I N T E R N A T I O N A L www.V i deoAge.org ©2015 CBS Studios Inc. GOLDENGLOBE AWARDWINNER GINA RODRIGUEZ BEST ACTRESS INA TV COMEDY THE BUSINESS JOURNAL OF FILM, BROADCASTING, BROADBAND, PRODUCTION, DISTRIBUTION March/April 2015 - VOL. 35 NO. 3 - $9.75 TohearsomeoftheU.S.network heads say it, the traditional pilot development schedule will soon be a thing of the past. But for this year, at least, the five major U.S. broadcast networks are keeping with tradition, having commissioned 82 comedies and dramas that will air at some point during the 20152016 TV season (though the timing of the roll-out of those shows will undoubtedly be more fluid than it once was). However, in one sign that things might be changing a bit, this year there are 16 fewer pilots on the slate than last year. Among this year’s trends: A large number of TV series basedonmovies (ABC’s Uncle Buck, FOX’s Minority Report and CBS’s Limitless and Rush Hour for example). Perhaps the networks feel that if a story has already captured moviegoers’ attention, it’s more likely to be popular with TV audiences too (therefore lowering the risk factor). As always, there are the medical shows (ABC’s Dr. Ken is a comedy NewU.S. Pilots ShapedBy Films, Comic Bios,MDs, JDs (Continued on Page 32) My 2¢: Let’s talk about back nine helping C3 and the back end A “Hall of Fame” for a pioneer international TV distribution exec Company profile: Studio 100 grows by buying and selling The history of @ described, but not explained, in a book Page 42 Page 28 Page 18 Page 12 Years ago program buyers were appreciated mostly for their ability to pick winning shows; not necessarily shows that they personally liked, but those that “worked” for their audiences. “Magic” Buyers Make To Stretch Their Budgets (Continued on Page 36) (Continued on Page 38) A common refrain by many media executives is “it’s tough to compete with free.” That expression has traditionally referred to piracy. Today, however, it’s clear that it is free-to-air (FTA) TV that will be challenged like never before. The availability of true “free TV” varies considerably by country. In the U.S., less than 10 percent of TV households actually receive broadcast signal for free. The other 90 percent pay to watch FTA channels, thanks to retransmission consent deals with cable, satellite and telco video operators. While Will Live Events, NewRatingsMake FTAAlive Again?
AT MIPTV 2015: R9.A32 For more information please visit: starzglobal.com facebook.com/starzworldwide instagram.com/starz_worldwide twitter.com/starz_worldwide STARZand relatedchannelsandservicemarksare thepropertyofStarzEntertainment,LLC.Flesh&Bone©2015StarzEntertainment,LLC. All rights reserved.EXE4178-14-K A S T A R Z L I M I T E D S E R I E S 8 X 6 0 M I N. From Emmy® award-winning Executive Producer MOIRA WALLEY-BECKETT (“Breaking Bad”) STARRING: Sarah Hay, Ben Daniels, Emily Tyra, Irina Dvorovenko, Damon Herriman M I P T V 2 0 1 5 : E X C L U S I V E S C R E E N I N G O F E P I S O D E 1
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April 2015 4 World For action Studio 100 Media GmbH Sapporobogen 6-8 80637 Munich – Germany T: +49 (0)89 96 08 55-0 info@studio100media.com www.studio100media.com PREVIEW AT MIPTV 2015 R7.C1 © 2015 Greenpatch Productions Pty Ltd. 150319_S100M_miptv15_BB_VideoAge_185x230MM_RZ.indd 1 19.03.15 16:53 The shortage of qualified workers has also led to an increase in crewstaff that doesn’t meet producers’ standards. The issue has also caused cost increases, even though labor in Atlanta is still about 25 percent lower than in Hollywood. Now public and state institutions are scrambling to train film-industry workers. Georgia State University is building a new media production center in Atlanta and Savannah College of Art and Design has expanded its film production courses. Irish Films, TV Get New Incentives The old Section 481 of the Irish Film board, to provide tax relief toward the cost of film and television productions, has been changed. Now there is a 32 percent relief on qualifying expenditures for Ireland-based production companies on up to 80 percent of a project’s budget. Section 481 was introduced in 1991 to encourage investment in Irish-made productions, and was broadened in 1993 to include individual investors who could invest up to€50,000 each year. According to the Irish government’s Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht (an Irish word referring to an Irish-speaking region), 51 projects were approved in the first 10 months of 2014, with Irish investors putting up€166.9 million. This is compared with 68 projects approved by the Revenue Commissioners (tax collectors) in 2013, with some €178 million invested. Inorder for investors tobenefit, they had to be in the 41 percent tax bracket, since the scheme granted the full taxable income on a €50,000 investment, generating a net gain of €4,153. Here’s how Section 481 worked before the change. Income tax refund: €20,500 (a €50,000 investment at 41 percent), which meant that the actual investment was€29,500. A €33,653 share of proceeds from sales was assumed, thus the net gain was €4,153 (or €33,653 minus €29,500). For singles this meant income in excess of €45,000 per year was needed to qualify; €54,300 for a couple with one income, and €78,100 for a couple with two incomes. To achieve the maximum tax relief on €50,000, investors needed income of €91,800 for a married person, or €82,800 for a single person. Starting this year, Australian public broadcasters are expected to have their budgets cut by A$308 million (U.S.$240 million) over the next five years. The ABC budget will be decreased by A$254 million (or 4.6 percent), while the SBS budget will shed A$53 million (or 1.7 percent). To achieve the savings, ABC is expected to eliminate about 400 jobs. Plus, regional offices will be closed, along with the Adelaide TV production studio. Crew Shortage In Y’allywood The success of film production in Atlanta, Georgia, has caused such a shortage of local crew workers that it could stall any further growth. Generous state and local tax credits that have been available since 2008 have made “Y’allywood” one of the top American locations for movie and television production. In the film business, Atlanta is known as “Y’allywood” for the penchant of Southerners to say “y’all” (short for “you all”). Aussie TV Faces Cuts (Continued on Page 6) Australians protesting the budget cuts
April 2015 6 World t 4I6.366.6588 f 4I6.363.9726 35 Britain Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5A 1R7 distribution@breakthroughentertainment.com WWW.BREAKTHROUGHENTERTAINMENT.COM JOIN US IN THE CANADIAN PAVILLION BOOTH: P-1 A.0 2015 The Battle of Media Giants Since politicians around the world allowed for the creation of media giants with no regulators in between, the battle of the titans is now raging in the U.K., pitting Omnicom, the world’s second biggest advertising group, against Channel 5, owned by American media giant Viacom, which last year acquired Channel 5 for £450 million (U.S.$693 million). After Omnicom pulled some £30million of its clients budgets from Channel 5 and moved it to ITV, the channel fired back by complaining directly to the advertising group clients. Reportedly, Omnicom pulled out of Channel 5 not because of the channel’s low performance, but to satisfy a commitment it made to ITV. In a letter to Omnicom’s clients, Channel 5’s Russ Belcher wrote that his channel’s airtime rates were 15 percent cheaper than those last year and that ITV rates are expected to increase by 20 percent this year. In addition, Channel 5 is now getting good ratings even with younger audiences, which are prized by advertisers. Overall, Channel 5 takes a share of all the U.K.’s TV viewing that is greater than 10 percent. Before pulling out, Omnicom was expected to invest £50 million with Channel 5, bringing thestationtogenerateaprojected £70 million profit against past losses of £48 million. This is the latest spat between agencies and broadcasters in the U.K. In 2013, WWP pulled all of its clients’ advertising from the U.K.’s Channel 4. WWP controls 35 percent of the U.K.’s TV ad market share, while Omnicom and Publicis control 14 percent each. Further concentration was averted when the planned £35 billion merger between Omnicom and Publicis was not approved. Among the U.K. broadcasters, ITV has 48 percent of the ad market (£1,852 million), Channel 4 has 24.1 percent (£934 million), Sky Media 18.65 percent (£724 million) and Channel 5 has 8.65 percent (£336 million). Last December, Thomas Middelhoff, 61, the former Bertelsmann chief, was found guilty of 27 counts of embezzlement and three counts of tax evasion. About 10 years earlier, another Thomas from another large German media company, Thomas Haffa, now 63, founder of EM.TV, was fined 1.2 million euro for misleading his company’s shareholders. In the year 2000, EM.TV’s capitalization was 10 billion euro. Two years later it dropped to one billion euro, and in 2008 its library was acquired by Studio 100. In the same year, the company changed its name to em sport media (now Constantin Medien). Before the fall, Haffa became a front cover story in the May 10, 1999 issue of BusinessWeek. Before that, in 2002, another large media conglomerate, the Kirch Group, collapsed due to accumulated debts of 6.5 billion euro, Germany’s biggest postwar bankruptcy. Its founder, Leo Kirch, died in 2011, survived by his son, Thomas. “Thomas” Not a Promising Omen for German Media Groups (Continued from Page 4) (Continued on Page 10)
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April 2015 10 World imperial Rome. “Historically,” commented Di Castro, “because Italian Jews were shipped by ancient Romans directly from Judea we’re neither Sephardic nor Ashkenazi.” The museum director pointed out that some of the missing volumes were spotted at several American universities and that the bulk of the books might have been taken by the Russians when they entered Germany. What is known is that the volumes have never reached their target, which was to be a museum in Berlin documenting the “disappearance of the Jewish civilization.” The international plot for the recovery operations could not pass unnoticed and now it is being considered for a documentary to be filmed in Italy, the U.S., Germany, Russia and theNetherlands (one volume has reappeared in Amsterdam). The recovery was originally launched in 2002, when the Italian government instituted a special commissionwith the task of finding the Jewish texts and, today, it is also supported by the police unit for the Protection of Artistic and Cultural Heritage. To jumpstart the new recovery initiative, the JewishMuseum of Rome has created a committee of historians, rabbis and scholars to aid in the research. Pictured are director Alessandra Di Castro and a spokesman from the Jewish community of Rome, Fabio Perugia during the presentation at the Museum of Jewish Heritage — A Living Memorial to the Holocaust in New York City Chinese MediaFunded OutsideChina Starting in 2015, a Chinese group and companies from the city-state of Singapore are putting the equivalent of U.S.$100 million into a fund for investments in China’s media and entertainment industry. The fund was formalized last month and includes games and theme parks. Funding the project are China’s Bona Film, Singapore’s Tembusu Partners and Singaporean media entrepreneur, Calvin Cheng. The existing film and TV co-production agreement between Singapore and China opens up opportunities for the fund to invest in projects that involve Singapore-based media companies. The fund is the first to allow foreign investors to participate in China’s media companies. Recently, Alessandra Di Castro, director of the Jewish Museum of Rome, went to the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York City to jumpstart the project for the recovery of more than 5,000 volumes out of 7,000 stolen in Rome, Italy by the Nazis. In an auditorium packed with Americans of Jewish and other faiths, Di Castro explained that on October 14, 1943, the Nazis loaded three wagons with 7,000 volumes taken from the library of the Jewish community of Rome. The operation ended two months later, on December 23. Only 2,000 books that were loaded onto the third wagon were found by American soldiers inOffenbach, near Frankfurt in 1949. From the first shipments, 25 books were saved because theywere hidden. Di Castro, an antiques dealer by profession, said that the Jewish community of Rome dates back to 70ADand that many of the stolen volumes are priceless. Some of the books bore testimonies of relations between Jews and Christians in postADoc on the Search for Old Jewish Books Stolen by Nazis in Rome (Continued from Page 6)
12 April 2015 Book Review In some 116 pocket-sized pages, Italian author Massimo Arcangeli explains to Italian readers the origin of and various names for the symbol @, possibly the world’s most famous and widely used symbol. Indeed, the author states that by 2010, it was used by two billion people worldwide. The official title of the book (published by Rome-based Castelvecchi, €16.50) is Biografia di una Chiocciola — Storia confidenziale di @, or in English, “Biography of a Snail —The Secret Story of @,” where “snail” is the English translation of the Italian version of “at.” The author, a professor of Italian linguistics at the University of Cagliari, traces the origin of the @ symbol in Medieval times. We’ll later discover, however, that a “linguist” is more of a scientist than a novelist or a journalist — both of whom would tend to have more approachable prose. The beginning of the book is not too amusing. One has to progress to page 16 in order to discover some interesting facts, like how inMarch 2010 the New York City Museum of Modern Art included @ among its collection. Then it’s not until page 19 that we learn that the computer symbol @was born in 1971 and was taken by the American engineer Ray Tomlinson from a rarely-used symbol in the telex located on the same key as the letter “P.” Arcangeli discovered that the symbol was taken from an American typewriter built in 1883 and that Tomlinson was working on the ARPANET project (which gave the basis for the Internet). However, the true electronic mail system was created in 1978 by Shiva Ayyadurai and perfected in 1982 by Abhay K. Bhushan. In e-mail language, @ is like saying “care-of” and it was given the binary code 1000000, or 64 in decimal numbers. Unfortunately, the language used by Arcangeli to describe the evolution is very technical and unintelligible to laymen. The author would have provided a great service to the readers if he were able to explain it in simple, easily understood terms. Plus, in the initial chapters, the author intermixes different facts, which this reviewer is re-arranging in order to present them in a more logical way. From page 27 to page 44 Arcangeli describes the history of the typewriter, and only on page 45 does he return to the @ symbol, which was introduced on the keyboard in 1889. After that he points out that in various parts of the world, the @ is called by names taken from the animal kingdom, like “snail” in the case of Italy and France; a small dog in Armenia, Uzbekistan and Russia; duck in Greece; mouse in China and Taiwan; worm in Hungary; monkey in Germany, and in Poland it’s called a cat. In France, however, the official name is “arrobe,” which is a term that came from Spain in the 1500s where it was called “arroba” and referred to a unit of weight. The author devotes close to 20 pages of the book to listing what the “at” is called in various parts of the world, but the numerous descriptions are very confusing, with unclear punctuation that adds to the guessing game in distinguishing what the @ symbol is called in the country in question. According to professor Arcangeli, the @ evolved between the sixth and seventh century from the letter “a” before “d,” which in Latin spelled “ad” and, later on, in English became “at” and called “ampersand” (but he doesn’t illustrate how “ampersand” was written). Previously, in Spain, the Latin “ad” became a unit of weight written as @ and first called “arrúb” (from the Arab influence “rub,” meaning one-quarter) and later “arroba,” while written as @ appeared in a paper dated 1536: “ a @ of wine, which is 1/30 of a barrel, is worth 70 ducats,” where a “ducat” was a gold or silver coin used as a trade coin in Medieval Europe. Arcangeli’s ample research found an @ in a Bulgarian manuscript written around the year 1115, where it indicated our “a” in “amen.” The final chapter of the book is devoted to the historical representation of @ from manuscripts to inscriptions in artifacts, unfortunately without indicating the time period and with the many illustrations running without proper captions (the picture references were included in the text). The chapter also included a sequence of mathematical equations with formulae to demonstrate the geometry of @. The book ends with an ample bibliography (six full pages) indicating research material that went as far as consulting works about music in Ancient Greece. This reviewer has found out that, curiously, one cannot save a Word document as @. Instead, the computer converts the name to “document1.doc.” A final note about reviewing Italian books: the last time VideoAge reviewed an Italian book was a few years ago, and the book was written by the late philosopher of media and TV executive Carlo Sartori. Our review was strongly criticized in Italy because it focused on the book’s content and did not take into consideration that it was written during Sartori’s battle with a degenerative condition. But the real point is that Italians are not accustomed to analytical and critical reviews and Italian reviewers—often authors themselves — are happy to pat each other on the back, often not having bothered to read the book they’ve reviewed. It is entirely possible that VideoAge will also be criticized for this review of Professor Arcangeli’s book, which came to our attention after a stellar review in the Italian press. DS From Snail to Monkey, the Interesting History of @, Told in an Awkward Way In various parts of the world, the @ is called by names taken from the animal kingdom, like “snail” in the case of Italy and France; a small dog in Armenia, Uzbekistan and Russia; a duck in Greece; mouse in China and Taiwan; worm in Hungary; monkey in Germany, and in Poland it’s called a cat.
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14 Ruediger Boess, SVP of Group Content Acquisitions at German commercial network ProSiebenSat.1, acknowledged that the business of buying and selling television content is changing. “The biggest single change is that it is now a 24/7 business. Buyers and sellers are in constant touch and it is no longer the case that we only meet at markets and conventions.” Yet, despite this assertion, Boess also noted that, “markets and conventions [like MIP-TV] are still very important because meeting face-to-face and getting to know each other is a crucial way to build trust between yourself and partners with whom you have to do business.” Since face-to-face meetings are so important, all attendees are looking to maximize their time at MIP-TV this April 13-16. “We typically put even more effort into this market as compared to the May L.A. Screenings,” said Gene George, EVP of Worldwide Distribution at Starz Worldwide, “as we can get our buyers much more focused to our content.” Starz is so busy at MIP-TV, in fact, that a month ahead of the market, George reported that his team was already 75 percent booked. And speaking of getting buyers to focus on their content, George also announced that Starz is launching a new STARZ Original limited series, Flesh and Bone with a World Premiere Screening for buyers on the morning of Monday, April 13. MIP is also a big market for A+E Networks. Joel Denton, managing director of International Content Sales & Partnerships, stated, “We do a good amount of business here and it’s crucial for moving business along for the year.” The company is even bringing along members of the creative team to meet with their counterparts at other channels and discuss potential co-productions. Denton is looking forward toMIPDoc to “get more time with people and give them the opportunity to spend more time with our shows, as opposed to just talking about them.” However, despite all the good auspices, changes are being felt. To smaller exhibitors, the four-day market in effect becomes a three-day event and thus harder to amortize, compared to when MIP-TV ran over five days. The late market date (due to Passover and Easter) brings MIP-TV even closer to the L.A. Screenings, with some buyers preferring to skip MIP-TV in favor of the May event. Fortunately, though, nowadays the number of film and TV content buyers has grown larger than the number of sellers. Finally, toplevel executives of the only two exhibiting studios will be in attendance for just two days. To compensate for those drawbacks, MIP-TV organizers are packing the event withmore features than ever. Organizers have put together a very busy schedule indeed. TheMIP Digital Fronts will be held April 15-16 in the Grand Auditorium. For the second consecutive year, MIP-TV will also feature Junior at MIP-TV, though this year the event will be held for only one day in the Palais during MIP-TV on April 14. The event will focus on new channels around the world and will feature the “Future of Kids TV Summit” and original online video screenings. Held at the Martinez, the two-day MIPDoc (April 11-12) will feature conferences, case studies, screenings, pitching events and more, including one-on-one buyer meetings. Meanwhile, MIPFormats (also April 11-12), brings together industry executives to learn about industry trends and to network.MIP-TV is also launching a new two-day program (April 13-14) that focuses on drama co-production, commissioning and screenings, dubbed Drama at MIPTV. Jeremy Darroch, group chief executive and executive director at Sky, will deliver the MIP-TV Media Mastermind Keynote on Monday, April 13. Other keynote speakers include Modern Family co-creator and executive producer Steven Levitan, who will spearhead the Drama at MIP-TV lineup. Yannick Bolloré, chairman and CEO of French advertising company Havas, will discuss the future of media and entertainment in his keynote, titled “Content Redefined” on Tuesday, April 14. Marriott International was named MIP-TV’s 2015 Brand of the Year in recognition of its innovative all-screens initiative, through its Global Content Studio. This is the fifth edition of Brand of the Year. For the special focus on the Nordics, over 20 of the top broadcasters, producers, distributors, digital media pioneers and creatives from Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden will participate in various conferences, showcases and networking events. The main “Focus on the Nordics” event will be held on Tuesday, April 14. MIP-TV organizers hope that all these side activitieswill benefit themarket portionof the event, at least for small- andmedium-sized exhibitors. Arabelle Pouliot-Di Crescenzo, managing director at French firm KABO International, said that MIP-TV is the company’s “biggest event so far this year,” and she will take part in MIPFormats as well because the event gathers a “smaller group that focuses on exactly what I do. Format sales are very active in Europe, and KABO also aims to meet with clients from Australia, North America and Asia, though Pouliot-Di Crescenzo added, “Europe is the biggest focus at this event.” Berta Orozco, Sales executive for Western Europe and Africa at Caracol Television said, “MIP-TV is the perfect place to reach clients in France, Germany, Portugal or the U.K., yet we reach clients from around the world, particularly the Middle East and Africa.” Europe and Latin America are the key focuses for Damaris Valer, founder and executive producer at Miami-based Animus Productions. “We expect to meet a growing number of independent production companies looking to partner up in other regions to adapt formats we are currently producing for some countries in Latin America,” he said. “There’s a renaissance in the assembly of co-productions and new investors willing to invest in the right content. Brands and advertisers are also coming to MIP-TV to learn more about content partnerships, so this is great for us.” Esther van Messel, CEO of Switzerland-based First Hand Films, explained, “Because of MIPDoc preceding MIP-TV and our focus on non-fiction, this market is more of a priority for us than MIPCOM. MIP-TV markets never disappoint, and we bring enough staff to handle all the requests that come in during the run-up to MIP.” MIP-TV is also a key event for producers. According to Kate Beal, CEO of Woodcut Media, which specializes in the production of documentaries and other factual content, “As a producer…it is important for me to go to see what ideas are new and what people are talking about. It’s important to be there to get the vibe and find out what’s happening even if I’m not making a sale myself.” MIPDoc has piqued Beal’s interested, though she admitted that it may be hard to find time to attend any of the other activities organizers have put together, as she will be busy with meetings. By Sara Alessi Expecting Déjà Vu All Over Again April 2015 MIP-TV Preview Joel Denton, managing director of International Content Sales & Partnerships at A+E Networks Gene George, EVP of Worldwide Distribution at Starz Worldwide Distribution Ruediger Boess, SVP of Group Content Acquisitions at ProSiebenSat.1
18 When Patrick Elmendorff was growing up in Munich, Germany, he didn’t like the TV business, particularly when he was dragged to TV trade shows by his father Franz, then a sales executive with MCA-TV (now NBCUniversal) and, later, for his own Munichbased company, FJE Film, which he founded in 1981. Elmendorff is now CEO of Studio 100 Media, one of the largest entertainment groups in Europe. The elder Elmendorff died before having a chance to be proven right for his foresight about his son’s career path. But throughout his career in the international TV business, the younger Elmendorff has also been right. He was right in joining Germany’s Beta/Kirch Group in 1995 after a stint at FJE Film that started in 1993 at the age of 26. At that time, the Beta/Kirch Group was the major film-TV company in Europe. He was correct in joining Thomas Haffa, a Beta/ Kirch Group alumni, in 1999, a year after Haffa’s Ismaning, Germany-based EM.TV acquired the Beta/Kirch Group’s children’s programming, which consisted of 20,000 half hours for the equivalent of $280 million (in cash and stocks). With that acquisition EM.TV controlled 34 percent of all animated children’s programming in Germany and 10 percent Europe-wide. Elmendorff was again right when in 2007 he co-founded the Munich-based Studio 100 Media, which a year later acquired EM.TV’s library for 41 million euro (then U.S.$57.5 million) adding classic shows to its catalog, including Maya the Bee and Pippi Longstocking. Studio 100 Media’s parent company, the Schelle, Belgium-based Studio 100 was then an 11-year-old animation production company that in 2006 received a large injection of funds from Fortis Private Equity (now part of the Paribas Group) that acquired 32.56 percent of the group. Studio 100 was founded by three partners, Hans Bourlon, then 34; Gert Verhulst, then 28, and Danny Verbiest, then 51, to produce the children’s TV show Samson and Gert, and launched with a total of five employees. On the show, partner Gert Verhulst was the on-air owner of the puppet dog Samson, which was created in 1989 by puppeteer Verbiest, who lent his voice talents to the dog. Verbiest sold his shares and left the group in 2005. Before founding Studio 100, Verhulst and Bourlon were both working at Belgium’s TV station VRT, the former as a TV presenter and the latter as an in-house producer. With Elmendorff in the mix, Studio 100 Media served as Studio 100’s stepping stone into the German market and it entered into global televisionprogramsales (before that, distribution was handled in-house, but mostly in Belgium and the Netherlands). In 2013 Elmendorff cocreated and became CEO of Studio 100 Film, a film distribution division for all animated film projects from the parent company. This latest venture handled Maya The Bee –– Movie, The House of Anubis and the current movie Vic The Viking, which is expected to hit cinemas in 2017. By 2014, Studio 100 had grown into an entity with over 1,000 employees and offices in Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Germany and Australia. Last year, the group generated revenues of 180 million euro ($205 million). Elmendorff also oversees new business development for the companies, all while serving on the board of the company’s theme parks. Recently, in addition to contributing to the financial development of new TV series and film projects, Elmendorff has begun to develop stage shows in the German-speaking region. Studio 100’s self-proclaimed goal is to “produce content which is engaging entertainment and educational for today’s children and their Exec’s Past Helps The Future of One of Europe’s Major Entertainment Groups April 2015 Company Profi le: Studio 100 (Continued on Page 20) By 2014, Studio 100 had grown into an entity with over 1,000 employees and offices in Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Germany and Australia. Last year, the group generated revenues of 180 million euro ($205 million). Co-CEO and managing director Gert Verhulst Patrick Elmendorff, l., CEO of both Studio 100 Media and Studio 100 Film, with Hans Bourlon, co-CEO and managing director of Studio 100
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20 parents.” The three pillars the company operates on are creativity, innovation and an ethically responsible business. In 2012, television sales represented 17 percent of Studio 100’s activities, its third largest activity behind its theme parks (33 percent) and licensing and merchandising (18 percent). Others include live entertainment (nine percent), broadcasting (six percent), digital and home entertainment (six percent), publishing (three percent) and feature films (one percent). On average, the company does business with more than 160 broadcasters and operates in 110 territories on a regular basis, selling television, video-ondemand and home video licenses. For example, Maya The Bee has been sold to more than 150 countries, including Disney in Japan and Latin America and Discovery Networks in India. In 2008, Studio 100 Animation was founded in Paris, specializing in cartoons for the entire family. And in that same year, Studio 100 TV went on the air, reaching tens of thousands of viewers. Also in 2008, the company took control of Australia animation studio Flying Bark. In Belgium, Studio 100 owns two digital channels — Studio 100 TV and njam!. Studio 100 TV broadcasts around-the-clock music clips, theatrical shows and concert registrations, while njam! is the first digital cooking channel in Flanders. Studio 100 is also on Sky Germany and all UPC platforms in Switzerland via its pay-TV channel Junior TV, which was part of the EM.TV acquisition. In addition to animated and liveaction television, feature films have been part of Studio 100’s business since 1999. The company produces features based on its classic television properties. Live entertainment plays a significant role in Studio 100’s business model, too, and live shows are particularly popular in Benelux. All are created and produced in-house before they go on tour, and they include K3, House of Anubis, Pete the Pirate, Plop the Gnome and Mega Mindy. The company also creates and produces musical shows. Another element of Studio 100’s business is its theme parks. In 1999, Studio 100 took over theMeli fun park on the Belgian coast and transformed it into Plopsaland Park. The company has three venues in Belgium (Plopsaland De Panne, Plopsa Indoor Hasselt and Plopsa Coo), one in the Netherlands (Plopsa Indoor Coevorden) and one in Germany (Holiday Park), drawing over 2.7 million visitors each year. The theme parks feature attractions based on their hit properties such as Vic the VikingandMaya the Bee. Merchandising and licensing are also key to Studio 100’s success, as is itsdigital presence. In 2012, 1,300 newMaya the Bee products were developed, and Studio 100 has 17 multi-lingual online platforms that center on its brands, where kids can play games, color online and even stream content on its YouTube channel. Over the years, the company has created, produced and distributed over 10,000 commercial half-hours of live action and animated TV shows for international and local markets. April 2015 Company Profi le: Studio 100 (Continued from Page 18) www.grbtv.com•sales@grbtv.com STAND R7. K17 March 2015 JUNIOR PAGE_ 7.284”x 9.055” VIDEO AGE 104x30 145x30 22x60 6x60 Bringing the best of Lifestyle The puppet dog Samson with which Studio 100 was started in 1996
24 At the fifth edition of DISCOP Istanbul, which ended February 25, all Turkish exhibitors seemed to be in agreement that playing host comes with a big responsibility to support the event. And they were happy to display the success of their audiovisual sector. Indeed, Turkish companies TRT, ITV Inter Medya, Global Agency, Kanal D, Calinos and ATVwelcomed participantswithmonumentalstands.Asimilareffort will be required this coming October 5-8 in Cannes at MIPCOM, where Turkey is this year’s Country of Honor. To this purpose, Turkish companies are joining forces to plan something “remarkable and unique” in the words of Global Agency’s Fahriye Sentürk. Meetings are already being held on a regular basis to generate collaborative plans tomake a big splash on the French Riviera. As a preview of things to come, on February 22, the day before the three-day DISCOP Istanbul market opened, ITV organized a tour of the ES Film-owned studio where period drama series Filinta is currently shot. MarketorganizerBasicLead’sPatrickZuchowicki reported a growth in DISCOP participants from theMiddle East, Romania and Korea, emphasizing that the latter two especially are now producing many new series. He also mentioned that next year the market — to be held March 1-3, 2016 at the usual International Convention & Exhibition Center, adjoining the Hilton Bosphorous Hotel in Istanbul — will have a focus on Mexico in an effort to boost its Latin American component. This idea was welcomed by exhibitor Hugo Treviño of Televisa, who felt the Latin American presence in Istanbul is important to counterbalance the strength of the high-quality Turkish content available in the region. In addition to showcasing their trademark telenovelas, Televisa was also pushing their formats. At this year’s market, Basic Lead registered 1,225 total participants with about 40 individual exhibiting stands in addition to meeting tables and viewing boxes (utilized by companies such as Italy’s Mondo TV and U.S.-based Scripps). Pavilions grouped operators from China, France, Iraq and Korea. In terms of acquisitions and programming executives in attendance, unsurprisingly, the lion’s share came from Turkey. Other large contingents of delegates came from the UAE, Lebanon, Iraq and Jordan. Several representatives acquiring content for the Balkans region and the former Russian territorieswere also spotted at themarket. Azteca’s Adela Velasco, a veteran at this market, indicated that the number of clients and appointments she had at DISCOP did not change much since last year. She also pointed out that no-shows are still frequent and a pressing issue that needs to be addressed. All stands and meeting tables seemed to register brisk business, though, especially on the second day of the market, and most exhibitors focused on those buyers that usually don’t travel far outside the region to venues such as Cannes or the U.S. markets. Additionally, Azteca America’s VP of Programming, Margarita Black, attended the show for the first time to better understand the territory and to familiarize herself with the culture and companies that are behind the success of the Turkish series. She has already bought and slated a Turkish drama for her network and it will be unveiled at the Upfronts in May. Telemundo Internacional’s Karina Etchison was eager to introduce the region to the company’s latest telenovela, Tierra de Reyes and super-series Dueños del Paraíso, starring superstar Kate del Castillo. She finds DISCOP particularly valuable as a place to meet existing and new clients and “build upon the relationships I have managed to create throughout the years.” Several new Turkish titles were highly visible at the market. Among them was Global Agency’s reality singing format Showtime, which premiered at DISCOP, and two period drama productions from ITV Inter Medya: Resurrection andFilinta. As mentioned before, ITVorganized a tour of the Filinta studio. The drive to the city of Izmit, where the expansive facilities — a lot totaling 300,000 square meters — are located, took more than two hours due to the heavy traffic that plagues the area (Izmit is 80 km from Istanbul). Twenty or so executives, including press, had the chance to visit the outdoor and indoor sets of the studio, which was built in only three months during the summer of 2014. Attendees also had the opportunity to interact with the cast and technical personnel on set. As was explained by lead actor Onur Tuna — who graciously posed for photos with the guests — the series’ shooting schedule is grueling: six days a week, 10 to 15 hours a day, so that 120 minutes can be produced each week. Tour participants were also offered a lunch of local A Turkish Dress Rehearsal For Bigger Things To Come at MIPCOM April 2015 DISCOP Istanbul Review (Continued on Page 26) Televisa’s Lorena Garcia Piña, Silvia Garcia, Hugo Treviño Caracol’s Berta Orozco with TWT’s Ramzi Nakfour On location at the ES Film-owned studio where ITV’s series Filinta is shot
26 April 2015 DISCOP Istanbul Review WORKS DESCRIPTIVE VIDEO WORKS www.descriptivevideoworks.com 1 866 818 3897 AN INTERNATIONAL DIGITAL MEDIA COMPANY We are proud to have described over 11,000 shows and800films Opening the entertainment experience to the blind and partially sighted through Audio Description specialties in the office area of the facilities before heading back to Istanbul. Among the participants on the tour was TRT’s Meltem Tumturk Akyol, whose network programs Filinta and ITV’s other period drama series, Resurrection. She said that there is a lot of interest in this type of historical drama, especially in territories such as Russia and Eastern Europe. On the conference side, the first day saw well attended panels on product placement and alternative news service VICE, whereas the second day was dubbed “Licensing Day” with sessions organized in partnership with Lima (Licensing Industry Merchandisers’ Association); the final day was dedicated to formats. Last but not least, DISCOP offered the usual share of fun with ITV throwing its “unofficial” opening party on the rooftop of the Sofa Hotel during the evening of the first market day, and Global Agency organizing their traditional late-night bash, this time at the Shangri-La Hotel, on the second day of the market. MG (Continued from Page 24) ITV’s Can Okan at the party he hosted at the Sofa Hotel, in the glamorous district of Nisantasi Telemundo’s Melissa Pillow and Karina Etchison A+E Networks’ Lorenzo Bertolotti and Jack Watson in attendance from A+E’s London office
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28 April 2015 International TV Distribution Hall of Fame Alan Silverbach: An International Television Distribution Pioneer Mark Kaner finally got his wish. For years, the president of 20th Century Fox TelevisionDistributionhad been inviting his long-time friend and mentor Alan Silverbach as his guest to Fox’s L.A. Screenings party. In 2013, Silverbach accepted. Silverbach, then 92, once again stood on the famed 20th Century Fox lot. He saw many of the now 100-plus employees in the Fox International Television division, and about 1,500 buyers from around the world. His thoughts took him back more than 67 years earlier when 20th Century Fox Television International’s Television department had a total of one executive — Alan Silverbach himself. Silverbach spent his entire studio career — spanning more than 30 years — at Fox. In 1977, he formed his own independent television sales company, later recruitingHerb Lazarus—another of the pioneering figures in studio TV sales and the first executive Silverbach hired at Fox — to join with him as partner. The Silverbach-Lazarus Group (SLG) grew into a successful independent TV distribution company, taking on programming from top producers attracted to the company by its business model. Lorimar, Chuck Fries, Metromedia and London Weekend Television are just a few of the major players SLG helped propel into domestic television syndication and international distribution. He retired from SLG in 2010. Silverbach, now 94, is among a handful of executives who helped forge international television distribution as a business. At the end of WWII, Silverbach — a bomber for the U.S. Air Force who flew 65 missions piloting B-26s — was accepted into a 20th Century Fox training program for Vets. Whereas his fellow trainees competed for film sales jobs in Europe, Silverbach opted to remain in New York City, believing, at 25 years old, he had more to learn by remaining at headquarters. He became an assistant to Albert Cornfield, the vice president of International Sales, soaking up the ins and outs of foreign film sales. In the years following World War II, there weren’t many television sets in the international marketplace, or TV broadcasters for that matter. Families were busy putting their lives back together. Governments placed priorities on housing and employment. Against this backdrop, With this Issue, VideoAge launches the printed and Web editions of the “International TV Distribution Hall of Fame,” a recurring feature that pays tribute to the pioneers of international televisiondistribution. It honors and recognizes a very select group of executives whose careers shaped an industry and in the process, helped the development of commercial television around the world. These men and womenworked forHollywood studios, filmandTVcontent suppliers across Europe andentertainment companies fromaround theworld. Theyoperatedwithout anykindof roadmap,writing the rulebookas theywent along—yet transformedanancillarybusiness intoaglobal industry. These are the individuals who built the foundation we all stand upon. (Continued on Page 30)
The WIN Network salutes the Pioneers of International Television Distribution and the establishment of a “Hall of Fame” to honour those executives whose careers helped shape the world of television distribution. These executives represented their Hollywood Studios, distributing film and television programmes internationally. With their passion, commitment and drive they transformed an ancillary business into a global industry. These individuals built the foundation upon which others now stand. Bruce Gordon The WIN Network Entertaining Australia
any studio film executive seriously considering a move into television was deemed— to put it in polite terms — unwise. Silverbach described his life and career as “being lucky,” but as the saying goes, we make our own luck. Even with then-president of 20th Century Fox, Spyros Skouras, dismissing television as nothing more than a passing novelty, Silverbach regarded moving from theatrical into television as an opportunity. His first assignment was to ascertain how many television sets were in Europe. He cabled the studio’s international film sales executives to provide him with data. “Are you nuts?” was the response. That’s how it all began for Silverbach, but watching as television started to boom in the U.S. he firmly believed that Europe and the rest of the world would embrace the medium. Various executives came into Fox and departed — frustrated by the slow pace of the fledgling medium in contrast to the excitement of the film business. However, Silverbach always kept his course steady, committed to the idea of television, particularly because it was new. Armed with such programming as Fox’s 1943 family feature My Friend Flicka, he traveled the world to meet with the earliest clients, media companies across Europe committed to building a presence for television in their respective territories. There were no prices — or terms of any kind — yet defined for television programming in the late 1940s. “We priced it until they said yes,” Silverbach recalled. But there was an appetite for American stars among these early foreign clients who saw Hollywood movies as a way to help television gain a foothold within their countries. This appetite, combined with Silverbach’s salesmanship and budding skills as a businessman, culminated in some of the first deals ever made in international television by an American studio. These activities didn’t go unnoticed by the other Hollywood studios of the day — and the international television distribution industry was born. In his early years, Silverbach traveled to Europe and Asia, often joined by Fox’s film distributionexecutives. According toSilverbach, countries that had a theatrical infrastructure in place were the first to embrace television. London and Tokyo were among the cities he frequented, and Silverbach played no small role in assisting broadcasters as they lined up their programming schedules. Silverbach’s first MIP-TV market in Cannes was in 1967, where Fox played a lead role in helping establish an American presence — an objective market organizers sought to achieve by approaching the MPAA and canvasing all the Hollywood studios. With MIP-TV then held at Le Petit Palais, Silverbach recalled the smoke-filled, overheated venue where the few hundred buyer and seller attendees made deals and struck up friendships as a global television marketplace began to take shape. For Silverbach, the early markets were distinguished by how easily competition and comradery coexisted. As he described it, competitors socialized together and cared about one another. Even more significantly, friendships that began during these formative years would continue throughout their careers and even through retirement. For many of this first-generation group of international TV distribution executives, Alan Silverbach contributed greatly to setting the pace and tone for the fledgling industry. Always one of the best-dressed men in the room, Silverbach exuded class and warmth, and a meeting with him was a fun event with plenty of laughter. As he watched Silverbach and his wife Meredith enjoying themselves at the L.A. Screenings party, Mark Kaner reflected on his own association with Silverbach through the years. “I will always strive to emulate the same spirit of collegiality, integrity and fun that defines Alan Silverbach. Alan is one of those rare individuals who demonstrates that you can work hard, be profitable and enjoy every aspect of the job. Alan has always shown me — by deed and by words — that if you always take the high road, and never, ever sweat the small stuff, you will be both happy and successful. What can be better than that!” April 2015 International TV Distribution Hall of Fame 30 (Continued from Page 28) This article appeared in the April/May 1988 edition of VideoAge.
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