Broadcasting
Channel
The International co-production of BBC & AMC. broadcasting the identity on bbc one & bbc iPlayer in the uk, and the amc channel & AMC.com
in the us
International Co-pRODUCTION
"The past few years have seen a rise in the number of international co-productions, aka television shows that are funded by more than one country and, therefore, generally have bigger budgets and more diverse filming locales."
- Burt, Kayti
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By co-producing a television series, both participating oversees companies can benefit from broadening the scale of the project. When the production is funded and budgeted by two separate international broadcasting channels, the series is able to open up the possibilities of filming locations, casting, crew, marketing and audiences.
With British channels at the forefront of international co-production, other countries, such as America, have been recently becoming more interested in British programming, and are deciding to invest in it. This seems to be due to the fact that British producers have evidently been becoming more ambitious about the quality and scale of their work.
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Examples of British and American international co-production include the collaborations of Sky Living & ABC (Nashville, Grey's Anatomy, Scandal), Sky Atlantic & HBO (Divorce, The Night Of, Westworld), and most importantly in this instance; BBC & AMC...
BBC One
About BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has been broadcasting TV programmes for eighty years and has become the biggest UK household broadcasting channel to date. In their programming, they are best known for drama and entertainment, they have created the sources of online viewing over the last nine years such as BBC Sport and BBC iPlayer, and they continuously take on fresh new ideas
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In deciding on BBC for co-producing The Identity, The company's most appealing attribute is that while they stick to their values of wanting to create distinctive, high quality programmes bursting with creativity and modernity that feel relevant, they are consistently open to change and new ideas in their programming, making their channels approachable for new ideas and series. Alongside this, BBC have stated that they also plan to nurture UK talent by introducing new production, writing and on-air talent to audiences.
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The BBC are also keen to know what their audiences want, the company has stated that its audiences do not want a radical change in direction from the BBC, but they are keen for an increase in the amount of fresh and new ideas and for greater prominence to be given to particularly original and distinctive programming. Meaning that the concept of BBC producing a brand new drama/thriller series would be conventional for their channels, beneficial for the company and appealing to its audiences.
Recently summarising the direction that BBC One is headed in as...
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'Television drama, underpinning the reputation of the BBC and reaching out to a broad audience. BBC One in particular will invest in a unique range of drama, from long-running and new, contemporary series to period adaptation, single films and event serials' - BBC
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Programming
In drama programming, the BBC cover a wide variety of styles and themes. Such as classic period programmes (Call the Midwife, War and Peace), crime dramas (Luther, The Missing), psychological dramas (Murdered by My Boyfriend) and thrillers (Hidden, One of Us). All of which are evidence of the types of series that could be commissioned by the BBC, with very little limitations. These series greatly differ to each other in certain ways, but what they all have in common is that they were broadcast on the BBC. This gives each of these programmes a category that they fit into; fresh new dramas that the BBC's audiences will enjoy.
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Mini-Series
Examples of BBC's three to eight part mini-series include One of Us, Hidden, And Then There Were None, The Night Manager, and The Missing. All of which are of the drama/thriller genre and broadcast on BBC One.
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Online Broadcasting
An important factor in the decision to broadcast on BBC in the UK is the fact that BBC iPlayer allows viewers to watch almost all recent (and less recent) programmes on demand. This further allows for The Identity to appeal to a younger audience, as evidence shows that younger viewers watch more television content online. This is evident in BBC's report, which states that consumption of television online is much greater amongst younger users: around a quarter of 16-24 year-olds use iPlayer each week.
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Another positive outcome of broadcasting The Identity on iPlayer after it's initial teleivision broadcast, is that the series would still be available on demand for its current audience and for those that may have missed the series and are interested in watching it. This is also supported by a BBC fact; that a steady growth in the proportion of television viewed is through catch-up or on-demand. The BBC iPlayer is now used by 14% of adults each week in the UK.
Left to right: Hidden, One of Us, The Missing
AMC
About AMC
AMC Networks Inc. (AMC) is an American cable network and online channel that has largely expanded over a decade. Beginning as the American Movie Classics Channel, in October 2002, AMC changed its format from a classic movie channel to a broader-based movie network, to appeal to a larger audience, including younger viewers.
Now, as a film and TV network, AMC owns some of the most popular and award-winning brands in cable television; AMC, BBC AMERICA, IFC, SundanceTV, WE tv, IFC Films and AMC Networks International. Allowing the company to collaborate on a number of successful television shows, such as Orphan Black with BBC America, and Rectify with SundanceTV.
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When reviewing AMC's viewership statistics,December 2015's Nielsen report in America revealed that AMC moved up three spots in the year-end network rankings to place fourth in prime time 18-49 viewers. And AMC’s average 18-49 viewership for its original series in 2015 (3.92 million) was highest among all television networks. Similar to both BBC's target audience for watershed drama, and The Identity's target audience, AMC seems to be a tactful choice for co-production.
Programming
AMC produce and broadcast a large amount of popular and successful TV shows that are shown in America and internationally, including the award winning Breaking Bad, and the still successfully running The Walking Dead. When focusing on drama and international collaborative work, AMC's most notable programmes include the British sci-fi series Humans with the UK's Channel 4. Along with sci-fi and drama series such as Orphan Black, Doctor Who, The Honourable Woman and The Night Manager, all co-produced with the BBC.
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Mini-Series
AMC are well known for broadcasting a number of successful original mini-series including The American West and The Making of the Mob. However, The Night Manager is a key example of a successful AMC and BBC mini-series, consisting of a drama/thriller genre, a variety of international locations and a varied cast including American and British actors. This also serves as the main inspiration for using AMC in co-production for The Identity. This mini-series example was also very well received by both channel's audiences and heavily featured as one of AMC and BBC's main shows at the time of broadcast.
AMC & BBC
As a largely known and popular American broadcasting company, well known for co-producing and funding international series, AMC is a suitable choice for pairing with BBC One in broadcasting The Identity. Not only do the channels have similar values for their programming, as AMC are quoted as saying...
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"We produce and deliver distinctive, compelling and culturally relevant content that engages audiences across multiple platforms" - AMC
The company has also had a strong collaboration with BBC since entering into a partnership in 2014. This partnership has evidently helped the channels reach new audiences, and has allowed them to collaboratively produce even more high quality drama together. With a currently two year long partnership, the co-producers are building up a successful programming history together. Therefore, providing a suitable co-production for The Identity in genre, series type, locations, funding and success.
Left to right: The Walking Dead, The Night Manager, Orphan Black