Silverman tells digital platforms to ‘step up’

MIPTV: Former NBC Entertainment chief Ben Silverman has said that Microsoft, Google and Yahoo! need to invest more in content if they wish to play a role in the connected TV environment of the future.

Silverman said that while these companies had become the digital era’s equivalent of Disney, Warner Bros and his former employer, they were falling far short on their support for developing new forms of content.

“It really is a Microsoft, Google, Yahoo! world, from a platform perspective,” said Silverman, in Cannes to introduce his new multiplatform production company Electus to the international market. “But what’s disappointing is that they’re not yet ready to pay for what we do in a premium way and so we still need to find the people who are going to take the risk to drive new ideas.”

His comments came despite Electus in January unveiling a development deal with Yahoo! (the fruits of which he said would be made public soon) and that during his time at Reveille and NBC, MSN was a keen supporter of a number of his projects.

“We really need them to step up and start investing against this if they anticipate being plugged into the back of our flat screens, because we’re going to look for a stronger, better, premium video-enabled experience.”

Electus, which is backed by Barry Diller’s IAC, has unveiled a string of new projects this week, including one billed as the “first ever interactive telenovela.” Pedro & Maria is a collaboration with MTV and the production arm of FMCG giant Procter & Gamble, which Golden Globe-winning actress America Ferrera (The Office) will exec produce.

“It’s a great thesis for what Electus wants to do and we’ll be replicating that model around the world with that piece of content,” said Silverman.

He also highlighted William the Conqueror, a historical copro with Starz Media that was unveiled yesterday and which Silverman compared to The Tudors – a series he jointly exec produced for Showtime.

He said the reaction from international buyers had been much more positive this time round compared to when he’d first pitched the idea of sexed-up period drama about Henry XIII. “Global networks are looking for content they can participate in but also the possibility of benefiting from maybe an ownership stake, if they invest in something early,” he said.

“Instead of the perceived risk, they now have the perceived upside and that’s something that we’re definitely going to champion and push forward.”