GRB Media Ranch Presents New Formats and Strategy at MIPCOM
Liz Levenson, GRB Media Ranch Distribution and Acquisitions Executive, talks to TVBIZZ Magazine about the latest shows in their catalog and the new FAST projects of the company, which will be looking to find new international partners during MIPCOM.
Liz Levenson, GRB Media Ranch Distribution and Acquisitions Executive
In August 2023, GRB Studios and Media Ranch joined the distribution arms of their brands to create one powerful entity. What did this joint venture bring in terms of business operations and readjusting the strategies of the two companies?
GRB Studios and Media Ranch joined forces in the midst of an incredibly dynamic and rapidly shifting international content marketplace. The lifecycle of content is rapidly evolving, and we are thrilled that with both companies’ combined strength in content, formats, and distribution, our partnership has already proven very fruitful.
In the last year, we have expanded our catalog with an ambitious acquisitions’ strategy, a digital strategy including two FAST channels soon to launch (paranormal and travel), and we are bringing brand-new and proven formats to market.
GRB Media Ranch offers over 100 formats. What have been your most-popular shows lately and what are you bringing to MIPCOM?
We are thrilled to be bringing for the first time to the format market Untold Stories of the E.R., following its production of over 160 episodes across 15 seasons and over 200 territories. We’ve recently closed our first format deal for the show in Africa and are looking forward to locking in more format partners all over the world for the program.
We are also pleased to bring hit Canadian dating format Blind Dating to the market, as well as singing competition series Round Table from The Masked Singer’s Wonwoo Park, and combined variety/quiz format Watch!
What are the latest major deals for GRB Media Ranch?
Ahead of MIPCOM we are pleased to announce the acquisitions of our programs Death Walker, Aliens on the Moon, Executed, among others by Czech Television/JOJ, as well as UNTRUTH to Against Gravity in Poland.
GRB Media Ranch is expanding with a new digital strategy. What are its main elements and what are your objectives? Are you looking into the FAST-rising business?
October 1, we announced our digital strategy by bringing on an expert advisor, Will Marks and are soon launching two new upcoming FAST channels – a paranormal channel and a travel/food/culture channel. In addition, we are excited to align our content with FAST channels around the world and expand into new territories with new partnerships in each key region.
How are you addressing the changing habits of how and when content is consumed, have you planned more active partnerships with streamers?
The television and content business are changing on an almost daily basis and it’s impossible to ignore the shifting habits of the consumer (us! We watch TV too!). One of the best aspects of digital and FAST distribution is the ability to connect directly with audiences who care passionately about specific genres. In that way, we are exploring opportunities to target niche audiences (like our paranormal FAST channel, The Unseen), and other strategic alignments that will allow our target audiences to easily find and be able to watch content that is meaningful to them.
What are the biggest opportunities and the latest trends in the formats landscape at present, in your opinion?
Format trends vary widely depending on so many different factors. We have seen a renewed interest in dating programs, and to that end, we are excited to continue to lock in more partners for our dating format Blind Dating. We’re also extremely excited about the launch of Untold Stories of the E.R. as a format. While I can’t say that a show celebrating crazy medical stories is “on trend,” what I can say is that the format is unique, fresh, and interesting – all attributes of a great format that will never go out of style.
Both broadcasters and streamers are introducing cost-cutting measures. How is this affecting your business?
The consolidation and cost-cutting across the industry has been an incredible challenge – but with challenge comes unique opportunities. Many of our format partners have expressed to us that their budgets are smaller than they have been in the past, and we’ve been working closely with them to develop creative and fun ways to stretch smaller budgets. This might include changing the location of a format, scaling an aspect of a series down, or even embracing AI to help with production aspects.
Are co-productions the future of the global TV business?
In my humble opinion, co-productions are the past, present, and future of the global TV business – so please reach out to us if you have any projects to discuss – we are excited to meet new partners and develop unique, salable content for a worldwide audience.
GRB Studios and Media Ranch joined forces in the midst of an incredibly dynamic and rapidly shifting international content marketplace. The lifecycle of content is rapidly evolving, and we are thrilled that with both companies’ combined strength in content, formats, and distribution, our partnership has already proven very fruitful.
In the last year, we have expanded our catalog with an ambitious acquisitions’ strategy, a digital strategy including two FAST channels soon to launch (paranormal and travel), and we are bringing brand-new and proven formats to market.
GRB Media Ranch offers over 100 formats. What have been your most-popular shows lately and what are you bringing to MIPCOM?
We are thrilled to be bringing for the first time to the format market Untold Stories of the E.R., following its production of over 160 episodes across 15 seasons and over 200 territories. We’ve recently closed our first format deal for the show in Africa and are looking forward to locking in more format partners all over the world for the program.
We are also pleased to bring hit Canadian dating format Blind Dating to the market, as well as singing competition series Round Table from The Masked Singer’s Wonwoo Park, and combined variety/quiz format Watch!
What are the latest major deals for GRB Media Ranch?
Ahead of MIPCOM we are pleased to announce the acquisitions of our programs Death Walker, Aliens on the Moon, Executed, among others by Czech Television/JOJ, as well as UNTRUTH to Against Gravity in Poland.
Blind Dating
GRB Media Ranch is expanding with a new digital strategy. What are its main elements and what are your objectives? Are you looking into the FAST-rising business?
October 1, we announced our digital strategy by bringing on an expert advisor, Will Marks and are soon launching two new upcoming FAST channels – a paranormal channel and a travel/food/culture channel. In addition, we are excited to align our content with FAST channels around the world and expand into new territories with new partnerships in each key region.
How are you addressing the changing habits of how and when content is consumed, have you planned more active partnerships with streamers?
The television and content business are changing on an almost daily basis and it’s impossible to ignore the shifting habits of the consumer (us! We watch TV too!). One of the best aspects of digital and FAST distribution is the ability to connect directly with audiences who care passionately about specific genres. In that way, we are exploring opportunities to target niche audiences (like our paranormal FAST channel, The Unseen), and other strategic alignments that will allow our target audiences to easily find and be able to watch content that is meaningful to them.
What are the biggest opportunities and the latest trends in the formats landscape at present, in your opinion?
Format trends vary widely depending on so many different factors. We have seen a renewed interest in dating programs, and to that end, we are excited to continue to lock in more partners for our dating format Blind Dating. We’re also extremely excited about the launch of Untold Stories of the E.R. as a format. While I can’t say that a show celebrating crazy medical stories is “on trend,” what I can say is that the format is unique, fresh, and interesting – all attributes of a great format that will never go out of style.
Watch Germany
Both broadcasters and streamers are introducing cost-cutting measures. How is this affecting your business?
The consolidation and cost-cutting across the industry has been an incredible challenge – but with challenge comes unique opportunities. Many of our format partners have expressed to us that their budgets are smaller than they have been in the past, and we’ve been working closely with them to develop creative and fun ways to stretch smaller budgets. This might include changing the location of a format, scaling an aspect of a series down, or even embracing AI to help with production aspects.
Are co-productions the future of the global TV business?
In my humble opinion, co-productions are the past, present, and future of the global TV business – so please reach out to us if you have any projects to discuss – we are excited to meet new partners and develop unique, salable content for a worldwide audience.
