V I D E O • A G E MA R C H/ AP R I L 2 0 1 2 16 The recently concluded second edition of DISCOP Istanbul got a cold reception outside due to inclement weather, but a warm response inside the Intercontinental Ceylan Hotel in the Taksim area of Istanbul. The three-day Turkish market, which ended March 1, registered 181 acquisition companies and some 128 distribution companies for a total of 628 participants. The market featured two exhibition areas — the Anadolu and Bosphorus ballrooms — that were set up with stands and viewing boxes, while an additional room was dedicated to companies that opted for meeting tables. The set-up varied a bit from the traditional DISCOPs, like the one in Hungary (now NATPE Budapest). Needless to say, local companies such as ITV-Inter Medya, TRT, ATV, Digiturk, Show TV and Global Agency had the largest stands. The market area was very busy from day one, perhaps because — due to the snowy and rainy weather paired with cold temperatures — participants had to stay indoors most of the time. Distributors in attendance were pleased with the rapid growth of the market and with the interest shown by program buyers for this event. Televisa’s Mario Castro reported good traffic and, even if most of his meetings had been previously scheduled, some walkins too. He pointed out that this trade show gives him the opportunity to meet with buyers from smaller territories who usually don’t go to MIP-TV, due to the high costs of attending the spring event in Cannes. Caracol’s Berta Orozco concurred, noting the presence of buyers from countries such as Lebanon and Egypt who don’t show up at other markets. This is why she likes to pay a yearly visit to broadcasters in this area. Asked about the competition that telenovelas are experiencing as a result of the success of Turkish drama series, she replied that there is such a large need for content there is “a slot for all.” TV Azteca’s Martha Contreras, who opted to meet with clients at a meeting table instead of a stand, focused mostly on Turkey. She had some meetings with Middle Eastern buyers as well that kept her busy, since she was TV Azteca’s only executive at DISCOP. Conferences mostly presented overviews of the status of the audiovisual sector in Central Asia and in the Middle East. Day one’s panelists included GroupOne/1TV’s Ferrell Meisel, who gave a detailed account of the growth perspectives in Afghanistan, and TRT’s Meltem Tumturk Akyol, who harped on the success of drama series produced in Turkey. She emphasized the high production values and the preservation of family values, which are at the core of such series. Cultural differences are limited only to certain themes, making this type of content very appealing to a variety of territories, she said. The conferences held on the second day of the event focused on the renaissance of Arabic content, exploring the genres and programming trends that are currently fueling Middle Eastern television and film companies, as well as the issues of censorship and competition between Arabic and Turkish content. Local distributors played host and organized evening events for participants. On February 28 both Kanal D and ATV sponsored a party, while Global Agency hosted a beautiful evening at the Esma Sultan Mansion in Ortakoy on February 29. Turkish Drama Attracts Buyers, Int’l Sellers Ride The Wave D I S C O P I s t a n b u l NBC Universal’s Marwan Helayel A panel at DISCOP Istanbul Azteca’s Martha Contreras Caracol’s Berta Orozco ITV’s Can Okan Televisa’s Silvia Garcia, Mario Castro
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