– Angela Jain, the new Head of Content Disney+ EMEA, has outlined the platform’s new European ambitions
Angela Jain during her talk (© Chloé Leclercq/Séries Mania)
Having come from ITV, British executive Angela Jain has held the position of Head of Content Disney+ EMEA (Europe/Middle East/Africa) since last June, and she chose Series Mania Forum – the industry section of the 16th Series Mania – for her first public appearance in her new role. It was an opportunity to announce an acceleration of the platform’s European productions, following the success of several notable series such as the French Bref.2, the Italian This Is Not Hollywood, and the British series Rivals and The Stolen Girl.
In France, beyond the series Lucky Luke (screened as a world premiere in a special session), Angela Jain emphasised Disney+’s ambition to broaden its offering, with a growing appetite for comedy aimed at 16–34-year-olds – fuelled by the success of Bref.2 – as well as for thrillers. This includes Solange (working title, produced by Maui Entertainment), which will bring together creator Camille Castelnau and Virginie Efira in the lead role as a star television host confronted by a young, ambitious journalist (played by Niels Schneider) investigating her toxic behaviour. There is also a desire to increase the volume of documentary series, exemplified by the three-part mini-series Une Histoire de la French Touch by Thibaut de Longeville (the creator behind the major hit DJ Mehdi: Made in France).
On the Italian side, Murder on Lake Garda (working title) was announced, based on the novel of the same name by Tom Hindle. This Hulu series for Disney+ will be directed by Laura Bispuri and will consist of six episodes. Produced by The Apartment, it follows two families brought together for a wedding where someone dies, triggering an investigation led by one of the guests. A classic “whodunit” set against stunning scenery, as Angela Jain teased.
In Spain, alongside productions aimed at younger audiences (particularly female viewers), the documentary series Abandoned was highlighted. Produced by Luminol, it centres on three very young children abandoned at a train station in Barcelona, who remain completely unaware of their origins until the truth emerges 40 years later.
The Head of Content Disney+ EMEA also mentioned, in the realm of comedy, the Turkish series The Strange Story of Gustav Maier (about a 350-year-old virgin vampire who falls in love with a human), as well as a British documentary on singer Duffy, which will reveal why she disappeared for ten years at the height of her fame.
Regarding the strategy for European content, Angela Jain emphasised that the primary objective is the performance of each series in its own local market, with Disney+ aiming to increase viewership of national series among local European audiences. Their circulation in other countries is not a priority at all, although it may of course be considered in cases of exceptional success. The planned growth in the volume of European series on Disney+ is therefore driven primarily by a strictly local economic rationale, intended to complement the platform’s extensive in-house American offering.
(Translated from French)
