The Hollywood Reporter – August 14, 2019

Behind the Headlines

The Report

THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER 14 AUGUST 14, 2019

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ow much work is too much for a top

showrunner? In a Peak TV era over-

flowing with choice, content creators

big and small are leveraging the demand

for their services with deals for exclusivity

on different platforms. On Aug. 7, Jeff Davis

(Criminal Minds) inked a “broadcast-only”

overall deal with the newly independent Fox

Entertainment. While the pact

was designed to be beneficial to

the network — which says it also

could sell Davis’ fare to outside

platforms — the showrunner is

still free to sign another TV overall

deal elsewhere. That practice, multiple sources

tell THR, has been growing quietly for the past

few years as new platforms have emerged.

Deals such as CBS TV Studios’ 2015 pact

with Ridley Scott’s Scott Free are also for

broadcast only. Now, sources say some prolific

producers are shifting away from the all-

encompassing exclusive overall deal that

media titans like Netflix and WarnerMedia

can offer such creators as Ryan Murphy and

J.J. Abrams, respectively, and instead are

opting for a variety of deals on four levels:

broadcast, basic cable, premium cable and

streaming. And for some, a fifth level — film

— is an option, too. Sources say one prolific

producer with scripted series at a broadcast

network and three different streaming out-

lets — effectively working with four totally

different companies — has quietly renewed

a broadcast-only deal and is closing in on an

exclusive streaming pact with another outlet.

Confused? Don’t be. Take Abrams, who is in

final negotiations for a $500 million film and

TV overall with WarnerMedia, as an example.

The prolific writer, producer and director pre-

viously had two separate deals — a film pact

with Viacom-owned Paramount Pictures and

a TV deal with Warners. Had he not wanted to

combine film and TV for the eye-popping pay-

check, he instead could easily have signed five

different exclusive, platform-specific deals

with a broadcaster, basic cabler, premium

cabler, streamer and film studio instead.

What remains to be seen is if any combina-

tion of multiple TV deals still outweighs the

crazy money that the biggest media conglom-

erates are offering for all-in-one exclusivity.

Sources note some streamers are now offering

both options in a bid to draw top talent. With

Disney+, HBO Max and Comcast streamers

helping to diversify traditional media compa-

nies, some top-tier producers are enticed by

the money and confident that they’ll have the

creative freedom to be able to do anything.

The latter is at least part of why showrun-

ners like Murphy flock to Netflix, as they

believe the platform has the ability to offer

broadcast-level programming, documenta-

ries and high-end scripted on top of specials

and, well, any other genre. For others who

may not have the brand appeal of a Shonda

Rhimes and want the ability to place the

right show at the right outlet, multiple deals

remain a better option creatively — and

possibly financially, too, as the competition

keeps intensifying at every tier. That’s if the

producer can balance all the obligations. As

Fox Entertainment CEO Charlie Collier told

reporters regarding Davis’ deal: “We’re hear-

ing back from the creative community, and

our phones are ringing with an interest in

these deals — and others, by the way — rang-

ing from direct talent partnerships and direct

acquisition of IP.”

The Vanishing

$200 Million

Blockbuster

In a hypercompetitive market, some A-list creators are shifting from

the traditional exclusive overall pact to multiple separate partnerships

BY LESLEY GOLDBERG

T

here’s The Lion King and every-

thing else. In an increasingly

stratified U.S. box office landscape

dominated by Disney, this is the

first year since 1995 in which a

single film has yet to top out in the

$200 million to $300 million range

domestically. Instead, a number

of films (six to date) have earned

$300 million or more. — ERIK HAYDEN Source: Comscore, not adjusted for inflation

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4

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2019 2018 2017 2016 2015

$200M to $300M Grossing

Films Domestically

2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 20052004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995

Four films have grossed more than

$400 million domestically so far, led

by Avengers: Endgame at $857 mil-

lion. And 13 films have grossed in the

$100 million to $200 million range.

Ten films, including

Maleficent, The Lego Movie

and Big Hero 6 grossed

between $200 million and

$300 million domestically.

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6 6

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The original Toy Story

led all stateside grosses in

1995, with $191 million

domestically, not adjusted

for inflation.

7 7 7

Davis

When One TV Megadeal

Isn’t Quite Enough