M-Net's Emmy awesomeness: how the pay broadcaster constantly keeps picking the best TV shows first.

Its no mean feat. Pay broadcaster M-Net is once again the South African broadcaster with the most TV shows nominated for Emmy awards for the upcoming 62nd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards taking place on 29 August in the Kodak Theatre, Los Angeles.

Not only is and does M-Net remain by far the superior broadcaster in South Africa when it comes to getting and broadcasting Emmy nominated, as well as Emmy award-winning, shows first - but the pay broadcaster - compared to other countries, also shows more Emmy award-winners in total. And get this: M-Net constantly negotiates, buys and then broadcast multiple TV shows even before they start to rake in the Emmy nominations and wins, for instance Glee and The Pacific - this year's two top Emmy nominated shows.

How on earth does M-Net do this? Should M-Net programme buyers be kept away from the poker tables? How does the pay broadcaster manage this stellar, yet uncanny  track record of not just getting TV shows quickly, but getting the best ones even before they're eventually sanctified by Emmy praise as the best? Only I have the answers . . . and whether winning Emmys are really important.

Click on READ MORE below to find out exactly how M-Net

Either M-Net has stacked the deck, or otherwise the South African pay broadcaster has the most uncanny knack for picking TV winners. Year after year, M-Net cuts through the clutter, wades through the trash, and picks most of the best television even before the world decides its telly terrific.

But how exactly does M-Net do this? How do you use your available budget to buy the hottest and the best when you have no idea that show about a sad group of high school students singing will become the pop culture explosion that is Glee that will garner a massive 19 Emmy nominations after a year? I asked M-Net to reveal some of the magic that goes into making the mind up regarding what to buy, and what to boot.

Annually M-Net have the most nominated shows when the Emmy nominations are announced like yesterday again. Obviously M-Net buys shows for the various M-Net channels and M-Net main, before they become Emmy darlings – case in point Glee which is currently still in its first season run on M-Net and has now gotten 19 Emmy nominations or The Pacific that is a mini series with 24 nominations. How do you know what to buy and look out for?
M-Net: We have a highly-skilled and experienced acquisition team, headed up by Tracey Gilchrist, who knows the ins and outs of the international television industry and have a mandate to bring the best programming to the M-Net channels. They continuously research international trends and use every bit of information to determine which shows are creating a buzz while in production and could turn into international hits. In the end, years of experience, combined with intuition, seal the deal.

When a brand-new show is up to be bought, are there any tell-tale signs of it being a hit or a critical success or both, especially if there's no track record yet about how the show is performing viewership wise or what the reception is of the show? How do you discern the quality for the lesser productions?
M-Net: Several factors play a role, such as the cast and crew involved, the buzz around the show, opinions of shows at the LA screenings, and a knowledge of the way our target audiences intersect with international audiences.

With more broadcasters, more production companies, more distributors and more studios - is it easier or more difficult finding the gems, and finding them quick enough, or hasn't it changed? How does M-Net stay on track with what is available and what the broadcaster wants to scoop up?
M-Net: As a broadcaster, we also buy programming according to fit the requirements of all our different M-Net channels. [Mmm. This is one of those questions where my questions is longer than the answer which isn't really revealing anything new, but anyway. . .]

Its impossible for anyone to get everything they want because of financial constraints and there being only so many broadcast hours on any given schedule. How do you choose between what you like and what you really, really like when two shows could really work well and enhance a schedule?
M-Net: We set out to buy the best programming possible for all our channels and the genre, international success of a show and target audience would determine where the show will be scheduled. We sometimes manage to acquire the shows we really, really like, as well as the ones we like, but final decisions are always made on which shows would work best for our diverse audiences.

Does Emmy nominations and wins in any way influence whether a show would stay on M-Net main, or move to other M-Net channels, or does Emmy nominations/wins not carry that much weight halfway around the world? What is it that an Emmy nomination or win does for a show outside of America, and for a broadcaster like M-Net? What does it really mean?
M-Net: Winning an important award, such as the Emmys, carries huge weight, as it could secure more seasons of the show and future screenings on our channels. Deciding what the best M-Net channel fit for a programme is depends on several factors, including awards.

ALSO READ: The Emmy nominations for the 62nd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards are out. Once again M-Net has the most Emmy nominated shows.
ALSO READ: M-Net as the South African broadcaster with the most Emmy nominated shows: ''We're delighted that our hit shows once again dominated.''


The 62nd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards will be shown on M-Net, on Monday evening, 30 August 2010.