Weekly: The evolving world of LA Screenings

Each May, the immigration queues at LAX provide a rich seam of international buyers and acquisition execs, each representing a potential deal for hungry distributors.

But with the TV market in considerable flux, is this annual migration now in decline?

Hollywood has been a challenged environment for TV and film producers of late, while streamers’ rights habits and a trend towards local programming in many parts of the world have reduced demand for US studio shows.

“LA, and the entertainment industry as a whole, has undeniably had its fair share of challenges over the past couple of years,” admits Michael Bonner, the recently appointed president of NBCUniversal Global TV Distribution.

His LA slate this year includes Sky drama Amadeus, Joe Barton’s reimagining of Peter Shaffer’s stage play and film, and Simu Liu-starring The Copenhagen Test, but it is probably The Paper, a spin-off from NBC’s version of The Office, that will get most tongues wagging.

Tariffs add to turbulence

And yet while the considerable industry turbulence facing US studios is clear, Bonner is feeling bullish, a mood largely shared by his distribution colleagues.

This year does feel different, however: an industry squeeze seems to have cut the number of buyers heading into LA while casually discarded comments around tariffs have thrown a giant spanner of uncertainty into the already creaking cogs of the international film and TV business.

“[The topic of tariffs] is bound to come up,” admits Paramount Global Content Distribution chief, Lisa Kramer, who has navigated her fair share of crises and challenges over the years. “But it is premature for us to speculate on the impact. better to focus on the business at hand!”

Kramer echoes Bonner’s comments that NBCU has adopted a “business as usual” approach to the topic, at least publicly.

Over on the Sony lot in Culver City, the situation around tariffs is being “keenly monitored”, says Mike Wald, who is leading his company’s charge into LA Screenings alongside Jason Spivak. Both were named co-president of distribution and networks at Sony Pictures Television in February and while the tariff chat is still “unfolding”, as Wald puts it, the vibe is similarly upbeat.

Sony is expecting 750 people at its one-night screening on Sunday (versus a multi-event format in recent years), and Wald describes the market as “feeling very vibrant”.

“You know, that’s a comment on the market itself but it’s also a comment on us and what we bring in terms of the diverse range of programming and our track record.”

SPT’s slate this year leans towards the eclectic: there’s the upcoming Jon Hamm-starring adaptation of podcast American Hostage, as well as Outlander: Blood of my Blood, and the Matthew Macfadyen and Elizabeth Banks title The Miniature Wife, which will debut on Peacock and is from Media Res (The Morning Show).

Plenty of non-US productions also feature, with Lord of the Flies from SPT’s UK label Eleven Films, Aussie drama Playing Gracie Darling from Curio Pictures, and The Lady, from The Crown’s Left Bank Pictures. Spivak says the breadth of titles on offer should suit buyers of all flavours, but he adds that SPT’s “independence is still our greatest asset.”

“We’ve just got plenty of shows across the board, and we can sell to everybody, so we’re an easier port of call for people because our interests are completely aligned.”

Over at Paramount, buyers can expect a slate that revolves largely around franchises, with Blue Bloods spin-off Boston Blue, and Sheriff Country – an expansion of the Fire Country drama – leading the line.

“We also have the new drama series, CIA, joining the FBI series by Dick Wolf,” Kramer adds, before pointing to the intriguing DMV, a workplace comedy based on Katherine Heiny’s short story that stars Tim Meadows and Harriet Dyer, famed for recent LA Screenings starlet, Colin From Accounts.

Yet while all three distribution execs are expecting hundreds of buyers on their respective lots, there’s a feeling that numbers are likely to be down on last year. Wald points to the broader state of the industry: “Every company seems to still be coming to LA for screenings, but perhaps they’re taking fewer people. And I think that’s just something that you see across the board.”

Flex and flow

The waxing and waning world of rights availabilities during the height of the streaming wars may also have previously affected attendance, but the noise coming out of the studios is unmistakably one of flexibility and accommodation on almost all projects.

Bonner – whose slate also includes Sky original The Death of Bunny Munro with Matt Smith and the much-anticipated Sarah Snook-starring drama All Her Fault – says NBCU is “continuing to maintain broad rights for the vast majority” of shows on his slate, while Kramer adds that Paramount has “remained consistent” with availabilities.

“We move with the market and therefore are in more discussions involving ad-supported tiers, FAST, and new windows,” she continues, “we have to be innovative to support the needs of our client base.”

Kramer argues that Paramount has “consistently looked to be flexible and innovative with new models, windows and other ways to help address our clients’ needs” and there is a focus on shows that work for linear and streaming.

“Our clients are looking for programming that works across multiple platforms. They want shows like the next NCIS which can parachute into any part of the programming schedule and be successful,” she adds.

Spivak also points to acquisition habits evolving, with buyers looking for direct hits rather than a scatter gun approach. Questions about prices are dodged and swerved by all the execs, but Wald admits that clients “aren’t competing on breadth” when it comes to deals. “But they will go after what they need, whether that’s a big talent-led piece of IP or a spin-off,” he points out.

Bonner says he is finding appetite “for series with bold, original storytelling that can cut through a crowded landscape,” using The Day Of The Jackal to underline the ongoing demand for “premium” serialised dramas. “Quality procedurals, like those from Dick Wolf, remain solid performers for our partners, and broad comedies continue to appeal to global audiences as well.”

International evolution

While the number of buyers heading into LAX this week may not be growing, appetite for the event from non-US studios is. Independent exhibitors – from Spain’s Atresmedia and Israel’s Dori Media to Germany’s Beta Film and Korea’s CJ ENM – are mainly holed up at the Hotel Roosevelt this year, where suites have sold out, with the two-day event acting as something of a precursor to the major US studios activity.

Independent US-based firms such as Fifth Season are also in residence, offering eight screenings over four days, with shows such as MGM+ comedy American Classic, murder mystery The Artist and Shaftesbury and Crave’s upcoming returnable six-part crime drama The Borderline on offer.

Jennifer Ebell, who took over as exec vice-president of TV distribution at the start of the years, says she is seeing “broader” attendance from “wider Europe – with a definite increase on numbers.”

Most major UK-based distributors are also putting on some sort of show in LA, with BBC Studios and ITV Studios both active. The latter has screenings at The London and Ruth Berry, president of global partnerships and Zoo 55, echoes Ebell’s comments, adding that a “record numbers of buyers” have RSVP’d to view Cold Water, Watching You, and The Guest, with “a full house” expected for both Friday events.

The industry’s mood music, Berry continues, is one of “cautious optimism” among buyers and sellers alike, and Ebell agrees. “We’re seeing steady demand for premium scripted content, especially star-powered titles with compelling storytelling and broad global appeal,” cautioning that budgets “are under more scrutiny across the board” but reflecting Wald’s comments that money will be found for the right projects.

Future of LA Screenings

Clearly LA Screenings has evolved considerably over recent years, not least because of the wholesale shift away from pilots by the US broadcast networks and the now largely forgotten rhythm to the year that it instilled.

Fox, for example, had no pilots this year so is instead providing personalised screenings to LA-bound buyers of shows such as Extracted, Going Dutch and Gordon Ramsay’s Secret Service, all of which were unveiled at London TV Screenings in February.

US and international distributors alike have also been attempting to adapt to the fast-moving requirements of streamers and a broad decline in TV advertising spend, while they are now finding themselves having to now duck and dive uncertainties caused by the US president’s messaging on tariffs.

But LA Screenings retains its allure on both sides of the deal.

Mila Mayi, acquisitions manager at Spain’s RTVE, says the event remains a “priority” for her because it provides insights into short-term programming trends, and is still the best way to discover new productions from the US.

Her focus this year is on scripted miniseries between four and six episodes for the broadcaster’s free-to-air channels, with linear rights and free VoD rights required.

“What makes LA Screenings unique is that it’s a consolidated opportunity to preview upcoming US studio content in one place,” adds Nina Lorgen Flemmen, international content director at Norway’s TV2. “But you also get a sense of overarching trends – what’s changing creatively, strategically, and commercially.”

Echoing Wald’s point at SPT, she adds that the demise of output deals means the event now caters to buyers who are “selective, informed and looking at how the shows fit into a broader programming mix.”

Character-driven dramas are on Lorgen Flemmen’s shopping list, with network shows such as The Rookie, FBI and Sullivan’s Crossing all performing. TV2 has also just launched Matlock and is premiering The Hunting Party in June – “they kind of sum up what we are looking for,” she adds.

In terms of rights, it is “almost solely” for the SVoD subscribers on streamer TV2 Play, but linear rights are sometimes added on for promotional purposes.

The sales-side appeal of LA Screenings is also apparent.

“It’s still a really key event in the annual calendar,” Berry says, pointing to the increasing competition between US and international shows.

And there is acknowledgment that “the availability of US content” to international buyers is also changing, “so it’s key we focus on showcasing our excellent drama, which we are.”

Bonner adds that LA Screenings remains the “largest” buyers event that NBCU’s distribution team participates in throughout the year, while Ebell says May remains a “critical point in the calendar”, with “irreplaceable” face-to-face meetings.

“It’s a combination of setting up buyers with talent for co-production and pre-sale opportunities, as well as launching and converting tape sales,” she adds.

And there’s the rub.

Hollywood may not be the centre of the international TV universe that it once was, but LA Screenings’ place in the calendar – equidistant from the most recent and upcoming Mipcom each October – means its appeal for distributors and buyers from around the world largely remains.

Fewer acquisition execs may be heading into the LAX queues, but the currency of LA Screenings as a place to do business remains as valid as ever.