I N T E R N A T I O N A L www.V i deoAge.org THE BUSINESS JOURNAL OF FILM, BROADCASTING, BROADBAND, PRODUCTION, DISTRIBUTION February 2015 - VOL. 35 NO. 2 - $9.75 (Continued on Page 14) When participants aren’t busy buying and selling content at DISCOP Istanbul, organizers have prepared a range of conferences to satisfy their curiosity and keep them busy. In addition, on February 23, the day before the market starts, ITV Inter Medya will be hosting a special event, inviting guests to tour the set of its new series, Filinta. Participants will have the opportunity to taste Ottoman cuisine and meet the cast of the series. The Innovation Day will be held February 24, the first day of the three-day market (which is a week Formats, Dramas and a StudioTour at DISCOP Istanbul NATPE’s happy hours in Miami brought much content Social media is so uncouth, it makes TV look sophisticated Vin Di Bona’sAFVstill popular after 25 years with more of the same My 2¢: The Golden Globes focus too much on the trivial Page 8 Page 6 Page 4 Page 18 To survive in an increasingly uncertain landscape, U.S. TV network presidents are continuing to do whatever it takes to change the way they do business. That was clear during the executive panels at January’s TV Critics Press Tour, held bi-annually, first in The Vanishing Back Nine Of U.S. Television (Continued on Page 10) Challenges and Rewards for Turkish TV Producers For Turkish producers 2015 should be a great year — as well as a challenging one. Last year was a great year, too, but it marked the beginning of the new challenges facing Turkish producers. Over 45,000 hours of Turkish programs were sold outside Turkey last year and that figure is expected to triple this year, with sales from China to Chile and from MENA to the North Sea countries. Plus, partnerships are expected to multiply, like the one that has been set up between Dubai’s MBC and Turkish company O3 Türkiye for the series Kaderimin Yazıldığı Gün (A Part of Me), as well as the remake of the American series Pretty Little Liars, a Warner Bros. teen drama produced for ABC Family in the U.S. Nevertheless, with a new ratings system in place since last year, producers are taking more risks. Over 75 series have been canceled due to low ratings, thus increasing (Continued on Page 12)
4 February 2015 World watch it live [not recorded or streamed].” In addition to ABC network (which has transferred all exploitation rights, including international sales, to parent company Disney), older episodes of AFVare transmitted by cable TV networks, local TV stations and via the Internet. At times in the U.S, it can be the case that in the same time slot and day of the week, viewers might simultaneously see several episodes of AFV, but Di Bona explained, “They are shows from different years or with different themes.” Specifically, he added, “Programs produced five years ago go into U.S. syndication; those from five to seven years ago go on the Internet and those from 15 to 20 years ago go on cable TV.” At the international level, AFV is broadcast in 193 countries, 25 of which have added local presenters. Finally, we talked…Italian cuisine. Di Bona is the son of restaurant owners and often returns to his native state of Rhode Island to attend meetings of the Aurora Civic Association, an organization based in Providence, with the sole purpose of cooking for the members. At Aurora’s events, assured Di Bona, “One can enjoy real Italian dishes that are not often found in restaurants outside Italy.”Pictured above left are Vin Di Bona and VideoAge’s Dom Serafini. The Video Age of Telcos At NATPE Miami last month MobiTV was competing with telcos to secure program rights for multiple-screen devices. Indeed, telecom companies are spending billions in order to buy content for their services. For example, over the past two years, Britain’s BT has spent the equivalent of U.S.$3 billion to buy video content, like U.S. telcos AT&T and Comcast have done. Plus, in order to ensure a steady flow of content, Virgin Media continues to acquire production companies and is looking to buy U.K. broadcaster Channel Five (the Virgin brand is licensed from Richard Branson). Meanwhile, Vodafone is entering the U.K. content bidding war for its Vodafone Television. Vin Di Bona is a 70-year-old second-generation Italian-American Hollywood producer who 25 years ago re-invented a simple TV show. Since then, it has been on the air on Disney’s ABC network — and in primetime to boot. The fact that his America’s Funniest Home Videos (AFV) has aired in primetime for a quarter of a century gives it the distinction as one of the longest-running series on American television. It all started when Di Bona watched a Japanese TV show with a segment featuring videos sent in by viewers. From that outline he created AFV through his own production company, Vin Di Bona Productions, as one hour of amusing amateur videos sent in by viewers. So, how has AFV succeeded for 25 years proposing the same elements (unruly or amusing infants and children, animals with bizarre behavior and adults who fall) and in primetime? “Because,” answered Di Bona, “the program not only attracts families, but it is one of the few that makes families watch together. Plus, 93 percent of the audience Di Bona’sAFVSpends Quarter Century in U.S. Primetime (Continued on Page 6) WORKS DESCRIPTIVE VIDEO WORKS www.descriptivevideoworks.com 1 866 818 3897 AN INTERNATIONAL DIGITAL MEDIA COMPANY We are proud to have described over 11,000 shows and800films Opening the entertainment experience to the blind and partially sighted through Audio Description
10 x 1 hr 3 x 2 hrs or 6 x 1 hr Starring Ben Barnes and Rafe Spall Rogues become rebels and rebels become heroes in this epic fight against tyranny and oppression. Produced by A+E Studios and Stephen David Entertainment 1 x 2 hrs Starring Yaya DaCosta and Arlen Escarpeta Chronicles the relationship between the iconic singer Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown. Directed by Angela Bassett in her directorial debut. Produced by The Sanitsky Company 10 x 1 hr Starring Shiri Appleby and Constance Zimmer A provocative drama that gives a fictitious behind-the-scenes glimpse into the chaos surrounding the production of a dating competition program. Executive Producer: Marti Noxon Supervising Producer: Sarah Gertrude Shapiro Produced by A+E Studios A new destination for original dramas, TV events and movies commissioned by HISTORY®, A&E® and Lifetime®. At DISCOP Istanbul, Stand S02 sales.aenetworks.com WHITNEY ©2015 A&E Television Networks, LLC. All rights reserved. 0113C.
6 February 2015 World According to some statistics, people now upload to YouTube 100 hours of content every minute and YouTube viewers watch six billion hours every month. In addition, 80 percent of YouTube viewers are from outside the U.S. U.S. TV Nets Over-the-Top American TV networks are now addressing the need to tap into the U.S.’s 10 million broadbandonly homes without upsetting their profitable cable/satellite delivery models. CBS, Sony Pictures and HBO were the first to announce OTT plans, prompting the entire industry to address the integration of online video delivery with traditional linear programming. Showtime and ESPN are expected to announce their over-the-top services soon, while Viacom’s TV networks are using Sony’s PlayStation OTT platform. By moving to OTT delivery, HBO also hopes to reach some of the 80 million U.S. TV homes that don’t subscribe to HBO. Currently, HBO offers HBO Go to U.S. cable/satellite subscribers, but in some parts of Europe, it is offered without a cable/satellite subscription. And Verizon chairman/ CEO Lowell McAdam has been quoted as saying, “Over-thetop video is right around the corner.” Studios’ Sales Gain Big Late last year, a twopage article in the Wall Street Journal covered the L.A. Screenings’ financial contribution to the U.S. studios. According to theWSJfigures, at 41 percent, international rights represent the largest form of income for the studios, followed by U.S. broadcast licensing at 34 percent. The balance of revenues comes from the syndication (U.S.) market (17 percent) and SVoD rights (eight percent). Studios also monetize their program catalog by re-issuing older series to cable and, recently, to digital broadcast networks’ extra channels. Social Media Takes Culture Below Ground Until recently, television was blamed for all the world’s ills: bad manners, violence, ignorance, corrupt politicians, fanaticism ... while today, YouTube and other similar streaming media are praised for bringing these ills to the hills. In an article describing the types of shows that are all the rage among young viewers, Newsweekquoted one of the popular stars as saying: “I’m all about being ugly on screen and burping in front of the cameras — doing things people can relate to.” The magazine explained, “These people have a strong connection with their audience, that just isn’t possible if you’re starring in a Hollywood film.” Among the more celebrated shows are those that teach girls to apply makeup while drunk, video titles like The Douchebag Workout and comedies such as Viagra Overdose andHot Alien Girl Spits on Me. (Continued from Page 4)
8 February 2015 NATPE Review Happy Hours at the Miami Market; Domestic Component Resurfaced NATPE Miami, which was held late last month, was definitely a very “cool” market, which made it “hot,” and not just because of the great weather. Overall, things were good, as proven by the busy daily afternoon happy hour on the market floor, which this year was revitalized by a greater presence of both exhibitors and participants partaking in the wine and beer. One element of the event that surprised many market attendees was the unexpectedly large domestic (U.S.) contingent representing station groups, anelement of the showthatwas thought to have been lost many years ago. At NBCUniversal Domestic Distribution’s party, more than 400 people from the domestic market showed up. (Yet a competing studio executive estimated that out of 400 guests, only 100 were actually buyers). After speaking with a few buyers, VideoAge discovered that they were actually buying to prepare their TV stations’ new schedules for mid-February. “We had a great market overall because we had the chance to meet with U.S. broadcasters that we don’t see at MIP-TV and MIPCOM,” said Gene George of Starz Worldwide Distribution. “We also had the opportunity to meet with key European buyers, and we sawmore Scandinavian buyers this year, in addition to Latin American buyers.” George also noted that NATPE comes at a good time of year, and Starz “definitely does business at NATPE.” Similarly, Andrew Haber of Alfred Haber Distribution commented, “We had a positive and productive experience this year, meeting with buyers from all over the world.” The elevator lines at the Tresor Tower (dubbed “Terror Tower”) at the Fontainebleau Hotel — the market headquarters — were at their worst on days one and two. Strangely, the long waits were to travel down (20 minutes), not up (about 10 minutes at most), though it really depended on the time of day participants decided to venture up to the suites. The long wait going down meant that plenty of people resorted to taking the stairs to the lobby level — sometimes from all the way up on the 20th floor. Rumor has it that NATPE organizers are not keen to solve the elevator problem at the “Terror Tower” (at least going back to last year’s smoother rides) in order to discourage distributors from exhibiting at the Tresor and encourage them to exhibit at the other towers as well. Indeed, missing this year was a good glass of calminducing sparkling wine offered to people waiting in the long lines, which was replaced by lemonade at the elevator bank. Despite the long lines at the elevators, Lionsgate, which took a suite on the 15th floor of the Tresor, reported that they had “no trouble keeping appointments.” Peter Iacono said that since Lionsgate was on a low floor, “people could potentially take the stairs if the elevator lines were too long and they were feeling really ambitious.” Iacono was also enthusiastic about the market as a whole, and was happy about the great weather, which had everyone in a good mood, and apparently in the mood to do business, too. There were 170 distribution companies with stands and over 80 exhibiting in suites (the vast majority of which were in the Tresor Tower). Exhibitors on the floor reported an increase in foot traffic over last year. “Tuesday was the best day I’ve ever had at NATPE in the years I’ve attended,” said Gregg Garber of Bonneville. “It certainly felt as though there was more floor traffic.” And some even championed the advantages of being on the market floor as opposed to exhibiting in the suites. “Being on the floor is always more conducive for seeing people — it’s not as disruptive to our schedules because we don’t have to worry about appointments being delayed or missed entirely because of the elevator situation. Plus, there is more traffic than there is in the suites,” said Multicom’s Irv Holender. On January 22, the third and final day of the market, Germany-based Tandem gave a press conference for its animated film Pirate’s Passage, which is written and produced by Donald Sutherland. Sutherland, who was in attendance, was interrupted in the middle of his presentation by a false emergency alarm, which disrupted the planned champagne breakfast. Nevertheless, Sutherland was entertaining and handled the disruption with a sense of humor. And he wasn’t the only celebrity on hand in Miami this year. Famed producer Norman Lear provided a keynote and was even available to sign his new book, Even This I Get to Experience. And at the opening night party on Tuesday, Dean Gunnarson from Peace Point’s Escape or Die! performed a live escape stunt, successfully escaping from a tank filled with water. NATPE’s opening day was undoubtedly Telemundo Internacional’s day, with breakfast, lunch and dinner for buyers, colleagues and press. It started at 8:30 a.m. on the Lady Windrige Yacht, continued at 12:30 p.m. with a screening lunch in the Eden Roc’s ballroom and concluded with a dance party at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts. Plenty of stars from their shows, including big names such as Kate del Castillo and Blanca Soto, were on hand. Wednesday night marked the 12th annual Brandon Tartikoff Legacy Awards, which honored Gustavo Cisneros and Adriana Cisneros of Cisneros Media Group; Linda Bell Blue, executive producer of Entertainment Tonight for 19 years; Jay Leno, Emmy Award-winning host of The Tonight Show; Jonathan Murray, chairman of Bunim/Murray Productions and credited as the creator of the reality genre; and Ted Sarandos, who has led content acquisition for Netflix since 2000. Brooke Burke-Charvet, former Dancing with the Stars co-host, hosted the event. NATPE 2016 will take place January 1921, starting on a Tuesday, after Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Other than that, no other major news emerged from Rod Perth’s closing press conference. The NATPE president concluded by saying that NATPE 2015 hosted participants from over 60 countries. The long lines for the elevators at the Tresor Tower, now nicknamed the “Terror Tower”. The Fontainebleau’s Bleau Bar provided a good (if expensive) meeting place. Here’s Bender Media’s Susan Bender and Sally Treibel taking home a NATPE souvenir. The hotel rooms at the Tresor Tower were converted into exhibition suites. Here’s Delmar Andrade of Brazil’s Record TV Network exhibiting in his company’s suite. At the Fontainebleau’s extensive pool area, program buyers and sellers mingled with vacationers.
10 February 2015 Vanishing Back Nine Pasadena, California, and later in Beverly Hills. With CBS in the number one position, CBS Entertainment chairman Nina Tassler was more than excited about the network’s growth. “We’ve had another terrific year. Once again, we’re number one in viewers, up two percent from last year. We have seven of the top 10 series and 12 of the top 20.” Tassler has done her best to adapt to changes in the television industry. “We’re halfway through another season where the overnight ratings continue to disappear in relevance. At the same time, the number of ways that viewers watch our shows and how we get paid for them continues to increase. Our ratings are higher on DVR and VoD, and more viewers are watching our content online. In addition, we launched a digital subscription app in October, ‘CBS All Access,’ where viewers can watch the network and CBS shows on-demand both online and on mobile devices.” She added: “In today’s digital, multi-platform era where new distribution services are emerging and competing against each other every day, the value of every single viewer has never been greater. We’re no longer a business that’s simply about the overnights or 18-49. It’s about finding all viewers wherever they are, whenever they watch and creating the biggest hits. And CBS’s ability to build big audiences for our network and for our shows distinguishes our brand in all parts of our business — to advertisers on the network, to our distributors when we negotiate carriage agreements and to those who license our shows in syndication and around the world.” CBS is continually working on moving to an all-season programming model, acknowledged Tassler. “It started with summer shows such as Under the Dome, Extant and upcoming series Zoo. But it’s more than just summer. This year we’ve rolled out shows throughout the season and tailored production orders for both new and returning series to help fill traditional repeat cycles. We’re going to continue to mix and match our episode orders in a way that best serves the Anatomy, Scandal and How to Get Away With Murder. Said Lee: “We’ve encouraged millions of people to take out wine and popcorn every Thursday night and really enjoy what is water cooler television. And it’s a rather brilliant mix of the very, very new and the very, very old…What’s not traditional is the billion Facebook impressions that we got for TGIT. “As the world fragments more, the ability to have a focused brand is going to be a competitive advantage,” Lee added. But, he noted, “We didn’t pick up these shows because they were diverse. We picked them up because they were great.” In addition, ABC has American Crime, a limited/anthology series and upcoming crime mystery drama Secrets & Lies. “We love having more limited series on the network, that allows for a mixed economy and allows us to bring a different kind of storytelling and a different talent to it,” said Lee. FOX’s Gary Newman and Dana Walden, cochiefs making their press tour debut, have a big job ahead: get the network out of the number four position. “We are well aware that we are the fourth-place network and our ratings are challenged,” said Newman, now chairman and CEO of the Fox Television Group. The duo have been professional partners for 15 years as joint heads of 20th Century Fox Television, and have created uber successful series like The Simpsons, Family Guy, Homeland, 24, New Girl andGlee. “For a long time, FOX has had a reputation for big, bold shows, some things that break out, but that also feel broad and appealing,” Walden said. “I would hope ultimately that the network is recognized for great showmanship. “The question we are asked most often is why on earth would you take this job at this point in the broadcast history,” said Walden. Her response is that running the network gave them “the opportunity to meaningfully control our own destinies…We worked hard on these shows, we would deliver them, and essentially we would have to walk away. We had no say in the scheduling, marketing, programming and platforming of our shows, and frankly that got a little bit frustrating. So being in a position now to meaningfully affect those decisions has been really gratifying.” By Susan Hornik creative needs of the show and the flexibility of our schedule,” she said. Tassler continued: “The term ‘back nine’ [extending the order from 13 to 22 episodes] is quickly becoming as obsolete as the overnight ratings. We are programming 64 more hours of originals on our schedule this year between September and May. More than 80 percent of our season is now original programming, up 71 percent from last year.” NBC Entertainment chairman Bob Greenblatt acknowledged the network’s struggles to establish new comedies. “I’m here to tell you that we are really challenged with the comedy brand that we’re trying to build on the network,” he said. With freshmen comedies A to Z and Bad Judge already canceled, sophomore About a Boy posting poor ratings, and lone bright spot Parks & Recreation heading into its final season, the network is looking to shift from single-camera comedies to multi-cameras. “Some of the best shows on NBC in its history were multi-cams,” Greenblatt said. “We drifted into single-camera territory for the right reasons. We’re going to try some multi-cams now.” He added that “It’s been a couple of years of trialand-error on a number of fronts...It’s hard to build that audience back, [but] we’re doing it one show at a time. NBC Entertainment president Jennifer Salke commented, “We’re really trying to attack it from all levels again. We just need to get some luck and some good scheduling.” Salke said the network is considering experimenting with new comedy formats as it looks to reestablish itself in the genre. “We’re talking about doing a live comedy.” They’re considering “a limited comedy series that we could attract big stars to.” Diversity was once again a key point of the ABC executive panel, with ABC president Paul Lee reiterating the network’s commitment to have shows that reflect the changing demographics and ethnographics of America. “Our schedulers and programmers did something very special this season, which is that TGIT [Thank God It’s Thursday] is really a big cultural phenomenon,” Lee said of the network’s night of Shonda Rhimes’ successful series, Grey’s (Continued from Cover) NBC Entertainment’s Bob Greenblatt CBS Entertainment’s Nina Tassler FOX’s Gary Newman ABC’s Paul Lee
February 2015 12 Turkish TV Producers overall production costs. With the new ratings system, the threshold to kill a series has been lowered from nine points to about four and, like their American counterparts, Turkish broadcasters are quick to pull a series off the air if it doesn’t meet the public’s expectations. In addition, demand for better wages and fewer work hours from “below-the-line” workers will further add to production costs, which now range from U.S.$50,000 to $190,000 per one-hour episode. Costs are also increasing for “above-the-line” workers, with O3-MBC paying $3 million just to retain popular actress Meryem Uzerli to star in a yet unnamed series. Uzerli became famous with the series Muhte em Yüzyıl and her new series is expected to be popular both in Turkey and overseas, just as Suleiman was in Continental Europe, North America and South America, where it was dubbed El Gran Sultan. The risk of having a series canceled after fewer than the first order of 13 episodes is serious, especially after producers make initial investments that could reach $4 million per series. Usually, a second order runs for 26 episodes while a full season is 39 episodes of 90 minutes each. In one case, Ay Yapin, Turkey’s largest producer, saw its series Kurt Seyit and Sura — seven episodes of which were shot in St. Petersburg, Russia — canceled after 17 episodes despite costing $2 million per episode. However, the production value and international appeal of the series generated enough foreign sales to cover costs. And Turkish producers seem prepared for new challenges. Looking ahead to the preproduction start-ups in coming weeks, there are nearly 30 series being readied with start dates ranging from January to March. The international acceptance of Turkish series — reaching more than 450 million viewers in over 75 countries — enriches Turkey in more ways than sales figures alone (which reached nearly U.S.$300 million in 2014). Indeed, the increased number of tourists and exports of Turkish products brings in even more revenue and is related to the popularity of the Turkish series overseas. The popularity of Turkish series has helped tourism, with more than 25 companies hosting tours of Istanbul venues shown in Turkish series. Turkey has also developed a well-experienced international distribution industry with Istanbul-based companies such as Can Okan’s ITV Inter Medya and Izzet Pinto’s Global Agency. Plus, some of the producers and TV channels also have sales divisions. In effect, the Turkish production process replicates that of the U.S. and some other countries. Basically, the producer pitches the network, which orders anywhere from 13 to 26 to 39 episodes of 90-minutes each. But as indicated above, the series can be canceled for poor ratings at any time. Yet, depending on the producer’s influence, the network could allow some leeway, and the production company can tinker with new characters and/or new writers. If all fails and the series is yanked, the producer can bring the remaining episodes to another TV network. Usually, the network begins to pay producers two to three weeks after the series traditional U.S. model, soaps don’t have definite endings, Latins assign them an ending, creating anywhere from 140 to 160 one-hour episodes, and now, with the development of super-series, the episodes have been reduced to 60 or 80 at the most. The Turkish novelas, which entered into the domestic Turkish TV market in 1974, and internationally in the year 2000, also range between 52 and 78 one-hour episodes. Today, the new entrant into the long series TV format is South Korea with these programs being popular in China and increasingly in Southeast Asia. In terms of international appeal, the U.S. soaps were not widely accepted and were quickly supplantedby themorepopular Latin telenovelas starting in 1979. It is possible that American international TV distributors did not market their soaps as aggressively as the Latins did, with the Americans preferring instead to focus on their weekly series, which were carrying large deficits that needed to be recouped with foreign sales. Turkish international TV distributors have learned from their Latin counterparts and thus have heavily marketed their long series, which are now well received worldwide, even in the Latin TV market. On the other hand, South Korean international TV distributors have not yet embarked on successful marketing campaigns of their long series in theWest, limiting themselves to sharing tables at pavilion stands during TV trade shows, and without trade advertising or PR support. For the time being, South Korean producers of long series seem content with their organic growth in China, North Korea (with DVDs smuggled through China) and in some other Asian countries. At last year’s L.A. Screenings, four SouthKoreanproducers organized a general screening luncheon with the help of KOCCA, the country’s foreign marketing government agency, but the result was at best disappointing in terms of organization, promotion and attendees (mostly made up of KOCCA and Consulate officials and Korean producers and distributors). By Deniz Ziya Temeltas and New York City staff writers starts airing, and the payments are done per episode. Sometimes networks cover all production costs and in these cases, the networks’ international sales divisions get distribution rights, retaining 30 percent for their services in the case of independent producers. When network license fees don’t cover production costs, producers team up with one of the country’s top six independent international distributors for overseas sales. Nevertheless, the commissioning channel still keeps 50 percent of the producer’s share of revenues from international and domestic sales. Normally, no upfront money or advances against commission are involved and distributors can also syndicate the series to other domestic networks one or two years after their primetime (8-11 p.m.) network run. Those networks schedule the re-runs in the afternoon or late-night time slots. It’s also interesting to review the international acceptance patterns of the long series, or soap operas as they are called in the U.S., or telenovelas as they’ve been known in Latin America since the late 1950s. While in the (Continued from Cover) ITV Inter Medya’s series Filinta, produced by ES Film for TRT-1 TV network The international acceptance of Turkish series — reaching more than 450 million viewers in over 75 countries — enriches Turkey in more ways than sales figures alone ... The increased number of tourists and exports bring in even more revenue.
14 February 2015 DISCOP Istanbul Preview earlier than last year), with a selection of program keynotes and hands-on educational sessions to help participants learn more about the strategies, technologies and people that are making strides in the business. Conferences featured on the schedule that day include “Count The Audience? Not So Easy To Do These Days,” “Special Glimpse of What It’s Like toWork Inside theWorld’s Leader of Alternative News Reporting” and “Social Media is Good for You.” For the fifth edition of DISCOP Istanbul, organizers also added The Licensing Day on February 25, developed in partnership with Licensing Industry Merchandisers’ Association (LIMA) in Turkey and brand media and licensing agency LISANS MEDYA. The Licensing Day will offer a special educational program to teach participants what they need to know to bolster their licensing and merchandising business in Turkey. The Format Day on February 26 will explore the lasting power of scripted and unscripted formats, and the challenges associated with adapting storylines to make them relevant across various cultures and markets. There will be a 90-minute session offering insight into how to create storylines that travel across borders. The Format Day luncheon will be hosted in honor of independent producers, who are invited to pitch original ideas, and will gather VIP guests at the forefront of the format business in Turkey, CEE, MENA and CIS countries. A question and answer session will follow each pitch. Patrick Zuchowicki of organizer Basic Lead said they are seeing the strongest increase in buyers from countries in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Abu Dhabi. “We have had so far a 100 percent growth in pre-registration from these countries,” Zuchowicki said. “In terms of sellers, we have a Korean Pavilion and a Chinese Pavilion (25 companies between the two countries), which we did not have last year. And, we have more companies from France,” he added. Can Okan, president and CEO of ITV Inter forward to meeting with clients from the Middle East and the Balkans, where we already have strong relationships.” Bertolotti explained that “Pay-TV is traditionally our main area of focus in the region because of the nature of our shows and of the local TVmarket.”But,headded, “We’verecentlynoticed a renewed interest from free-TV broadcasters for top-performing U.S. cable franchises. At DISCOP, we will continue pushing our new slate of scripted content, under the recently launched banner A+E Studios International.” Since DISCOP Istanbul “accommodates many territories including the Middle East, CIS, CEE and even Latin American countries,” said Izzet Pinto, CEO of Global Agency, “for each of the region’s different interests, we bring our entire catalog to the market.” He added that they are also launching new projects. Pinto has noticed that “each year, the number of participants increases by almost 20 percent, which allows us to meet new customers, which is quite exciting. In addition, we also see the same clients and friends whom we have known for years.” Televisa Internacional’s director of Sales for the Middle East and CIS, Silvia D. Garcia, looks forward to DISCOP Istanbul. “It is very important to maintain the business relationships with existing clients and [grow relationships with] new ones,” she said. Garcia noted that she hopes to meet with clients from the Middle East and Central Asia. She added, “The region continues to evolve rapidly, so we are ready to meet the region’s needs. With today’s technologies that have nurtured different distribution platforms, Televisa Internacional is ready to meet the needs of these clients as well.” “Turkish dramas are of course popular fare at DISCOP Istanbul,” said Emre Görentaş of Calinos Entertainment, who added that his Istanbulbased company is bringing its entire catalog to the market. DISCOP is organized by Los Angeles- and Johannesburg-based Basic Lead and held at the International Convention and Exhibition Center in Istanbul, Turkey. By Sara Alessi. Medya is “excited about the market, as usual.” He noted that DISCOP Istanbul grows each year, and at each market, ITV launches new titles, in addition to presenting its catalog. Okan explained that period dramas are popular in the region, and ITV is launching two new period dramas, titled ResurrectionandFilinta, at DISCOP this year. The company will also host a party on February 24. Likewise, Hasan Bozaslan of Ser Films noted, “Our expectations are always high.” Ser Films attends DISCOP to sell products to new territories. Among those Bozaslan hopes to reach this time around are European and Far East countries, as well as Latin America. He added that the company “always presents [its] library along with new programs.” “DISCOP is a very dynamic market,” said Lorenzo Bertolotti, manager of International Content Sales, EMEA at A+E Networks. “The region is not rigidly defined, allowing new players to come into the mix often. At A+E Networks, we’re always focused on strengthening our existing relationships and expanding our network of clients. Turkey is a very interesting and growing market, and one on which we have a particular focus, not only for content distribution, but also for selling formats. We’re also looking (Continued from Cover) “Each year, the number of participants increases by almost 20 percent, which allows us to meet new clients, which is quite exciting.” — Izzet Pinto, Global Agency The meeting tables area at DISCOP Istanbul 2014 The ITV Inter Medya stand at DISCOP Istanbul 2014
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16 Shortcomings At American Airlines Readers of this column are aware of the shortcomings of large airline carriers, such as Delta. But not even VideoAge’s critics are ready for the shortcomings of American Airlines’ airport services, especially at JFK in New York and LAX in Los Angeles. To be fair, AA’s terminal at MIA (Miami) is very efficient, at least compared to their terminals in other airports, where the unifying elements are chaos, useless floor staff and a lack of helpful visual information. Very long lines can be found both at the checkin counters (AA doesn’t allow online check-in for travel to Europe) and at the security area, where the lines for prechecked passengers are longer than those for travelers who have to disrobe and unpack half their suitcases to take out liquids and laptops. Until the airline reorganizes the check-in area, it is best to avoid it or allow for two extra hours than you would normally need to enter the boarding gate. DISCOP ISTANBUL FEBRUARY 24-26 Istanbul, Turkey Tel: (323) 782-1300 www.discopistanbul.com VideoAgebonus distribution SPORTELAMERICA MARCH 17-19 Miami, FL, U.S. Tel: (377) 9330 2032 Fax: (377) 9330 2033 www.sportelamerica.com NAB SHOW APRIL 11-16 Las Vegas, NV, U.S. Tel: (202) 595-2052 Fax: (202) 775-2145 www.nabshow.com MIP-TV APRIL 13-16 Cannes, France Tel: (212) 370-7470 Fax: (212) 370-7471 www.miptv.com VideoAgebonus distribution HOT DOCS APRIL 23-MAY 3 Toronto, Canada Tel: (416) 203-2155 Fax: (416) 203-0446 www.hotdocs.ca INTX MAY 5-7 Chicago, IL, U.S. Tel: (202) 222-2430 Fax: (202) 222-2431 www.thecableshow.com L.A. SCREENINGS MAY 13-22 Los Angeles, CA, U.S. Tel: (212) 299-3933 Fax: (212) 288-3424 www.videoage.org VideoAgebonus distribution CANNES FILM FESTIVAL MAY 13-24 Cannes, France Tel: (33 1) 5359 6100 Fax: (33 1) 5359 6110 www.festival-cannes.com THE REMAKES MARKET MAY 15-19 West Hollywood, U.S. Tel: (323) 782-1300 www.basiclead.com VideoAgebonus distribution NEW EUROPE MARKET JUNE 9-11 Dubrovnik, Croatia Tel: (385 1) 4636 252 Fax: (385 1) 6418 623 www.neweumarket.com February 2015 Event Planner & Travel News Why isVideoAge the most e ective TV trade publication?
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18 February 2015 My 2¢ “We were reminded of the movies and TV programs in competition only during the short presentations before the opening of the envelopes.” In October 1992, VideoAge was the first to publish an article about helping to save the then-precarious existence of the Golden Globes (then called the Globe Awards). With the title “Save HFPA” (the acronym stands for the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the group of foreign correspondents based in Los Angeles that organizes the Golden Globes) VideoAge emphasized the merits of the association, which was founded in 1943. The article also pointed out how the awards had fallen out of favor with the American entertainment industry, citing the opinion of an important Hollywood publicist: “If you ask a man in the street what is a Golden Globe, he probably wouldn’t be able to tell you.” Fast forward 23 years and theGoldenGlobes have become almost as popular as the Oscars, both in the U.S. and around the world. Plus, since the Globes precede the February Oscars broadcast by six weeks, often the Globes winners predict the Oscar winners. The success of the Globes, however, could be under threat again, and this time it’s a victim of its own success, with its pop culture relevance eclipsing the shows and movies. The recent Golden Globes, broadcast live on the NBC TV network at 8 p.m. in New York City (5 p.m. in Los Angeles), were preceded by two hours of broadcast preliminaries: the Pre-Show at 6 p.m and the Red Carpet Show at 7 p.m. During these two hours, the films and television programs in competition became of secondary importance. The hosts’ commentary was all about the dresses and their designers, the ample cleavage and the actors’ newest romantic involvements. Then, during the actual awards ceremony, the emphasis shifted to humor, irony and mockery of the celebrities in attendance. We were reminded of the movies and television programs in competition only during the short presentations before the opening of the envelopes — and even then just for a few seconds. And if the Awards themselves did not provide enough triviality, for the rest of the week the printed press, radio shows, online blogs and especially gossip television programs did nothing but report on what went on behind the scenes, in particular the various “wardrobe malfunctions” (a code word for mostly staged reveals), taking hours to describe (e.g., Jennifer Lopez’s underwire bra was visible). Another episode during the ceremony that received much attention was the emotional praise that Michael Keaton gave his adult son, which had nothing to do with the film for which he won the Best Actor Award (Birdman, in case you were wondering). The blame for the various “malfunctions” and emotional reactions was attributed to the consumption of a large amount of tequila, which was offered by George Clooney (he’s the producer along with Rande Gerber, Cindy Crawford’s husband). Clooney was also targeted by the gossip media for his schmaltzy declaration of love for his wife, who was in turn praised for her humanitarian activities and criticized for the long white gloves she wore. At the Globes, movies and television shows that received awards seemed unimportant and this, in the long run, could again cause viewers to lose interest in the Globes and in movies (intended as cinematic experiences), considering the continuing drop in ticket sales at the box office. Hollywood is warned! Dom Serafini The new challenge for the Golden Globe Awards stems from the fact that they place more emphasis on gossip than on the movies. Turning the Awards into another reality show ceremony is no good for the Globes or the movies. “Mr. Bruiser Barker, with his agent, his lawyer, his business manager and his publicist.” MAIN OFFICES 216 EAST 75TH STREET NEW YORK, NY 10021 TEL: (212) 288-3933 FAX: (212) 288-3424 WWW.VIDEOAGE.ORG WWW.VIDEOAGELATINO.COM WWW.VIDEOAGE.IT P.O. BOX 25282 LOS ANGELES, CA 90025 VIALE ABRUZZI 30 20123 MILAN, ITALY EDITOR DOM SERAFINI ASSISTANT EDITOR SARA ALESSI EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTORS SHERIF AWAD (MIDDLE EAST) ISME BENNIE (CANADA) LUCY COHEN BLATTER CARLOS GUROVICH LEAH HOCHBAUM ROSNER SUSAN HORNIK BOB JENKINS (U.K.) AKIKO KOBAYACHI (JAPAN) DAVID SHORT (AFRICA) MARIA ZUPPELLO (BRAZIL) PUBLISHER MONICA GORGHETTO BUSINESS OFFICE LEN FINKEL LEGAL OFFICE ROBERT ACKERMANN, STEVE SCHIFFMAN WEB MANAGER MIKE FAIVRE DESIGN/LAYOUT CARMINE RASPAOLO ILLUSTRATIONS BOB SHOCHET
LAND OF HONORTELENOVELA HD 130 X 1 HR www.telemundointernacional.tv DISCOP ISTANBUL 2015 February 24-26 International Convention & Exhibition Center - Stand S50 Istanbul, Turkey
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