LA SCREENINGS: MGM’s ownership of US pay network Epix will give it greater bargaining power when negotiating deals for shows, according to the head of the US studio’s international distribution arm.

Chris Ottinger, president of worldwide television distribution and acquisitions at MGM, told C21 that MGM’s recent acquisition ^[1] of the cablenet for US$1bn was a “huge thing” for the company.

MGM, owned by hedge funds Anchorage Capital Partners and Highland Capital Partners, produces and distributes shows including Fargo for FX, Vikings on A&E and The Handmaid’s Tale with Hulu. Its movie library includes the James Bond and Rocky franchises.

“Now we own our own premium network, we’re not dependent on having to go through all of the difficulty of negotiating and selling to a third party. We can put these shows on our own network,” said Ottinger.

However, Ottinger emphasised that the studio had no plans to take existing shows away from their current broadcasters and place them on Epix for future seasons.

The exec added that the studio would continue to sell to “everybody” and that its partnerships with broadcasters were the “bread and butter” of its studio business.

“We are very loyal partners with our broadcasters. We certainly would never go into these deals with the idea of trying to move shows over. But if we wanted to keep a show going and it wasn’t going to be re-ordered, we would absolutely look at moving it onto our own network,” said Ottinger.

“It definitely enhances our bargaining position knowing that we have our own outlet and we can put our shows on it.”

MGM has begun screening its new shows to international buyers here in LA, including its original series for Epix, Get Shorty, a dark comedy with Ray Romano and Chris O’Dowd inspired by Elmore Leonard’s 1990 novel.

Meanwhile, Ottinger said The Handmaid’s Tale had been sold to as-yet-unnamed broadcasters in France, Germany, Spain, Scandinavia, Central Europe and New Zealand.

Deals for the show, adapted from Margaret Atwood’s dystopian novel and already renewed ^[2] for a second season, have previously been announced with Channel 4 ^[3] in the UK, SBS in Australia and Bravo in Canada.