Tatiana Grinkevich, head of sales, BossaNova Media

What were the biggest changes in the international TV business in 2024?
We’ve been witnessing a relatively slow but certain transition from linear to digital throughout the previous few years and 2024 is not an exception.  On demand services have never been more popular – with such a rich offering across various VoD services, linear channels have been trying to keep up and we at BossaNova have been trying to be as helpful as possible.

There’s a lot of talk about younger viewers straying to YouTube and elsewhere. What does TV need to do to respond and remain relevant?
This is not just talk – it is very much happening. Younger viewers seem to prefer short-form content on demand and we can’t blame them – it is easy and convenient and I think it is here to stay. This year we’ve done a lot of work within this area and will continue exploring further in 2025 as there is a lot of synergy between linear and digital.

TV needs to acknowledge and embrace the change. In our team with this acknowledgement came a lot of discussing and brainstorming and as a result many opportunities which we have been exploring and diversifying clients, platforms and revenue sources. In the end it’s all about keeping your mind open and being creative.

What will be the biggest challenges and opportunities for the industry in 2025?
I think it is very likely that maintaining ad revenue will continue to be a challenge for the industry in 2025 – it’s been a real struggle for broadcasters around the globe in previous years and even though we do see some improvement and even stability in certain markets, broadcasters are certainly not out of the woods yet. We believe 2025 will bring more opportunities for co-pro – we know it is the way forward and there are some brilliant projects from our most recent Development Day which are currently working on are the proof. I am not allowed to say much on these at the moment though, but hopefully we will be able to share some exciting news next year.

What are you doing to ensure your company thrives in the new content economy?
BossaNova was established for “The New Content Economy”, so it’s no news for us. Paul Heaney, our CEO has created a bespoke pitching concept – BossaNova’s Development Day, which is a truly powerful tool for discovering new content and building our slate. We had another edition in October and according to everyone who attended it was the best one so far. We listen to the buyers, we see them face-to-face and our slate is then a work of curation.

What’s your one big prediction for the business in 2025?
There won’t be any breaking news there – mergers and acquisitions within the industry will continue the current trend in distribution which we are witnessing at the moment. There’ll be boutique players or large organisations as the middle-sized distributors is rare.

What are your thoughts on AI and its implementation in the TV ecosystem?
Where do I even start with this one? I have been trying to wrap my head around AI and its implementation, particularly focusing on its potential benefits. I think it is too early to predict how exactly it could change the TV ecosystem but I’d like to believe it will be in a positive way.