Canadian TV producers are back at their desks, detoxing from three nights of Gemini Awards, and sifting through notes from, in some cases, hundreds of meetings they took just days earlier in Cannes at MIPCOM. What all these notes will add up to in terms of providing a snapshot of the international marketplace won’t become clear for months, but here’s an early observation: at a market like MIPCOM, bigger is better.

A producer with shows to sell can’t be sure what buyers will need at any given time. You may have toiled for a couple of years developing your program, aiming to make the best-quality show you can, and so you expect international broadcasters to naturally hop on board. You go to France thinking they are going to want this, but instead they turn around and ask if you have any of that.

We’re talking show genres and demographics. For example, some participants at MIPCOM 2007 were surprised by the strong demand for preschool programming. This stands in contrast to the situation a few years ago, when demand was soft due to a glut of available product. No doubt many producers soon got busy on other genres. But those with a longer view realized that demand is cyclical, and stayed the course.

‘Seven years ago, broadcasters said ‘don’t bring us any preschool,” recalls Steven DeNure, president of prodco Decode Entertainment. ‘So we came home and said ‘we should develop some preschool,’ because when you finally bring those things to market, it’s two or three years later.’

The reasons for fluctuations in demand are several, having to do with the number of shows out there as well as factors specific to particular territories, including consolidation, regulatory changes and increased competition. And then there is the growing number of TV channels and the launch of new services. One of the drivers of the current call for preschool material comes from Germany, where Nickelodeon re-launched in 2005 after an earlier stint that collapsed, reportedly due to competition from public kidcaster KI.KA and cable carriage restrictions.

Demand for live-action tween material also continues to be strong, reflecting the success that Nick, Disney Channel and – closer to home – Family Channel have been enjoying in recent years. Some attribute this to the monster success of Disney’s High School Musical franchise, but that is only the top success story in a buildup of programming critical mass for this audience target.

A company such as Decode is in a good position to offer kids broadcasters what they want because of the range of demographics their programs service. This is truer than ever after it joined forces with Halifax Film to form DHX Media last year. For those needy preschoolers, Decode has the venerable Franny’s Feet and new show Super Why!, while Halifax Film, even more focused on those toddlers, can bring to the table Bo on the GO!, Mighty Jungle and Poko. And although up to 75% of Decode’s business is animation, it has been doing the live-action stuff since day one, and can offer up shows such as Naturally, Sadie, The Latest Buzz and Radio Free Roscoe.

There are other shops that have a stake in the kids market but also expand well beyond. There’s Shaftesbury Films, which was the belle of the ball at the third night of the Gemini Awards, winning seven awards for its drama series, minis and MOWs. But this company also has a kids division that makes the live-action Life with Derek, a major cable success with young girls south of the border, and even boasts a lucrative large-format department, SK Films, which produced the hit Bugs!.

And then there’s Breakthrough Films & Television, which boasts a busy production slate, including popular toons Atomic Betty, Captain Flamingo and Miss BG, along with the live-action comedy Kenny vs. Spenny, which recently sold to Comedy Central and is moving format rights all over the place.

Covering the genre bases as these three companies do, it’s no wonder they have grown to be among the most successful in Canada. On Playback’s list of production spending for 2006, they ranked fifth (Shaftesbury), sixth (Decode) and 14th (Breakthrough).

Now, it’s easy enough to say ‘get bigger,’ but far more difficult to execute. If a prodco expands, it must ensure that it will remain able to focus on making quality shows, and that it won’t be cannibalizing its opportunities. It’s hard to be a small supplier and try to do all things. The key is to build, at a sustainable pace, a mix of staff with production and sales experience.

But if you can pull it off, all the better. Because while it’s good to ride out the constant shifts in market demand, it’s even better to have an eclectic mix of programs at the ready.