‘Dark Hearts’ and ‘Women at War’ Highlight Collaborations Between French Broadcasters and Streamers
variety.comElsa Keslassy International Correspondent Once pitted againsteach other as rivals, streamers and broadcasters have become unlikely allies in the face of increased competition and economic pressure following the pandemic and the launch of more content viewing platforms.
Even in France, where Netflix was referred to as the “devil” by France Televisions president Delphine Ernotte Cunci in a 2019 interview, the tide has turned and a number of ambitious series have been jointly financed by both local broadcasters and streamers.
Examples of collaborations vary from period drama series such as “The Bonfire of Destiny” and “Women at War,” from TF1 and Netflix, to action series like Ziad Doueiri’s “Dark Hearts,” from France Televisions and Amazon Prime Video.
What do these shows have in common? They shot in French with local casts, and have the high budgets and production values that are typically allocated to international co-productions like “Marie Antoinette,” which shot in English and was produced with French and foreign TV partners. “Platforms and TV channels are much more flexible than they used to be and open to take the first or second window,” says Pascal Breton at Federation Entertainment, who has worked with streamers on originals like “Marianne” and “Baby,” worked on co-financing “Made in Italy” and on pre-sales with the upcoming event series “Bardot,” about the rise to stardom of Brigitte Bardot, penned and directed by Daniele and Christopher Thompson.
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