CBS’ Man With A Plan and Star Trek: Discovery have found a new home across the pond— both series are set to launch on Channel 4’s digital network E4 next year. Man With A Plan is a typical American sitcom created by Jackie and Jeff Filgo and stars Friends alum Matt LeBlanc as the titular ‘Man’. Recently the series was renewed for a fourth season outing, while Star Trek:Discovery is currently in its third season run— the sci-fi series alone stars several established actors such as Doug Jones and Michelle Yeoh alongside Sonequa Martin-Green.
“Channel 4 is already a licensee for several of our top-rated franchises, including The Good Fight and Charmed, and we are confident they will have continued success with Star Trek: Discovery and Man With a Plan,” mentioned Barry Chamberlain, president of sales at CBS Studios International.
The sale of a North American primetime series such as the aforementioned ones to a European national broadcaster is a typical occurence during the Mipcom trade show, which ran last week during the Cannes Festival— this decision being another indication of the ongoing trend of audiences moving to streaming platforms; a phenomenon that has led many popular networks to create a robust digital library for their own nascent streaming platforms.
Initially taking place in 1985, MIPCOM— standing for Marché International des Programmes de Communication— has since evolved into the world’s leading entertainment content market and trade show. The week-long event is held traditionally in the French town of Cannes during the month of October for about 4 days and is owned and organized by Reed MIDEM, a subsidiary of Reed Exhibitions.
Primarily geared towards the television industry and its professionals, MIPCOM caters to many attendees who are representatives of television studios and broadcasters. Several big studios gather at the event and utilize it as a sort of marketplace that buys and sells new programmes and formats for international distribution, sometimes using celebrity appearances as a selling gimmick.