Nordic content
Nordic content is known for its extremely high quality and unique storytelling. After all, it is said that the content comes from some of the happiest countries in the world.
Nordic scripted nuances
From Finland, the world is familiar with crime procedural series mixed with nuances of family drama, such as Bordertown – created by Miikko Oikkonen and starring Ville Virtanen – amongst others. Often, Nordic fiction programmes that fascinate international audiences will have characters that appear to have everything they need to be happy: healthcare, clean air, nature… But psychologically these characters have hidden dark sides to them. Maybe this is what is so relatable on a global scale, writes Maria Kivinen, Sales Manager at YLE (Finland’s Public Service Broadcaster) and a Nordic content sales expert.
Maria Kivinen
Sales Manager at YLE
and Nordic content sales expert
Factual formats and flourishes
On the factual side, the beautiful nature and unique varied landscapes as well as strong music cultures are unique in the Nordics. On the kids’ side, there is always a high educational value to the content our territories produce, and an effort to portray characters that kids can relate to no matter where they are in the world. YLE’s musical drama Swang, which sold to Europe’s biggest kids’ channel in the German speaking territory, KiKA, is a great example of this.
And, of course, when it comes to formats, Nordic entertainment has a strong societal depth in them. Deadline reported this year that “Norway has a pedigree with reality competition shows” and I have to agree.
71 Degrees North saw celebs compete to be the first to reach the 71st parallel, is over 20 years old and has sold well internationally.
Seefood’s military bootcamp format Kompani Lauritzen has had strong domestic success.
New format Nation’s Dumbest, in which 12 celebrities fight it out to be eliminated from the competition as quickly as possible to avoid being crowned the dumbest, has flipped traditional formats – showcasing the innovation and agility of our territory and talent.
Distribution trends and opportunities
The most successful territories for the distribution of Nordic content are Benelux, French and German speaking countries, and now Spanish and Portuguese speaking territories are licensing more and more content coming from the Nordics.
On the other side of the world, Australia and New Zealand have recently acquired a wide variety of Nordic programming as well as formats.
SVT’s and the Nordic Alliance’s produced unique factual series Prison Project Little Scandinavia experiments with stunning results on what would happen if a Nordic prison model highly respecting human rights was applied in the prisons in the US. The results are fascinating – and again, nuanced, highlighting socio-cultural divides and alignments.
Beautiful landscapes, beautiful possibilities
Northern landscapes play also a big part in the success of Nordic stories. YLE’s mini series Critical Point (Kriittinen Piste) from Whatevergroup, the story of a Somalian ski jumper’s journey to become the Olympic champion of Finland, had been picked up by AMC Iberia’s Sundance Channel for its striking snowy landscapes, unique to Northern Finland. This was one of the key points in the acquisition decision.
During the past twelve years I’ve been in the TV industry, I’ve noticed a change in demand, now hedging towards lighter themes in Nordic content over the original Nordic noir. Procedurals such as YLE’s 66 North Precinct (Pohjoisen Tähti) from Yellow Film & TV (right) where crime is mixed with humour is as a great example.
Considering a Nordic co-production?
My biggest tips for production companies outside the Nordics who’d like to co-produce with the Nordic countries would be to emphasise the local authenticities of our countries.
For example, leaning into the Northern landscapes from our snowy mountains to the gorgeous nature spanning lakes and forests, and of course, the fjords. Did I mention the snow?
Also finding ways of implementing deep and complex Nordic characters in the stories, and planning how they would blend with your own territory’s characters.
For example – who’d interact with the Spanish police? This was the question for YLE’s co-production with Spain’s Mediapro, The Paradise (right).
I’d also suggest digging deep into real life historical events that you can play into. This was the case for with YLE’s co-production with Chile, Invisible Heroes, from Parox in Chile and Kaiho Republic in Finland, where the cultures of Finland, Sweden and Chile naturally blended together.
These are exactly the kinds of Worlds international audiences are looking forward to diving into.
Welcome to the Nordics – we look forward to creating with you!
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