London TV Screenings Insights: David Smyth, EVP, content sales & partnerships, Fox Entertainment Global

Grimsburg (Source: Fox Entertainment Global)

Ahead of buyers landing in the UK for London TV Screenings and BBC Studios Showcase next week, TBI has talked to the bosses of more than 25 distribution companies to test the temperature of the global content industry and to find out how the next 12 months are shaping up.

Here, David Smyth, EVP of content sales & partnerships, Fox Entertainment Global, offers insight on the changing face of distribution models and ambitions to build out digital licensing.

David Smyth

What three words would you use to describe the state of the TV/streaming industry as a whole right now?

Changing, collaborative, cautious.

What three words would you use to describe the state of the distribution sector right now?

In the spirit of alliteration: re-energised, rewired, remodelled.

With fewer shows being commissioned, how are you securing your pipeline?

We are fortunate in that our primary sources of new titles – Fox Entertainment and Tubi – have continued to commission strongly in recent times. However, we are also open to selective third-party acquisitions where it makes strategic sense to build the size of our catalogue.

What is the single biggest difference in the discussions you’re having with buyers today compared with 12 months ago?

There is a greater openness to discussing new models of distribution, and we feel an increasing appetite for finding innovative ways of securing great content at more affordable price points.

How do you expect global streamer demands for rights to change in 2024 compared with 2023?

To remain robust, but with a greater degree of pragmatism around rights and geographical scope.

Where does opportunity lie for you in 2024?

Building strategic partnerships with key buyers combining acquisitions, co-development and format discussions into one, and to build out our digital licensing presence.

Tell us in no more than two sentences about the biggest problem facing the distribution industry and what needs to change so it can be overcome.

The greatest challenge all global distributors face is adapting to the fast-changing landscape as we see it today, rather than how it was in 2019, when access to platforms and their viewers was much more centralised. Now, in the age of audience diaspora, we need to be determined, yet inventive and flexible, by forming new partnerships across the spectrum to find (and retain) these viewers because the variety of services they consume continues to expand.

Tell us about your top show at London Screenings & why we should buy it

We equally love all our children – ranging from bumbling animated families, culinary geniuses and global music superstars to investigative specials, action-thrillers or romantic comedies and beyond – at FEG!