London TV Screenings Serves Up Biggest Edition Ever With More Than 25 Distributors, 400 Buyers
27.02.2023 - 22:45
/ variety.com
Tara Conlan Guest Contributor After five years of quietly gathering steam within the international TV community, the 2023 edition of the London TV Screenings is its biggest outing yet. Running Feb. 27 to March 3, the event features more than 25 distributors and 400 buyers. But how did the confab evolve from a set of casual screenings by rival distributors of the BBC into an event that now rivals MipTV in Cannes? Its genesis goes back to 1976, when BBC Showcase was created from 25 European buyers gathering in Brighton’s Old Ship Hotel to watch episodes of shows such as “Fawlty Towers,” and buy such programs for audiences back in their home countries. The showcase then moved to other locations, including Edinburgh and Harrogate, before returning to Brighton, and eventually relocating to Liverpool in 2012.
The number of distributors and rivals to the BBC grew, so they arranged meetings with buyers and partners in London after the Showcase and began to collaborate in order to avoid clashes. “There were so many people wanting to have meetings that it just evolved into a much more focused opportunity to present to a group of buyers,” says Banijay Rights CEO Cathy Payne. During the pandemic, the screenings became virtual and more formalized as the London TV Screenings (LTS). This year, BBC Showcase announced its move from Liverpool down to London. It will now segue into the LTS, which will include presentations from Banijay Rights, Entertainment One, Fremantle, NBCUniversal, Hat Trick Intl., All3Media Intl. and ITV Studios, with opportunities for smaller companies to share time slots, too. All3Media Intl. has been running its own upfronts since 2015, says its executive VP of brands and press Rachel Glaister. “In the last few
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