The Head of Worldwide Distribution at Amazon MGM Studios highlighted that the company is also bringing its extensive lineup of feature films for 2025 to Mipcom.

*Produced by Luis Cabrera and Ana Paula Carreira, from Cannes, France.

Amazon MGM Studios Distribution arrived at Mipcom Cannes this year with a varied catalog of titles, but its biggest bet is the limited series Earth Abides.

This was commented on to ttvnews by Chris Ottinger, Head of Worldwide Distribution at Amazon MGM Studios. “The most important title we have at Mipcom this year is Earth Abides. It’s a big limited series, originally produced for our MGM Plus service in the US. It stars Alexander Ludwig and Jessica Dukes. Likewise, it was written and directed by Todd Komarnicki,” he said.

According to the executive, Earth Abides is an incredibly timely piece. “It’s six episodes long and set in a post-apocalyptic future, but a near future that feels real. We don’t have zombies or over-the-top sci-fi. It’s based on a classic work, a book by George R. Stewart. And it’s real. It feels real after Covid. It’s about a virus that wipes out most of the population,” he noted.

Earth Abides is a story about how we become a society and how we rebuild our lives and this world. “It has a strong environmental message, and we believe it’s very relevant right now,” Ottinger added.

Furthermore, the Head of Worldwide Distribution at Amazon MGM Studios highlighted that they are also bringing their extensive lineup of feature films for 2025 to Mipcom. “We are presenting many new shows, and it has been a great effort to bring together our original movies and series, but we are happy to share this content with our clients. We are bringing 40 global films to the market, many of which were launched in our MGM Distribution Pipeline 18 months ago, and we’ve added new ones,” he said.

“We have over 20 films we are presenting to clients at the market, including movies like Counting Two, starring Ben Affleck. So, we have an interesting and varied content offering at the market this year. Other titles that have performed very well are also present, such as The Tomorrow War, ” he assured.

Distribution Window

Regarding MGM Studios’ strength at Mipcom as a content distributor, Ottinger mentioned that they like working with standardized, research-based approaches. “We are a data-driven company. We spend a lot of time trying to understand what will work best for our clients and what will work best for our service. And based on that data, that’s how we make decisions about distribution windows.”

“We’re distributing our content to third-party services approximately 18 months after release. In exceptional circumstances, we’ve done it sooner. Our big film *Air*, we put on ABC in the US 14 months after release, which was very early. So right now, we’re managing an 18-month distribution window,” he concluded.

La entrada Chris Ottinger, Amazon MGM: “Our Most Important Title at Mipcom Is Earth Abides” se publicó primero en TTV News.

The showrunner of the new six-episode limited series, Earth Abides, set to premiere in MGM+ on December 1^st in the US, shares what makes this title, based on George Stewart’s book, unique in the populated post-apocalyptic subgenre.

 What about love for a change? That is one of the central themes of Earth Abides, the revered science fiction novel written by George Stewart, and one of the elements that separates Amazon MGM Studios’ newest adaptation, bound to premiere on MGM+, in the US, on December 1^st.

The series, which will be one of the key titles in the company’s catalogue for Mipcom Cannes 2024, has similar starting points to other narratives among the post-apocalyptic fictions -a universal plague, few survivors and a civilization to be rebuilt; which makes sense, since Stewart’s 1949 novel is a pillar of the subgenre- but the way it develops its characters and, more importantly, the central themes that it chooses to focus on, make it standout among its peers.

“I’d like to describe the show as being counter-culture, because the post-apocalyptic genre is always about using guns or the ‘dark arts’ to survive, while this show says:  ‘Actually the greatest weapon, the one undefeated weapon in the history of the world, is love’,” explains Todd Komarnicki, writer and showrunner of Earth Abides.

Komarnicki, known for titles like Sully (2015), shared with ttv details about the upcoming title, who has Alexander Ludwig (Vikings) and Jessica Frances Dukes (Ozark) in the leading roles.

What attracted you to the topics the book deals with?
Well, the fundamental question that the book asks is: if human beings got a second chance at the Garden of Eden, could we get it right this time? Could we be kind enough, be loving enough, and live in harmony with the Earth? And that is the fundamental question that’s at the heart of our show. Because, yes, the ideals are beautiful -love and sacrifice, family and community- but when you have to live in the everyday, when you don’t know if you can trust your neighbor, when you don’t know that it’s safe to walk outside in the woods, when your children feel like they’re living at the edge of danger all the time, how do you live with your best self? How do you put other people first? How do you think about love first, when you feel like your life is constantly under a threat?

And that’s why I like the show for right now, because I think people all over the world are feeling under threat. I think it’s a very particular time in history, so to ask these questions now, in times of emergency, is to ask our audience if we can hope for a better version of ourselves. And I believe we can. I really do.

Is it fair to say that this series will be a little more optimistic in the way it approaches those questions than apocalyptic-themed shows?
I would say it’s “hopetimistic” instead of optimistic. Because it’s not dreamy. The questions that these people face are very real. They are about life and death. They have to do things they don’t want to do in order to survive, but our show is utterly unique. I’d like to describe it as being counter-culture, because the post-apocalyptic genre is always about whoever is left having to survive with a gun, trapping the enemy, using the “dark arts”; and this show says: “Actually the greatest weapon, the one undefeated weapon in the history of the world, is love.”

How do you think these themes -family and generational knowledge being  big ones- translate internationally?
They translate because it’s a universally human story. Everywhere people are trying to raise their kids or give their children a future better than their future. People are honoring their grandparents. People are proud of their heritage. It will resonate.

Stewart’s book, published in 1949, pushed boundaries by having an interracial couple at its core, something that was not common at all back then. How does Earth Abides keep, in 2024, the spirit of what the author was doing at the time?
I would say our boundary pushing comes in our love and respect for women. We still have the interracial couple. We still have Jessica Frances Dukes and Alexander Ludwig as the as the main couple. So that exists. But it’s taken as a matter of course. It’s just two people who build something together and then fall in love. It’s very organic. The one thing I think that Stewart was behind on was his placing of the women in the background of the story. And our show puts them in the foreground. Our show absolutely points out that without the women in this group there was no chance of survival; and not because of babies, but because of a deep wisdom and intellect. The women in our in our show are remarkable.

You mentioned Ludwig and Frances Dukes. How happy are you with the cast you got?
The cast is extraordinary. I’d seen Alexander Ludwig in Vikings and he also did this incredible wrestling show called Heels. But I honestly think this is the best work he’s ever done. He gave us every ounce of himself. Truly he just laid it all bare, as if he were the last man alive. And Jessica comes from Broadway and her level of skill and technique is immense. These two actors work together and built a friendship that you can see, if you spend time with them, that’s gonna last forever.

How did you decide to go with a six-part limited series?
When I wrote the treatment, I had it as four episodes. But MGM+ wanted to do the show in six episodes and that’s fine with me. I wanted more, eight or ten, because I want to spend more time with these characters. The story takes place over so many decades, and it’s difficult to compress it all, even into six episodes.

Can you share the release plan for the US premiere?
The way it’s going to be released is episodes 1 and 2 are premiering together on December 1^st on MGM+. The following week will be episode 3 and the next episode 4. Then 5 and 6 will be released together.

(BEWARE: SPOILERS) The book follows the protagonist‘s whole life after the plague. How do you handle that and did you leave open narratives for potential following seasons?
I would say it’s open and it’s closed. We go all the way to the end of his life, but it’s only as a coda at the end. So there is a way, I believe, that the series could sort of come in between his younger years and his end. I think it’s possible. Of course that’s not up to me; that’s much more up to the audience, but we did go from snakebite till the end of his life.

La entrada Todd Komarnicki, MGM’s Earth Abides: “A Second Chance at the Garden of Eden” se publicó primero en TTV News.

The comedy series is based on a concept originally developed by Sergio Sancho in Spain.

Gato Grande –an Amazon MGM Studios company– has completed development in their first English-language comedy series titled Climax, about a former-party girl who discovers she has the ability to see how and when her sexual partners are going to die. Now that she can glimpse the future, what responsibility does she have to change it? Is this her chance to make a difference… or a curse on all future relationships?

The series will be written and produced by Mexican-American comedy writer Elena Crevello (Grace and Frankie, American Auto, Vida); and co-executive produced by Sergio Sancho (Itxaso and the Sea, Una vida una cena).

Climax was developed for American audiences by Gato Grande and is based on a concept originally developed by Sancho in Spain.

Executive produced by Gato Grande CEO Carla Gonzalez Vargas (Wednesday, Luis Miguel: The Series). Under the creative leadership of Gato Grande VP of Film and TV Development Megan Espinoza.

CEO Carla Gonzalez Vargas said: “Elena Crevello is one of the brightest voices in comedy television right now and is doing a tremendous job bringing this edgy, hilarious series to life. With a Spanish origin, Climax is another great example of the multicultural approach we have at Gato Grande.”

Climax is the latest project from Gato Grande’s English-language division, that launched in February of 2024. The company recently announced Megan Espinoza as VP of Film & TV Development, Comedy and Young Adult; and Moises Amsel as VP of Film & TV Development, Drama and Thriller.

La entrada Gato Grande Announces First English-Language Series, Climax se publicó primero en TTV News.

The Gato Grande/MGM executive assured to ttvnews at Content Americas, that the industry model we know is in extinction, and that they are opening up to other business models for 2024.

*By ttvnews, from Miami, USA

2023 was a great year for MGM Studios, but 2024 begins with excellent projections and a change of look at what will be the evolution of its productions, which aspire to expand to territories such as Colombia and Mexico, where audiovisual production companies find a series of tax incentives that support the industry and nurture their capacity to develop projects.

Concerning this scenery, ttvnews interviewed Maximiliano Sanguine, VP of Creative Development and Production at Gato Grande/MGM, who commented that he considers that today the industry is undoubtedly in a moment of change. “The model we know is in extinction and although we continue to work from this model, we are also beginning to explore other business options,” he said during his visit to Content Americas.

Sanguine highlighted that they hope to turn their business model around, through the search for co-productions, co-developments, and even trying to find incentives of another kind. “We are looking for the possibility of expanding and producing in other territories such as Colombia, for example, where tax incentives allow you to access better final production costs,” he said.

This is also the case in Mexico, where for the first time MGM will be presenting a series of films they have for 2024. According to Sanguine, in Mexico they can also access an incentive of almost one million dollars. “That comes from a contribution from the state side, through private companies that finance. Obviously, this is a great starting point to produce a film,” he said.

About the company’s balance sheet and projections, the Gato Grande/MGM executive, pointed out that in 2023 they produced more than ever. “2023 was a great year. We finished a series for Amazon, another for Paramount, we started a movie for Netflix and we are currently starting another series for Netflix. So it was an excellent year and we have a 2024 with a very good projection.”

Sanguine mentioned that his development team is divided into two regions. “We have two different products in English and Spanish, in a way we have the best of both worlds. We are a super solid development team, where we are permanently on the lookout for IPs, we receive and evaluate in internal committees, both for the U.S. market and Latin America, around 700 projects a year and we give ourselves that task of evaluating, there we find new voices.”

La entrada Maximiliano Sanguine, MGM: “We want to produce in other territories with incentives” se publicó primero en TTV News.

The bundle arrangement is part of a new kong-term deal between Starz and Amazon

Starz announced it has teamed up with Amazon to bundle MGM+ on Prime Video in the U.S. This subscription bundle, which launches in the coming weeks, will provide streamers with more entertainment options at a cost-saving value of $11.99 per month — a 20% discount vs. the combined price of both standalone subscriptions.

“We are excited to join forces with Amazon to offer Starz together with MGM+ to their millions of customers on Prime Video,” said Alison Hoffman, President, Domestic Networks for STARZ. “STARZ is a complementary service to general entertainment offerings, so we’re thrilled to see that bundling is now here and believe there will be many more bundling opportunities to come.”

Subscribers will have access to Starz’s critically acclaimed series such as Outlander, the Power Universe, P-Valley and upcoming new seasons of Party Down and Blindspotting. Also accessible are flagship domestic Starz services including Starz Encore, 17 premium pay-TV channels and the associated on-demand and online services.

MGM+ is a destination for original premium content, with original series including; Emmy-winning series Godfather of Harlem; sci-fi horror series FROM the Western adventure Billy the Kid; and cinematic dramatic series A Spy Among Friends, War of the Worlds, Rogue Heroes, and Belgravia. The network is also the home of acclaimed docuseries, including Emmy-nominated Laurel Canyon, Murf the Surf, Helter Skelter, Slow Burn, My Life as a Rolling Stone, NFL Icons, and Blumhouse’s Compendium of Horror. Premium movies are also available, including blockbusters like Top Gun: Maverick; MGM hits No Time to Die and House of Gucci; and beloved franchises like James Bond and Rocky.

La entrada Starz to Launch Bundle with MGM+ on Prime Video se publicó primero en TTV News.

The launch on Claro vídeo marks the continued expansion of the MGM on demand streaming service globally, following the service’s successful launches in territories worldwide including Australia, Italy, The Netherlands, Spain, The UK, Germany, France and Canada.

MGM’s International Distribution and Acquisitions division announced today that MGM’s on demand subscription service is now available through Claro vídeo in Latin America.

MGM’s service offers subscribers in the region access to big franchises, fan favorites and box office hits from the studio’s rich catalogue, including Rocky, RoboCop, The Addams Family, The Hobbit and The Pink Panther, among many others.

MGM’s service is now available to Claro vídeo users for a monthly subscription of $59 pesos and a 7 day free trial period. The subscription can be covered through different payment methods like Telmex/Telnor ticket, Telcel line, credit card or iTunes payment. Additionally, subscribers can have five devices linked to their accounts to enjoy the premium offer from MGM.

The launch on Claro vídeo marks the continued expansion of the MGM on demand streaming service globally, following the service’s successful launches in territories worldwide including Australia, Italy, The Netherlands, Spain, The UK, Germany, France and Canada, among others.

Claro vídeo offers a wide range of video on demand streaming content such as series, movies, concerts, documentaries, channels and live sports events, at www.clarovideo.com from any web browser, or Android, iOS, Huawei and Windows apps for smartphones and tablets, Smart TVs, Apple TV, Chromecast or through the Claro player.

La entrada MGM’s SVOD Service Now Available in Latin America through Claro Video se publicó primero en TTV News.

MGM International TV continues adding projects for Latin America. The company has now announced the development of an adaptation of Gonzalo Demaría’s Argentine novel Cacería.

Since the launch of its Miami office and the arrival of Diego Piasek as SVP of International Development, MGM International TV has added a long list of titles in development for Latin America.

It is composed of series such as El fin del amor: querer y coger, which will have the Argentine singer and actress Lali Esposito as the protagonist, and three collaborations announced with Frank Ariza: Tacowood, Mariachis and Herederos por accidente (for the US), which join two seasons of Luis Miguel, the series.

And now, the company has just announced a new project for Latin America: Cacería.

This is the adaptation of the Argentine novel of the same name by Gonzalo Demaría, who also appears as screenwriter of the series with Javier Van de Couter (Historia de un clan, La celebracion, Implosión).

Van de Couter also appears as showrunner, director and executive producer along with Demaría himself and Erika Halvorsen.

La entrada MGM Develops Series Based on Argentine Novel Cacería se publicó primero en TTV News.

Chris Ottinger, president of Distribution and Acquisitions at MGM Worldwide, spoke to ttvnews about the company’s catalog for Mipcom 2019 and its strategy to develop original fiction content in Latin America.

Premiered in April of 2018, Luis Miguel, the Series was definitely one of the most successful Spanish-language productions of the past year, relaunching the Mexican singer’s career and generating a new popularity for him in Latin America and Spain.

However, time has gone by and there haven’t been any announcements thus far in terms of more seasons for the show, with rumors regarding its cancellation. That is, until now.

In an interview with ttvnews, Chris Ottinger, president of Distribution and Acquisitions at MGM Worldwide, confirmed the series will not only have a second season, but there are already deals signed and the new season is now in pre-production.

“Luis Miguel will definitely have a second season,” he said. “We’ve closed deals a while ago and we are now in pre-production,” he added.

According to the executive, they’ve also closed deals with broadcasting partners (season one aired on Netflix and Telemundo), although he “can’t comment on it” at this time.

A few months ago, MGM opened a new office in Miami for Latin America. What have been the results thus far and what are the main goals behind it?

Our Miami offices were a strategic step for us. We seek to increase our presence in Latin America. Projects like the Luis Miguel series or the movie Overboard (Amor a la deriva in Spanish) with Eugenio Derbez, really proved that the more we invest in Latin America, the more we benefit, so we decided to focus our efforts in that direction.

Which projects are you currently working on?

The first step was opening the office, and now we’re aggressively developing shows and movies for the market. To do so, we hired an executive who specializes in local productions, who’s working to build our pipeline of original content. Over the next few months, we’ll be making several announcements. We are very excited with the business we’re building in Latin America.

What’s the development process like?

Is it all through an internal team or do you work with producers? We’re working with creators, producers and showrunners. We are creating things with Gato Grande for premium dramas, as well as with third parties. We want to be number one in premium drama and local films in the market. And it takes a little time to build that business, but we saw the power of local products through ‘Luis Miguel’ and ‘Overboard’ and we really believe in that business, so we are doing evetything we can to push it forward.

What type of content are you looking for?

We are always going to be aiming at high-end products. That’s MGM’s modus operandi. If you look at our shows, they are all in that category. But specifically for Latin America, we want shows that are going to be able to air in prime time on free TV across the region. ‘Luis Miguel’ is a good example. It’s a premium product that can also air on free TV. That’s our model. We want a better product mix, with free TV partners.

Speaking of Luis Miguel, will there be a second season?

A second season is definitely coming, we closed deals a while ago and we are in pre-production. We also have the broadcasting partners, but I can’t comment on it yet. We must wait for the official announcements.

And in regard to movies, what exactly are you looking for?

A strategy we’re exploring is looking within our own IPs to produce high-end films for the region.

What will MGM be presenting at Mipcom 2019?

On TV we are really following up the May screenings launch of our show Four Weddings and a Funeral, which already aired on Hulu. We closed one big deal that we’ve announced, a multi-territory deal with RTL Group. They bought the show in France for M6, Antena 3 in Spain and RTL in Germany. I think it’s the first multi-territory deal that RTL has done. And we are very close in other deals as well.

We are really excited for ‘Four Weddings’, it’s hitting the market in the right time and in the right way. Everyone is looking for this blue sky, positive feeling type of shows right now and we had a great one just at the right time. We are now looking forward to getting a season two order out of Hulu pretty soon.

What other titles will you be bringing to Cannes?

We also have a new season of Fargo, season 6-A and 6-B of Vikings, and Handmaid’s Tale, which has been greenlit for season 4. The big hits that we have are continuing nicely.

And what about unscripted?

On the unscripted side we are moving forward with our TKO and its adaptation for Televisa. I know there are new countries going to the hub to produce their own versions. We also have Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?’s relaunch, one of the most successful game shows ever, which is launching on VH1. And then the other big one is Generation Gap with Jimmy Kimmel for ABC. So we have three big formats that are super active and alive.

And what about films?

This year we’ll be doing something very special around James Bond. In April we’ll be launching ‘No Time to Die’, the 25th movie in the franchise, so our stand will be James Bond-themed, very cool. That’s the big one, but we’ll also take the new Adam’s Family, which will premiere in October; the Aretha Franklin biopic and the new Jordan Peele movie, the remake of Candyman.

La entrada Luis Miguel Will “Definitely” Have a Second Season se publicó primero en TTV News.