Theres a drive towards IP and buyers are talking about fewer, bigger swings, she adds.
These deals certainly did not come cheap.
They have to be making premium factual or BBC natural history-punch in shows, and then theyll attract attention.
Fremantle’s ‘Kingdom of Dreams’Fremantle
This support from the big players has revitalized interest in the genre, our M&A sources say.
Fremantle retains worldwide sales.
Chang is a former BBCStoryvilleboss with credentials in everything from indie to commercial docs.
Cara Delevingne in ‘Planet Sex’ (Christina Belle/Hulu)
Its an ecosystem where different types of docs have their place, she says.
Theres only so many premium films to be made and there isnt the talent to sustain them forever.
For smaller indie producers working in premium docs, the challenge is competing financially.
One German indie producer says partnering with larger domestic rivals offers a solution.
We cooperate with many of the big companies here, they say.
That works well, leads to big co-productions and means we can still attempt to get our own access.
Buyers are even saying, Have you spoken to this internet about this project?
Outside the premium space is a squeezed middle, she adds.
Theres always space for cost-effective, high-volume docs but shows funded with pre-sales could become a challenge.
Ninety-minute docs and two-, three- and four-parters comprise almost all of our premium factual slate, she says.
We get pitched six-to-eight-parters all the time and often wed prefer them to be three or four.
Those are easier to finance and many buyers are moving to a fewer, bigger, better strategy.
The question is not about projects selling today but whether they can sell in three or four years.
How evergreen is a story and can it stay relevant?
