.mediametrie.com. Follow uson Twitter: www.twitter.com/Mediametrie_TM and Facebook : www.facebook.com/mediametrie