The Kyiv Media Week 2024 has come to an end

Over the two days, speakers and participants of panel discussions covered nearly every challenge facing the Ukrainian media business, providing relevant statistics and recommendations based on their own case studies.

One dominant theme throughout the event was the importance of socially significant content. Television and cinema products must reflect themes relevant to Ukrainian society. Questions such as discussing the war in a way that encourages or at least doesn't deter foreign distributors, and how much of the war's realities should be shown to Ukrainian audiences, remain without universal answers. However, statistics and journalistic experience suggest that, despite numerous complaints about the one-sided (optimistic) coverage in the nationwide telethon "United News," Audiences may not always be prepared to watch unedited footage from the front lines.

Notable filmmakers, whose documentaries have gained recognition both in Ukraine and abroad - Mstyslav Chernov ("20 Days in Mariupol"), Maksym Serdyuk ("Yaremchuk: The Unparalleled World of Beauty"), Akim Galimov ("Ukraine. Returning Its Own History"), and Anton Ptushkin ("Us, Our Pets, and the War") - agreed that securing foreign investments remains challenging. Regarding war films, Mstyslav Chernov noted that few are willing to invest in projects where the creators could lose their lives at any moment. He also mentioned that it is difficult for Western partners to grasp the realities of the war fully. For instance, during budget discussions, he had to explain that he didn't need hotel funds because he was living in a trench during filming. Currently, Chernov is working on a new film with foreign investment, which indicates a commercial interest in war-related film projects despite the difficulties in realizing them.

In contrast, the feature film industry successfully presents realistic war-related content in the horror genre. A prime example is "The Witch. Revenge" a film that has been successful in Ukraine and has started screening abroad.

Creative media consultant David Ciaramella of Boxed Off provided an overview of global trends in non-scripted shows and series. Judging by the atmosphere during the presentations, few believed in their wide adoption in Ukraine, given the focus on socially significant issues. Even the new season of the pure entertainment show "The Bachelor" on STB will now indirectly touch on the topic of war veterans.

To survive in conditions of limited or non-existent state funding, Ukrainian media must expand digital efforts, including OTT platforms, and create FAST channels (Free Ad-supported Streaming Television) for additional content monetization. A successful example of this is the "Heads and Tails" channel on Megogo.

Another effective method is collaboration with businesses, as demonstrated by "The Witch. Revenge" project, which involved many diverse partners. The film attracted five investors, mostly corporate, but also private ones, who viewed film as a purely financial tool. FILM.UA Group CEO Victoria Yarmoshchuk emphasized the importance of thorough planning as an integral part of success, especially when answering investors. Already during post-production, unconventional collaborations led to beautiful and meaningful jewelry creation using elements of runes - ancient folk symbols associated with revenge. The jewelry brand reported it was one of their most successful collections. Examples of three-way collaboration include raffling jewelry among those who bought tickets in the Multiplex chain, and a publishing house released an extended version of the script, illustrated with the jewelry pieces. Collaboration with a military brand, which began with the creation of patches, later expanded its range. A computer game will also be developed based on the film. All these efforts have created an entire universe around "The Witch. Revenge".

Although 1+1 owns the film's rights, all major media groups joined the promotional campaign. This exemplifies what was discussed during the two-day forum: collaboration is essential to attract more viewers and financially sustain the media market.

Yarmoshchuk urged a broader perspective on collaboration opportunities with businesses, citing the successful partnership between NETFLIX and retail as an example.

The overall impression from KMW 2024 is that despite all the difficulties, the domestic media and entertainment industry has adapted to the current conditions and continues to gain momentum, using tried-and-tested methods for overcoming challenges.

So, remember, for the quick deployment of a TV channel and comprehensive management of its content, including additional monetization via digital, OTT, and more, rely on a trusted technical partner - service provider Cosmonova Broadcast.