Paramount TV Studios’ Nicole Clemens eyes ‘incredibly fertile’ international ground

Paramount Television Studios president Nicole Clemens is looking for more shows from outside the US but added that the studio will no longer be focusing on limited series domestically.

Clemens, who took up her new role late last year after her scripted unit at Paramount+ was moved into the studio, pointed to the rise of non-English language shows on streamers and said this is an area she wants to exploit.

Nicole Clemens. CR: Michael Becker/FX

“Netflix says that 97% of its audiences have now watched a subtitled show and younger audiences are really hungry for content out of Korea, Italy or the UK,” she told the MIA conference in Rome.

“The opportunity for talent to migrate is really rich, so [non-US shows] offer incredibly fertile ground.”

Reflecting broader industry trends, particularly in the US as streamers trim spending, Clemens said half-hour comedies were of interest and added that her US team is working on shows with “broader appeal” that are “contemporary and ongoing shows”.

“The only thing we’re not doing is limited series in the US,” she said, explaining that the strategy outside of the US is different.

“[Limited series] are still happening internationally and we are still looking for opportunistic ways to make hit limited series, but we are looking for contemporary, ongoing shows.”