European TV Projects Unite in Madrid: A New Era for Co-Production?

The launch of the Euro-Atlantic Series Co-Pro Pitch Program at Iberseries & Platino Industria in Madrid marks a significant shift in the way European television projects are developed and produced. This initiative brings together a cross-section of mainly European TV projects seeking to advance their development, with the goal of creating a more collaborative and interconnected European audiovisual landscape.

The selection committee is comprised of seasoned professionals from the European audiovisual industry, including Laura Miñarro, VP of international business and coproduction at Buendía Estudios (Spain), Diego del Pozo, head of fiction at Atresmedia Televisión (Spain), José Fragoso, programming head at RTP1 and RTP Internacional (Portugal), and Georges Huercano, development and co-productions manager at RTL (Belgium). This diverse group will guide the selection process for participating projects, ensuring that only the most promising ideas make it to the next stage.

The nine selected series projects showcase a wide range of genres. Festival scandal drama “Callback” is paired with sports docu-series “Heartbeats”, while thrillers like “In Memoriam” and “The Invisible Ink” are joined by variations of comedies, from romantic comedy to heist comedy. These projects not only represent the diversity of European television but also highlight the potential for co-production and collaboration.

One notable aspect of this initiative is its focus on emerging talent and underrepresented voices in European television. Projects like “Heartbeats”, which follows eight elite female athletes as they navigate pregnancy, motherhood, and professional sport, or “Listen to My Lips”, a six-part character-driven drama exploring disability representation, demonstrate a commitment to telling unique and important stories that resonate with diverse audiences.

However, the shift towards co-production and collaboration raises questions about national funding agencies and public broadcasters’ roles in supporting European television projects. As more productions seek international financing and distribution deals, will state-funded initiatives decline? Or can new partnerships between production companies and distributors create a more sustainable model for European television?

The program’s success depends on its ability to facilitate meaningful connections between projects, partners, and funding agencies. If it delivers on its promise of creating a platform for co-production and collaboration, the Euro-Atlantic Series Co-Pro Pitch Program could be a game-changer for European television. But if it becomes just another industry event with tokenistic participation from emerging talent, it will fail to live up to its potential.

As the program unfolds in Madrid over the next few days, we’ll watch closely to see which projects make the cut and what impact this initiative has on the future of European television. With its focus on co-production and collaboration, this program marks an important step towards creating a more connected and sustainable audiovisual landscape – one that could have far-reaching implications for the industry as a whole.

The clock is ticking for producers, writers, and directors eager to take their projects to the next level. They must navigate the complex web of funding agencies, distributors, and production companies to tap into the creative potential this initiative promises. Only time will tell which projects will emerge victorious in this high-stakes game of co-production and collaboration.