Anna Maslovska, Sales Manager at All3Media International, is attending NEM Dubrovnik 2023, with her colleague Ben Packwood, and shared her views on the recent content trends in the CEE region with CEETV.

"Our buyers across the region are always looking for high-quality dramas with strong, compelling storylines, and over the last few years our drama catalog has expanded significantly. And as All3Media International's scripted strategy has changed, so has the region's reliance on detective dramas. We now offer a huge variety of premium content for globally renowned award winning producers such as Drama Republic, Sister Pictures, The Forge and Story Films. And thanks to that, CEE has seen a steady increase in scripted revenues since 2019," Maslowska noted.

"In terms of trends we have noticed with our scripted titles, what attracts clients are those brilliantly written dramas with excellent production values from leading global producers. What also seems important to them are those stories with very timely social messages, and great examples of that are recently closed deals with HBO Europe and Pickbox for the titles like Free Families, Confessions of Franny Langton and Rules of the Game. What also works very well are those fast-paced, very tightly written thrillers that keep viewers on the edge of their seats. And these stories are usually told across four or five episodes and offer these series work best when stripped across the week. Great examples of these are Witness No 3, The Ex Wife and Beta," the sales exec pointed out.

Regarding new titles in the catalog: "We have several very strong series coming up this year that will continue to meet this trend. The Night Color is one. It's a four part thriller from Story Films who are behind the Thief, His Wife and the Canoe, and Witness No 3.The Night Color is a gritty psychological thriller about the relationship between a taxi driver and a late-night radio DJ. It's been produced for Channel 5 and it will TX later this year," Maslowska revealed.

"We also notice a sharp increase in format revenues this year. These have already nearly doubled the previous year's numbers and our clients appetite for scripted format adaptations also contributed to that increase. Scripted formats offer a creatively and economically efficient route for our buyers as they are faced with increased production budgets and competition with global streamers. There's been an increased uptake in scripted formats in the region, especially from award-winning producers, which helps to attract big talent in the territories they are being produced in. Worth mentioning here is our recently announced Liar, originally created by Two Brothers Pictures, which is currently in production in Georgia, and Blood from West Road Pictures and written by award-winning writer Sophie Pettel, which is currently in production in Poland. These formats offer universally compelling stories that buyers can very easily adapt, applying a unique cultural lens to make the local series very relevant to their audiences. And these scripted formats have already proven very popular. A great example is Liar adapted in Greece and launched on Alpha TV last year, which outperformed the slot average by 23%."