17 DISCOP West Asia was in full swing early last month in Istanbul. Market organizer Patrick Zuchowicki of Paris- and Los Angeles-based Basic Lead, announced on the first day of DISCOP West Asia (formerly known as DISCOP Istanbul) that the third annual event saw a 20 percent increase in attendance as compared to last year, bringing the total to 748 attendees. Stands and meeting stations were very busy from day one. Distributors confirmed packed schedules and the same was true on the buyers’ side: Mohammad Ahmadi of Afghanistan’s Elena Productions said that he met with several Turkish and Latin American distributors to shop for new series. Despite censorship issues, regional TV stations (about 50 in Afghanistan alone), driven by viewer demand, are airing commercial content. Unfortunately, at times it’s done without acquiring the rights, and content piracy is a big issue in these territories. In order to save money, many stations dub the acquired product themselves. Reportedly, total acquisitions of foreign programs for the region in 2012 added up to U.S.$200 million. The conference portion of the event kicked off with a two-part session on drama production and distribution in Arabic countries in the morning, followed by conferences on formats and coproductions in the afternoon. The conference venue was moved to a spacious ballroom in the Dolmabahce wing of the Ceylan Intercontinental Hotel, next to the market registration area. Nabil Kazan, a pan-Arab advertising pioneer, introduced the seminars and emphasized how therehas beena 100percent increase inproduction of Arabic drama from 2010 to 2012, that the market has also seen 160 new Arabic satellite TV channels in the past two years, and that 80 million Arabic households now have access to satellite. A new trend in the area is to acquire popular novela formats (successful examples being Ruby from Televisa, Telemundo’s La Patrona, Comarex’s La Otra Cara del Alma and Caracol’s La Ruta Blanca) and adapt them for the Arabic market. Telemundo Internacional’s Xavier Aristimuño was part of a panel that analyzed TV content development and co-production with Latin America. “Telenovelas and drama series no longer have geographical or cultural borders, and the format and co-production thematic is essential in today’s global television. Our presence in Istanbul reflects our commitment to continue working on such projects,” he said in a release. Panelists discussed the growing trend of establishing strategic alliances between Latin American and West Asian producers. Telemundo’s Melissa Pillow, for one, was pleased withthemarket,andsaidthathercompany’sdecision to send two people (she and Katarina Etchison) instead of just one this year was warranted in order to better handle the busy meeting schedule. And of course, what would a show business event be without some parties? The opening night cocktail party, sponsored by Kanal D, was followed by an Orange Party sponsored by ATV. Late night on Wednesday was the Hangover Party, sponsored by Global Agency. One logistical snafu concerned the large construction in Taksim Square, right next to the market venue. The unregulated traffic was oppressive, and it was very difficult to walk anywhere to or fromthe hotel without risking being run over. Another interesting thing to note is that although the euro is widely accepted (even by taxicabs), people prefer paying in Turkish lire because they can get better exchange rates. And there seemed to be a bit of a TV market rivalry brewing in Istanbul (though it didn’t have anything to do with the event itself). Staff from a new Istanbul TV event (ITVF — Istanbul TV Forum & Fair) was at DISCOP West Asia trying to recruit participants for their own event, which is being scheduled for June 20-22, 2013 at the Halic Congress Center and conflicts with NATPE Budapest. However, DISCOP executives were trying to persuade ITVF organizers to cooperate with a joint event, rather than have two competing TV markets in Istanbul. And on the subject of NATPE Budapest, several small- and medium-sized distributors are unhappy with the fact that NATPE Budapest — now being organized by NATPE and not Basic Lead — keeps attracting most of the U.S. studios, changing the nature of the market. The smaller companies fear that buyers will screen new U.S. TV season fare instead of indie product. This issue could also affect Eastern European attendance at the L.A. Screenings, if the companies choose to save money on travel and wait for the studios to come to them in Budapest. MG Istanbul TV Market Rebuilding Ottoman Cultural Splendor March/April 2013 DISCOP Review ITV’s Can Okan Caracol’s Berta Orozco Azteca’s Adela Velasco, Martha Contreras Televisa’s Cristina Gonzalez, Silvia Garcia, Mario Castro Telemundo’s Karina Etichson, Melissa Pillow
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