C21Podcast

Ivar Køhn, head of drama at NRK, talks about how the Norwegian public broadcaster has resumed production this week on financial drama Exit, with a long list of Covid-19 health and safety measures in place; and Eleonora Andreatta, director of fiction at Rai, discusses how the Italian pubcaster is dealing with the crisis.

Robin Hilton, partner at media law firm Sheridans, assesses the legal issues that need to be addressed before TV production and M AND A activity can hope to resume amid the Covid-19 crisis; and Adam Cunningham, chief global strategist at Allied Global Marketing, discusses the surge in popularity of streaming services under lockdown.

Christian Rank, head of drama at Danish public broadcaster DR, reveals which scripted series have been hit by the pandemic and how event shows may be used to fill gaps in the schedule; and Viasat World VP of channels and products Karin Heijink explains how the international pay TV group is shifting its acquisitions strategy.

Banijay Group head of content Lucas Green talks about how the production giant is working through the Covid-19 crisis, new social lockdown show Shelf Isolation, and the rebound of unscripted; and former Kew Media sales chief Jonathan Ford discusses the company's collapse, plus his new venture Abacus Media Rights, repping the next projects from Leaving Neverland maker Dan Reed.

Lion TV CEO Tony Tackaberry speaks from the US about the projects the All3Media-owned prodco had in the works when lockdown hit, his concerns for freelancers, and the post-Covid-19 future for US cable; and ITV Studios' Mike Beale and Nippon TV's Tom Miyauchi discuss their partnership on new gameshow format Red Carpet Survival.

TV2 Denmark director of programmes Lotte Lindegaard talks about what it was like being first in the country to record a case of Covid-19 and how the lockdown that followed has affected strategy; and TVOKids chief Marney Malabar discusses how the Canadian pubcaster is adapting to potential disruption to its programming pipeline.

Michael Brader, from media law firm Wiggin, explores how the current production freeze is impacting M AND A in the TV sector; Steve Langdon of Parrot Analytics discusses audience viewing trends under Covid-19 lockdown; and former Facebook and YouTube exec Patrick Walker talks about the launch of his new business Uptime.

Kids' entertainment and educational start-ups Azoomee and Hopster have seen a surge in usage under coronavirus lockdown, with the former's Estelle Lloyd ramping up acquisitions of social emotional learning content and the latter's Miki Chojnacka seeking arts and crafts shows.

Discovery UK AND Ireland head of lifestyle and entertainment commissioning Charlotte Reid discusses how she's adapting schedules in response to the Covid-19 crisis; and Stephen Stewart, MD of Northern Ireland prodco Green Inc, talks about continuing production.

STV head of broadcast Bobby Hain discusses the way the Scottish pubcaster is adapting to the Covid-19 crisis; LADbible head of original programming Ben Powell-Jones talks about new social media series Corona Diaries; and Amanda Groom, MD of The Bridge, explores the first potential green shoots of recovery in Asia.

Nathalie Biancolli, director of acquisitions and international fiction at France Télévisions, explains how the pubcaster is adapting its channels in the face of the coronavirus crisis; and Georgie Mathew, a producer at Yellow Bird in Sweden, talks about still being in production on new series Snow Angels in a country where lock-down restrictions remain lenient.

Writer Jed Mercurio discusses Bloodlands, the first drama to come out of his HTM Television joint venture with Hat Trick Productions, and how the Covid-19 production shutdown impacted the sixth season of Line of Duty; while actor Jimmy Akingbola talks new Quibi drama The Most Dangerous Game and auditioning under lockdown.

Propagate chairman and co-CEO Ben Silverman discusses the challenge of redefining global production in the current crisis, while former Facebook and YouTube EMEA head of media partnerships Patrick Walker shares his experience of contracting and recovering from Covid-19.

Dermot Horan, director of coproductions and acquisitions at Ireland's RTÉ, and Stephen Mowbray, head of international at SVT in Sweden, talk about how these public broadcasters are responding to the Covid-19 pandemic, adapting their schedules and the gaps that they're looking to fill.

A trio of UK independent producers talk to Clive Whittingham about how they're responding to the Covid-19 pandemic: Laura Marshall, CEO of Icon Films; Hat Trick International director of sales Sarah Tong; and Jacqueline Hewer, CEO of Brown Bob Productions, which was in the midst of filming the latest season of documentary series Inside The Ambulance when the coronavirus emerged.

Pact CEO John McVay talks about the work the trade association has been doing to help support the UK's independent producers amid the Covid-19 crisis; COBA executive chairman Adam Minns voices his concerns for the nation's commercial broadcasters; and Matilda Wylie explains how West London Film Studios is coping with a previously booming TV production business that has now ground to a halt.

ACF Investment Bank president and CEO Thomas Dey offers his perspective on how the coronavirus pandemic is impacting M AND A and finance in the independent production sector, while ShortsTV CEO Carter Pilcher gives his take on the launch of Jeffrey Katzenberg and Meg Whitman's Quibi in the US and Canada today.

Tim Whitwell, creative director of Shine TV, and Guillaume Hellouin, co-founder and president of TeamTO, tell Nico Franks how they're keeping their shows on the road, with the first working on ITV doc Coronavirus, Isolation AND Me and the latter's 300 animators working from home across France on a variety of projects.

ITV Studios MD of global distribution Ruth Berry, Drive joint MD Lilla Hurst, and Blue Ant International senior VP of international coproductions and sales Ludo Dufour discuss how distributors are adapting to disruption in the programme supply chain, an annual sales calendar in tatters, and broadcast clients tearing up their schedules.

Phil Gurin, president and CEO of The Gurin Company, co-chair of Frapa and Natpe board member, talks to Clive Whittingham about how the formats business can adapt to the Covid-19 crisis, the continued importance of events like MipTV and tuning into Zoom for cocktail hour with colleagues.

Neal Baer, exec producer and showrunner on Netflix drama Designated Survivor, talks about the science that informed the final season's pandemic plot line, genetic technology that could unleash something worse than Covid-19, and the changes sweeping Hollywood as a result of the current crisis.

Synchronicity Films founder Claire Mundell talks about the benefits of an enforced period of isolation for the scripted business, while screenwriter Dan Sefton discusses shutting down production on BBC drama The Mallorca Files and the possibility of returning to his former career as a doctor.

Slim Film + Television founder Simon Crawford Collins discusses shutting down production on BBC drama Around the World in 80 Days, while Moonage Pictures exec producer Frith Tiplay talks about putting Sky sci-fi drama Intergalactic on hiatus and the wider industry impact of Covid-19.

Analysts Marc Berman, Simon Murray and Conrad Wiacek discuss the impact of Covid-19 on the US broadcast networks, streamers, global pay TV sector and sports as US pilot season stalls, Disney+ rolls out in Europe and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics are postponed.

PBS chief programming executive and general manager for general audience programming Perry Simon talks to Jonathan Webdale about how the US public broadcaster is responding to the coronavirus pandemic, rethinking its schedule and programming strategy in light of the ongoing crisis.