Sharon Levi, managing director at Yes Studios, on her scripted focus and the potential impact of a Warner Bros Discovery sale
As buyers descend on the UK capital for Showcase, London TV Screenings and Mip London this week, Broadcast International speaks to Sharon Levi, managing director at Yes Studios, about the key trends and challenges facing the business.
What was the single biggest challenge for your business in 2025?
Our biggest challenge is overcoming recent hurdles when it comes to Israeli finished tape programming. This is why we were keen to attend London Screenings - to meet with as many buyers as possible and show them our great new content. And I’m delighted to say that we have had a really positive response with a full house attendee list!
What are your top three growth priorities for 2026?
Format distribution, finished tape distribution and international festival/screening presence.
Streamers have struck some eye-catching deals directly with YouTube creators over the past year. What do you make of this trend and do you see it impacting your business?
For the foreseeable future, our focus primarily remains on high-quality drama (and scripted formats), so we are not currently looking at working with specific content creators. However, we are interested in exploring business opportunities with YouTube, in terms of looking at it as a legitimate outlet for our content.
What impact will the WBD-Netflix deal have on your business and the wider industry, if it goes ahead?
There are two ways (at least) to look at the possible merger, whether that’s with Netflix or with Paramount. One, it narrows the market in terms of number of streamers distributors can offer content to. Two, it can open up opportunities for smaller outlets, channels, broadcasters to bring more international content and in many ways, bring the ’old school’ way of selling back to the front.
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?
Probably the best bet would be to invest in a high-concept, scalable, internationally adaptable unscripted format - a returnable competition reality format with built-in global adaptability.
Tell us about your key title for LTVS and what makes it stand out?
Brewing Trouble (7 x 35 minutes). A young millennial and his grandfather are in financial trouble following the pandemic and decide to start an illegal, homemade moonshine business in a forgotten desert town. The two find themselves entangled between the police and a local Bedouin crime clan, but mostly between one another. This sharply written, character-driven crime comedy has universal themes and takes us on a hilarious journey between generational gaps, big city-small town differences and how, even in a town so small, one can still get lost.
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