What the first Spanish-Serbian drama tells us about collaborations

Cicatriz / Scar (Source: Plano a Plano)

Co-productions will further dominate drama financing models over the next 12 months but as Richard Middleton finds out, there are already new partnerships emerging that underline how the sands are shifting.

Earlier today, a Polish pay TV operator joined a Spanish streaming service, a Spanish broadcaster and a Serbian telecom company on an adaptation of a thrilling novel about a young billionaire and his mysterious Ukrainian lover.

Cicatriz (aka Scar) is a story of intrigue, love, revenge and passion, but for those on the financing side of scripted TV right now, the mechanics of how this project got off the ground are almost as interesting.

More than that, they reflect the fast-moving plates of the global content business and how all players are working together to get shows off the ground.

Taking a novel to screen

The genesis of Scar (aka Cicatriz) began when Spanish production firm Plano a Plano and Mexico’s Dopamine secured rights to Juan Gómez-Jurado’s novel, also titled Cicatriz.

The Spanish-language duo were looking for a partner to help finance the project and called upon Asacha Media Group’s CEO Marina Williams, who started to explore where a potential show might find its audience.

Cicatriz / Scar (Source: Plano a Plano)

“So I researched where it was a best seller and to my surprise, it was not only in Spain – the second territory after that was Serbia, which I found incredible.”

Williams is well-versed in Adriatic productions and used her knowledge to get in touch with Adrenaline, working with Tony Jordan, founder of Asacha-owned Red Planet Pictures, to “connect the dots”.

She tells TBI: “I asked Tony about Adrenaline and he said they were amazing people so I spoke to the owner of the company, who at first wasn’t sure about this book, written in Spanish. But then he read it and came back, saying ‘you’re right, this is a total hit.”

From there, Williams and co were introduced to Srbija Telecom, the biggest telco operator in South-East Europe and owner of the TS Media streamer, which has been ramping up its originals slate.

“Over the last five years, we have produced more than 100 titles and 60 of them are completely ready for worldwide distribution,” says Aleksandra Martinovic, head of multimedia at Telekom Srbija, who points to shows such as Golden Boy (aka Zlatni Dečko), which sold to Prime Video last year.

“There is a huge advantage of the Adria region, because six of the countries speak in similar languages so we understand each other very well,” she tells TBI, adding that the region accounts for around 20 million people, plus a large diaspora. TS Stream has 1.7 million subscribers and is present in countries including Austria, Germany and Switzerland, with plans to launch in the US.

“We were focused on a ‘local for local’ strategy and that was very important but this project opens new doors for us into international cooperation and coproductions. With Scar, we can present ourselves in Serbia, in the Serbian language and with Serbian actors and in Serbian locations, but also to Spain and then around the world.”

From financing to production

The 8 x 50-minute thriller is now filming in Bilbao, before moving to the Adriatic next year. It will be both Serbian- and Spanish-language, with a cast headed by Serbia’s Milena Radulovic (Besa) and Spain’s Juanlu González (Valeria).

“Plano a Plano and Dopamine have developed an incredible project, which appeals to the variety of cultures and that’s what makes this Spanish originated show so unique,” adds Williams. It is also what makes it appealing to international buyers.

Scar / Cicatriz (Source: Plano a Plano)

Canal+ Poland became the latest partner earlier today, while Srbija Telecom will look for other, non-affiliated buyers of the show across the Adriatic.

It is a similar situation in Spain, where – again underlining the increasing flexiblity of streamers and broadcasters – Prime Video and national broadcaster RTVE both have rights.

“In Spain, RTVE is premiering, with Amazon Prime Video taking the SVOD window, so it’s a very interesting model,” adds Williams, who points to similar arrangements between streamers and broadcasters in France.

“It means more money but there is also a completely different audience, they are not jeopardising each other,” Williams continues, with Asacha sharing distribution rights with the other partners.

“This model maximises the audience, with broadcasters and streamers using advertising and subscriptions. It works with this budget and with this combination of partners. Right now, it is the right model.”