V I D E O • A G E OC T O B E R 2 0 1 1 14 So many things happened at this past DISCOP in Budapest that one hardly knows where to start. To begin with, there was the overwhelming dominance of Turkish TV distribution companies, not in terms of number but in terms of programming sales (see related story starting on pg. 34). The U.S. studios had a strong presence, which caused some rumbles among the indies when they found out that buyers were bussed off to screen studio product outside the Sofitel Hotel, DISCOP’s market site. Prices for Latin telenovelas and European dramas, especially for Eastern Europe (and the Baltic states in particular) have dropped dramatically. Finally, NATPE and Basic Lead, the two companies that jointly organize DISCOP East in Budapest, announced that, starting next year, DISCOP East will become NATPE-Budapest under the exclusive control of Los Angelesbased NATPE. This was the market in a nutshell, but there was even more — like a press breakfast announcement about the creation of new localized licensing trade shows; a press lunch warning from the Association of Commercial Television in Europe (ACT) about “Rights, New Media & Football;” and a cocktail by Japan’s NHK Enterprises (NEP) to announce its network’s new shows. In addition, there was the widely popular party organized by HBO Budapest, which announced its HBO Go service at the event’s closing bash on its traditional boat floating on the Danube River. The fact that this DISCOP East was different could be gauged on opening day by the news conference where DISCOP founder Patrick Jucaud and NATPE CEO Rick Feldman announced that DISCOP East will become NATPE-Budapest in 2012. Basically, as VideoAge reported in late June, after six years of co-habitation, NATPE has takenmajority ownership of DISCOP East. The DISCOP brand will continue to exist for Jucaud’s other TV trade shows, like DISCOP Africa and DISCOP Istanbul. For these DISCOP trade markets (including the Remakes Market and the Montreux Comedy Market), NATPE will continue to have minority ownership, while Jucaud will retain majority ownership. NATPE-Budapest will thus become NATPE’s second annual market after its traditional U.S.-based trade show, once again to be held in Miami, Florida, next January. Feldman said that he’s not planning to make drastic changes, however all options are open. Next year the Budapest market will take place a week later than usual. In addition, the Sofitel Hotel is not to be taken for granted, as a possible move from Budapest is in the works (although not for next year). Negotiations with the Sofitel are taking place now and the outcome will determine future plans. Finally, all organizational operations for NATPE-Budapest will be moving from Basic Lead’s Paris office to Los Angeles, under the guidance of Jucaud’s people. On day two of the three-day event that ended on June 23, former U.S. studio marketing executive Vincent Alati, currently with Basic Lead, announced the creation of “Signature,” a series of local licensing trade shows “for qualified buyers,” that will start with a Warsaw, Poland event on January 18, 2012. Other venues include Istanbul, Moscow, São Paulo and Seoul. New trade shows organized under the company name Patent International (a 50-50 company by Basic Lead and Alati), include a B2C market, a product placement event and an African Sports Rights Market. But the talk of the market was the reduced license fee that buyers were offering to independent companies. Latin American distributors, as well as Italian and French exhibitors were beside themselves. For example, Russia, which up until recently was paying $3,000 an hour for a drama series, is now offering $1,000. Baltic countries that were looking to pay $100 per episode for Latin telenovelas were willing to pay $1,500 an hour for a Turkish series. Indeed, Turkish companies made out like bandits at this DISCOP, with buyers even engaging in a bidding war for Turkey’s Global Agency’s new series Magnificent. All of Turkey’s six major distributors were in attendance, including ITV, Calinos and TRT, in addition to the aforementioned Global. However, the changing nature of DISCOP was something that distributors, especially Latin American companies, were well aware of. Indeed, only a handful of Latin companies sent Changes, Turkish Power, Studios’ Screenings D I S C O P R e v i e w (Continued on Page 18) The theme of this year’s HBO party at DISCOP was absinthe Starz’s Kristen Stanisz, Gene George, Cynthia Burnett TVFI’s president Xavier Gouyou Beauchamps and executive director Mathieu Bejot Record TV’s Delmar Andrade from Brazil
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