The New Age of Media and Entertainment

Sandra Lipszyc, Head of Executive Production and Artistic Direction of Youth Programs, TF1

The world of TV and media, in general, has evolved considerably over the past 15 years, with a very strong acceleration since the emergence of streaming, platforms, and social media. TF1, like all TV channels, has had to learn to adapt to these changes.

The youth universe is no exception, challenged long before these upheavals by the arrival of channels dedicated to kids. One of the characteristics of producing for a young audience is a need to bring new and innovative programs while being very careful to work within strict boundaries.

On the other hand, production, in general, has been impacted mainly by an ever-increasing financial challenge.

In parallel to this situation, following the multiplication of offers, we face an increasingly demanding public. The particular universe of youth accentuates this situation.

We find ourselves having to maintain a high level of quality while dealing with regularly decreasing funding, which is the case for all media nowadays.

Fortunately, technologies are also evolving very quickly and often allow us to compensate for these decreases in means.For this reason, it is essential to be constantly informed of new developments and market trends.

As I am now in charge of the production of TF1's inter-programs and youth brand (TFOU), one of my significant challenges is to systematically consider my production in an expanded mode: how to exploit and bring to life everything that will give power and visibility to the brand. The elements will have to be broadcast on-air, on all social media, and through projects that go far beyond the audio-visual framework.

“We find ourselves having to maintain a high level of quality, while dealing with regularly decreasing funding, which is the case for all media nowadays”

The advantage of working in a group such as TF1 is that it allows us to develop essential synergies in various fields, for example, in collaboration with TF1 Licensing for projects such as "TFOU PARC" (TFOU brand's indoor leisure park), the first one opened in September 2021 in Evry near Paris, and a second will open in December 2022 in Tourcoing (north of France), with several other locations scheduled to open in the future. Similarly, we also work with TF1 Business Solutions to create podcasts first relayed by « MyTF1" (TF1's website) and then marketed by third parties companies in the form of audio toys for children.

We have created new characters for the channel "Les HOOFS de TFOU," which builds a strong link with children by being present every day on TF1's youth programs and facilitates the brand's development outside of TV. These characters were made in CGI by switching from traditional animation software to a real-time animation technique from the world of video games.

This is a typical example of the evolution and adaptation of all the actors in animation production. Until a few years ago, these techniques did not offer sufficient quality; the progress made in a short time has opened up an exciting field of possibilities. The world of video games, in particular, acts as a kind of research laboratory for progress in the field of animation.

I am constantly looking for companies that can offer me new animation techniques to go further in innovation and manufacturing, which is at costs that meet our production budgets. For instance, theAnnecy International Animation Film Festival allows me to get in touch with all the people involved in animation.