Dori Media Group Touts New Series in Production (EXCLUSIVE)
Multinational studio Dori Media Group (DMG), founded in Israel in 1996 by Yair Dori and with outposts in Israel, Switzerland, Argentina, Spain and Singapore, is presenting more than a dozen new series at Mipcom, led by two notable action-drama series, “Amia” and “Indal.”
Led by Nadav Palti, CEO & President of Dori Media Group, the studio’s contingent of sales execs and reps will be presenting a slate of both scripted and unscripted series spanning multiple territories, languages and cultures at the annual confab in Cannes.
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“Amia” was filmed in Uruguay and is inspired by the terror attacks of 1992 on the Israeli embassy and in 1994 against the Argentinian Jewish community while “Indal” is a high-octane series that follows the kidnapping of a police officer by a group of Ethiopian Israeli youth.
Dori Media has also remade the global hit and International Emmy-nominated romcom “Lalola,” which is currently shooting in Mexico for Spanish-language platform ViX as well as “Hammam,” a modern Israeli-set enigmatic journey inspired by the biblical kingdom story of Saul and David and set in an abandoned military base.
Palti identified three core trends in viewing habits and tastes worldwide:
Decrease in Episode Orders
There’s a trend of fewer episodes being ordered for TV series due to rising production costs and viewers’ shorter attention spans. While successful shows may compensate with more seasons, producing shorter series increases the cost per episode.
Decline in Periodical Dramas
Periodical dramas are now more relevant to specific regions unless they have universal appeal and are of high quality. Production costs often make it challenging to recover expenses if the show doesn’t have intrinsic global appeal.
Comedy Challenges
Comedies and sitcoms are difficult to sell worldwide because humor is often culture-dependent. However, a few exceptions like Dori Media’s “Little Mom” and “Lalola” have gained international popularity despite shorter episode counts in remakes.
“The original production of ‘Lalola’ included 150 episodes, now with the remake we are only producing 20, initially,” Palti told Variety.
“Our series ‘Little Mom,’ which was remade in the U.K. with the title ‘Hullraisers,’ and produced by Fable Pictures, was a huge success on Channel 4, “ he said, adding that a second season has already been produced and will air shortly.
He also reflected that while Dori Media has focused on productions aimed at the general audience, it used to produce live-action kids content but demand has dipped given the ban on selling ads to children. “Animation for kids can travel easier and it’s easier to dub, so we’re currently working on an animated film,” he revealed.
“But despite the above, and the difficulty in selling, we do continue to produce also for teens. For example, we recently finished producing Season 4 of the very successful teen drama, ‘Milan High,'” he said, adding: “We also have enjoyed huge success with Dori Media’s flagship series ‘Rebelde,’ which was recently remade by Netflix [two seasons of eight episodes apiece, which aired in 2022],” he added.
A drill-down on Dori Media’s slate:
“Amia” (political action drama): A series inspired by 1992 and 1994 terror attacks in Buenos Aires, following a Mossad agent seeking justice. Languages: Spanish, English, Hebrew, Persian. Premieres in Israel in 2024.
“Indal” (action drama): Ethiopian Israeli youth kidnap an abusive police officer, sparking a national protest. Premieres in Israel in 2024
“Lalola” (comedy): Lalo, a womanizer, gets turned into a woman, Lola, seeking to reverse the spell. Produced by Dori Media, available on ViX
“15 a la Hora” (drama): Three Latina women in Los Angeles start a cleaning service business and become a close-knit family. Produced by Paramount.
“Hammam” (drama): A cursed military base in the West Bank leads to madness among soldiers. Produced by Dori Media and Abot Hameiri, airs on Kan 11.
“Losing Alice” (psychological thriller): A female film director becomes obsessed with a younger woman, leading to a dark and complex narrative. Airing on HOT.
“Shtisel” (drama): Follows the lives of a Haredi family in a gentle drama about love and relationships. Available on YES
“Nehama” (dramedy): After his wife’s death, Guy Nehama pursues his dream as a comedian while caring for his children. Airing on HOT.
“Power Couple” (reality format): Couples compete in challenges to test their relationships. Original format by Abot Hameiri, airs on Reshet
“The Best of All” (shiny floor game show): Explores the “Wisdom of the Crowd” theory with large groups competing in visual questions.
Mipcom runs from Oct. 16-19.
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