10 As usual, Singapore was in the Christmas spirit this December, with the city-state completely overtaken by the festivities, decorations and nativities; American songs and jingles played everywhere, including Chinese restaurants. However, this multi-cultural, tropical Asian shopping paradise was not waiting for the arrival of Christmas, but for the much anticipated return of TV’s content kings — the North American distributors — at the 14th Asia TV Forum and Market (ATF). But it was not just the local TV sector; the whole city-state seemed to be concerned with America. According to the Monetary Authority of Singapore, loose monetary policies in the U.S. have encouraged a build-up of debt among households and companies in Singapore. Nevertheless, if the U.S. Federal Reserve disappointed Singaporeans, the North American TVdistributors didnot. Among the newexhibitors there were 9 Story Entertainment, Paramount, Starz, Content, Veria Living Worldwide and Sony. Returning companies included GRB Entertainment, Alfred Haber, Breakthrough Entertainment, CBS Studios International and A+E Networks. Plus, the London-based North American companies such as Lionsgate, DreamWorks, and Hasbro, together with the locally based U.S. studios such as NBCUniversal and Disney, were also in attendance. But the crowd was not just limited to North Americans, since a record-breaking 50 Malaysian companies attended ATF this year. The official figures were also stellar: over 4,385 attendees from 60 countries representing 1,179 companies, of which 595 were sellers and 584 buyers. In effect one could safely say that the ratio of buyers to sellers was 1:1. Additionally, 69 top TV and film speakers were present for more than 28 conference sessions. The confusion about whether this year’s premarket day on December 3 was actually going to be a market day (as was implied on the event’s website) was clarified: It was indeed a premarket, conference-only day. This year, the exhibition floor officially opened at 10 a.m., instead of 9 a.m., giving space and prominence to a large number of conferences. This is a tactic now used by many trade show organizers to increase the number of participants without necessarily improving the buyer-to-seller ratio. However, on the floor, exhibitors seemed unaware of the 10 a.m. opening bell and by 9:30 a.m. they were in full swing with meetings and off to a very good start. The corridors were busy and the stands full of buyers, dropping off a bit on day two and dwindling to a virtual halt on day three — ATF’s last day. Nonetheless, the market left many exhibitors happy. First-time participant Erik Pack, from the London office of Paris-based Gaumont, was enthusiastic about both the way TVFI organized theFrenchPavilionand the resultsCelineCarenco reported, especially for Gaumont’s 26-episode drama series Hannibal. Key prospects included buyers from Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines. For Kate Blank of Canada’s Breakthrough, this ATF compared favorably with that of last year: “A good market to meet with buyers that I don’t see at MIP-TV and MIPCOM.” Blank, who at ATF worked from a table in the participants’ pavilion, would have liked ATF to offer the type of desk found at NATPE, which is economical and yet convenient, though she’s also “hoping for a Canadian Pavilion.” Caracol’s Estefanía Arteaga reported success with sales of formats, especially with Korean and Vietnamese buyers. Televisa’s Javier Paez also reported a “strong market” for Southeast Asia, especially Vietnamese buyers. Similarly enthusiastic were Lionsgate’s Wendy Reeds and GRB’s Benn Watson, who had a “good market” for pan-regionals. Among first-time exhibitors, Content’s Diana Zakis said that she will evaluate whether ATF is more effective than personal visits, since she cannot do both. Similarly, returning exhibitor Marcel Vinay of Comarex said that at ATF he can meet with many buyers, but personal visits tend to be more effective. Other first-timers like Passion’s Nick Tanner, Starz Todd Bartoo and Mondo TV’s Matteo Corradi, were reportedly happy with the results, but were waiting for a full evaluation. Among the buyers VideoAge interviewed, Masa Omiya of Japan’s TWA was looking for featurelength CGI animation, a genre that, apparently, was hard to come by at ATF. Highlights of this year’s event included the brand new Animation Lab, a matchmaking event for Asian animation producers and international commissioners. Thirty-five projects were selected from a total of 45 projects submitted from eight countries. MIPAcademy, organized by Reed MIDEM (organizers of MIP-TV and MIPCOM) and Reed Exhibitions Singapore (organizers of ATF), featured a full day of master classes to help with pitching, selling, brand building, global distribution and rights protection. And then there were the Asian Television Awards organized by Contineo Media and ScreenSingapore — which joined ATF two years ago, after one solo attempt in June — and featured the world premiere of Hong Kong filmFirestorm, starring Andy Lau and Gordon Lam Ka Tung. The red carpet event was attended by both stars. But aside from the red carpet, ScreenSingapore still tends to add little to ATF. According toMelvin Ang of Singapore’s MM2 Entertainment, and a ScreenSingapore board member, management is aware of the shortcomings, which are being addressed leveraging the fact that, while in the West the number of movie screens is dwindling, in Asia movie theaters are increasing. In addition, Singapore offers the right environment to produce films that can easily make money with just five territories considered a “domestic” market: China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia and Singapore. Plus, during ATF the Association of Southeast Asian Nations announced the formation of the Southeast Asian Audio-Visual Association, a non-profit organization for the advancement of creative development across the region. Each passing year, ATF adds a new event, and 2014 will be no exception. This coming December, the ATF will also include the Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF). Originally held in April, the 27-year-old SGIFF returns after a two-year hiatus. Awaiting Both the Content Kings and Christmas January 2014 ATF Market Report Breakthrough’s Kate Blank Caracol’s Estefanía Arteaga Veria’s Ray Donahue
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