FEATURES

• CMO looks beyond Colombia to forge content alliances that travel
  Colombian production company CMO is exploring different models for producing series, films, unscripted content and even microdramas, viewing co-creation as a way to achieve products that travel better.
• A good financial advisor's guide to M&A
  From overvaluing your prodco to not knowing your financials, experts reveal the common pitfalls that can ruin potentially lucrative M&A deals.
• Small World’s big business strategies for surviving and thriving in formats
  As Tim Crescenti’s boutique global formats scouting agency Small World IFT celebrates 20 years of business, he reflects on how the unscripted industry has changed over the past two decades and tips for where it’s going next and how to survive.
• Nat Geo's A-list talent strategy takes Will Smith to the ends of the Earth
  Nat Geo put embattled A-lister Will Smith's physical and mental limits to the test with Pole to Pole, which launched this week and marks the factual giant's latest big-budget talent-led series.  
• Looking back: Is historical drama returning to the good old days?
  Against a backdrop of tighter budgets and commissioner claims of fatigue over the genre, C21 investigates how historical dramas have taken a dip in recent years but are now on the rise again.
• Bringing people together to rewrite Europe's drama copro rules
  C21 investigates the rise of upstream initiatives helping to remove the barriers between Europe’s broadcast commissioners and writing and production talent, while encouraging collaboration at the earliest stages of scripted production to allow more effective competition globally.
• Mediawan's Julien Borde on what to expect from kids' content in 2026
  Julien Borde, president of Mediawan Kids & Family, discusses the trends he expects to see in the kids’ content sector this year and how AI and the creator economy will shape the future of production. 
• AI lights the way for Charismatic.ai's Guy Gadney
  Artificial intelligence and vertical video content are breaking down barriers to series commissions and bypassing traditional industry gatekeepers, claims AI entrepreneur Guy Gadney.
• The sweet spot of Colombian coproduction
  Companies from Spain, Mexico and Turkey are already finalising coproductions with Colombia, which is opening up to the world through incentives, talent and “numbers that add up.”
• ABC seeks drama with multi-generational entry points
  ABC’s scripted head Rachel Okine discusses the pubcaster’s need for more scripted projects with multi-generational entry points and marrying that up with international partnerships.
• Can Hollywood reverse its runaway production problem?
  Blink49 unscripted boss Tara Long asks whether Hollywood can rediscover its razzle-dazzle and reconnect with the global TV industry.
• Mic drop! Podcasts cut the small talk to conquer TV
  As streamers and broadcasters prepare to take on YouTube in the visual podcast space, C21 investigates how pod creators are leveraging the trend to compete against traditional TV producers.
• Patricia Hidalgo on the kids' content landscape in 2026
  Patricia Hidalgo, director of children’s and education at the BBC, shares her expectations for the kids’ industry in 2026, her hopes for the UK inquiry into children’s media and how the pubcaster will continue evolving alongside the likes of YouTube.
• It's time to roll the dice, says EndemolShine's Fabian Tobias
  With risk aversion choking the German unscripted space, EndemolShine executive Fabian Tobias is looking to YouTube and artificial intelligence for inspiration.
• How kids' content is standing up for the environment
  Thomas Personeni, producer at Paris-based Watch Next Media, and Camille Serceau, producer at Superprod, talk about how eco-themed kids’ series are turning storytelling into a tool for real-world change.
• Germany's never-ending reform saga: More posters, fewer decisions
  Another winter, another round of Germany debating streamer obligations. While the rest of Europe is implementing legislation, Irina Ignatiew-Lemke offers a few thoughts on why the country's continued indecision matters.
• 2025 in review: October to December
  In the final part of C21's look back at the trends, challenges and shocks of 2025, the biggest stories involve YouTube's 'charm offensive,' turmoil at the BBC, and Netflix and Paramount's ongoing tug of war over Warner Bros Discovery.
• How to fund content for children, not the algorithm
  Producers face a "moral dilemma" over whether to lean into the "shouty and repetitive" children's content that tends to succeed on YouTube or make the kind of nourishing programming that kids need. But could a new funding tool help change things?
• Predictions for 2026 from Expectation, Off The Fence and Cineflix
  Expectation’s Alexia Edwards, Off The Fence’s Bo Stehmeier and Cineflix Rights’ Tim Mutimer give us their takes on the opportunities and threats waiting around the corner for the factual business in 2026.
• Sports programming seeks its ultimate prize
  Sports programming is booming but it’s not just the sport that’s driving this growth, as streamers, broadcasters and producers move further into sports-adjacent content with online creators at the heart of the latest developments.

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