Paramount's Beverley McGarvey Urges Content Diversity and Strategic Deal-Making at Asian Academy Creative Awards Conference
Beverley McGarvey, president of Network 10 and Paramount Australia and New Zealand's head of streaming, kicked off the Asian Academy Creative Awards National Winners Conference in Singapore last week with a rallying cry for diversity and youthful energy across Asia-Pacific programming. The conference, which marks a 30% increase in judges compared to last year, also saw McGarvey emphasize the importance of strategic deal-making in today's fragmented media landscape.
Speaking at the two-day conference ahead of the Grand Awards Gala on December 4th, McGarvey praised the diversity of this year's nominees, saying that "every genre has been covered" and every market has been represented. Coming from an English-language content background, she was particularly struck by the age demographics of Asia-Pacific programming, noting that many shows feature young audiences and stories that would resonate with younger viewers.
However, McGarvey also highlighted the evolving economics of content production, arguing that strategic deal-making is just as crucial as creative execution in today's marketplace. "A great idea doesn't make a great show - great execution makes a great show," she said. "To get to that point of great execution, it kind of starts with the deal."
The exec also devoted attention to the increasing complexity of rights management, citing the need to construct deals that allow for multiple platforms and emerging technologies like artificial intelligence. McGarvey cited examples from Paramount's recent Australian productions, including its flexible approach to windowing and platform strategy.
Ultimately, McGarvey emphasized the importance of understanding each show is different, every genre is different, and every market is different. "Although you can create guardrails, we've got to be clever and construct things that service that product the best way possible," she said.
The National Winners Conference continues on December 4th with panels on generative AI and copyright, platform strategy, and deal-making. The Grand Awards Gala takes place later that evening, featuring 331 national winners from 16 countries competing for the Golden Goddess trophies.
Beverley McGarvey, president of Network 10 and Paramount Australia and New Zealand's head of streaming, kicked off the Asian Academy Creative Awards National Winners Conference in Singapore last week with a rallying cry for diversity and youthful energy across Asia-Pacific programming. The conference, which marks a 30% increase in judges compared to last year, also saw McGarvey emphasize the importance of strategic deal-making in today's fragmented media landscape.
Speaking at the two-day conference ahead of the Grand Awards Gala on December 4th, McGarvey praised the diversity of this year's nominees, saying that "every genre has been covered" and every market has been represented. Coming from an English-language content background, she was particularly struck by the age demographics of Asia-Pacific programming, noting that many shows feature young audiences and stories that would resonate with younger viewers.
However, McGarvey also highlighted the evolving economics of content production, arguing that strategic deal-making is just as crucial as creative execution in today's marketplace. "A great idea doesn't make a great show - great execution makes a great show," she said. "To get to that point of great execution, it kind of starts with the deal."
The exec also devoted attention to the increasing complexity of rights management, citing the need to construct deals that allow for multiple platforms and emerging technologies like artificial intelligence. McGarvey cited examples from Paramount's recent Australian productions, including its flexible approach to windowing and platform strategy.
Ultimately, McGarvey emphasized the importance of understanding each show is different, every genre is different, and every market is different. "Although you can create guardrails, we've got to be clever and construct things that service that product the best way possible," she said.
The National Winners Conference continues on December 4th with panels on generative AI and copyright, platform strategy, and deal-making. The Grand Awards Gala takes place later that evening, featuring 331 national winners from 16 countries competing for the Golden Goddess trophies.