The largest French-language TV market of the year kicks off next week, marking its third year in the city of Le Havre in northern France.
The annual Rendez-Vous is organized by Unifrance, the organization that promotes French television and cinema, with a different atmosphere than most markets. There’s an events calendar, which means buyers and sellers eat, drink and attend a diary of events together, as well as inspect shows and make deals throughout the day.
Although it is a large event, the setting gives Rendez-Vous a unique feel. In a rapidly changing global television world, with many events feeling stressful, creating this atmosphere is part of the plan, says Daniela Elstner, CEO of Unifrance.
“The question is, how do you keep up with what people want from the market in a moment when things are changing,” she says. “We have to somehow answer a lot of these questions. We may not have all the answers, but what we can do is create a moment where everyone comes together. These are all people who love what they do and are passionate, and we want to bring French programs to the world.”
“It’s not just about what they offer during the day, it’s also about how we can be a place where everyone exchanges ideas and information and then discovers new things.”
Assembly in Le Havre
Buyers and sellers connect at a series of social events at Rendez-Vous
Université
The main French distributors are in town as usual. The number of buyers is in line with last year, and is expected to reach 135 in Le Havre. There is a global reach, with most acquisitions executives coming from Europe, but first-time attendees from Brazil and South Korea also making the trip. There will be European broadcast heavyweights including RAI, RTVE and ZDF, as well as pay TV companies including buyers Sky Italia and HBO covering Central Europe.
Historically based in Saint-Tropez and then in Biarritz, Le Havre hosted the Rendez-Vous for three years. Having support from the host city and region has helped the Rendez-Vous, which has a large sales floor, a show stage, and display booths for buyers. The city and the wider Normandy region became an integral part of the proceedings, with the opening ceremony held at the city’s Museum of Modern Art, hosted by Edouard Philippe, Mayor of Le Havre. The closest encounter takes place at the historic Abbey of Montvillier and is hosted by Hervé Morin, President of the Normandy Region.
“Having the city of Le Havre and the region involved as well is really cool because we haven’t experienced it much before (in previous locations),” says Elstner.
Every meeting is important
Bright minds also known as Astrid and Raphael
Patrick Fokey, FTV – JLA
Support from the region helps, but the reality is that buyers are attending fewer events and programming and travel budgets are under pressure.
Against this background, market organizers must ensure that any event offers buyers and sellers a clear return on investment.
“They need reassurance, and everything needs to be very comfortable and perfectly organized, so they can really focus on their meetings, what they’re seeing, and the market,” says Elstner.
The buyer-seller dynamic is also changing with fewer trips, which means fewer face-to-face meetings, she adds. “In the old days, we had multiple markets, so a buyer meeting with a sales agent might have had one in five meetings a year with them. But if now it’s only one in two meetings a year, there’s more pressure.”
Industry transformations
The industrial part of the proceedings at Rendez-Vous traditionally sees the unveiling of annual export statistics for French language programmes. This year, there will be an additional layer of information provided by France’s National Cinema Center, CNC, which provides the numbers.
Recently, data has shown how France has become a major producer of convenient crime, with the likes of France TV Distribution. Astrid and RafaelGaumont Art of crimeInternational Federation Criminal tropics And TF1 High intellectual potential leads the charge, and the latter is reconstituted as High potential For the American ABC network. However, animation, long a mainstay of the French business sector, continued to suffer.
More broadly, linear channels in particular are feeling the pinch, with reduced budgets and new breaks. This is a broader trend that will likely impact French TV export numbers for this year.
Regardless of the challenges, Université’s role is to support the international market for French shows, Elstner says.
“We’re all facing pretty much the same challenges all over the world. We can’t really help sell the software itself, but we can help our sales agents be well and make their lives easier.”
The Deadline French TV Disruptor Award will be presented to Jeremy Zag, founder of the studio behind the international animated series of French origin. Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noirwhich is a bright spot regarding the French animation industry. The event, held at the aforementioned Montvillier Abbey, embodies the spirit of Rendez-Vous, where acquisitions executives and sales personnel mingle while local chefs showcase regional cuisine.
The Zag received the Deadline Medal that was given to Fanny Herrero last year. “His career is truly extraordinary,” Elstner says. “It’s very interesting how he created a whole system from the beginning, to not only create a series or a movie, but an entire world with great values.”
Unifrance Rendez-Vous takes place from September 7 to 10 in Le Havre.
