In This Issue: MIP-Coming Serious Laughs L.A. Screenings NATPE’s Elevators THE BUSINESS JOURNAL OF FILM, BROADCASTING, BROADBAND, PRODUCTION, DISTRIBUTION MARCH/APRIL 2011 VOL. 31 NO. 2 $9.75 ® www.videoage.org BY DOM SERAFINI Granted, there are many more father and son teams in the international entertainment industry than there are father and daughter teams. Indeed, we exhausted all our resources just to come up with 24 of such teams from 14 countries, and that was by including past players,suchasAlbert(Cubby) and Barbara Broccoli. Another legendary father and daughter team is that of 85-year-old Playboy founder Hugh Hefner and 59-year-old Christie who, up until 2009, ran her father’s media empire. From France there were Gérard Oury and Daniele Oury Thompson who collaborated on movies. Gérard died in 2006 at the age of 87, his daughter Father & Daughter Teams: Sure Formula For Success (Continued on Page 32) (Continued on Page 34) Too many film and television awards. Executives in the entertainment business like to complain about the large numberofU.S.andinternational TV trade shows, but has anyone noticed the proliferation of film and TV awards, especially in the U.S.? Inflationhas certainly hit the audiovisual sector as well. The growing number of stand-alone awards and those associated with trade shows is really becoming unmanageable, like the U.S. economy. And the U.S. studios seem to be getting fed up with this award inflation, especially the Golden Globes, which are given out by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA). If one counts only the number of major TV and film awards in the three month period from November 2010 to February 2011, the figure reaches an astronomical 27 events. This is without counting local and regional events and film and TV festival awards, which could easily double that figure. In effect, for the four winter months there is one award ceremony every other day. And if other awards bestowed during the remaining months of the year are considered, one can easily see how this wave of statuettes is engulfing the entertainment industry. When Award Is Not a Word For Top Jobs In a Tough Mart Execs Call On Top Job Finders Howard Lipson runs Lipson & Co. from his Los Angeles headquarters. He’s a veteran executive recruiter in the entertainment industry who doesn’t mind being called a “headhunter.” “I sometimes kid my clients that they should call me Dr. Headhunter,” said Lipson, who happens to have a Ph.D. in psychology. In a buyers’market, onewonderswhy companies need a recruiter, considering that, in the Internet era, companies (Continued on Page 36) (Continued on Page 30) BY BOB JENKINS In a wide-ranging interview with VideoAge, FremantleMedia CEO Tony Cohen reflected on his 32-year career, assessed what the future holds for the content industry and discussed how FremantleMedia has positioned itself to face what Cohen saw as a future that will be as exciting as it will be demanding. Cohen was appointed CEO when the London-based FremantleMedia was born in 2001. It was renamed after Britain’s Pearson Television sold its stakes in RTL Group to Germany’s Bertelsmann. A year earlier, Pearson Television had merged with CLT-Ufa to create RTL Group. Pearson Television was created in 1996, after the British media conglomerate acquired All American Television. For a man who has risen to the very top of the audiovisual content business, it is not a little ironic that Tony Cohen initially aspired to a career in journalism. “I started my career,” he recalled, “on the old Evening News [a London-wide FremantleMedia’s Tony Cohen: A Journalist With (Tele) Vision
V I D E O A G E • N o . 2 • M a r c h / A p r i l 2 0 1 1 Cover stories: FremantleMedia’s Tony Cohen: A journalist with (tele) vision. The sad vision: “the middle ground is fast disappearing” Father & Daughter Teams: Sure Formula For Success. They are few around the world, but they’re good To find top executives in a tough business environment, companies turn to top job finders When award is not a word. The proliferation of awards is fast becoming a word for disaster 4. World: Cyprus, U.S., Turkey, Afghanistan. Famous quotes 10. Book Review. Talk ain’t cheap, but it can be fun: Talk shows with Dick Cavett 14. Corny but true for NATPE: Miami market marked momentous moments. It couldn’t have been said better 18. MIP-TV preview. A great market waiting to happen 20. L.A. Screenings preview. Looking ahead to a post-Charlie Sheen U.S. TV season 22. Laughs are serious business for Just For Laughs 24. Buying vs. local production: Who and what TV stations are buying in the age of selling 26. Micro-payments could offer macro revenues. No longer a case of analog dollars vs. digital pennies 28. Discop Africa. The bright side of the black continent: Africa’s continued television growth offers hope 44. Conference and event news with a bit of airline bytes 46. My2¢. NATPE’s elevator problems can be stopped by just pushing a few buttons
(Continued on Page 6) Cyprus Has New TV Station Cyprus launched a new national free-to-air television channel, Extra TV. The channel was converted from a regional to a national station, bringing the number of terrestrial channels on the island to 10, and with digital TV broadcasts expected to begin later in the year, the number of island-wide terrestrial channels will surely increase. Still, the launch of this latest channel makes Cyprus one of the most crowded TV and radio markets in the European Union. Extra TV is the first national station to operate out of Limassol, one of Cyprus’ largest cities. The channel airs soap operas, Greek sitcoms and the news, as well as content from Athensbased Alter Network. It joins CyBC, Mega, Ant 1, Sigma, LTV, Alfa, Plus and ERT, the national broadcaster. In addition to national networks, every city on the island now has an independent local channel transmitting on UHF. Niche market stations have increased in popularity over the past several years as well. Hotel Nixes Adult Videos Marriott International will no longer provide access to adult videos in new hotel rooms that open in the coming years. The hotel group’s decision reflects the evolution of entertainment technology, and the fact that adult movies are no longer as profitable as they used to be. Instead, Internet-based video-ondemand systems will replace traditional video systems, which provided access to adult content via menu selection in the past. Revenue from pay-per-view movies in hotel rooms has decreased over the years, as individuals traveling on business have increasingly brought their own entertainment in the form of laptops, iPods and Netflix DVDs as technology has evolved. Colliers PKF HospitalityResearch reports that hotels currently earn 39 percent fewer dollars from pay-per-view movie rentals than they did 10 years ago. On average, a hotel now collects approximately U.S.$175 per room each year, which is down from $288 in 2000. U.S. Movies Get Kinetic Worldwide According to a report recently released by the Motion Picture Association of America, global box office receipts for films released in 2010 totaled $31.8 billion, marking an increase of eight percent from 2009. Although ticket sales in the U.S. and Canada remained steady at $10.6 billion last year, revenue overseas rocketed in 2010 with a 13 percent increase over 2009. Latin America and the Asia Pacific region registered the largest growth, with a 25 percent increase in box office receipts in Latin America and a 21 percent increase in the Asia Pacific region. Together, the two regions accounted for $10.8 billion in 2010 box office revenue. China made up more than 40 percent of the Asia Pacific region’s box office revenue. For the first time ever, Europe, the Middle East and Africa combined accounted for less than half of all international ticket sales at $10.4 billion. One troublesome finding was that, although the overall number of people who went to the movies in 2010 was up three percent from 2009, the number of movies that each person saw decreased from 6.5 in 2009 to six in 2010. This means that the number of tickets sold in the U.S. and Canada fell to 1.34 billion, down five percent from 2009. This somewhat troubling figure is the same number of tickets sold in 2008, representing an unwelcome repeat of history. It’s possible that this reduction is due to the fact that many people can now watch movies on large screen televisions in the comfort of their own homes. Another contributing factor could be ticket prices, which in 2010 totaled an average price of U.S.$7.89 throughout the country (peaking at $13 in cities like New York). This is up $.39 from 2009. However, 3D movies are drawing crowds, accounting for $2.2 billion, or 21 percent, of the total $31.8 billion in box office revenue. In fact, one out of three individuals in the U.S. and Canada saw a 3D movie last year. breakthroughentertainment.com Nat Abraham, Vice President, Distribution t 416.366.6588 x 114 e nabraham@breakthroughentertainment.com Kate Blank, Sales Executive t 416.366.6588 x 234 e kblank@breakthroughentertainment.com Laura Lemyk, Sales Executive t 416.366.6588 x 133 e llemyk@breakthroughentertainment.com V I D E O • A G E AP R I L 2 0 1 1 4
(Continued on Page 8) (Continued from Page 4) Sheen Aftermath: Problematic Math U.S. broadcaster CBS and producer Warner Bros. Television’s decision to shut down production of Two and a Half Men for the remainder of the season will have a ripple effect throughout Hollywood. The show’s star Charlie Sheen’s $2 million per episode contract does not expire until May 2012, but after his substance-abuse driven behavior, CBS may choose not to order new episodes of the program. Regardless, Sheen has been fired. Not only does the decision put approximately 250 show staffers out of a job and cost CBS the anchor of its popular Monday night comedy lineup, but if production on Two and a Half Men remains suspended, Warner Bros. could lose tens of millions of dollars in syndication revenue. On average, local TV stations pay $1 million for each episode of the show, with cable channel FX reportedly paying $800,000 per episode, meaning that Warner Bros. could lose about $1.8million in lost reruns while the show is in limbo. CBS pays Warner Bros. $4 million dollars to produce each episode, and while much of that money goes into making the program, Warner Bros. pockets whatever is left over. However, if Two and a Half Men does not go back into production, Warner Bros. stands to lose its share of that money as well. Additionally, the near-term revenue loss for Warner Bros. is $200 million in CBS license fees and domestic and international rerun money, but that amount could add up to even more in the future. Turkey’s DYH TV Fire Sale Dogan Yayin Holding (DYH), Turkey’s largest media group, is selling its assets as a result of a slew of back taxes and fines being imposed on the company. Although the Turkish government has not confirmed suspicions, it is speculated that these back taxes and penalties were imposed last October due to 74-year-old owner Aydin Dogan’s criticisms of the country’s ruling AK party. The fees add up to a sum equivalent to U.S.$2.8 billion. The company appointed Goldman Sachs to advise on possible asset sales. Reportedly, at least six international bidders are biting at the bit to purchase assets from Dogan Yayin, the media arm of Dogan Holding. These include Europeanbroadcaster RTLand theU.S.’ Time Warner, as well as private equity firms KKR and Texas Pacific Group (TPG Capital). In addition, KKR and Turkish food maker Yildiz Holding’s unit Gozde Finansal Hismelter formed a consortium in early February to bid for Dogan Yayin assets. Dogan Yayin is fighting the government’s monetary demands, and according to Reuters, as of February 7, a top administrative court overturned tax court rulings worth 713.3 million lira ($451.5 million), deciding in favor of the Dogan TV unit. Greetings from the “Battlefront of Kabul” BY FARRELL MEISEL I’m now at the seven-month mark since I came to the “Switzerland of Central Asia.” I am hoping this greeting finds all of you well, and counting the days until springtime! The good news is we’ve made some enormous progress with the channel’s development. We’ve just concluded a rebranding exercise modernizing the look of the channel, enhancing the “1TV” symbol, and adding new acquired and original programs to the line-up. We also relaunched our news, developing a branded product for all of our daily news broadcasts. Below is a picture of the director of News & Current Affairs, Mostafa Mahmoud, and me as the news set was being installed in the studio. I’d also like to point out that all the creative work, design of the new News and Current Affairs studio and construction were done locally. Mostafa is a trained physician who couldn’t make ends meet in medicine, so he embarked on a career in journalism. Last December, we launched a series of programs entitled The Mask, which featured, for the first time in Afghanistan, victims of abuse telling V I D E O • A G E AP R I L 2 0 1 1 6
(Continued from Page 6) their horrific stories on camera behind a mask in order to protect their identities and themselves. Our Current Affairs manager, who is a creative and energetic 28-year-old journalist/lawyer, developed the series. CNN gave the premiere prominent coverage. It devoted not only a major story to the project, but in its expanded “Back Story” program, the correspondent expanded on the details of the issues surrounding the abuse of women, the awful statistics, and what organizations are doing here to eliminate the problems. Additionally, the BBC and BBC World News, along with the CBC, CBS News, Public Radio International in the U.S., the Huffington Post and other news organizations and/or websites devoted space to the program. Another important initiative we started was a monthly prime time current affairs series entitled Kabul Debate Live. Last year, the taped program had a limited run. This year we decided to produce the series live, again with a studio audience, but with a twist. Each member of the 150-plus audience could vote on the question being posed to our guests using interactive voting devices, similar to the ones used on Who Wants To Be a Millionaire. The viewers at home could vote via SMS using a special four-digit code. The first program, which aired at 7 p.m. last February, posed the question of whether the Afghan security forces could take over from the international forces in 2014. The studio audience overwhelmingly voted “no” while the viewers at home, numbering around 10,000 voted 57 percent in favor. As we say, “to be continued.” Our second program in the series started last March and airs at 6 p.m. The topic: Should there be enduring international military bases after 2014? We have additional current affairs projects in production now for broadcast beginning in Q2 and Q3. Additionally, we started carrying Euronews in Farsi (a similar Persian dialect) twice daily, at breakfast time and late night. Dari is spoken widely here, and those who speak and write Dari understand the Farsi dialect, which is the prominent language in Iran. This is the first time Euronews is being seen in Central Asia and Afghanistan. Amidst all the new strategic and commercial initiatives, Afghanistan and Kabul City have been rocked with an increase in violence. For the seventh time in as many weeks, suicide bombers have been striking in and outside of Kabul. The weather has been miserable. Earlier in February we were hit with snow and rain, making the already frigid temperatures a bit more uncomfortable. In mid-February, there were two holidays in Afghanistan — Liberation Day (from the Russians) and Prophet Mohammad’s Birthday. That gave me a chance to get away for three days in Dubai, which was absolutely wonderful, as always. I’m taking a week’s leave to go to the DISCOP Istanbul conference, which is the first time DISCOP, a growing media market and conference, is to be held in that wonderful Middle Eastern city. And it won’t be too long before MIP-TV in Cannes, so hoping to see some of you in either Istanbul or Cannes. The Lazaruses Get Hospital Coverage Herb Lazarus, the president of Carsey-Werner International TV distribution, and his award-winning artist wife Shelley, were featured on the front cover of the Winter 2011 edition of Catalyst, the quarterly publication of the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center of Los Angeles, CA. The Lazaruses’ inside feature story remembered their son Robert, who died in 2005 at the age of 43 from pulmonary complications from an earlier treatment for a Hodgkin’s lymphoma on his heart. The Lazaruses started a memorial fund to raisemoney for the rehabilitation unit at Cedars-Sinai dedicated to Robert, who was a successful executive in the cable television business and later in the dot-com industry. Famous quotes Have you noticed that vinyl records are back in? VideoAge Daily’s My2¢, January 23, 2011 Vinyl records spin back into vogue. USA Today, Money, February 25, 2011 ready ENTERTAINMENT ACTION HD CRIME LIFESTYLE FOR THE D E V E L O P M E N T • D I S T R I B U T I O N • R E P R E S E N T A T I O N Visit us at Stand R31.17 Visit cableready.net to view all available programs +1-203-855-7979 l info@cableready.net WORLD Email sales@cableready.net to schedule a meeting at MIPTV! V I D E O • A G E AP R I L 2 0 1 1 8
V I D E O • A G E AP R I L 2 0 1 1 10 Dick Cavett first entered Americans’ living rooms through their television sets as the host of his late-night talk show, The Dick Cavett Show, which ran from 19681975 (ABC) and 1977-1982 (PBS). However, since 2007, he has entered Americans’ homes via an online opinion column he pens for the New York Times. Cavett’s book Talk Show: Confrontations, Pointed Commentary, and Off-Screen Secrets (Times Books, Henry Holt and Company, 279 pages, $25.00) is a compilation of those opinion columns that revives episodes of Cavett’s talk show, various key current events and even his childhood memories growing up in Lincoln, Nebraska. Cavett reenacts some of his most memorable talk show episodes with some of his most intriguing guests. He even presents the most arresting confrontations in script format, quickening the pace and offering his humorous commentary in parentheses. He recreates the debacle that resulted when Norman Mailer, Gore Vidal and Janet Flanner appeared together on one episode of his late-night talk show that aired on ABC in 1971. Mailer and Vidal’s differing viewpoints, along with Mailer’s quick temper, made for an unforgettable program, and an entertaining set of columns. Cavett also shares fond memories of his conversations (he prides himself on following mentor and former boss Jack Parr’s advice: “Don’t do interviews”) with the likes of Groucho Marx and Richard Burton, who made four television appearances seated beside Cavett. This book is not the U.S. talk show host’s first venture into the written word, or the publishing world: He was a comedy writer for Jack Paar, Merv Griffin, Johnny Carson and Groucho Marx, and the author ofCavett (Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich 1974) andEye on Cavett (Arbor House 1983), both of which he wrote with Christopher Porterfield. When theNew York Times approached Cavett about writing an online opinion column for the month of February 2007, he accepted the offer, not wanting “to appear gutless (to myself).” After four years, Cavett is still at it. Theopinioncolumns translateperfectly into book format, with each column functioning as a short chapter that features stories and themes — anecdotes fromThe Dick Cavett Show, tales from his childhood, his commentary on current affairs — that are woven throughout the individual columns. Cavett often concludes his columns with cliffhangers, dangling a carrot in front of his weekly Times readers to keep them coming back for more. And those cliffhangers work equally well to encourage those who read his book to continue reading. His intellect and his ability to reproduce almost any situation in a humorous light intertwine, making for an exciting read, and those who pick up Talk Show will only grudgingly put it down. Readers are even invited into his childhood, when a young Dickie Cavett and his friend Jimmy McConnell took turns sneaking each other into the movie theater through the alley exit to watch John Wayne star in Sands of Iwo Jima (A Republic Production, Universal Studios 1949). Cavett takes readers back to a time when he and his friends used to “play out,” as they called the time after dinner during the summer months when the boys from the neighborhood gathered together to play. His propensity for providing entertainment was evident in his childhood activities. Although Cavett states that he is unsure of who first thought of this, part of “playing out” became stringing a dark thread from one side of the road to the other and draping a sheet of newspaper over the thread in the center of the road, causing the occasional night driver to slam on his or her brakes and chase after little Dickie and Jimmy, serenading them with choice words. Of course, the drivers likely missed the humor in this trick, and were not as entertained as Dickie Cavett, or the grown-up Dick Cavett’s readers. His childhood obsession with fireworks, and not “the stuff that girls and sissies liked…I mean the big stuff. The heavy ordnance. Cherry bombs, torpedoes, aerial bombs, two-, three-, and even six-inchers (jumbo firecrackers),” is perhaps telling of his later drive as a comedy writer and a talk show host to get the “big laugh.” One Fourth of July, Cavett and McConnell lit a one-pound aerial bomb in the playground of their elementary school, cracking “a modest yet gratifying number of school windows.” Another of the young Cavett’s entertainmentrelated interests was magic. While he was in high school, “Magic became [his] life,” and he earned money by performing magic shows for birthday parties, relishing his ability to make folks question, “How did he do that?” Cavett continues to marvel audiences with his wit. He took his passion for fun and entertainment and translated it into his talent for entertaining people with words, be they spoken, on his TV talk show or written, in this Talk Show. While the adult Cavett still holds an interest in magic, he exchanged a magic wand for a ballpoint pen (or computer keyboard), as paper and the written word became his new props. The author’s humor often takes the form of direct addresses to the reader; “dear reader” — as in, “I feel almost heroic being able to bring this gem to you, dear reader” — being one of his most frequently used phrases. After openingStrange, Dear, but True, Dear, Cavett addresses the reader: “I hope you are arrested.” And we are arrested, eager to read more. Cavett interacts with his Times readers, calling on them to comment on his columns, and he rewards active readers by responding to their comments in subsequent entries, sometimes basing entire columns on them, as he did in With Readers Like Y’all…. In this column, Cavett states, “You might not guess that at least half the fun of doing this column is getting to read your ‘comments,’” and the reader gets the sense that he truly means it. By interacting with his readers, Cavett demonstrates that he enjoys communicating with those who read his column, and by extension, his book. Cavett’s direct interaction with his Times readers leads those reading the book to feel involved as well, as it makes the events about which he writes come alive, bringing back the fire and controversy that surrounded the issues at the time they occurred. Although some of Cavett’s criticisms of the Bush Administration felt as though they had lost their urgency, readers were reminded of significant events in U.S. popular culture, including the 2008 Presidential election, radio host Don Imus catching fire for his on-air racial comment about black players on the Rutgers women’s basketball team, and the Jay Leno/Conan O’Brien scheduling fiasco on NBC. Talk Show is brilliantly written and lively. It is a treasure not just for those who have seen Cavett’s shows and wish to relive his magic, but also for those who were too young to have had the opportunity to end their days watching Cavett converse with stars on the small screen. As the son of two English teachers, his writing is an English lesson in itself. Indeed, Cavett writes of his disappointment, even disgust, at the way many Americans butcher the English language in columns such as, It’s Only LanguageandTheWildWordsmith ofWasilla, in which Cavett examines 2008 U.S. Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin’s “continuing assaults on the English language” and her tendency to ignore syntax altogether. Talk Showmanages to be both funny and intellectual. Cavett offers wellreasoned, well-thought out opinions on the topics he explores, and his evaluation of reader comments is pointed and fair. The book reminds older readers of important legends — Groucho, Burton, Wayne and Cheever to name a few — and peaks the curiosity of younger readers. Cavett’s humor is intelligent, and readers must apply themselves to fully appreciate his wit, although those who don’t can still get a laugh, and a lesson in history and great writing. SA Talk Ain’t Cheap, But Can Be Fun: Talk Shows With Cavett B o o k R e v i e w
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V I D E O • A G E AP R I L 2 0 1 1 14 That this recent NATPE was going to be a success was evident even before the start. On Saturday, January 22, two days before the market opened, two parties were held near the Fontainebleau Hotel, the market headquarters, with many more to follow. In the past, in Las Vegas, this number of parties was recorded throughout the entire event and sponsored by the organizers, since companies were no longer investing in a dying trade show. NATPE’s January 24-26 return to Miami Beach, Florida was, overall, consideredbyparticipants andorganizers alike to be a success. This marked the third time that NATPE has been held in Miami Beach, after the 14th edition in 1977 and the 31st iteration in 1994. NATPE CEO Rick Feldman noted that this year’s market recorded “substantial growth,” with the some 4,500 attendees, 702 of which were buyers, representing an overall 22 percent increase over 2010 in Las Vegas. Most importantly, all the U.S. studios were back in full force, with both their domestic and international distribution divisions. At the same press conference, Feldman credited VideoAge’s petulant editorials over the past four years for the fortuitous move to Miami Beach. The event still has a few kinks to work out concerning the venue, foremost among which was the problem of too few elevators ushering participants to and from company exhibition suites in the Tresor tower, one of the Fontainebleau’s four towers. Nevertheless, sellers reported that business was booming and that NATPE could consider itself revitalized. After much discussion of whether or not the move to Miami would revamp the lagging market, the balmy south Florida city proved to be a welcoming venue. Case in point was Miami Beach Mayor Matti Herrera Bower, who penned a greeting to attendees for Day One of VideoAge Daily. “I like to think that NATPE and Miami Beach have evolved along similar paths by embracing change as a source of energy, creativity and strength,” she wrote, elaborating that she hoped the city of Miami Beach would become a launch pad for many NATPE ventures. Clear signs of NATPE’s revival were also evident in the number of the aforementioned parties. Although there were 12 official parties, in actuality the number of recreational activities swelled to 20, with some described as “large private events.” The celebrations kicked off on Saturday and continued in a big way through Sunday, even before the market’s opening onMonday. Wednesday, the final day, saw four parties, the largest of which was hosted by Disney. These activities, in effect, made the market a five-day event when, in the past, participants left after only the second day. On Monday, January 24, the doors officially swung open on the convention floor, where all was smooth sailing. The only problem for the floor could have been the lack of mid-size companies, with the exclusion of Cableready. For next year, organizers have to make an extra effort to attract more mid-size distribution companies if the floor is to retain its useful purposes. Buyers flooding the suites, on the other hand, faced 30-45 minute waits in the elevator banks. The flow somewhat improved after NATPE organizers took VideoAge’s suggestion to take advantage of both the lobby and ground floors to enter and exit the four elevators. (A possible solution for the elevator problem is presented in this Issue’s “My Two Cents” editorial.) The inconvenience did not deter acquisitions executives, however, who were out in droves. Where the top buying delegations were concerned, Canadian buyers numbered 36, while the U.S. had the best showing with 200, even though many buyers represented Latin companies. The contingent from Latin America was predictably strong, with 21 buyers from Argentina, 17 from Brazil, 15 from Colombia and 10 from Mexico. Buyers were everywhere, at times gathering en masse around the lobby bar at the hotel’s main hall and at the outdoor Miami Market Marked Momentous Moments N A T P E R e v i e w CBS Studios’ Eric Muller, Stephanie Pacheco, Warner Bros’ John Garcia, David Stern, Gustavo Gomez, Tomas Davison. The deals bar by the pools: No badge, no hassle VideoAge Daily andVideoAge Monthly at the Tresor tower of the Fontainebleau appreciated by NATPE participants such as NewsProNet’s Deanna Ray, John Cuddihy The line at elevators on Day One (Continued on Page 16)
bar by the pools. These areas were considered fertile ground for some small distributors who basically “rented” a table and met with buyers without incurring the cost of a registration badge. Another expedient used by some distributors (Sony Pictures included) to reduce the costs of renting exhibition space or to facilitate meetings, was to lease a boat moored on the canal directly across from the Fontainebleau, in the style found at the port in Cannes for MIP and MIPCOM. As a result of the substantial Latin presence, NATPE accounted for an estimated $100 million in deals (including those initiated at MIPCOM last October and those to be completed here at MIP). Plus, distributors were on hand with plenty of telenovelas. VideoAge Daily counted around 18 never before seen novelas making their premieres at the market, including titles from Caracol, Globo TV, Record TV, Telefe, Frecuencia Latina International, Telemundo and others. The convention floor was abuzz with many of the issues facing TV in Latin America, including the challenge of DTT and the switchover from analogue to delegation. All studios brought along their Latin American sales departments, and many had dedicated Canadian sales forces as well. Additionally, studio executives representing Europe were up, especially at NBC Universal and CBS. Also on the studio front, Disney Media Networks Latin America (DMNLA) announced a deal that will see Disney seriesTheAmazingRaceair onTBS’ SPACE channel. The news was announced at a breakfast press conference organized by Turner Broadcasting Systems and DNMLA on Day Two. Based in Argentina, SPACE will carry the third season of the reality show exclusively for all of Latin America. Day Two also brought the traditional Brandon Tartikoff Legacy Awards, which this year honored Entertainment Tonight’s Mary Hart, along with NBC sports executive Dick Ebersol, retiring TV host Regis Philbin and international TV executive Gerhard Zeiler of Germany’s RTL Group. The awards recognize individuals who demonstrate passion, leadership and independence in the creation of television programs. As the market began to wind down, convention floor talk turned, inevitably to the next market. For many, this was to be DISCOP Africa, which took place February 9-11 in Accra, Ghana. Companies from Latin America and Europe confirmed their attendance at the event, and Patrick Jucaud of organizing company Basic Lead pointed out that many IPTV platforms were to be on the hunt for content. In the weeks after the market, NATPE organizers announced that next year’s event will be tentatively held January 23-25, 2012. digital. Between 2015 and 2024, countries across Latin America will complete the conversion, and along with the switch will come many more programming hours to fill and the resources to buy content for them. Also on people’s minds were the problems facing Hispanic TV in the U.S. Ad revenues for Spanish-language channels in the U.S. are down, while the number of outlets is increasing exponentially. Last year ad revenues for the sector dropped $100 million, leaving a growing number of networks competing for a shrinking pie. And with Comcast set to complete its 60 Spanish-language network lineup, the situation promises to only grow more difficult. Plus, the challenge of keeping third and fourth generation bilingual audiences engaged in Hispanic programming is ever-present. WiththeU.S.retransfeehitting$1billion in 2010, the topic was prevalent (retrans is the fee that broadcasters negotiate with cable, satellite and broadband operators). But despite predictions that by 2016 the fee will reach $2.6 billion, there was no session addressing the subject at NATPE. In spite of the obstacles that the TV industry faces ahead, there were many reasons to be optimistic at NATPE 2011. Day Two’s panel “U.S. Domestic Syndication: Is There A Pulse” reassured audience members that things continue to look rosy for the syndication biz. John Nogawski, president of CBS Television (U.S.) Distribution noted that syndication remains “a cost-effective way for stations to fill their airwaves and have a franchise on their station that helps define them in their market.” On the flip side, he pointed to creating suitable content for syndication as an ongoing challenge. Mitch Burg, president of New Yorkbased Syndicated Network Television Association (SNTA) alsoweighed inon the syndication business. Burg and the SNTA work for the six U.S. studios, gathering information about howmarketers can best take advantage of syndication. However, at another seminar, Jeff Zucker, the then CEO of NBC Universal, pointed out that cable networks have to step away from syndication and move into original programming, since on-demand services have eroded the profitability of the syndication business model. Another highlight in the seminar schedule was “Next Generation of TV Digital Measurement.” Nielsen’s Cheryl Idell moderated a panel exploring the meaning, goals and future of TV measurement. Idell and her roster of guests took on new technology and subscription based business models in Internet content delivery. After spotty attendance in 2010, the “800 lb gorillas” (i.e. the U.S. studios) were back at NATPE. And naturally, they took the opportunity to go all out, with suites in Tresor tower (or the hotel’s Versaille wing for Warner Bros.) and cabanas out by the pool, which became very useful for taking meetings while avoiding the elevator jam. There were around 185 studio executives gracing the hallwaysof theFontainebleau, andWarner Bros., with a team of 40, had the biggest N A T P E ( C o n t i n u e d ) (Continued from Page 14) V I D E O • A G E AP R I L 2 0 1 1 16 Fontainebleau’s main bar area The docks and the exhibitors’ boats VideoAge’s on the spot remedy adopted by NATPE
V I D E O • A G E AP R I L 2 0 1 1 18 The birds are singing, which can only mean one thing: MIP is in the air. The days are getting longer, but MIPTV 2011 — set to return to its traditional venue, the Palais des Festival in Cannes, France, April 4-7 — is getting shorter: One day shorter from the previous edition. Aside from CBS Studios and NBCUniversal (now owned by Comcast), which will have the customary elaborate stands, the other U.S. studios will not be in full attendance. Some think that this may make for a quiet market, however indies will surely receive much more attention from buyers. “It could be a very light MIP,” said Irv Holender of Toronto-based Fremantle Corp. of the studios’ absence. But, other executives VideoAge talked to were optimistic that the dearth of studio stands could clear a path for the independents. As usual, MIP activities kick off with MIPDoc, the market’s dedicated documentary event, which will take place April 2-3, two days before the start of the MIP-TV proper. This year, MIPDoc has a lot to offer companies that specialize in factual entertainment, with a packed schedule of seminars, keynotes andmatchmaking events. Also of note is the MIPDoc Co-Production Challenge, now in its seventh year, which is designed to help breakout producers find funding. Plus, MIPDoc will get its own opening night cocktail party at the Majestic Hotel. Jonathan South senior director of International Content Sales, EMEA for new York-based AETN International noted that for his company, MIPDoc is a big attraction. “As MIPDoc is held alongside MIP-TV,” he said, “We always find many new clients that have screened our programs there and consequently come visit our stand.” This year, AETN is bringing to market what South referred to as the firm’s “strongest slate ever of real life focused series,” and plans to target buyers from France, Germany, Scandinavia and Benelux, who have all shown an appetite for this type of programming. Another mini-event, MIPFormats, will also run simultaneously with MIPDoc. MIPFormats, which takes place April 2-3 as well, is only in its second year, but has so far been well received amongst participants since its inaugural edition in 2010. Like MIPDoc, MIPFormats will have a variety of seminars on tap, including a panel titled “Format Programming Strategies: What Buyers Want” and a focus on Latin America on its first day. The return of MIPFormats ensures that formats will continue to be an important worldwide programming trend. Many companies will be using the market as a launch pad for their new formats. CEO Jon Kramer noted that his Los Angeles-based Rive Gauche will be active on the distribution side, but also emphasized that Rive Gauche is “focused on developing original formats and pitching them internationally.” Kramer elaborated that, “It’s just become too difficult to hold on to rights in the U.S.” As for the sellers, MIP and MIPCOM have always brought out the European crowd, and this year will be no exception. Zurich-based First Hand Films will be on hand with sales goals for the U.S., the U.K., Latin America and Asia. CEO Esther van Messel stated that her strategy for the market is to present all the new titles in the company’s catalogue to buyers, but target certain programs towards the tastes of their existing clients. “Each territory is different,” she said, “For example, Asian audiences seem to be interested in Western stories that have a human interest angle, where as current affairs programs are just a little harder to sell in Asia. It’s ultimately about keeping abreast of all viewing trends and tailoring programming to the buyers’ needs.” Greg Phillips, president, Content Television and Content Digital for London-based Fireworks International stated that his team will “focus on all territories with equal importance.” Fireworks will also be launching a host of new titles across a variety of genres, including two new non-fiction series, a crime solving adventure and a thriller. Additionally, Phillips emphasized that this MIP-TV is especially important to the company, as it will be attending for the first time ever “under the recently announced new banner of Content Media Corporation, operating as three distinct divisions—Content Television, Content Digital and Content Film.” Fremantle’s Holender remarked that his sales team will have their noses to the grindstone. “We’re still focusing on European co-productions and the new vitality in the Asian market for co-productions.” Holender also stated that he would be avoiding selling any one-off programming. “What we try to stay away from is the one shot deals,” he said. “The single events and single specials consume as much time as full series do.” For their part, the buyers will be on the hunt for a wide range of product, as usual. Jane Roscoe, network programmer for Australia’s SBS Television said that her meeting schedule is, for the most part, booked, but her team is “always on the lookout for new content and suppliers as [they] walk the floors of the Palais.” SBS, like many major broadcasters, will be acquiring content across a number of genres. “Priorities include ‘big idea’ documentary series (science, politics, environmental issues), engaging factual formats for both acquisition and commissioning, food programming from around the world, fresh and provocative dramas and comedies and accessible entertainment shows for the early evening,” said Roscoe. Though it remains to be seen what programming trends will be hot at this year’s market, some executives had predictions. Patrick Elmendorff, managing director of Munich-based Studio 100 Media pointed to the revival of classic series as one thing to watch for. He elaborated that he expects to see a boom in “the production of CGI state-of-the-art animation series based on classic children’s publishing properties or toys which are meant to attract children and parents.” Elmendorff also observed that “crossmedia productions as well as web and mobile devices are increasingly important,” a trend which First Hand Films’ Messel also highlighted. MIPCOM 2010 played host to a World Premiere TV Screening, and MIP-TV will continue the tradition with the international debut of GK-TV’s medieval drama Camelot. Co-stars Eva Green and Joseph Fiennes will be on hand for this gala event, which will take place on Day One and will be presented by GK-TV and Starz. Where keynotes are concerned, Rodolphe Belmer, executive vice president, Content at Canal Group and David Frank CEO of Zodiak Media Group will each make a speech on Day One. Meanwhile, Hans Vestberg, president and CEO of Ericsson and Miles Young, CEO of Ogilvy and Mather Worldwide will get their chances on Day Two. This time around, conference sessions will tackle a slew of subjects, including the ever-elusive newmedia. The Content 360 panels on Day One and Two will teach execs how to pitch cross-media projects, smart phone apps and media tablet programs and a Day One seminar will explore “How to Achieve Creative Excellence.” Asia will also be a major topic, with Day Two’s “Working With Asia” workshop and Day Three’s Asian Animation Screenings. This year, attendance figures look good with an estimated 11,500 overall attendees from 107 countries in the TV, digital and advertising fields, including 4,000 buyers and 1,500 exhibitors. The reason why this year the trade show is one day shorter remains elusive. The move doesn’t seem to benefit distributors, who said that costs will stay basically the same, while they’ll have one day less to meet with buyers, considering that the previous fiveday event became in effect a four-day market, since buyers leave earlier and exhibitors use the last day to pack up. With a shorter event, exhibitors are thus expecting an effective three-day market. The fact that the Palais will open earlier and close later will have little redeeming value because participants use the morning for breakfast meetings and the afternoons and evenings for parties and/or dinners. ES Indies Getting More Attention Hope Translates Into More Sales M I P - T V S i r e n s
aDVENTURE WAR COMEDY CRIME A C T I O N W I T H A S E N S E O F H U M O U R . The best TV series and big action films with an explosive charge of comedy. Steel is armed wi th an endless array of emotions and a new secret weapon: laughter. © Steel is a channel of NBCUniversal
V I D E O • A G E AP R I L 2 0 1 1 20 BY LUCY COHEN BLATTER All eyes are on CBS and Warner Bros. these days. At press time, both industry insiders and regular joes were waiting with bated breath to find out the post-Charlie Sheen fate of Two and a Half Men. But believe it or not, there are other shows out there, and the 2011-2012 U.S. TV season is nearly upon us. The five big U.S. TV networks — ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC and CW — have commissioned 84 pilots among them. And the scripts and stars are hoping to take the world by storm (in addition to actually getting picked up), despite their lack of what Sheen is said to have, “tiger blood.” Sure there are the usual police and medical dramas and quite a few remakes and series that are giving us deja vu. But there are also a number of new and interesting pilots, the likes of which we’ve never seen before. Take for instance, ABC’s Poe (Warner Bros.). It’s a crime procedural, but a pretty unique one at that. The drama follows macabre writer Edgar Allan Poe as the world’s very first detective, investigating dark mysteries in 1840s Boston. Even the remakes sound intriguing. And they’re certainly generating a lot of buzz. There’s NBC’s Wonder Woman (Warner Bros.), a David E. Kelley-led reboot of the classic comic and ABC’s Charlie’s Angels (Sony Pictures), a remake of the 1970s classic set in Miami, which is being produced by one of the recent film remake’s angels, Drew Barrymore. We at VideoAge are guessing that with the recent success of the remake Hawaii Five-O, and Barrymore’s star power, this is a pretty sure thing in terms of pick-up potential. In the spin-off category, there’s FOX’s The Finder (Fox Studios), about a former military policeman who can remember everything. It’s a spin-off of the net’s forensic crime drama, Bones. There are also several British remakes (as usual). Blighty formats can be difficult to recreate, but NBC seems to be banking on them. The Peacock Net is offering up its own version of police procedural Prime Suspect (Universal Studios), comedy Outnumbered (Fox Studios), based on a comedy about a couple trying to raise three precocious kids and Free Agents (Universal Studios), based on a format about two quirky co-workers who are both on the rebound. From Israel, NBC has ordered an eight-episode format, Still Standing: a straight-to-series game show commissioned to Armoza Formats. NBC, now under the direction of Robert Greenblatt, is courting a lot of big names in order to get back on top. Highly buzzed-about series include Wonder Woman (Warner Bros.) and Playboy (Fox Studios), from Brian Grazer and Ron Howard, about 1960s Playboy Bunnies. Now,backtothetrends.Unsurprisingly given the runaway success of Glee, musicals are showing up again. ABC has Marc Cherry’s Hallelujah (ABC Studios), a drama that will be punctuated with gospel music and NBC’s Smash (Universal Studios), which will showcase musical theater. On the comedy side, there’s an abundance of wacky, modern families (in view of the success of the ABC series Modern Family). Take ABC’s Bad Mom (ABC Studios), which stars Jenna Elfman as a less-than-stellar mom, and Other People’s Kids (ABC Studios), about an irresponsible 32-year-old who falls in love with an older woman and has to deal with two kids, an ex-husband, and ex-in-laws. CBS has the Rob Schneider Project (CBS Studios), which stars the comedian as a confirmed bachelor who has just married into a tight-knit Mexican-American family. FOX has Council of Dads (Sony Pictures), about a group of five men called together by the widow of their close friend in order to help her raise his two young children. CBS seems to be attempting to appeal to its younger viewers with two comedies about young people trying to make it big: The Assistants (CBS Studios), which revolves around four people who work for a celebrity couple, and an Untitled Peter Knight Comedy(Sony Pictures/CBS Studios), about young people working at a high-powered venture capital firm. And ABC is getting in on the action too. The Alphabet Net’s Georgetown (Warner Bros.) follows young people working behind the scenes of D.C.’s powerbrokers. And lest one thinks that the vampire trend is a thing of the past, note that every network has something supernatural in the works. Thank you Twilight. The CW has three (out of its total six commissioned pilots): Awakening (Warner Bros.), about a zombie uprising; Heavenly (CBS Studios), which revolves around a former angel; and Secret Circle (CBS Studios/Warner Bros.), about a young female witch. Thom Sherman, head of Drama at the network, described Awakening as a “provocative script and the most unique piece of material we read and developed this year — a huge, fun, swing-for-the-fences kind of project.” While Sherman stressed the fact that the network is equally excited about its non-supernatural pilots, it’s hard to ignore the past success of shows such as Smallville, Supernatural andThe Vampire Diaries. So the hopes for the fantasy series are high. Now, we know Charlie Sheen has stolen the spotlight as the most-talkedabout TV star of the moment (and possibly all time), but the networks are pulling out other big guns to star in their pilots. ABC has cast Ashley Judd in its already-picked up drama Missing (ABC Studios), about a woman on a mission to track down her son in Italy. FOX is hoping for another 24-sized hit, tapping Kiefer Sutherland for Touch (Fox Studios), about a dad whose autistic son can predict the future. NBC’s got movie star Maria Bello playing the lead role in the Universal Studios-produced Prime Suspect (a role made famous by Helen Mirren in England). FOX has tapped Ethan Hawke for spy thriller Exit Strategy (Fox Studios). Minnie Driver stars in Hail Mary (Warner Bros.), a series for CBS about a pair of private investigators, one of whom is a suburban single mom. Debra Messing will bust out her singing chops in NBC’s Smash (Universal Studios). Whether or not the stars will make the series bonafide pick-up shoo-ins is, naturally, still unknown. Only L.A. Screenings time will tell. The L.A. Screenings Shaping Up After Sheen Shenanigans 2 0 1 1 - 2 0 1 2 U . S . T V S e a s o n Thom Sherman, head of Drama at the CW David Boreanaz and Emily Deschanel star as FBI Special Agents on FOX’s Bones. A spinoff pilot, The Finder, has been commissioned by FOX.
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