Your complete news round-up from Content London 2021

C21’s development market and conference Content London returned as a physical event this week, with delegates and speakers converging on the UK capital for three days of networking and insights into the global content business.

To help you catch up on the trends that emerged this week and the announcements made, here’s a round-up of C21’s coverage:

Netflix’s Bela Bajaria stresses importance of local stories over global

Disney EMEA names former C4 exec Jonny Richards as senior manager for scripted

Georgia Brown asks people to ‘challenge’ Amazon with story pitches

One Day adaptation, superhero series among Netflix UK scripted commissions

Indie sector still Sky’s ‘lifeblood’ despite Studios push, insists Jane Millichip

Impartiality ‘enriches’ commissioning at the BBC, says Patrick Holland

Netflix scoops lion’s share of prizes at C21’s International Drama Awards

Springborn: Universal International Studios won’t be ‘putting up walls’ around IP

BBC Children’s outlines ‘big ticket’ drama plans to follow Dodger’s lead

UKTV’s Collie Cousins calls for crime dramas with humour, diverse voices for Alibi

ZDF in the market for ‘Scandi blue’ crime as Arte eyes social stories

EbonyLife’s Abudu calls for greater African diaspora representation

TV4 boosts YA content, RTL not in market for ‘old US network style’ procedurals

TV showrunners and comic creators echo strength of medium for IP sales

NFTs and blockchain are the future of financing, says Anyway’s James Baker

Fact ent with ‘conscience’ next hit format genre forecasts BBCS’s Sumi Connock

Anyway Content joins forces with Forbes on commerce programme

Starzplay looks to Asia as it pushes ahead with foreign-language strategy

Locomotive Global’s Sunder Aaron urges investment in Indian content

Mark Gatiss speaks up for literary adaptations that break new ground

eOne develops first Spanish-language series, targets talent and IP

C5 in the market for ‘soft mystery’ series, true crime drama amid scripted push

Penélope Cruz helps VIS Social Impact explore child marriage for Paramount+

All3Media International CEO Louise Pedersen laments FAST rights ‘nightmare’

Irvine Welsh ‘had HBO show turned down in favour of Game of Thrones’

Prodco Paper Owl Films calls for programming to nurture kids’ wellbeing

Disney+ seeking serialised kids content while HBO Max eyes unscripted
YouTube ‘never looked back’ after dropping scripted focus, says originals chief

Spanish streamer Movistar+’s Valenzuela outlines international expansion strategy

YLE’s Areena picks up French-Canadian teen drama Les Petits Rois

Piers Wenger: BBC keen to join forces with local SVoDs on drama series

National Geographic, History execs talk up importance of on-screen talent in factual

Free-to-air networks, smaller dramas being squeezed by ‘talent inflation’

Anonymous Content, Federation Entertainment launch joint venture

Brazil’s Globoplay, TV JOJ and C More unearth Gold Diggers from Oble

Paul Heaney’s BossaNova reveals new slate of original factual productions

Keshet International takes Viaplay originals Furia and Pørni into new territories

Slovakia, Czech Republic broadcasters link up for Lego Masters international remake

Rainmaker Content gets first bite at Saffron Cherry’s new scripted drama slate

Studio21 backs next-gen drama writers with Script Competition at Content London

Arrow International Media appoints new heads for premium US, UK content