June/July 2013 24 (Continued on Page 26) Greek Television the necessary ratings on the analog outlets, they are immediately taken off the air and replaced with library material even if it’s had multiple runs already. Naturally, viewers are unhappy about that business model and have looked elsewhere for cheap entertainment. The stations’ management priorities are to generate enough revenue, which is reviewed on a monthly basis and used to cover day-to-day expenditures alone. International suppliers’ payments come after other obligations are met. In addition, content deals that were not canceled are being renegotiated up to the fourth time in line with the limited amount of cash-flow. As a point of comparison, in 2008 there were 77 new locally produced programs, the majority from MEGA and ANTENNA-TV. During the 201213 season there were only seven. The new season usually launched during the first week of October. As of 2011, the launch was staggered throughout the months of October and November. A diet of entertainment formats, the return of a fewhigh-rated shows and Turkish soap operas are expected for the future. The general trend is that all acquisitions will be put on hold until a clearer picture emerges. It is hoped that by the fall of 2013 the situation will improve and that stations will start to acquire new product. As a side note, stations only pay three percent of residual cost for retransmission of Greek-language series, as they own the right in perpetuity. As per last April, the merger of MEGA with STAR channel was still under consideration. Further discussions have taken place regarding this matter between the owners of the two stations. As for the various station groups, Dimitris Kontominas once again became the sole owner of ALPHA TVwhen in 2012 the RTL Group pulled out of Greece by selling its 69.3 percent stake for one euro. The station is now planning to rebrand with more in-house productions, hoping to improve its ratings. On the other hand, Alter-TV has shut down and media outlet produced and broadcasted it. Uniquely Italian was the TV broadcast of “Carosello,” starting in 1957, when sponsored content consisted of 2.15-minute shows in which the sponsoring brand could only occupy the last 30 seconds. Those elaborate mini shows were directed and acted in by famous talent and were very popular. Nowadays, with the advancement of production techniques, digital media, and streaming in particular, advertisers often produce and distribute their own high-quality sponsored content with a sophisticated execution. This strategy can involve “verticals,” when the brand targets the same demographic; and/or “horizontals,” when it reaches a crosssection of the audience. The reach is not casual, since it is achieved through “barker shows,” or advertisements that will draw traffic to the sponsored content. In addition, this new strategy utilizes “native advertising” by displaying it on one platform: Individual ads that are unique to the environment (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, etc.). In this advertising setting, the strategy that has lost its luster is “sponsorship,” which is viewed merely as placing a company logo on something. A florid independent production and distribution business has developed around the sponsoredcontent industry.Take, for instance, the Brooklyn, NY-based Vice Media, which produced and distributed for sports attire company The North Face, Far Out, a series of videos profiling people living in remote regions of the world. However, it is interesting to note that despite the aggressive ascent of new advertising models, the recently concluded Upfronts in New York City demonstrate how the traditional TV broadcast model still delivers the critical mass audience that advertisers crave for efficiency. It should also be noted that Internet video services, such as YouTube, have not as yet disrupted much of traditional television, which is now leveraging new technology — such as the second screen — to regain that portion of the audience lost to new media. According to Robert Friedman, a former no buyers are foreseen due to its heavy debts. ANTENNA-TV is looking to show some profit in 2013, but only through cost-cutting, including for local productions. For new content acquisitions the station expects to resume in 2014 under its new acquisition executive, Alex Theodoris. State broadcaster ERT is now without both the managing and television directors. The state broadcaster has a new managing director but is still without a director of television. The management of MEGA is implementing another round of reduced personnel salaries and is contemplating the relocation of the station’s office to the building formerly occupied by ALPHA, which is owned by one of MEGA’s shareholders. Reportedly, in 2012 the station recorded losses of some 17 million euro (U.S.$22 million). One of the top-rated shows, Master Chef, was canceled before the last episode because the cast wasn’t being paid by the local production company. Skai-TV is now 90 percent owned by Ioannis Alafouzos, who also owns four radio stations and the dailyKathimerini. The station has changed its programming profile, focusing on news and local affairs, thus reducing the amount of imported fare. The owner of Star Channel, the Vardinogianhis Group, has committed to covering the 10 million euro losses that the stations suffered in 2012 and keeping the station running. At the same time, station managers announced that there will be no content acquisitions for 2013 and special acquisitions will be paid only after 2015. Makedonia TV has also changed their programming profile, switching from a maleoriented to a female-oriented schedule. (By John Triantafyllis) *John Triantafyllis runs acquisition and distribution company JTTV International inAthens, Greece, and prepares an annual report on the Greek and Cyprus TV markets. Sponsored Content TV Programs (Continued from Cover) Up There, sponsored by Stella Artois (Continued from Cover )
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