(Continued From Cover) 10 became very important to both the U.S. studios and international TV buyers, to the point that most TV outlets around the world began sending some 14 or more executives to Hollywood in May. Nowadays, the number has been reduced to a maximum of four per TV outlet, making the current Screenings an event with some 700 total buyers at most, down from its peak of 1,700. However, what has not changed over the years is the elaborate new content presentations, as reported to VideoAge by one former top-level U.S. studio executive who asked to remain anonymous. “The arrival of clients and the L.A. Screenings themselves are very carefully orchestrated,” he said. He further explained that “the various studio organizations behind the L.A. Screenings function like a script that is constantly being revised, with the speakers on stage memorizing every single word of their presentations and rehearsing for hours on end, as if they were about to make their theatrical debuts. There is a specific script that everyone has, and it must be adhered to scene by scene. It is, quite literally, like a screenplay.” He then continued: “When, in the view of studios’ sales executives, the new series being presented fall short of expectations, hours would be spent figuring out how to ‘package’ the product — making it appear better than it actually is. In addition, marketing experts would brief the sales teams on the specific phrasing to use for their pitches. “At times, clients who might have left the screening room disliking a series would often change their minds after spending some time during the lunch break with a member of the cast — especially if the talents are famous. In America, celebrities are very willing to participate at the L.A. Screenings because they understand that the sale of the series they star in is at stake — and, by extension, their own longevity within the industry,” he concluded. This year, for the 100th anniversary of Universal studios, NBCUniversal showered buyers with posters of the studio’s greatest TV talents. At the Paramount theater, the studio put up a display of costumes from its top shows. Before the Disney party on its lot, the studio screened The Mandalorian and Grogu, the big screen version of the fourth season of the Star Wars TV saga. Inside a packed Aero Theatre in Santa Monica, Lionsgate screened new content before bussing buyers to a party at the Santa Monica pier (as Santa Monica is also Lionsgate’s home base). Michael Bonner, president, NBCUniversal Global TV Distribution, said that 500 clients were expected over the course of his studio’s three screening days. Don McGregor, president, Paramount Global Content Licensing, said that he welcomed 700 international clients across his studio’s two days. The difference in the number of buyers was attributed Lionsgate International TV president Agapy Kapouranis The Disney Entertainment LatAm team welcomed international buyers on the studio lot Paramount Global Content Distribution president Kevin MacLellan “Buyer attendance remained strong, with the right decision-makers from across the globe in the room.” — Jennifer Ebell, Fifth Season VIDEOAGE June 2026 L.A. Screenings 2026 (Continued on Page 12)
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