Fox could be set to help the British drama industy turn “blinking greenlights” to “full greenlights,” according to TV network boss Michael Thorn.

Thorn addresed the slowdown in British co-productions by telling a Content London audience that the nature of the phone calls he has been receiving from potential partners has shifted over the past year to 18 months.

Since moving further into the international space and launching sales arm Fox Entertainment Global, Thorn said he has been “getting incoming phone calls saying, ‘We have a blinking greenlight on dramas that need full financing’.”

“We are an independent network and have to find the right project but the phone calls say that this show could work for us if we take North American rights and the blinking light becomes a full greenlight,” he added. “We get a win of a brilliant drama, and they get full completion money going forward.”

At the start of this year, what was termed by some as a scripted funding crisis beset the UK industry, with the BBC saying it had a number of projects stuck in limbo. That issue seems to have eased and shows are still receiving co-pro money but there is no doubt that it is harder to make drama than ever. Fox over the past couple of years has struck development deals with Walter Iuzzolino’s Eagle Eye and The Serial Killer’s Wife producer Clapperboard, while it is working on an adaptation of hit British sitcom The Kumars At No. 42.

Thorn said the “number one goal is to find breakout original content at any price point.” He said his team differs immeasurably from former owner Disney. “They have a number of studios and an IP library going back to a black-and-white drawing of Mickey Mouse,” he added. “We at Fox are starting over. We have an emerging studio, both scripted and unscripted, but no IP library. If our number one goal is creativity and a pipeline of originality, what we need are the best storytellers and partners, no matter where we find them, whether in L.A., or the U.S., or globally.”

Thorn said the network “has the ability to leverage our independence in a way that creates opportunities for indie studios and indie producers globally,” as he sat on a panel next to All3Media boss Jane Turton and Banijay UK chief Patrick Holland. For Turton, funding has become a “dirty word in a creative conversation.” “It is the best way to de-risk,” she added. “You go to a distribution partner and he goes with you on this journey of getting the program produced.”

EbonyLife goes global

The trio were joined by EbonyLife founder Mo Abudu, who set out the thinking behind launching her EbonyLife ON Plus streamer globally, which rolled out last month.

“No one is beholden to anyone anymore,” she added. “You can’t control my audience, but I’m now sat in a position where I can actually do that. It’s local for global, it’s enough for my niche even if it’s not enough for larger corporations who haven’t invested in that diverse content.”

Abudu criticized these “larger corporations” for investing in diversity officers but not commissioning more than a “certain percentage” of diverse content.

Around 30% of EbonyLife’s audience is coming from the diaspora, she revealed, which is “great because a Black audience around the world is seeking content that speaks for them.” Abudu said she is aiming for around two million to three million global subs to her streamer over the next five years, which she said shows a “gradual” approach that doesn’t necessarily shoot for the stars.

“It’s a numbers game,” she added. “I don’t have a private jet, I don’t live in L.A., so I don’t have the overheads of others.”

Abudu calls the service “a complete lifestyle ecosystem” that is built around five experience pillars dubbed ‘Watch It’, ‘Learn It,’ ‘Shop It’, ‘Win It and ‘Live It’. For £3 ($4) per month, members of the digital service are able to watch original films and series, take part in curated masterclasses, shop African fashion and art, enjoy exclusive rewards and participate in real-life events, all within one digital destination.