“Our next chapter is a deeper connection with our international partners, and presenting not only Telekom Srbija, but the whole Serbian creative industry, to the global market,” says the company’s chief multimedia and content officer, Aleksandra Martinović.
Such series illustrate what Martinović characterizes as a strategy “to make choices more wisely and make choices more oriented to potential international partnerships and potential distribution to international markets.” One of the company’s most successful shows, the spy thriller “Civil Servant” (pictured), which is now entering its fourth season, has sold to Disney+ Hotstar in India, Brazilian streamer Globoplay, Telemundo and FlixLatino.
Next up is perhaps the company’s biggest gamble to date: the English-language, post-apocalyptic thriller “Sanctuary,” featuring “The Handmaid’s Tale” star Nina Kiri.
It also illustrates how Telekom Srbija is punching above its weight, according to Martinović. “We are completely aware that we come from a small country,” she says. “Having the kind of content which we were able to sell to HBO, Disney+ and others, for us is very important praise and proof [of what we can do].”
Telekom Srbija’s Aleksandra Martinović
Courtesy Telekom Srbija
“We have a [360-degree] approach regarding production,” says Martinović. “It’s production, distribution, offering infrastructure through our Firefly Studios, and, of course, selling our own content to international partners.”
“Not ‘we’ only as TS Media, but ‘we’ as the Serbian creative industry,” she continues. “We are fighting for all of us — not only for Telekom Srbija, but for all of us. Through Telekom Srbija, which is the biggest player, we are trying to [lift] our whole creative industry and to present them on the global scene.”
