Sales Talk: Rabbit Film’s Jonathan Tuovinen on the anguish of ‘Euphoria’ & windowing rules

Buyers, hungry for new content, are in the UK capital for meetings, presentations and drinks – or logging on from across the globe – for London TV Screenings all this week.

With so many new productions being showcased, TBI has been checking in with execs from international distributors of all sizes as they share the best new shows on their slates, along with the top trends to watch out for in 2022.

Mobile 101

JONATHAN TUOVINEN, HEAD OF INTERNATIONAL, RABBIT FILMS

What’s your standout show for London TV Screenings and why?

Mobile 101, a drama series about the phenomenal rise of phone manufacturer Nokia. Nokia was not only the first mobile phone for a lot of us, but was also at a time one of the largest companies in the world. The series is the story behind the small Finnish company and how it became a global giant.

What show are you most looking forward to in 2022 (not including your own)?

I both look forward to and anguish watching a new episode of Euphoria each week. As a huge Eurovision fan, I can’t wait to see the American Song Contest on NBC!

What single distribution trend will define the next 12 months?

Euphoria

The rules for windowing between SVODs, AVODs and linear seem to be changing all the time. I’d love to see a more stable framework for windowing set into place, which would help distributors and acquisitions people alike.

Three words to describe the global distribution industry right now are…

Full-on. Speculative. Fresh.

Which country’s programming will boom this year & why?

I think we’ll continue to see an influx from South Korea. Both in terms of scripted drama tape as well as formats. If the immense popularity of Squid Game has taught us anything, viewers continue to be more and more open to content from all over the world.

Rewind to this time in 2018. You have the same knowledge as you do now – what would be the first thing you’d do?

Set up my home office properly with an ergonomic chair, a big screen and a Zoom Pro account. Oh, and invest in Netflix stock!