In today’s hyper-connected content landscape, where broadcasters and streamers compete relentlessly for audience attention, established intellectual property is often perceived as the safest route to visibility, scale, and subscriber loyalty. Familiar worlds and proven concepts offer a sense of security in an increasingly volatile market—but they also raise concerns about creative saturation and diminishing returns.

At the same time, original concepts continue to break through, demonstrating that bold storytelling, distinctive voices, and creative risk can still resonate powerfully with audiences. These successes challenge the assumption that originality is too risky in a market driven by algorithms, audience data, and global commissioning strategies. But are these projects signs of a shifting mindset—or simply rare outliers in an IP-dominated ecosystem?

Opening the conference programme, this panel brings together leading commissioners, producers, and creators to examine the tension between adaptations and originals. The discussion will explore how decisions around risk are made, what conditions allow original stories to thrive, and whether the industry can strike a sustainable balance between commercial security and creative ambition in the future of television.