Spend on Content to ‘Flatten and Slightly Decline’ – Berlinale Series Panel
variety.comMarta Balaga Total spend on content will “flatten and slightly decline” this year. This tendency might continue for “at least” the next couple of years, according to Ampere Analysis’ Guy Bisson, a speaker at Monday’s opening panel of the Berlinale Series Market, which runs through Feb.
22. “We are entering a phase of market maturity in streaming: Growth is difficult to come by. We see it across the globe, most drastically in the U.S.,” he observed.
That said, there is one “lockdown trend” that happened to stick around: Unscripted commissioning rose to match scripted, with streaming commissioning currently focusing ever more at documentary, entertainment and reality. “The areas that have grown most significantly are all unscripted,” he said. “We will see more lower-cost content and a surge in reality entertainment, which is good for customer retention.” While there is increasing convergence between streamers and broadcasters, “particularly for unscripted formats,” crime continues to stand tall, interestingly enough reflecting an ageing customer base for streaming.
There is also a growing interest in biographical and historical drama, the latter exemplified by popular “Yellowstone” prequels “1883” and “1923” making it into the top ten of the most globally popular streaming shows in December.
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