DISCOP Africa Spurs TV Sales Latin American telenovelas generated a great deal of interest from African broadcasters at the seventh DISCOP Africa, which ended November 2 at the Sandton Convention Center in Johannesburg, South Africa. Growth from the first DISCOP Africa in Senegal in 2008 to this edition was clearly evident, which is a testament to both the African market’s rapid advancement and DISCOP Africa becoming the pre-eminent African market. The three-day event was well-attended and well-organized. The DISCOP team was everywhere throughout for continued on-site support. Numerous major players were in attendance, including CBS, MTV, Discovery, BBC Worldwide, MGM, NBCUniversal, Telemundo, Sony, Televisa, Caracol, Venevision, DW, Euronews, Endemol and NHK. Plus, there were Brazilian and Chinese pavilions. More than 40 African countries were in attendance, with the Francophone countries particularly well-represented. An event celebrating the FrancophoneAfrica connection held at Michel Gondry’s Home Movie Factory installation was a high point. Telenovelas were some of the key attractions due to their serial nature, relatable storylines and themes –– and the ease with which broadcasters can dub them and find interested sponsors. Among the quality content offered at the market, there was Inside Story, a film produced by Discovery Channel Global Education Partnership (DCGEP) in Kenya and South Africa, with Kenyan, South African and Nigerian actors. It deals with a football (soccer) player confronted with HIV. The film was shot in English, but DCGEP has produced French, Portuguese and Swahili versions as well. The intent is for the film to be broadcast throughout the continent on December 1, World AIDS Day. Also, the pull of football, especially with the upcoming African Cup of Nations set for January, has generated broad interest in the film. CCI Plays Its Cards Right This time, at their traditional preMIPCOM Sunday party, Canada’s CCI Entertainment introduced one of the best conversational games. Each guest was given four cards with a picture of the same TV show upon arrival. The goal was to trade cards with other guests in order to obtain four different cards. The first two winners each won a bottle of Champagne. Content’s King In All Lingos Wall graffiti in Italy: “É il contenuto che conta,” or “Content is what counts,” (scribbled on the top of a mural). The word is out that content is indeed king. Famous Quotes “The Huffington Post, with 35 million unique monthly visitors, probably took in about $60 million last year without showing a profit. That’s what digital success gets you. Current TV, reaching 60 million households, took in $101 million, with nearly $12 million in cash flow. That’s what failure in the cable business gets you.” Michael Wolff in USA Today, November 5, 2012 DE C E M B E R 2 0 1 2 (Continued from Page 6) V I D E O • A G E 8
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