All3Media International chief exec Louise Pedersen on the US scripted market, moving further into merchandising and her live event push
As buyers descend on the UK capital for Showcase, London TV Screenings and Mip London this week, Broadcast International speaks to Louise Pedersen, chief exec at All3Media International, about the key trends and challenges facing the business.
What was the single biggest challenge for your business in 2025?
The slowdown in the US scripted market - we worked with some fantastic US partners on a range of scripted titles but in general deals are taking longer to close and are happening later in the production process, pushing more risk onto distributors.
What are your top three growth priorities for 2026?
We have seen very positive growth from merchandising and licensing revenues over the last year.
For example, we have launched two very successful live events here in the UK based on best-selling formats The Traitors and Race Across the World. We are targeting further growth from this area.
Social is another growth priority – the BBC/All3Media International/TikTok Spotlight Traitors partnership was an exciting new initiative for us in 2025 and we are targeting growth from platforms like YouTube, Facebook and Instagram in 2026.
Broadcaster-streamer IP pacts have also become popular across Europe, in particular the TF1/Netflix deal starting this summer. How will such arrangements affect your business; will we see a similar deal in the UK; and, what do they mean for the future of second windows?
The value of second windows in the Uk forms an important part of our investment case. Our key focus is always the long-term value of the IP. Distributors manage multiple second windows over a long period of time in a strategic way to generate maximum revenues for producers at a fair market rate. Any UK broadcaster/streamer deal would need to factor this in.
If we gave you £2m to invest in a show of your choice with a view to getting the biggest returns within five years, what kind of show would it be?
A long-running format with global appeal. No cloaks and round tables though as we already have the absolute best in class one of those, despite many imitators!
Tell us about your key title for LTVS and what makes it stand out?
Hard to choose one title – on scripted, Two Brother’s Maya’s rushes are really looking so strong, with Daisy Haggard and Bella Ramsey’s performances lighting up that script to reflect the true menace of their situation; they have also really delivered on the latest season of Dinosaur which is a charming contemporary romance.
Saviour, Careless, and Counsels (all now filming) are on course to offer to be exemplary contemporary thrillers. On the unscripted side, our Michael Jackson Trail doc series reminds us of the decades past, a brilliant music scene, the isolating cost of fame and the prism of judgment. It’s a thorough piece of documentary making – as is our Australian true crime investment 2.6 Seconds from Blackfella, whilst Lion has produced a glorious historical doc in Lost Kingdon of Arabia. I’m also delighted with the new format deals for Inheritance (including our Globo deal) and interest in The Circle.
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