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
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