Dealmakers


CAROLINE BEATON Senior vice-president of programme sales, Viacom International Media Networks


CAREER


2008-2011 Senior vice-president, international programme sales, VIMN 2005-2006 Consultant to clients including Pact and UKTV 2004 Founds Road Trip Media 2000-2004 Joint MD of Carlton-owned Action Time 1996-2000 Senior director, international programme enterprises, MTV 1993-1995 Various roles at Netherlands- based TV companies 1990-1993 Programme manager, The Children’s Channel


would be addicted to the exploits of a group of perma-tanned New Jersey hunks and hotties with names such as The Situation and J-Woww? Yet the veteran reality broadcaster has, with Jersey Shore, mined a bizarre and com- pelling subculture for universal appeal, once again proving its nous with global youth audiences. “It surprised people how well the


W


show did everywhere else on our MTV channels,” says Caroline Beaton, senior vice-president of programme sales at Viacom International Media Networks. “There was a fear in the beginning that the culture was too specifi c and the Jersey Shore idea wouldn’t translate, but everyone’s been delighted at how well the show’s done.” UK spin-off Geordie Shore (pictured,


below) has now been confi rmed for a second series and, as Broadcast reported in June, producer Lime has a second, Mersey Shore, in the works. The price of Jersey’s Shore’s own-


channel success leaves Beaton’s sales department in a bind, albeit a nice one, with a hot property it is not allowed to fully exploit. “What that means for us is that it’s become such a staple of MTV channels around the world that my department has had to let that success play out before we can do anything with it,” Beaton says. So mindful of local MTV channels’ interests is it that Jersey Shore series are currently playing with third


parties in only three territories: 7Mate (Australia), CPI (Philippines) and Musique Plus (Fran- cophone Canada). But Beaton stresses that these non-confl icting arrangements by no


means represent the total interest. “We’ve got people begging for Jersey Shore around the world, and we will start being able to do those deals, but we have to do it in line with the windowing on MTV.”


What’s more, Beaton


claims experience demon- strates that two channels running different series of the same show – as was the case with The Hills on MTV UK and E4 – leads to


increased brand awareness www.broadcastnow.co.uk


ho would have guessed that viewers of 60 MTV chan- nels across 152 territories


Jersey Shore


‘It surprised people how well Jersey Shore did everywhere else


on MTV channels’ Caroline Beaton


and a ratings boost for both parties – rather than, as one might fear, one audience cannibalising the other. The Australian Jersey Shore deal is


a case in point: it’s a sophisticated market for MTV, and the arrangement with 7Mate was made with sensitivity to the local channel’s scheduling. “The consensus both from 7Mate and MTV Australia is really positive about how the two seasons have aired across both platforms,” she says. “We’ll be continuing with further licences to 7Mate. It defi nitely leaves a sweet taste in the mouth when we do these simul- taneous deals.”


Local versioning The successful windowing has con- tributed to MTV Australia taking on Geordie Shore, which is not an auto- matic sell across the MTV network. MTV is not currently ruling out


more local versions, but it has to be convinced of both the producer’s ability to deliver and the local market’s readi- ness for Jersey Shore-style antics.


“It really suits mature markets – it


employs specialist techniques and high production budgets, so we’d be really selective about it,” Beaton says. “We’ve got six or 10 key markets where we think Jersey Shore would work really well for third parties, and we’re pursu- ing discussions across all of those.” Formats have been a major theme


for Beaton in the past year or two. With Viacom’s US cable networks pumping out original shows at a staggering rate, she reckons to have around 50 that are viable format con- cepts. One that has started to break through is Spike’s Pros v Joes, which has been picked up by Norwegian broadcaster TV2 and Australian pro- ducer Freehand. Italy’s Mediaset signed up VH1’s Bridal Bootcamp, while BET gameshow Pay It Off is being rebooted for Nigeria. Others on which she has focused at


recent markets include Slips, Moving In and I Used To Be Fat. “We’re fortu- nate in having such a strong content pipeline, from iconic MTV shows to hip comedy and kids’ formats,” she says. “Whether it’s MTV, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon or another Viacom brand, what unites our formats is their outstanding track record. Our shows are not limiting culturally and resonate with buyers and audiences all around the world.”


30 September 2011 | Broadcast | 27


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