Television is an unpredictable business. Regardless of awards and critical acclaim, only one thing really matters: ratings. Interestingly though, it’s not the actual ratings that matter. It is how those ratings numbers translate into advertising revenue. Much comparable to using an internet search engine, the more popular a TV show, or, for a search engine, a term is, the more advertisement revenue it generates. It is for this reason that TV networks are always searching for the next blockbuster.
Developing consistently popular programming is a lot like finding gold – it doesn’t happen too often. When it does happen though, the payout is immense. The price tag for a 30 second advertising slot on the mega-hit show The Big Bang Theory, for example, is $300,000. Even though the program only has about 8 minutes worth of commercials (which is less than the industry average) it still generates well over $4.8 million per episode from basic advertising alone.
Striking rating gold usually comes from experimenting with new or modifying existing formats and the ability to imagine what the viewers want to see next. Television shows like Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead, The Big Bang Theory, and Modern Family have become globally successful because they transcend conventional TV formats. One of the ways in which content providers develop new programs is through international collaborations. In addition to providing new ideas and fresh perspectives, international collaboration also reduces the cost of program development.
The French entertainment sector seems to be especially successful in creating and growing such international projects. In the past decade, France has increased its appeal by producing settings, rising stars, and storylines that appeal to international (specifically American) networks as well as audiences. As French entertainment companies expand overseas, their success is becoming evident: EuropaCorp TV (Taxi Brooklyn), Lagardere’s Atlantique (Transporter), Newen’s Capa Drama (Versailles), Haut et Court TV (The Returned), Shine Films France (The Tunnel) and Federation Entertainment (Marseille) are just some of the French production companies who have made waves with their innovative storylines. It is therefore no surprise that the European launch of Netflix last month was in France.
Considering that there are approximately 50 U.S. networks that are looking for programming, but also taking into account the tremendous overall financial cost of producing more than 200 programs per year, it’s no surprise that the innovative French supply should meet with a market hungry for refreshing programming. Still, the problem of making it all work depends on making sure that the benefits of a desirable French media product aren’t “lost in translation.”
EVS Translations is the ideal partner for the media industry. Having worked with multinational media companies and outlets, we have extensive expertise in media translation services and can assist TV networks in locating, localizing and distributing quality media content across different markets.
Our media translation services portfolio starts with multilingual voice-overs and multilingual subtitling services for television and other visual media and ends with multilingual marketing and distribution campaigns.
With offices across the globe and the capability to work across time zones, EVS Translations is specifically set up to complete complex, high-volume media translations into multiple languages.
To find out how we can help with your upcoming media translation project, whether in French or in one of the other 50 languages which we support, call our US office today at +1 404-523-5560 or send us an email: quoteusa(at)evs-translations.com.
