When Hallmark Channel contacted American Cinema Intl. president Chevonne O’Shaughnessy about producing a movie set in the Amish community, she immediately sent an outline for one. ACI had already produced three Amish-themed movies for other outlets, so she figured she’d quickly be brought on board.
But O’Shaughnessy says Hallmark didn’t call her back. And she couldn’t figure out why — but then started watching the channel. After going on a Hallmark movie binge, “all of a sudden it hit me,” she says. “I didn’t have a dog. So I added a dog. And I got a call back. It was that simple.”
The TV movie business is a fickle one, even in this era of Peak TV and new streaming services. The independent producers behind made-for-TV films must navigate tiny budgets, narrow audiences with specific tastes, outlets that want to own those titles and just a few traditional networks that still buy such projects in bulk.
Speaking at the American Film Market earlier this month, Reel One/Lance Entertainment chief strategy adviser and producer Pierre David took issue with the notion that the demand for made-for-TV movies is growing. “That’s not true,” he says. “The TV movies market is a pretty specific market.”
In the traditional TV long-form world, there are just two major network buyers: Lifetime and Hallmark, both of which run upwards of 125 original movies a year. Other channels, including UP TV, BET, Ion and Syfy (which used to buy much more long form) purchase just a handful. Domestically, David says those movies can fetch $150,000 to $250,000 for an initial window, with another $150,000 potentially coming from overseas territories — such as French broadcaster TF1.
The networks commissioning movies rarely deviate from their formulas. Lifetime original movies VP of programming Tia Maggini says her channel is looking for films that are either biopics, inspirational true stories, ripped from the headlines or Christmas themed — with a few outliers that are usually based on known intellectual properties.
“Our job as producers is to service their brand — to do what’s been working for them,” says Motion Picture Corp. of America
CEO Brad Krevoy. “They understand their brand, and all their movies fit their brand. Every network has its own set of rules.”
Source: Streamers Like Netflix Are a New Market for TV Movies – Variety