Amit Malhotra

Disney Media Distribution

General Manager – Media Distribution & Media +

Hollywood Report quoted “Adaptations, political drama and genre plays are hot while those sitcom writers didn’t fare as well.”

L.A. Screenings, the annual television industry event that takes place yearly for a week in May, brings together major US TV Studios (ABC, FOX, WB, CBS, NBCUniversal and Sony) and over 1,500 TV buyers from all over the world for a week of screenings, presentations, parties and a little glamour in the City of Angels. Over the course of the Screenings, Studios showcase pilot episodes of the shows that will premiere in the fall in front of international television distributors, with the aim of selling international broadcast and/or distribution rights for these shows.

Disney Media Distribution, the international distribution division of the Disney ABC TV Group, which handles global sales for all series produced by ABC Studios, unveiled our new line-up of programming the day before the big week kicked off during our International Upfront at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank. Many of our key APAC/SEA clients, from pay TV partners like FOX, HBO, RTL CBS, AXN and A&E to free-to-air MNC (Indonesia), Media Prima (Malaysia) and MediaCorp (Singapore) and even digital partners like Samsung and FLY (Thailand) joined in the unveil and pilot screenings, and if I may add, excited by many new titles.

This is the week where their selections will determine the performance and ratings for their respective networks back home in our markets.

Betsy Beers – Co-Creator “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Scandal” with Keli Lee and Rob Gilby – Disney

Kellie Lim – Disney, Brian Lenz – CTO/CIO Astro and Amit Malhotra – Disney

Below are some of the top shows generating some buzz from ABC Studios.

Key Programming Trends from This Year’s Screenings

1.  There are more Anthology series that have close ended story arcs which are being used as tentpole event programming
2.  Mid season shows continue to resonate and a lot of the key networks are holding their big tent pole shows for the mid season launch towards end of Jan / early Feb to coincide with the Feb Sweeps.
3.  With the every growing penetration of DVR’s and catch up TV online in the US, programmers are looking at audience shares across multi platform and on a Live + 7 day basis

HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER

DRAMATIC MYSTERY THRILLER

A sexy, suspense-driven legal thriller about a group of ambitious law students under the tutelage of a manipulative criminal defense professor (Viola Davis) who may be a sociopath. The brilliant, mysterious professor becomes entangled in a murder plot that will rock their entire university and change the course of the lives of the students.

RED BAND SOCIETY

ENSEMBLE DRAMEDY

Based on a format from Spain, this coming-of-age dramedy that explores, with dark humor, the daily lives of a group of teenagers living in a hospital who become unlikely friends. Set in the children’s wing of a hospital, the series chronicles the daily adventures of 6 teenagers, all long term patients who start “the red band society” to fend off boredom. They develop a bond that is fun, life-affirming and very inspiring in the midst of such difficult circumstances.

MARVEL’S AGENT CARTER

ACTION ADVENTURE

“Marvel’s Agent Carter,” starring “Captain America’s” Hayley Atwell follows the story of Peggy Carter. It’s 1946, and peace has dealt Peggy Carter a serious blow as she finds herself marginalized when the men return home from fighting abroad.Working for the covert SSR (Strategic Scientific Reserve), Peggy must balance doing administrative work and going on secret missions for Howard Stark all while trying to navigate life as a single woman in America, in the wake of losing the love of herlife – Steve Rogers. Inspired by the feature films

“Captain America: The First Avenger” and “Captain America: The Winter

Soldier,” along with the short “Marvel One-Shot: Agent Carter.”

I am sure everyone is also excited to know that your favorite shows are returning as well including “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Scandal,” “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D,” “Resurrection,” “Revenge,” “Criminal Minds” and “Once Upon a Time.”

Personally this is the best part of my job to get closer to the content, the creators and the business of entertainment.