Several issues confronted the recently concluded eighth edition of the Asia TV Forum (ATF). The first matter of concern was pure business, since exhibitors were unable to find the notoriously elusive program buyers from Japan and the small TV stations in China. The second issue was economical, since costs were perceived to be too high for such a small trade show. But the third (and most insidious) problem was strategic: what should be done about AMAZIA, a new TV trade show competing for the same audience as ATF, which has been scheduled next year in Hong Kong? With those concerns in mind, exhibitors said goodbye to the lush gardens of the Shangri-La hotel in Singapore at the end of the three-day ATF event in late November. The 2008 edition, scheduled for December 10-12, will be held at the Suntec Convention Centre, centrally located in the downtown area of Singapore, far from the residential and shopping district of the Shangri-La’s upper Orchard Road. Organizers explained that the decision to move to the Suntec Centre was dictated by the need for a larger space, more inhouse dining options and a wider selection of nearby hotels. They assured exhibitors that prices would stay competitive and that they would still offer suite packages similar to those currently offered by the Shangri-La. ATF organizers offered a special tour of the Suntec venue to interested exhibitors on the last day of the market. The move to the Suntec is indicative of adjustments that have become necessary since the announcement of competitor market AMAZIA, which will be organized by a very aggressive Reed Midem in Hong Kong, November 1720. AMAZIA officials were among the exhibitors in Singapore, actively pursuing contacts. A separate division of Reed organizes the ATF. VideoAge asked several distributors which market they would attend next year, and the unanimous consensus was that they weren’t sure, but that attending both was an impossibility. Most companies said they’ll wait and decide where to exhibit later on this year, once it becomes clear which buyers and distributors will participate at which market. RCTV’s Amina Galdo said she assumed that AMAZIA would take over, while Globo TV’s Claudine Bayma wasn’t sure, but said that Globo will only exhibit at one event. CABLEready’s Sabrina Toledo liked the idea of Hong Kong as a base to penetrate the Chinese territory since a slew of emerging channels not found at ATF or MIP will surely come to AMAZIA, and said she felt it would be unthinkable to attend both markets. RTSI’s Beatrice Grossmann, who was conducting her sales in the buyers-sellers lounge, hopes that the move to Hong Kong will mean a larger number of Japanese buyers in attendance, a group notoriously absent from Singapore. Like Grossmann, several other executives opted to do business in the lounge instead of renting suites. Among them was Screen Media Ventures’ Almira Malyshev, who found the lounge much busier than the corridors of the exhibition floors To reach operators in Asia, TV France International (TVFI) — the umbrella organization that groups dozens of French distributors together — organizes annual showcases in both Japan and Korea. TVFI’s presence in Singapore was once again strong this year, with an entire floor occupied by French companies. The traditional buyers luncheon was held at the Shangri-La’s Waterfall Terrace. In total, 4,700 participants from 50 countries and over 100 new companies were on hand at the ATF, with contingents coming from South Korea, Taiwan, China and Thailand. Speaking at the Opening Ceremony, which was one of the most well-attended events of the ATF, Dr. Lee Boon Young of Singapore’s Ministry of Information underlined the strategic importance of Singapore within the global media sector, which is seeing major growth in the Asia Pacific region. The Opening Night party was held at The Arena, a trendy club in the Clarke’s Quay area, a hub of Singapore nightlife. The celebration went well into the night and featured live music performances and dancing. One of the most prominent initiatives of the Forum was the creation of the first Center for Content Protection (CCP) in Asia, a clearinghouse of information regarding digital distribution and content protection, with the aim of establishing clear legal frameworks on the issues. In its first year, the CCP will offer its services online to all members. Furthermore, it will produce electronic materials and V I D E O • A G E JA N U A R Y 2 0 0 8 12 A s i a T V F o r u m R e v i e w Too Early to Call it Dead: ATF Faces AMAZIA’s Fire Globo TV International’s Karina Batista, Hugo Aloy, Claudine Bayma Screen Media Ventures’ Almira Malyshev Caracol’s Alexander Kochen and Pedro Davila Telefe’s Gonzalo Cilley and Michelle Wasserman RCTV’s Amina Galdo and Marc Paneque with Solimac’s Jaslinda Ahmad papers, and hold events and conferences. The cost for membership is U.S.$2,500. The announcement was made during the Digital Future Symposium, an anchor event of the ATF, which is part of the Asia Media Festival, taking place in Singapore from November 14 to December 4. The Media Development Authority of Singapore, one of the key players in the region, hosts the festival. When all was said and done, the ATF drew to a close with a record U.S.$62.7 million in business deals, surpassing last year’s total by 33 percent. Agreements included Singapore’s Character Farm and distributor Six-Six-Eight licensing Katharineto Japan’s Hi Corporation; and Korea’s Iconix selling Pororo the Little Penguinto networks in Italy, Spain, the Middle East and Mexico.
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