Dealmakers


DAVID ELLENDER Chief executive, Fremantle Media Enterprises


D CAREER


2006 Becomes FME chief executive and joins board


2001 Joins Fremantle Media to develop


distribution capability 1999-2000 Stays on to run European


distribution outfi t after Polygram folds into Universal


1992 Heads up Polygram TV


International after Polygram buys VV


1986 Joins UK satellite broadcaster BSB.


Moves to Virgin Vision when BSB merges into Sky TV


Previously Spends early career with COI, BBC Enterprises and Viacom


avid Ellender has turned Fremantle Media Enterprises into a formidable force, with


revenues of nearly £170m for the year ending April 2011. With FME still in expansionist mood, topping £200m within the next two years seems emi- nently achievable. Rivals might attribute FME’s success


to its access to content from its parent company, RTL-owned Fremantle Media. But in reality, Ellender’s exper- tise around third-party content and brands has made FME a stand-out performer rather than just an in-house distribution arm. Indeed, FME has even got to the point where it has added content development and co- production to its core skills. With 75% of its content coming from


third parties, FME’s biggest money- spinners are brands like 19 Entertain- ment’s American Idol, Shine’s Merlin and globe-trotting chef Jamie Oliver. Further investments in third-party content and brands are planned, says Ellender. “We’ve been a lot more active in the US cable market. We sold 17 scripts to US cable last year and 13 are still in play. One, The Wedding Band [pictured, below], has gone to series with TBS, and we expect that to do well for us in the international market.” FME has also made signifi cant


investments in its kids’ slate. “The fi rst to break out is teen drama My Babysit- ter Is A Vampire. It’s been a huge hit for Disney and we’re really optimistic about its prospects,” says Ellender. “Another one to watch out for next year is Monsuno, an animation that has been picked up by Nickel odeon.” By the


time FME’s shock troops arrive in


Cannes for


MipCom next week, The X Factor US will


have been on air for a couple of weeks. But the actual job of


selling the show began last year. “Given the


involvement of Simon Cowell, we 32 | Broadcast | 30 September 2011 The X Factor US


‘The key is to get the show out to the international market


when it is still fresh’ David Ellender


knew there would be a lot of interest,” says Ellender. “So far, we’ve sold the show into 127 TV stations, around half of which are free-to-air. If the show performs well, then you’d expect to see some format enquiries start to come in off the back of that.” Essentially, FME is using the same


template for X Factor US as it did for American Idol. “The key is to get the show out to the international market as soon as possible after transmission, when it is still fresh,” Ellender says. The issue of clearance rights cannot


be underestimated. It is one of the reasons FME doesn’t package up and peddle old series of American Idol. Not that he spends much time looking back. “We’re in the business of building brands,” he says. “For us, fl ooding the market with old episodes could be counter-productive when you consider that the real value of the brand is its event status. That’s what is driving advertising, sponsorship, international sales and licensing revenues.” One of the big issues facing FME


has been how to sell X Factor US into a market where American Idol and local versions of the two formats are already


active. Did it make sense to go back to the same broadcasters, or look to spread the love by licensing the new show to rival networks? “Market by market, you have to look


at what’s best for both brands, and for …Got Talent too. In the UK, ITV is the home for this kind of content, so that’s where we started. But in Australia, Network Ten was running Australian Idol and we licensed American Idol to Foxtel without a negative impact.”


Global reach There are similar variations in other parts of the world. “MBC in the Middle East works with us on local and US versions of most of these shows,” says Ellender. “In India, our relationships are spread across net- works like Colors, Sony and Star.” There will also be some exciting


digital developments. “We’re thinking really hard about the immersive two- screen experience, about the way Facebook, Twitter, apps and playalong games can all reinforce audience engagement,” he says. One project he advises people to


look out for is Slide, a transmedia project from Australian fi rms Play- maker Media and Hoodlum. Now on FME’s slate, Ellender says it is “an amazing project that focuses on fi ve teenagers as they move into adulthood. I think the way they have developed the narrative across TV and the internet is a really exciting breakthrough.”


www.broadcastnow.co.uk


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