Walk me through your CV.

What it tests: Story coherence + commercial fit. Signal of genuine BD / partnerships / commercial trajectory - not generic media interest.

Tell me about a deal you are most proud of - what made it close?

What it tests: Commercial ownership + ability to articulate WHY a deal closed, not just that it did. Pipeline + structure + negotiation + cross-functional in one answer.

Tell me about a weakness, a failure, or feedback you have received.

What it tests: Self-awareness + maturity. Cross-role canonical. Fake weaknesses + 'I work too hard on deals' answers downgrade immediately.

Why BD - vs sales, strategy, or moving into programming / content?

What it tests: Authentic interest in the BD job (sourcing, structuring, closing, partnership management) vs the adjacent commercial crafts.

Which kind of outlet appeals - linear broadcaster, streamer, FAST aggregator, MVPD, digital-native?

What it tests: Genuine view on the outlet model + its commercial implications.

What it tests: Outlet-specific homework. Bar: specific evidence from recent deals, partnerships, or commercial direction - not generic praise.

How do you read this firm's current deal book - who are they buying from, selling to, partnering with - and where is it going?

What it tests: Outlet-specific homework + ability to read commercial direction from public deal activity.

What is the biggest commercial / BD challenge this firm faces in the next 12-24 months?

What it tests: Strategic commercial thinking. Tests whether candidate can name a real challenge (content cost inflation, output-deal renewals, FAST consolidation, ad-tier scale, password-sharing, bundle wars, sports rights) and propose a BD response.

Business Development interview prep.

A BD person in this world is the one who turns relationships into signed deals: a multi-year content licensing pact, a carriage renewal with a major distributor, a FAST channel launch on a smart-TV OEM, an ad-sales partnership with a sponsor, a co-production with a studio.

What interviewers look for

Can the candidate build + run a pipeline - identify counterparties, prioritise, and close on a cadence, not just react to inbound?
Do they understand deal economics - rev-share vs MG vs flat fee, windowing, exclusivity - and price a deal that survives finance scrutiny?
Can they negotiate without breaking the relationship - leverage, escalation, walk-away, knowing when to give and when to hold?
Do they bring programming / ad-sales / legal / finance along - or do deals stall in cross-functional review?
Are they outlet-fluent - do they know which deals fit a linear broadcaster vs a streamer vs a FAST aggregator?
Do they have a commercial instinct - reading the counterparty's incentives + the wider market - not just executing terms?

Behavioural questions to expect

Walk me through your CV.
What it tests: Story coherence + commercial fit. Signal of genuine BD / partnerships / commercial trajectory - not generic media interest.
Tell me about a deal you are most proud of - what made it close?
What it tests: Commercial ownership + ability to articulate WHY a deal closed, not just that it did. Pipeline + structure + negotiation + cross-functional in one answer.
Tell me about a weakness, a failure, or feedback you have received.
What it tests: Self-awareness + maturity. Cross-role canonical. Fake weaknesses + 'I work too hard on deals' answers downgrade immediately.
Why BD - vs sales, strategy, or moving into programming / content?
What it tests: Authentic interest in the BD job (sourcing, structuring, closing, partnership management) vs the adjacent commercial crafts.
Which kind of outlet appeals - linear broadcaster, streamer, FAST aggregator, MVPD, digital-native?
What it tests: Genuine view on the outlet model + its commercial implications.
Why this firm?
What it tests: Outlet-specific homework. Bar: specific evidence from recent deals, partnerships, or commercial direction - not generic praise.
How do you read this firm's current deal book - who are they buying from, selling to, partnering with - and where is it going?
What it tests: Outlet-specific homework + ability to read commercial direction from public deal activity.
What is the biggest commercial / BD challenge this firm faces in the next 12-24 months?
What it tests: Strategic commercial thinking. Tests whether candidate can name a real challenge (content cost inflation, output-deal renewals, FAST consolidation, ad-tier scale, password-sharing, bundle wars, sports rights) and propose a BD response.

Technical concepts to master

Deal economics + structures

Rev-share vs MG vs flat fee: Three core ways to price a content / distribution deal: share future revenue, pay a guaranteed minimum recoupable from rev-share, or pay a fixed fee for defined rights.
MFN clauses + their traps: A most-favoured-nation clause promises a counterparty terms no worse than any comparable deal; scope (territory, term, deal-type) defines the constraint.
Output deals + their risk: Multi-year, multi-title commitments to license a studio or producer's future output at agreed economics.
Recoup + breakeven math: When MG or advance is paid, the deal needs a defined point at which it is recouped from revenue - the deal underwrites to a breakeven case + an upside case.

Distribution + windowing

Window architecture: Sequenced rights releases across platforms + territories + time - theatrical, Pay-1 SVOD, free TV, AVOD / FAST, library.
Carriage + retrans: Deals that put a linear channel or streaming app onto a distributor - MVPD, vMVPD, telco bundle, smart-TV OEM - usually paid per subscriber, sometimes with marketing commitments.
FAST + AVOD economics: Free ad-supported streaming TV + video-on-demand monetised on advertising; BD deals are usually rev-share + placement.
Territorial rights + exclusivity: Rights granted by territory (single market, region, global) + by exclusivity (sole, non-exclusive, shared); pricing reflects both.

Negotiation craft

BATNA + walk-away: Best Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement - the deal you take if this one fails - + the walk-away the deal must clear.
Structural levers before price: When negotiation tightens, reach first for structural levers (term, window, exclusivity, MG, MFN, payment schedule) before price.
Escalation + room management: Knowing when to pull in the head of BD, legal, finance, or CEO - + how to manage the counterparty's escalation to their principals.
Closing the relationship + the deal: Closing means both the signed deal + the relationship that supports the next one - the post-close debrief, the joint review, the first renewal conversation.

Cross-functional partnership

Programming + content alignment: Deals must fit slate + audience strategy - BD leads brief programming early + get a yes BEFORE running terms.
Legal + standards review: Term sheets to long-form contracts pass through legal for IP, rights, indemnities, and standards review; BD leads must brief legal on commercial intent before drafting.
Finance + underwriting: Deals with MGs, advances, or multi-year commitments are underwritten by finance against a base + upside case; BD leads bring finance in early + defend the case.
Ad-sales + sponsor integration: Ad-supported deals interlock with ad-sales - upfronts, sponsor commitments, brand-safety, integration formats - BD leads must align with ad-sales before signing.

Practical drills

Pitch me a deal you would go after at this firm right now - counterparty, deal type, headline economics, why-now. Then tell me what could kill it + how you would defend against that.
Structure a term sheet for [interviewer names a deal type - e.g. SVOD output deal, FAST channel launch on a smart-TV OEM, retrans renewal, sponsor integration]. Walk me through must-haves, trade-zones, walk-aways - + give me the simple breakeven math for the MG case.
[Interviewer plays counterparty.] You are 80% through a deal. The counterparty has just demanded a 30% MG increase + global exclusivity + a 5-year term, citing a competing bid. Your CFO has capped you at the original MG + 20%. Walk me through the call.

Smart-question anchors

Commercial direction - what this firm's head of BD wants the deal book to look like in 12-24 months
Deal book shape - mix of licensing in / out, carriage, FAST, ad-sales partnerships + how it is evolving
Negotiation + cross-functional culture - how BD + programming + legal + finance + ad-sales work together on a live deal
Pipeline + forecast operating model - cadence, scoring, how the team holds itself accountable
Renewal architecture - which marquee deals come up in the next 24 months + how the team prepares

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