Anke Stoll, VP of Acquisitions and Co-Productions at Keshet International, spoke to TTV+ about the content she’s looking for in the international market.
TTVMedia, through its TTV+ platform and backed by Calinos Entertainment, presents its Buyers: What Are They Looking For? initiative to find out more about international buyers’ programming needs.
The interviews were conducted through the base of over 5,000 buyers registered on TTV+, a 24/7 online marketplace where buyers can look through catalogs from thousands of companies, and in which distributors can contact them to close businesses.
This time, we present Anke Stoll, VP of Acquisitions and Co-Productions at Keshet International
What kind of content are you looking for?
We are buying all types, scripted, factual and formats. We are open to anything.
What kind of ideas and stories are you looking for?
On the scripted side we buy both foreign and English-language series. It can be drama, thriller, mystery, even sci-fi. We buy as well comedies and dramedies, so we are open to many genres.
In terms of factual, we focus on factual entertainment, long-running series and high-profile documentaries. One example of that is Top Hat Production’s, Surviving 9/11, which was produced last year, to coincide with the anniversary of the event. We sold this incredible documentary in nearly every major market as a pre-sale.
An example of something we just moved into is natural history and wildlife documentaries. We just launched Scotland: Escape to the Wilderness.
In terms of formats we are looking for strong formats from across the world for international audiences. For example, The Hit List from Tuesday’s Child, which is on the BBC in the UK, in its fifth season already and super successful.
Is there any title that has caught your attention over the last 12 months?
Yes, there were so many incredible series last year. Series like It’s a Sin, or Ginny and Georgia, or Mare of Easttown, which were so well received by international audiences and well produced. There’s a lot of great content going around.
From our slate actually we are pleased about our new series Paradys, which is a crime series set in South Africa, together with Quizzical Pictures, we just won the 50,000 euro prize at Series Mania Co-Pro Pitch. Currently we are looking for broadcast partners internationally.
Are there any particular titles that you’ve acquired that have worked especially well for you?
Yes, last year there was an outstanding series called Pørni, which was a huge success. So far we’ve sold it in 46 territories, including HBO Max in Latin America. It’s going so well because it’s very relatable, a heart warming and humorous dramedy. By the end of this year, early next year, we will have three seasons.
