In This Issue: TK TK TK Sección en Español THE BUSINESS JOURNAL OF FILM, BROADCASTING, BROADBAND, PRODUCTION, DISTRIBUTION JUNE/JULY 2010 VOL. 30 NO. 4 $9.75 ® www.videoage.org The TK (Continued on Page 38) (Continued on Page 44) BY LEAH HOCHBAUM It’s that TK TK TK TK TK Chris (Continued on Page 22) (Continued on Page 42) BY DOM SERAFINI Argentina’s TK TK TK Alejandro Parra (center) and his Telefé International Promax Trade Press L.A. Stories The “H” Files 5 BY ERIN SOMERS Los Angeles has long been the production capital of the U.S. The very word “Hollywood” evokes images of movie stars, premieres and mansions in the hills. But what if production companies started fleeing the City of Angels in favor of Anytown, U.S.A? Could Battle Creek, Michigan or Albuquerque, New Mexico become the Tinseltown of the future? Until recently, just such a thing was poised to happen. Paul Audley is the president of Film L.A., a private, nonprofit organization that DISCOP Faces Mart Maturity, Budget Cuts, Buoyant Sales BY BOB JENKINS Despite the difficulties of the recent past, and continuing pressure on budgets, there are signs of improving conditions in Central and Eastern Europe. And DISCOP East 2010 promises to be a more buoyant event, offering lots of innovation for coordinates permits for on-location motion picture, television and commercial productions in Los Angeles. Audley and his team are the go-to guys for location permits for any movies shot in the region The Tax Incentives That (Almost) Relocated Hollywood 4 On March 21, 2010, five days after U.S. regulatory agency, the FCC, announced the development of a National Broadband Plan, The New York Times came out with two editorials about the need to regulate broadband in the U.S. The first was by guest commentator Yochai Benkler, a professor at Harvard Law School, who basically stated that, “The FCC’s newplan doesn’t force broadband companies to compete.” The second piece, “A Plan for Broadband,” came from the Times’ own editorial board, and advocated more regulatory power for the FCC. Stated the Broadband Revolution — Only With Regulation The entertainment industry’s future depends on it 22 20 WhatAmericanscall“drama,” Italians and Europeans in general refer to as “fiction.” Andinthecaseofthefourth annual Roma Fiction Fest (RFF), one cannot say whether what will unfold is clearly a drama or a work of fiction. The event is set to take place July 5-10 in Rome at its traditional three venues: Conciliazione Auditorium, Adriano Multiplex Cinema and the Lumsa University AV complex, all near the Vatican. The drama began lastNovember with the resignation of Piero Marrazzo as governor of the Lazio Region. Marrazzo had been the driving force behind the event. It continued with the changing of the guard last March when Marrazzo’s center-left government was replaced by a new center-right governor. But the breaking point occurred last January, with RFF’s budget cut to seven million euro (U.S. $8.7 million) from the original nine million — 70 percent of which was supposed to come from government institutions. Subsequently, RFF’s budget was further reduced to 6.5 million euro, of which 77 percent came from the Rome-based Roberto The Drama of RFF Is Like Fiction 14 PHONE: + 1 - 416 - 646 - 2400 DARK COMEDY - 26 x 30 MINUTES E1Tv@E1ENT.COM ONCE IN A LIFETIME YOU MEET A MAN YOU CAN LOOK UP TO. DICK FITZ IS NOT THAT MAN. FOR FITZ AND OTHER GREAT SHOWS GO TO WWW.E1TV.COM
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V I D E O A G E • N o . 5 • J u n e / J u l y 2 0 1 0 Cover stories: Broadband revolution will arrive only with regulation. The entertainment industry’s future depends on it Production is returning to Los Angeles. The tax incentives that (almost) relocated Hollywood DISCOP’s prodigal companies. Coming back is not hard to do if business is there Roma Fiction Fest. Italy’s TV showcase is a “case” in itself, but lovable. 6. World: NATPE in Miami, The Hollywood Reporter, Peter Keefe 1952-2010, Famous Quotes 8. Promax moves to Los Angeles. Marketing mart puts TV back on its agenda 10. The L.A. Screenings: The excesses finally return to Hollywood and money is flowing in again 16. RFF program, venues, events, people 18. PrixItalia: RAI’s TV fest returns to Turin for its 62nd feast 26. The Horowitz Files: Kerry Packer on why to pay so little: “Norman, after all it’s my money” 28. All the calendar news that’s fit to print 30. Editorial: History tells that the trade press will survive the Internet, if it evolves
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JU N E/ JU L Y 2 0 1 0 NATPE Time In Miami Beach Anew city and a new hotel mean new challenges for NATPE participants. NATPE 2011 will be held in Miami Beach, which will offer attendees sub-tropical winter weather. The new hotel is the recently renovated Fontainebleau, a top-of-theline resort located in the heart of Miami Beach. The new challenges are several: keeping costs down at a time when room rates and airline fares are at their peak; making sure buyers are not bussed away from the Fontainebleau by local distributors; creating good traffic flow with a bank of just four elevators (see photo on the right) especially considering that the lobby level is just as narrow as that of Las Vegas’ THEhotel, where NATPE has been held for years; and ensuring that tourist interference is kept to a minimum. Fortunately, the tower reserved for NATPE’s exhibitors, called Tresor (see photo below), has its own entrance right on Collins Avenue, which will help participants avoid mingling with the “snow birds,” as tourists are called in Florida. Problemsmightarisewhenparticipants want to go to the registration and conference areas (where the magazine bins are also located), which are on the opposite side of the hotel, forcing them to pass through the main entrance and across the large hall with shops and restaurants that are connected the hotel’s various sides and thus in close contacts with tourists. But there will be many mitigating factors. To discourage bussing there is the normally horrendous traffic, which will encourage even local distributors to sleep at the Fontainebleau rather than venture home. Also, most of the flights will be direct, which will be a great relief for many NATPE participants who in the past had to connect at least once to reach Las Vegas. Finally, since the Fontainebleau is not within walking distance to anywhere, most of the participants will be hanging around the premises. THR Out Of The Trade Biz According to The Los Angeles Times, by tapping former celebrity consumer magazine US Weekly editor Janice Min as its new editorial director, The Hollywood Reporter is going to be transformed “from a trade to a slick weekly.” THR was one of seven trade publications, including Billboard and Backstage acquired — for a total sum that was less than what just THR was sold for by its founding family — last December by E5 Global Media for Nielsen Business Media, a consortium of investors led by James Finkelstein. The Times paraphrased Richard Beckman, E5’s CEO, as saying, “Although E5 still wants the Reporter to break news online every day, a weekly magazine aimed at a larger audience of upscale influencers could allow it to
JU N E/ JU L Y 2 0 1 0 grow in circulation.” The Times also reported that both Hollywood’s tradeTHRandVarietyhave had drastically reduced revenues because “movie studios and talent agencies have cut back on congratulatory and ‘for your consideration’ awards ads.” In a sidebar column, Times’ Patrick Goldstein wrote that “I’d always predicted that THR would be the most likely paper to be pushing up daisies, since Variety had a stronger brand.” Peter Keefe: 1952-2010 Producer Peter Keefe, 58, most noted as the creative force behind the children’s animated TV series Voltron, passed away on May 27. Keefe succumbed to throat cancer at the home of his sister Mollie in Rochester, New York, where he was born. Keefe is survived by his wife Pamela; his stepson, James; his mother Anne, a former KMOX (St. Louis) radio talk show host; and five siblings. In the mid-1980s, Keefe adapted two distinct Japanese animated series (Go LionandDierugger) into a single storyline that became a kids entertainment phenomenon —Voltron. Debuting in U.S. syndication in 1984, Voltron: Defender of the Universe rose to become the number one series in kids’ syndication during the 1984 and 1985 broadcast seasons. It is also considered the first Japanese animé series to be adapted for the U.S. and global market (the series was broadcast in more than 100 countries worldwide). AfterVoltron,Keefecreatedwhatindustry analysts regard as the first successful U.S.- French animated co-production with Denver the Last Dinosaur. Created entirely by Keefe, the cartoon series premiered in U.S. syndication in 1988. Airing in over 90 countries, Denver the Last Dinosaur became another global hit for Keefe. In 1989, Keefe co-founded Zodiac Entertainment, a New York City-based joint venture with the U.K.’s Central IndependentTelevision.Under theZodiac banner, Keefe created and produced three multi award-winning animated series, including Widget, The Mr. Bogus Show and Twinkle. Keefe’s Widget has been hailed as the first animated series to blend entertainment with pro-social and environmental messages aimed at children. All three of the Zodiac animated series have earned awards from such distinguished organizations as the National Educational Association. Keefe’s other high-prof ile accomplishments include serving as producer of Nine Dog Christmas, a 2005 animated holiday special that was broadcast on Cartoon Network in the U.S., and the Disney Channel in Europe and Asia. Warner Home Video released the special worldwide to the home entertainment market. His most recent creation, currently in development, is Z-Force (Zodiac Force), an animated series that features 12 action heroes and is based on the ancient Oriental Zodiac. Amaster pitchman, Keefe distinguished himself not only for his creative and marketing savvy, but also for his trademark black handlebar mustache, long blond hair and cowboy boots, and his rich vocabulary. Over the last two decades, Keefe created, produced and sold over 600 half hours of award winning children’s and family entertainment programming both in the U.S. and internationally. Keefe began his career in television entertainment as an on-camera movie critic for the public television outlet in St. Louis. He switched gears from talent to producer in 1983 as vp and executive producer for World Events Productions, which was also based in St. Louis. Famous quotes Look, can we get this straight: It’s football, OK? Football. Not soccer. A.A. Gill in Vanity Fair, June 2010 Editorially speaking, this publication will no longer refer to football with the derogatory moniker of “soccer,” and what in the U.S. media is wrongly called “football,” we’ll refer to as “American football.” VideoAge, January 2010 Reed_ATF V2 270x360.indd 1 5/6/10 11:02:48 AM
V I D E O • A G E JU N E/ JU L Y 2 0 1 0 8 Promax, the venerable convention for media marketing people, has changed venue. This year, its main annual event is moving from its traditional New York City’s mid-town spot, to the downtown of Los Angeles at the JW Marriott and L.A. Live complex. The new location promises little improvement as far as traffic jams are concerned, and as for panoramic view, participants will be staring at Highway 110 from the whole duration of the event, which is taking place June 22-24. Much improvement, however, is expected as far as the focus of the event is concerned, with television back on its agenda and many top TV executives among its panelists, speakers and moderators. Looking at the program schedule of Promax 2010, virtually all major TV organizations are represented, including USA Network, HBO, Fox International Channels, History Channel and Nickelodeon. Plus, it will have speakers such as Ed Wilson, president of Tribune Broadcasting; John Miller, CMO of NBCUniversalTVGroup; PeterLiguori, COO of Discovery Communications and Michael Benson, evp marketing at ABC Entertainment. Being in Los Angeles, Promax organizers are even making the event more glamorous by bestowing the LifetimeAchievementAwardtoPlayboy’s founder Hugh Hefner. Possibly as a sign of gratitude, Playboy has opened its Mansion to selected Promax guests for the event’s opening party on the evening before the convention opening day. The only problem that will be confronting Promax participants is that it sits around at least five other televisionrelated events: The first, in Monte Carlo, ends June 10 (Monte Carlo TV Festival); the second in Banff, Canada (Banff World TV Festival), concludes June 16; the third in São Paulo, Brazil (Brasil TV Forum), finishes on June 17; the fourth in Budapest, Hungary (DISCOP), ends on June 25; and the fifth, in Rome, Italy (Rome Fiction Fest), starts July 5. And this without considering the Licensing Show, which this year moved to Las Vegas (also from New York City) and winds down on June 10. It’s clear that American, European, Asian and Latin American TV executives will have to make a choice, since it would be impossible to attend more than one TV trade event, no matter how different they might be. So, what is Promax putting on the delegates’ table than the other events will not be offering? First could be “sex” with the Playboy Mansion party opportunity. Second, “money,” with sessions about both saving and making money through marketing. Thirdly, “sports.” According to a representative from Promax, the event has a number of unique qualities to distinguish itself. “It’s the only event that focuses specifically on entertainment marketing, promotion and design,” he said, “It is an opportunity for the marketing and design community within the television industry to network, share best practices, learn about the latest technologies, celebrate excellent work and hear from industry leaders.” The move to L.A. is the latest of a string of attempts by Promax president Jonathan Block-Verk to recover from the slump that began under his predecessor, Glynn Brailsford. But, with upwards of 70 speakers and around 50 seminars and sessions to attend, the market appears poised to be a somewhat successful one. Seminar topics are diverse, and range from 3D TV to remaining relevant in the job market to incorporating comedy into marketing and promotions. Naturally, a number of panels will address the persisting issue of digital media and the Internet, with sessions like “Inventions in the New Age of Engagement,” which will tackle social networking sites. Promax won’t be all work and no play, however. A promax rep promised VideoAge a host of parties off the hotel premises, including an Elite Member bash at the aforementioned Playboy Mansion. What better place to talk about marketing than in Hugh Hefner’s famous grotto? More fun should come in the form of a Speed Dating networking function on the evening of Day One, which promises to put a new spin on schmoozing. A select number of clients will get a chance to meet agency heads in a series of eightminute one-on-one capabilities pitches at cabaret-style tables for four. If there’s one thing that Promax organizers have always delivered, it’s star power. Last year’s conference saw Robert Redford accept a Lifetime Achievement award, and the two previous markets boasted Vince McMahon and Bill Clinton. This year, in addition to Hugh Hefner, attendees can look forward to a speech from Larry King and a Q&A with legendary boxer Sugar Ray Leonard, hosted by HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg. In addition to a session of verbal sparring with Sugar Ray, Promax has other sports oriented fare on tap. A panel titled “Best in Sports Marketing” will be hosted by Bill Bergofin, SVP of Marketing and Promotion at Versus and presented by the Sports Media Marketing Awards. The market will also play host to two award ceremonies. The North America and World Gold Promotion, Marketing and Design finalists will be recognized over two nights (June 22 for design, June 24 for marketing) and a winner will be announced for each category. Promax 2010 is also unveiling two brand-newevents: theCreativeEducators Forum and Promax Bootcamp. The Creative Educators Forum is aimed at media instructors at undergraduate and graduate levels and is designed to, according to organizers, “help [them] better prepare their students for careers in entertainment media and marketing.” Bootcamp, meanwhile, is an intensive two-day professional development workshop focused on helping enhance technical, creative and cognitive skills for success in the world of television promotions. It will take place simultaneously with Promax proper, and feature speakers such as Fox Broadcasting SVP of marketing Laurel Bernard, CNN VP of On-Air Promotions Drea Besch, Tooth+Nail creative director Linda Button and more. Bootcamp recruits will attend workshops on creative writing, editing, presenting and promo structure, among other topics. Marketing Mart Puts TV Back On Its Agenda P r o m a x P r e v i e w This year’s edition is held at the JW Marriott in downtown Los Angeles
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V I D E O • A G E JU N E/ JU L Y 2 0 1 0 10 The 2010 upfronts in New York City, which led into the Los Angeles Screenings, have this year been characterized by six major elements: 1. A record number of primetime pilots picked up by U.S. networks. This was due in large part to copious cancellations, and NBC wisely restoring its 10 p.m. slot. Out of 90 pilots for the 2010-2011 prime-time TV season, the five major U.S. broadcast networks picked 42, of which there were 14 comedies and 21 dramas, three dramedies, three reality shows and one animated series. In addition, the major U.S. cable networks have cumulatively ordered six new dramas, three comedies, one dramedy, one cartoon and 10 reality shows. All that makes for a total of 63 new shows, a record 70 percent pick up. 2. The return of NBC as a large consumer of scripted shows. NBC spent 40 percent more than usual (an estimated total of $50 million) in development for the next season’s new shows, bringing in 12 new programs. The network wanted to show restored stability after suffering through a two-year roller coaster ride with the writers’ strike, a reduced pilot order and the decision to forego an upfront (substituted by something like an “infront” or private meetings with advertisers) and Jay Leno’s failed 10 p.m. experiment. 3. Big changes for CBS following a wave of series cancellations. For the first time in more than 40 years the network will run back-to-back comedies in the 8 p.m. slot on Thursdays. CBS’ Kelly Kahl described the network strategy as “aggressive stability.” Controversy is nevertheless creeping in. For its comedy $#*! My Dad Says (distributed by Warner Bros. and starring William Shatner), the expletive is written in unpronounceable characters, but uttered as “bleep.” The Parents Television Council has denounced CBS for inserting the curse word into the title. 4. While CBS refreshed its 8 p.m. slot, ABC opted to attack the 10 p.m. time period with more comedies (a total of six new ones), and event television. 5. The 1980s are back on U.S. broadcast TV with updated versions of shows such as Dallas (Lonestar on FOX); Hawaii Five-O (on CBS); Quincy, M.E. (Body of Proof on ABC), and stars such as Jim Belushi (The Defenders, CBS), Tom Selleck (Blue Bloods, CBS) and the aforementioned William Shatner. Plus, it’s clear that crime and courtrooms still fascinate U.S. net execs while doctors and hospitals are losing their appeal. 6. The show part of show business was back with lavish parties at both the upfronts and the L.A. Screenings. Plus, viewers are returning to the “boob-tube.” According to FOX’s Jon Nesvig, 80 percent of TV shows are still watched live. As far as the New York upfronts — where the nets announced their new season’s series to their advertising clients — were concerned, it is estimated that this year the five broadcast TV networks will generate something like $9 billion in their inventory pre-sale. This compares to $7.4 billion at the 2009 upfronts. Last year, the five major broadcast networks took in about $1.5 billion less than the previous year, because of the recession. “We know you have money this year,” joked comedian Jimmy Kimmel at the ABC upfronts at Lincoln Center. This time the networks will ultimately pre-sell more inventory (around 80 percent) and will be looking at a 15 percent rate increase (most likely they’ll get nine). Last year, most nets sold less inventory at the upfronts, leaving more air time for later scatter sales, which proved to be a fortunate move since the economy picked up late in the year and commercial rates improved. The upfronts are not only for broadcast Big Studios’ Output Cuts Further into Indies’ Wallets L . A . S c r e e n i n g s NBC Universal International TV Distribution’s Belinda Menendez, Maria Sanchez, Tamara Misert CBS Studios International’s Armando Nuñez, Joe Lucas, Barry Chamberlain Telefe’s Meca Salado Pizarro, Julian Rodriguez Montero, Michelle Wasserman, Alejandro Parra, Marisa Badia, Axel Kuschevatzky, Jesica Stescobich, Victor Vega at the traditional Telefe cocktail party AETN’s Christine Van Schoick, Mayra Bracer, Sean Cohan (Continued on Page 12)
V I D E O • A G E JU N E/ JU L Y 2 0 1 0 12 L . A . S c r e e n i n g s ( c o n t i n u e d ) TV networks, but for cable nets, as well, and sister stations TBS and TNT want the world to know that they’re big too. Consequently, they also made presentations to advertising clients along with the big five nets. They announced three new comedies (one animated) and two new dramas. by becoming a two-tier model with advertising and cable operators paying to retransmit programs. This is similar to the model used by cable nets, wherein revenues are generated by the per-sub fee and advertising. Moving on to the L.A. Screenings — an event for international program acquisition executives that follows the upfronts — a total of 67 international distributors set up shop at the hotels in the Century City section of Los Angeles (including the U.S. studios’ Latin American divisions). In addition, five companies screened in their offices and an additional five hung around the hotel lobbies. For the independents, the Screenings kicked off on May 18 and virtually ended on Saturday, May 22, while the studios began screening on Friday, May 21, and finished on the 28th. The large studio output meant that buyers were kept on the lots from morning to late afternoon, thus offering little chance to visit indies. As per last year, the indies’ kickoff party was care of Venevision International on May 19, while the closing ceremony was covered by Telefilms’ May 22 afternoon screening and cocktail, and Telefe’s evening party that same night. For the studios, Disney started the celebrations with a presentation and party on its lot on Sunday, May 23. This was followed by a cocktail held by Lionsgate on Monday, and competing NBC Universal and Warner Bros. parties on Tuesday evening. The studios closed the 2010 L.A. Screenings with 20th Century Fox 75th anniversary party on Thursday, May 27. For those Latin buyers who arrived earlier to meet with some of the indies, it meant that their stay lasted over 10 days, versus three for Canadians and six for buyers from other parts of the world. In addition to some buyers grumbling about the length of their stay, some Latin buyers complained about the glut of telenovelas now on the market, with new productions coming out of Germany, Malaysia, Israel, the U.S. and, naturally, Latin America. Nonetheless, sales went well for a few independent exhibitors with appointments and even for those relying on walk-ins. One distributor even reported a $100,000 sale to a wandering Turkish buyer. Jose “Pepe” Echegaray, the Miami, Florida-based vp of International Sales, Latin America for Britain’s Power Corp., reported that for his company, the Screenings were productive, though quiet. “The overall assessment,” he said, “was that while the market was positive, it was a bit slow. The additional studio afternoon screenings limited the already shorter time independents have with clients, which made it even more restrictive.” Echegaray noted that while he had fewer meetings and more down time than in years past, he found buyers, as a whole, to be more decisive than usual. “Some territories were not wasting time, they made selections of product in preproduction without even viewing a trailer,” he said, “Selections were made from the brochures.” Some buyers reported being very impressed by the pilot episodes from CBS, Disney, NBC-Universal and Fox, but they also wondered aloud how many shows will actually become successful considering this year’s unusually large number of new series. In terms of numbers, at these L.A. Screenings there were some 1,400 buyers (300 more than last year) from 70 countries. Some buyers said that they will be acquiring additional shows to keep as back-ups in case their prime choices don’t work in their territories or will be cancelled by the U.S. TV networks. Finally, even though some networks ordered series from competing studios (like, for example Disney selling to CBS and Fox selling to ABC), and indie company Lionsgate is producing for FOX, most new series are produced by the networks’ studios: Disney for ABC, CBS for CBS, NBC-Universal for NBC and Fox for FOX. On the other hand, this year Sony Pictures produced for ABC and CW, and Warner Bros. for all networks except FOX. Disney Media Distribution’s Fernando Barbosa, Fabiola Bovino, Henri Ringel, Jack Morera, Leonardo Aranguibel Lionsgate’s Kevin Beggs (r.) with Charlie Mars, Mary-Louise Parker, Will Arnett, Mitch Hurwitz (Continued from Page 10) Teletica’s Jorge Garro M6’s Bernard Majani and Twentieth Century Fox’s Gerard Grant at the Fox studios bash
V I D E O • A G E JU N E/ JU L Y 2 0 1 0 14 (Continued from Cover) DISCOP new faces at DISCOP East 2010. British format and light entertainment specialist, Hat Trick International, will be attending with a viewing box for the first time. Director of Sales Sarah Tong explained: “Central and Eastern Europe is becoming more important to Hat Trick International as our programming has been selling very well in the region lately, we also discussed the importance of DISCOP with other distributors, and the success they have historically had here, which is why we have decided to come this year.” Much the same reasoning has attracted China’s Fantawild Animation to DISCOP East for the very first time. “In the past,” explained Sales director Daisy Shang, “Our programming has sold mostly in Asia and the Middle East, but recently we have started to have success in the C.I.S. (the Commonwealth of Independent States, formerly the Soviet Union) and so we have decided to attend DISCOP East. It enjoys great popularity amongst the Eastern European content industry, and so it seemed to us to be the best place to develop longterm relationships in the region.” The appearance of new companies at a market is always a positive sign, and there are other indications that things might be looking up. Axel Bohm, Regional Sales director and International Fiction Acquisitions for Germany’s SevenOne accepted that the recession has had a big impact over the past 24 months, but insisted, “There are signs of improvement. Several channels in Central and Eastern Europe are performing more strongly than last year, and the Russian ad market is definitely picking up again.” And, while he is also adamant that, “There is definitely a demand for fresh ideas and high quality,” he went on to caution that, “Buyers, however, are quite risk-adverse in their choices, preferring to rely on shows with proven international track records. And they also want cost effective shows with reduced budgets, which is one reason why so many regional broadcasters are currently so keen on stripped shows.” Of course, telenovelas have been popular in the Central and Eastern Europe region for some time, reflecting the regional importance of the female Despite this successMascara admitted, “Like many other media companies we have had to review our budgets and make some tough choices for this year, but, budgets permitting, we would love to be back again in 2011.” But, as with every year, there are matter. “We are huge fans of DISCOP East,” she enthused, “And we have always had a very successful market.” Underlining that point, Mascara pointed to the success she had at DISCOP East in placing Sesame brandedblocks inmany countries, including Poland, Romania and Moldova. those who have survived the economic tsunami. There is no escaping the fact that, along with the rest of the world, many of the economies of Central and Eastern Europe have had a torrid time over the past two years or so. And, again as has happened globally, television has experienced its share of the financial pain. Equally, there is also no escaping the fact that, however troubled the recent past may have been, television remains, by some considerable margin, the region’s dominant medium. According to ZenithOptimedia, one of the world’s largest ad agencies, in 2008 (the most recent year for which figures are available) the total advertising spend in all the DISCOP East countries was U.S.$33.656 billion, of which television took a whopping 53.3 percent — more than three times the take of its nearest rival medium, newspapers, which only managed 16.1 percent of the advertising pot. In some countries, such as Slovakia, Zenith reported that television’s share hit a massive 78.9 percent, and that’s still not its most dominant market in the region, a title claimed by Bosnia-Herzegovina, where the medium claimed 86.4 percent of all advertising expenditure. So, it is easy to see why, despite all the recent problems, an estimated 1,300 delegates will be gathering in Budapest for the 18th DISCOP East. Nonetheless, some U.S. companies, like Sesame Workshop, CableReady and Utahbased distribution company Dominique Paul Mougenot amongst them, will not make it back this year, with most being reluctant to discuss the reasons. However, Renee Mascara, vp, International Distribution at Sesame Workshop, was open enough to admit that her absence fromDISCOP East was purely a budgetary Record TV’s Delmar Andrade in his suite (Continued on Page 26) Q&A with DISCOP’s Patrick Jucaud VideoAge International: What’s new at the market this year? Patrick Jucaud: Since last year’s DISCOP East, the region has seen the launch of a staggering 51 new channels and television platforms. Which is why 36 of these new channels and platforms will be here at this year’s DISCOP, and [at press time] discussions were ongoing with all the others. VAI: What are the organizers doing to help exhibiting companies save money? PJ: We have considerably improved the quality of all of our premarket organizational services in order to allow our participants to add at least two hours worth of meetings per each market day. We have also increased the number of low-cost exhibits. We have brought together two new national pavilions that were not at DISCOP East last year, one from Argentina and another one from Serbia, in order to help independent producers attend our market. Also, it is important to note that this is the fourth consecutive year that we have not increased our prices. VAI: What are organizers doing to help exhibitors make money and promote their products this year? PJ: We will be launching DISCOP Tube, a free online video library open to content buyers representing distribution platforms across Central and Eastern Europe, Central Asia, the Middle East and Africa. The DISCOP Tube online video library will showcase content offered at the various DISCOP markets and will be accessible all year round via DISCOP’s website. During the markets themselves, buyers will be able to access the DISCOP Tube platform in a restricted lounge open at all times during the course of the three-day market. VAI: In your view, which regions will be increasing their presence this year? PJ: We’ll see Turkey as becoming a major player in Central and Eastern Europe, both as a growingly important supplier of dramas and as a country with many television operators ready to acquire content from companies attending DISCOP East18. Turkey will also host our DISCOP East 18 Welcome Party. VAI: How has the Budapest location worked for DISCOP? Have you ever considered making it an itinerant market and holding it in other locations in Eastern Europe such as Romania or Bulgaria? PJ: We are very happy with Budapest and 95 percent of our participants are happy with the venue that we will be using for the 18th year now. We have often considered changing the location but we have always come back to the golden principle in our business: “Don’t change a venue that works”.
©HALLMARK CHANNEL È UN CANALE DI NBC UNIVERSAL. IL COMMISSARIO REX È A ROMA. NESSUNA SFUGGIRÀ AL RICHIAMO. Il detective dal fiuto infallibile sarà presente in peli e ossa al RomaFictionFest nella Multisala Adriano per sfilare sul primo dog carpet della storia. A seguire, la proiezione in sala di un episodio della serie inedito in Italia. Venite anche voi a ululare di passione. Giovedì 8 luglio alle ore 22.00 Dog Carpet e alle ore 22.30 proiezione dell’episodio “Roulette Russa”. INGRESSO GRATUITO FINO AD ESAURIMENTO POSTI. www.hallmarkchannel.it
JU N E/ JU LY 2 0 1 0 For the fourth year in a row, Rome will be the scene of fiction activity for five days in July at RomaFictionFest. The 2010 edition of the event will take place Monday, July 5 through Saturday, July 10 at venues throughout the city. Created by the Fondazione Roberto Rossellini per l’Audiovisivo and supported by the Lazio Region (where Rome is located), the Italian Television Producers Association and the Chamber of Commerce in Rome, the fest encompasses a variety of activities, including a competition and businessoriented Industry Week, to be directed by British TV executive Antony Root. RomaFictionFest events will be scattered throughout a number of venues this year, including Adriano Multiscreen Cinema, the Auditorium Conciliazione, Lumsa University and the Fiction Village. This latter location, the Fiction Village, is new this year, and promises to inject some fun into the market. The Village, which will be set up in the gardens of Castel Sant’Angelo, will include an open-air set where attendees can try their hand at filmmaking. Participants will get a chance to get a taste for all the professions involved in putting together a top notch fiction production, including direction, dubbing, editing, make-up artistry and more. All venues are near the Vatican and easily reachable on foot. Cities like Rome present a great challenge to festival and market organizers, not only for the numerous distractions offered to participants, but also for logistical reasons. Fortunately for the RomaFictionFest, once registrants reach the Multisala Adriano for accreditation, they are only a short walking distance to the other festival locations. For those who are headed to RomaFiction for strictly business purposes, there is Industry Week. According to organizers, Industry Week aims to concentrate on the opportunities, rather than the challenges of the entertainment business. Thus, the event is designed to create networking occasions for professionals. Industry Week is made up of two components: RomaTvScreenings and RomaTvPitching. The Screenings portion will kick things off, with activities on July 5 and 6. Over the course of two days, buyers and programming executives from around the world will have a chance to preview more than 50 new Italian fiction productions. New to the Screenings this year are the “Doing Business With…” panels, which will focus on the opportunities for sales and coproductions in specific countries and regions. The second half of Industry Week, RomaTvPitching, begins July 7 and lasts through July 8. The event will provide a first look at projects in development to acquisitions and co-production executives and commissioning editors. The programs previewed will all be projects that found funding through the fest’s Pitching Competition and Speed Dating sessions. RomaTvPitching will also include a competition portion, in which finalists from categories including Continuing Series, Serials, Comedy, TV Movies and TV Miniseries will vie for the award for Best Overall Pitch. A five-member international jury will preside over the top ten projects, and before the final round, Canadian Pat Ferns, director of RomaTvPitching, will teach a master class to prepare contestants. Producers will also have a chance to meet up with broadcasters during Speed Dating, a networking event that gives hopefuls 15 minutes to pitch their products to each executive. One Speed Dating event will take place on both Wednesday the 7th and Thursday the 8th. Where the festival is concerned, entries are judged as either Italian or international projects. The International Competition covers three categories, TV Drama, TV Comedy and Factual. For its part, the Italian Competition — the Fiction Italiana Edita — awards prizes in the categories of TV Movie, Miniseries, Continuing Series, Documentary and Docufiction. Both juries will be made up of industry professional selected by the event’s artistic director. In addition to the regular prizes, a special prize, the RomaFictionFest Award for Artistic Excellence will be awarded to Andy Garcia, for his work as an actor, producer, director and composer/ musician. Garcia made his directorial debut with The Lost City, and has since gone on to produce such movies as 2010’s City Island, which won the Audience Award at the Tribeca Film Festival. Additionally, Garcia was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for his supporting role in The Godfather. Other special prizes will include the TV Sorris e Canzoni Award, which will recognize excellence in Italian TV drama. A jury made up of readers of Sorrisi e Canzoni magazine will select winners in for best actor and actress across a variety of categories. Evening activities will also abound all week long. An impressive roster of stars will be on hand, as will prominent television composers. Plus, up and coming musical acts will be giving live performances. And if attendees don’t already have their hands full with Industry Week and the festival, they can pop into one of the screenings of classic TV programs that will be going on throughout the event, or learn to fight like an on-screen hero at a fencing class taught by Arms Master of Italian cinema, Renzo Musumeci Greco. Additionally, Mediaset and RAI will be jointly hosting a reception on Tuesday, July 6 in honor of the “business” crowd. Opening festivities will be ABC Studios’ Body of Proof . R o m a F i c t i o n F e s t Italy Celebrates Drama With A Fest And Mart Information as of June 25 Pictured above: the entrance to the fest’s headquarters. Pictured right: LL Cool J at the RFF June press conference. The actor stars inNCIS Los Angeles and is one of the Rome event’s guest stars. CSI’s Marg Helgenberger is one of the stars in attendance at the 2010 edition. V I D E O • A G E 16
JU N E/ JU LY 2 0 1 0 This year Prix Italia will kick off its traditional fall TV festival activities September 19-24 in Turin, Italy. Now in its 62nd edition, the festival cum conference is organized by RAI, Italy’s state-owned public broadcaster. Prix Italia’s venue, which rotates among the country’s historic cities, will return to Torino for the second year in a row, and will be coming back to the city in 2011 as well. The event will once again play host to a variety of activities, including a competition for radio, TV and Web programming and RAI’s new autumn TV season’s previews. This year, the festival will be based out of three venues — RAI headquarters, Radio Edifice and the Arturo Toscanini Auditorium — and will be open to the public. Screenings will also be held in the Teatro Gobetti. Prix Italia boasts a membership of 90 radio and television broadcasters from 48 countries. New to the organization this year are two Italian broadcasters, La 7 and Radio 24, as well as representatives from two new foreign countries: Mexico and Egypt. Regarding attendance, Mara De Angelis, the association’s press consultant, said, “We are expecting to have 500 attendees, between jurors, delegates from our 90 international members, panelists for the meetings, Italian and foreign press and observers.” Where the competition is concerned, three prizes will be awarded for radio, three for television, and one for the Web. The Web Prize, which honors the best website related to a radio or TV program, became a permanent category in 2000. Seven international juries made up of directors, producers, broadcasting executives and academics will judge the submissions, of which there are 244. In previous years, Prix Italia laurels have gone to such entertainment greats as Federico Fellini, Werner Herzog, Samuel Beckett, Ingmar Bergman, Harold Pinter and many other historical notables. As a supplement to the regular competition, a handful of special prizes will also be awarded. The Special Prize Offered by the President of the Italian Republic, which made its debut in 2004, will recognize a TV program that examines social issues affecting women, younger generations or the underprivileged. Another Special Prize centers on the theme “Communication for Life — Programs That Bring About Social Change,” and will be awarded to a show that deals with economic, social and political realities in emergency situations. Finally, in celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Unification of Italy, a Special Prize, exclusive to the 2010 edition, will honor a documentary, docu-drama or drama that best portrays the image of Italy to the world. In addition to the competition, attendees can look forward to a variety of panels, meetings and seminars featuring industry professionals. Notable speakers and panelist will include Paolo Garimberti, chairman of RAI; Christy Carpenter, executive vice president and COO at the New York City-based The Paley Center for Media; Welsh director Peter Greenaway; Italian composer Roman Vlad; Eva Hamilton, director general of Sweden’s SVT and Prix Italia president; Tunisian Slaheddine Maaoui, director general ASBU, Arab State Broadcasting Union based in Tunis. Seminars will be based around the theme of Prix Italia 2010, which is “Future Preview.” According to organizers the theme will address “information sources and new technologies.” Panels that will tackle the technology theme include “The New Frontiers of Television and Media,” which will be held Thursday, September 23, and include presentations by the RAI Research Centre and the Politecnico di Torino applied science facilities. Additionally, an international meeting on Wednesday, September 22, titled “Sources of Information — Plurality, Reliability and Responsibility” will raise questions about the reliability of information and news in the Internet age. Prix Italia won’t be all serious discourse, though. A number of screenings, premieres and cultural activities promise to keep the mood celebratory. The evening of Monday the 20th will be dedicated to director Peter Greenway, the winner of the 1991 Prix Italia prize. The director’s award-winning film, TV Dante, will screen that evening. Wednesday night, the National RAI Symphony Orchestra conducted by British Maestro Sir Andrew Davis will liven up the opening ceremony. Other evening celebrations throughout the week will pay tribute to famed Swedish director Ingmar Bergman as well as French actress Isabelle Adjani with screenings of their work. The event will close on the evening of Friday, September 24 with the presentation of winning programs, which will be broadcast on RAI 1. P r i x I t a l i a The World’s Oldest TV Fest Gets All Charged Up Pictured on top: the National RAI Symphony Orchestra performing at the 2009 Opening Ceremony. Pictured above: Toscanini Auditorium set up for the event. Above: SVT’s Eva Hamilton. Below: the Gobetti theater, one of the Prix venues. V I D E O • A G E 18
B enjamin (Ben) Pyne is the 49-year-old New York City and Burbank, Californiabased president of Global Distribution for Disney Media Networks, the new “matrix” that rose from the “ashes” of the old Buena Vista. The latter brand was retired in 2007, just about the time that Pyne took over. Considering Pyne’s varied responsibilities, one might picture him sitting behind a console, pushing a multitude of buttons. Another apt metaphor is that of him playing the divisions of his group like the strings of his guitar (of which he’s an accomplished player) in order to produce harmonious results. But, before touching on any subject with Pyne, one first has to understand the Benjamin’s Buttons. Disneys Global Boss Hit the Right Keys (Continued on Page 60) (Continued on Page 48) W IN Television is a privately owned regional television network that reaches over 5.2 million viewers across six states of Australia and the nation’s capital. The privately owned company has grown significantly since Bruce Gordon purchased a controlling interest in Television Wollongong Transmission Ltd (WIN4) in 1979, known today as WIN Television. TheWINNetwork reaches42percentof Australia’s 8.5 million homes and has over 1400 employees. Broadcasting throughout 27 markets, including its related companies Channel Nine in Adelaide and Perth, WIN’s transmission spans the largest geographical area in the world. Today, WIN Corp. includes business operations in TV and radio broadcasting, pay-TV, film andTV production. WIN was the first regional broadcaster to transmit high definition digital services, 12 months ahead of government regulatory requirements, in Wollongong, Canberra, Ballarat, Tasmania, Mildura and the Southern Queensland market. WIN Television is also a founding member of Freeview Australia, which was formed by Australia’s free-to-view TV broadcasters to assist in the promotion of digital television in Australia, and to enable access to the very best quality freeto-view digital programming. WIN TV’s 30th Anniversary Salute Forecasting is Hollywood’s “Ultimates” Game BY DOM SERAFINI F or the purpose of this story, “Ultimates” are not characters in a Marvel comic, but rather a marvel of financial engineering adopted by Hollywood’s account executives to figure out how much revenue will be generated by each movie title or TV series. Ultimates are updated monthly by the studios’ financial people with fresh data from the sales, (Continued on Page 44) (Continued on Page 56) V ideoAgeconducted a no holds barred, 360-degree interview with the 40-year old Pier Silvio Berlusconi, vice-chairman of Italy’s Mediaset (chairman is Fedele Confalonieri, CEO is Giuliano Adreani) and son of Italy’s prime minister, Silvio. This is a critical moment for Mediaset, and for the Italian television industry in general: The transition to digital terrestrial television, competition with Rupert Murdoch’s Sky Italia (both in terms of premium TV channels and the development of a new satellite TV platform), the acquisition of Endemol, the creation of new production companies and the goal of bringing daytime drama production costs down from the current 70,000 euro (U.S. $100,000) per hour to a more manageable level of 15,000 euro (on par with those of Argentina, which manages to sell its low-cost shows Endemol, Italy’s TV Found a Big Brother In Pier Silvio Berlusconi Mediaset’s Pier Silvio Berlusconi ® THEBUSINESS JOURNALOF FILM,BROADCASTING,BROADBAND,PRODUCTION,DISTRIBUTION October2009VOL.29NO.6$9.75 www.videoage.org In This Issue: Food Nets Fall Season MIPCOM ‘09 Economic Blues VIDEOAGE INTERNATIONAL OCTOBER 2009 A fter the announcement of recordsetting U.S. summer box office intakes, come the European BO results, setting their own record for admissions in the first half of 2009, at par with 2006. It seems that the bad economy is proving a boon for the entertainment industry. The presence of so many film and TV markets during the fall period is also strengthening the business among those smaller companies fortunate to have good product. Unfortunately, like with every economic crisis, and as MIPCOM has well documented, weaker companies tend to be negatively affected themost. In effect, there is a buoyant attitude among the fortunate companies towards No Problems at the American Film Market Markets Heavily Invested In Latin American TV Biz (Continued onPage 18) (Continued onPage 18) IPTV Pay Vs. Free: The Battle of The Titans (Continued onPage 16) (Continued onPage 14) Business Promised at Asia TV Forum Afewmonths before the start of AsiaTV Forum (ATF) in Singapore (December 2-4), VideoAge askedATF’sGeneralManagerMichelle Lim for a preview ofwhat the industry should expect before crossing the Pacific. Held at Singapore’s Suntec Convention Centre, ATF brings together international TV broadcasters andnewmedia contentproviders to serviceprogramT he discussion panel titled “PayTV vs. Online Video: How Are Pay-TV ServicesDealingwith the Threat fromWebVideo Services” offered a broad range of information, as well as a broad divide between executives. IPTVmonetization proved to be the bone of contention. The first executive to speak was Richard Halton, IPTV program director at the newly developed Project Canvas, a subsidiary of theU.K.’sBBC. ProjectCanvaswas established as away of linking three industries—manufacturers of STB technology, ISP and content providers.The goal is “democratizing access to the living room.”Halton claimed the BBC has no profitmotive, and is simply gathering a group of companies trying tomake it easier for them to get their content out, as this seems to be the key to linear channels’ survival. StephenNuttall, commercial director for BSkyB, also of the U.K., seemed extremely unsettled by the Project Canvas proposal. At the moment, BSkyB is primarily a pay-TV content Market is Fine As Is ATerritoryWorthUS$1.5Billion A t VideoAge’s traditional MIPCOM breakfast, three market organizations heavily invested in LatinAmerica joined us to assess the new nature of the Latin American TV market. Representing NATPE was president Rick Feldman; from BrasilTV Forum was AndréMermelstein and fromDISCOP, Patrick Jucaud. All three are pictured below with VideoAge’s Dom Serafini. There is little doubt that Latin America is growing in importance as a territory,not only forU.S. and international programming, but formarket organizers aswell. Unofficial estimates value the LatinAmerican programmarket at $1.5 billion annually and it representsbetween eight and 10percent ofHollywood’s total annual sales. In addition to traditional FTA and pay-TV, telecoms are now THEBUSINESS JOURNALOF FILM,BROADCASTING,BROADBAND,PRODUCTION,DISTRIBUTION October2009VOL.29NO.6$9.75 ® www.videoage.org MIPCOMDAY4 AFM PRODUCT Silencing Speech SpaghettiWestern (Continued onPage 4) (Continued onPage 4) Ellender on FME’s OneTrack Mind Quite a bit of the focus this year at MIPCOM is on newways tomonetize content and reach the maximum amount of viewers/consumers, and so it’s important to take a look at one of the companies that seems to have a firm grasp on themeasures necessary to successfully expand in themodern industry landscape. FremantleMedia Enterprises (FME), with branches of local production across the globe, seems to be on the right track. What’s impressive about FME is not just the size and scale of the operation, although that alone would be cause for envy in almost any other company.What really catches the attention is the knack formaking a profit, even in these terrible economic times. David Ellender, CEO of FME, the London-based RTL-owned company, A Symbiotic Sportel-Com Are sport-TV companies attending SPORTEL because they’re already on theCoted’Azur forMIPCOMor vice versa?WillSPORTEL’s20th anniversary celebration be a symbiotic boost for bothmarkets? Last year, some 1,000 companies and almost 2,500 attendees from more than 80 countries came to SPORTELMonaco. This is a clear indication that sports is indeed abigTVbusiness and a specialized sports TV market is a great attraction. However, even though large companies, such asWWE andRaiTrade attend both events, other companies with limited sports programs tend to choose one. According to Marielle Zuccarelli, Senior Vice President of Sales for GRB (Continued onPage 6) T he overriding theme of this year’s MIPCOM is “rethinking.” Production, technology,methods ofmonetizing content… youname it,TV executives are told to rethink it.Today features talks on new sources of production INSIDE My2¢: L.A.SCREENINGS STUDIOHAMBURG’SMUSIC You Think You Know But You Have No Idea Birds & Biz at MIPJunior At thisMIPJunior, there was a substantial connection between children’s programming and licensing. On Saturday, for instance, there was a seminar called “The Licensing Leap,” which focused on the creation and development of licensing strategies based on successful TV properties. Similarly, yesterday, there was the “Online Gaming andNewDigitalRevenue Streams” panel duringwhich industry expertsweighed in on promising new business models and the connections between television and the onlineworld. This year also boastsMIPJunior’s sixth edition of its “Licensing Challenge,” a pitching competitionhonoring thosekids TV properties with the most licensing funding, new initiatives and incentives, the impact of online gaming on the television sphere, andmore. Laurine Garaude, acting director of the TV division of Reed MIDEM, MIPCOM’s organizer said, “During such challenging economic times and coupledwith aperiodof rapidmigration to online viewing, we see ‘Rethinking your Business’ as an immediate call to action to re-examine production funding and distributionmonetisationmodels.” Basically, the underlining message of this year is that “you don’t know all you should,” and to drive the message home there are over 45 sessions, keynotes, screenings and matchmaking (Continued onPage 6) “You need to rethink your business” WWW.VIDEOAGE.ORG ® OCTOBER5,2009 DAY • 1 MONDAY The guys need to see a little BLOOD ON THE DECK . “ ” LINDAGREENLAW Captainof theSeaHawk (Continued inside) (Continued inside) Money Talk at Funding Seminar At the moment, 25 countries have governments offering location incentives to attract foreign productions. Among them are Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Israel, Jamaica, theU.S. andU.K.,with similar situations pending in Norway and Kenya.Yesterday, JaneCorden,managing director of Moneypenny Services Pay Ltd., moderated the panel on “New Funding for Producers from Around the World:TheLatest Incentives.” Canada, represented on the panel by Karen Thorne-Stone of the Media Development Agency of Ontario, has been offeringproduction incentives since the 1990s. Thorne-Stone commented thatwhile theyhaveprimarily focusedon production in the past, in coming months theCanadiangovernmentwillbe sanctioning co-production funding even Gaming Is Big Biz According to Fred Hasson, executive director of Redbedlam.com, more than 50 percent of theworld’s population plays games, up dramatically from 20 percent in 2000. And, while consoles like the PS3 and Xbox still maintain a predominantly male user base, Wii, NintendoDS and iPhones boast relatively small gender gaps.The gaming industry declared an estimated $40 billion in worldwide revenue in 2008. What this means in terms of its effect on the television sector remains to be seen, but the overall conclusion is that people in this business should be paying attention. These findings were presented yesterday at theGamingRevolution seminar. Simon Nelson, who is in charge of Arun of success like the oneDisney has enjoyed for years now has its origins inmany strengths, not just one. Ben Pyne, president, Global Distribution, Disney Media Networks, outlined a few of those strengths at yesINSIDE HOW-TOBOOK CELSION RAINEWCO MY2CENTS: INTEGRATION FlashForwardWorldwide New Series Sold to 100 Countries E! Calling on Sellers A t Comcast, sr vp of International Networks GraciaWaverly is actively looking for acquisitions in the lifestylegenre from international sellers to complement original programming currently on the international version ofThe StyleNetwork. Reached at the Comcast booth, Waverly (pictured) said that forE!, they’re mostly looking at reality series and for The StyleNetwork, they’re interested in lifestyle programs. Waverly is responsible for theprogramming, on-air, marketing and operations for E! Entertainment Television’s seven international networks and the Style Network, which she recently launched terday’s press lunch. One of these strategies, as made evidentby severalofDisney’snewhit shows such as FlashForward andHappyTown, is “a focus on great storytelling,” which Pyne claimed, “unites audiences all over theworld.”At the luncheon, Pyne (pictured at left) was flanked by Happy Town’s producer Josh Applebaum and FlashForward’s producer Jessika Barkawski, the latter of which is at work on the 10th episode of the initialU.S. network order of 13. Another important factor is the delivery and support of that content, and Pynewas clearly thrilled to announce the sale of FlashForward to over 100 territo- (Continued inside) (Continued inside) WWW.VIDEOAGE.ORG ® OCTOBER 6, 2009 DAY • 2 TUESDAY FASHION COLLECTION (Continued inside) (Continued inside) Tony Cohen Rules MIPCOM S o far,MIPCOM’s speaking circuithas been a busy one forFremantleMedia’s CEO,TonyCohen.Hismessage has been clear— a lot of change is happening, and if handled properly, it’s a good thing.Hehas alsonoted that some things are not changing in the ways thatmany had predicted. In regard to the latterpoint, ithasbeen found that terrestrial television audiences are actually on the rise. Cohen began MIPCOM at the Fremantle Press Breakfast, citing an increase in average European daily viewing of 14 minutes per day, and a 30-minute increase over the same period in theU.S. since 2000, plus staggering audiences for hit shows like MasterChef, of which one episode pulled in eighteen percent of the Australian population; The Farmer Wants aWife,which, on average, attracts Direct Sales With Digital Arecent report revealed that over 40 percent of young adult households in the U.S. view Internet video on their television sets at least once amonth, and it predicted that by 2013, revenue from web-to-TV streaming will grow to $2.9 billion. This raises the question of whetherwe are heading for awhole new world in which television producers becomemore likemovie producers,making content for sale directly to the public, rather than to a middleman, such as a broadcaster who then sells it to public directly in the form of Pay-TV, or indirectly via an advertiser. One of the key problems with selling content directly to the public has been identified by Jonathan Ford, executive T he importance of MIPCOM to Hollywood majors as a venue for selling to Latin America is difficult to gauge.They allhave at least one executive listed as having responsibility for sales to the region, but none, apart from INSIDE LATINAMERICANTV FARE THEHOROWITZFILES MY2CENTS: LEADERS Latins Growing at Mipcom Studios Still Have Mixed Feelings IPTV For The Living Room T heU.S.TVnetworks couldbundle all their terrestrial channels for IPTV services, becoming less dependent on cable and satellite deliveries, but they’re afraid of upsetting their current business model.This is themessage derived from an interview with Gavin Campion, the president ofKitDigital, a company that he described as the first stop for any IPTV operator. There are four messages that Kit Digitalwould like to get across to theTV networks: IPTVmakes content cheap to distribute, massively increases available population, makes it easy to monetize and opens up newmarkets. According toCampion,who is based Disney, hasmore than two, and getting them to express a view on the straightforward question, “how important is MIPCOM as a market for selling to LatinAmerica,” is not an easy task. The largest studio selling contingent for Latin America comes from the Miami, Florida-based office of Disney Media Networks Latin America, represented here by at least five executives, three of whom are pictured at left: Jack Morera, Fernando Barbosa, and Fabiola Bovino. One of the studios with two such executives present is Warner Brothers, with both Jim Brehm, senior vice president, Latin America and Asia Pacific, (Continued inside) (Continued inside) WWW.VIDEOAGE.ORG ® OCTOBER 7,2009 DAY • 3 WEDNESDAY
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