MIPTV and MIPCOM recently published a white paper, What Do Buyers Want?, that profiled over 30 leading content buyers, detailing the type of content they are looking for and their strategies for choosing the best shows for their platform.
Though the buyers came from over 20 different international markets, many of them were looking for similar genres: of the 14 drama buyers profiled, 12 wanted crime dramas, 11 wanted action shows, and 9 wanted period dramas. This high level of overlap suggests that these genres have global appeal, but not every title in this genre is popular in every international market. To add more context, Parrot Analytics ranked the top titles by their average Demand Rating™ in each of these three genres in the buyers’ markets from January through March 2016. From this analysis, specific insights into which titles are most popular in each market are found.
The top crime dramas in twelve international markets are as follows:
Though this genre was highlighted in the most markets, the top crime drama in these markets differs quite a bit. The currently-airing Gotham is the most popular crime show in half of the markets, but the others prefer different shows, from the recent Fargo and Banshee to the older Breaking Bad and The Mentalist. When it comes to crime dramas, content buying decisions must clearly be based on market-specific data.
The top action/adventure titles are:
Popularity in this genre is more homogenous: seven of the markets have the currently-airing Vikings as their top pick, while the other markets prefer either The Flash, Arrow or Daredevil. For action and adventure shows, region seems to be a factor in which show will be most popular: European countries generally prefer the historical Vikings while the superheroes are popular elsewhere.
Lastly, the top period dramas are below:
For the period dramas, the genre is dominated by Downton Abbey, though this show ended several months ago. However, three markets—Spain, Italy and Turkey—have more demand for The Knick, and France has more demand for Peaky Blinders. Much like the action genre, markets have high demand for two types of period dramas: genteel costume dramas (Downton Abbey) or rougher historical dramas (The Knick, Peaky Blinders).
Overall, while a certain genre may be high demand globally, the exact titles that are preferred can differ considerably from market to market. Content buyers must therefore be sure to do their homework to find the genre preferences and most in-demand titles in their specific market. Choosing the content that most appeals to a specific market will naturally drive more views and more engagement on a platform.
For customized insights based on your market, visit the Parrot Analytics booth (P-1.B-11) at MIPTV!
by Kayla Hegedus, Parrot Analytics
