C21 Genre Report: Marketplace Special
FEELING FESTIVE
How holiday programming is becoming a year-round business
C21 goes behind the tinsel to examine how the producers and distributors making festive content are adapting their economics, output, and distribution strategy as settling down for a new TV movies becomes a key part of viewers’ annual routines.
C21 Genre Report: Marketplace Special
NEW RELIGION
Inside the new Christian programming push
Faith-based and “values-driven” Christian Programming has quietly become one of the most commercially significant growth stories in entertainment — and distributors, both niche and mainstream, are racing to capture it. This season examines who’s building the infrastructure for this audience, how major studios are getting involved, and whether a genre once dismissed as a cottage industry is becoming a legitimate parallel entertainment economy.
Marketplace clients show deadline: SEPTEMBER 17
C21Marketplace Special: week commencing SEPTEMBER 21
C21 Genre Report: Marketplace Special
KIDS CLASSICS
Slow paced franchises make a comeback
There is mounting evidence that today’s algorithmically optimised children’s content, engineered for retention rather than development, may be quietly undermining attention spans and emotional regulation at a critical developmental window.
Marketplace clients show deadline: SEPTEMBER 16
C21Marketplace Special: week commencing SEPTEMBER 21
C21 Genre Report: Marketplace Special
CRIME PAYS
How the true-crime genre is changing its MO
From gruesome murder mysteries to the psychological terrors of internet cults and domestic deception, the ever-popular true-crime genre is rapidly evolving. As networks pivot toward cybercrimes, female perps and first-person perspectives from the accused, often as anthologies, the focus is shifting away from traditional detective work. This season explores how today’s true-crime programming has moved beyond the whodunit formula to dissect online manipulation, internet sleuths and the darkest corners of human psychology.
Marketplace clients show deadline: OCTOBER 19
C21Marketplace Special: week commencing OCTOBER 26
C21 Genre Report: Marketplace Special
MONSTERS, MARTIANS AND PARANORMAL MEGABUCKS
How the horror, sci-fi and supernatural genre is evolving
As networks weaponise prestige IP and dystopian visions of the future, television’s horror, sci-fi and supernatural programming is undergoing a major industrial and creative recalibration. Driven by soaring production budgets and fierce streaming competition, this genre has abandoned campy, episodic formulas in favour of high-concept, character-driven psychological dramas. This season dissects the market forces driving this shift, how studios are leveraging cinematic franchises and what new titles are emerging from the shadows.
Marketplace clients show deadline: NOVEMBER 9
C21Marketplace Special: NOVEMBER 17
C21 Genre Report: Marketplace Special
LEADING LADIES
The rise and rise of female-led drama
Women are increasingly taking the lead roles in dramas that in previous years would’ve been led by men, allowing more diverse storytelling and narratives to be explored in genres such as crime dramas, thrillers and period series. This themed season explores the trends in this sector and the new female-led dramas coming down the development pipeline.
Marketplace clients show deadline: DECEMBER 2
C21Marketplace Special: DECEMBER 10
