Disney planning Euro screenings
Studio keen to showcase midseason series
“We’re exploring what we should do,” said Tom Toumazis, exec VP and managing director of Disney-ABC Intl. TV. “We’re kicking ideas around as to whether we put on a roadshow and go to each of the markets and present our new lineup in full, or whether we host something.”
Like all the other U.S. studios, Disney hosted a slimmed-down version of its annual sales bazaar last month as a result of the WGA strike, which delayed pilot production.
“We had a very different screenings this year,” said Toumazis. “We didn’t have a big event on the lot; we didn’t have our full lineup.”
Of the six new shows on offer from ABC Studios, just one -- CBS laffer “Project Gary” -- was for a broadcast network’s fall schedule.
The other five series included Steven Bochco’s new legal drama “Raising the Bar” for TNT and firstrun syndie series “Wizard’s First Rule.”
Given the strength of ABC’s current schedule, Toumazis said, it was going to be a quiet year for the studio even without the strike.
ABC added just one scripted series to its fall lineup, a remake of British cop drama “Life on Mars.” Come September, though, London-based Toumazis is expecting to have a number of midseason pickups to unveil to international buyers.
“I’m very optimistic we’re going to have another three or four network shows to present to all our clients,” he said. “Then what we’ve got to figure out is how we do that.”
ABC Studios has nine pilots in development for midseason, including ABC comedy “Bad Mother’s Handbook” and the dramas “Finnegan” and “The Prince of Motor City.”
“I like the idea of taking our shows to our markets, and at the same time, I also like the idea of bringing a collection of buyers together,” added Toumazis. “So we may do a little bit of both.”
According to U.K. program buyers, one possible location Disney execs are discussing is Turkey. But the possibility of traveling to yet another event in a busy sales calendar has met with mixed reactions.
“I’m not shipping out my staff to Turkey,” said Jay Kandola, director of acquisitions at commercial web ITV. “I don’t think it makes more sense to have more screenings.”
Other buyers, though, said they would be keen to make the journey if there was a critical mass of new shows to screen.
“We want to see the product,” said Amy Barham, head of acquisitions at Virgin Media TV. “We would be there.”
