MIPCOM 2010 NEWS N°3

We d n e s d a y

MIPCOM News #3

6 October 2010 OLIVER STONE

OLIVER Stone was in Cannes yesterday at the FremantleMedia Enterprises stand to introduce his latest production, The Untold History Of The United States, to international buyers See page 16

GENE SIMMONS

KISS frontman Gene Simmons took part in Tuesday’s Building Successful Entertainment Brands session, explaining how Kiss had racked up more that 3,000 licensed products See page 22

KEYNOTES

MSN’s Scott Moore (left), executive producer and general manager, and Geoff Sutton, general manager, MSN International Media, give the Connected Experience keynote today at 09.30 in the conference room Esterel, Level 5

www.mipcom.com

LOUIS B. MAYER STARTED OUT IN SCRAP METAL AND SAVED EVERY NICKEL HE COULD TO BUY HIS FIRST MOVIE THEATRE. THE REST, AS THEY SAY, IS HOLLYWOOD HISTORY.

FACTUAL | 7 x 1 hour MIPCOM Stand RB1 Riviera Beach . Cannes www.fremantlemediaenterprises.com

THE EPIC STORIES OF THE MOGULS & MOVIE STARS WHO BUILT HOLLYWOOD. An Ostar Enterprises production for Turner Classic Movies

TIME IS THE ULTIMATE TEST OF FAME

Pop culture junkies will love this look back at some of the most famous faces in entertainment. From how they got their start to how their careers evolved, we’ll reveal exclusive inside info plus show all the shocking transformations—good and bad.

VISIT US AT

©2010 E! Entertainment Television, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

CONTENTS

MIPCOM News 3

MIPCOM Personality Of The Year 2010 Jon Feltheimer of Lionsgate shared his vision of the future in yesterday’s keynote address. Discussing the industry’s need for new business models such as Epix (Lionsgate’s new pay television venture with Viacom, Paramount and MGM), he acknowledged the pain involved in change.

“Change is hard,” he said. “But there is no going back.” The solution lies in good content, he added: “If you make good content in a world marketplace that is hungry for it, you will find plenty of buyers — as long as you don't limit yourself to old models.”

A full report on the speech appears in tomorrow’s MIPCOM News.

The official MIPCOM daily news publication Wednesday, October 6, 2010 Director of publications: Paul Zilk Editorial Department: Editor in Chief: Julian Newby • Deputy Editor: Debbie Lincoln • Sub Editors: Max Leonard, Phil Sommerich • Reporters: Daniela Burnham, Marlene Edmunds, Andy Fry, Emelia Jones, Juliana Koranteng, Rachel Murrell, Gary Smith, Joanna Stephens • Technical Editor in Chief: Herve Traisnel • Deputy Technical Editor in Chief: Frederic Beauseigneur • Graphic Designers: Veronique Duthille, Carole Peres •

Head of Photographers: Yann Coatsaliou – 360 Medias • Photographers: Christian Alminana, Georges Auclaire, Olivier Houeix, Michel Johner • Editorial Management: Boutique Editions Ltd. Production Department: Content Director: Jean-Marc Andre • Publications Production and Development Manager: Martin Screpel • Publishing Coordinators: Amrane Lamiri, Bruno Piauger • Production Assistants: Emilie Lambert, David Le Chapelain • Production Assistant, Cannes Office: Eric Laurent • Printer: Riccobono Imprimeurs • Le Muy (France) Management, Marketing & Sales Team: Director of the Television Division: Laurine Garaude • Director of Digital Media: Ted Baracos • Sales Director: Sabine Chemaly • Communications and Partnerships Manager: Dee Perryman • Programme Director: Tania Dugaro • Managing Director (UK / Australia / New Zealand): Peter Rhodes OBE • Sales Manager: Elizabeth Delaney • Vice President Sales and Business Development, Americas: Robert Marking • Vice President Business Development, North America: JP Bommel • Executive Sales Director, North America: MJ Sorenson • Sales Executive: Panayiota Pagoulatos • Sales Manager: Paul Barbaro • Sales Executive: Liliane Dacruz Sales Manager: Nathalie Gastone • International Sales Managers: Fabienne Germond, Olivia Screpel • Sales Manager: Samira Haddi • Digital Media Sales Manager: Nancy Denole • Australia and New Zealand Representative: Natalie Apostolou • China Representative: Anke Redl • CIS Representative: Alexandra Modestova • Czech Republic and Slovakia Representative: Milan Stritesky • English-speaking Africa representative: Arnaud de Nanteuil • India Representative: Anil Wanvari • Israel Representative: Guy Martinovsky • Japan Representative: Lily Ono • Latin America Representative: Elisa Aquino • Middle-East Representative: Bassil Hajjar • Poland Representative: Monika Bednarek • South Korea Representative: Sunny Kim • Taiwan Representative: Irene Liu • Germany Mobile & Music Representative: Renate Radke Adam • Germany Advertising Representative: Nathalie Daube

NEWS

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FEATURES Connected TV Focus on MENA

www.mipcom.com Published by Reed MIDEM BP 572 • 11, rue du Colonel Pierre Avia 75726 Paris Cedex 15 • Contents © 2010, Reed MIDEM Market Publications • Publication Registered: 4th quarter 2010

Printed on 100% recycled paper

...and live on MIPBlog: - MIPCOM day 2 conference liveblog reports and full videos - MIPCOM day 3 realtime coverage blog.mipworld.com

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CONFERENCE AND EVENTS 30

All today’s conferences and special events at a glance

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NEWS

MIPCOM Personality of the Year A GLITTERING reception and dinner took place at the Carlton last night to honour Jon Feltheimer, co-chairman and CEO of Lionsgate, the MIPCOM 2010 Personality of the Year.

Jon Feltheimer, co-chairmaCEO, Lionsgate; Elisabeth Moss and Jon Hamm

William Pfieffer, CEO, Tiger Gate; Laurie Feltheimer; and Peter Iacono, managing director international television, Lionsgate

Victoria Goodman with Andy Kaplan (left), president of networks, Sony Pictures Television; and Gary Goodman, executive vice-president of television production

Herb Granath, chairman emeritus ESPN, Herbert Kloiber, managing director, Tele Munchen Group; Reed MIDEM's Paul Zilk; and Gary Marenzi, president of worldwide television, MGM Studios

Takuma Sobatani, producer, Pony Canyon; Akemi Takahashi, deputy director, content creation and distribution, Fuji Television Network; and Eri Kubo, producer, Pony Canyon

Rainer Siek, owner, MT.NY and Herbert Kloiber, managing director, Tele Munchen Group

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BUSY TIMES DOWN UNDER TELEVISION must only be the starting point: that was the message given by Guy Gadney, director of The Project Factory.

“Narratives and character development now play out using digital media,” he said. “It’s about using technology as a storytelling mechanism.”

Gadney was speaking as one of Australia’s leading content creators, five of whom gathered at the What’s Going On Down Under conference on Tuesday to give case studies of digital innovation and transmedia creativity. During a discussion on cross-platform content and alternative revenue streams, Mike Conway, managing director of The Wiggles, said: “We have to have new skills.

This is a new world, a fragmented world, and everyone has to be trained in that.”

The session was chaired by Firelight Productions’ executive producer, Marcus Gillezeau.

Gregor Jordan showcases Smashcut and ponders film’s digital future AUSTRALIAN director and screenwriter, Gregor Jordan, launched his new online project Smashcut at the Opening Keynote of the Spotlight On Australia this MIPCOM. Smashcut, co-produced with transmedia specialists The Project Factory, is Jordan’s answer to how the film industry might interface with the digital world.

“Film has been changing hugely in the last two years,” said Jordan, director of Ned Kelly, Two Hands and Buffalo Soldiers, and also writer of the second two films. “Digital seems to be the next big thing, although people in the industry don’t yet know how to move forward.

“Smashcut allows users to create, share and watch dramatic content

Gregor Jordan: “All we need is content”

online. It’s like YouTube, but offers users access to high-quality, raw footage, and the technology for peo-

ple to edit these dailies in order to create new content.”

Interviewed by his partner, The Project Factory’s director Guy Gadney, Jordan emphasised that contentproviders must become more flexible in order to embrace these new, innovative technology projects: “We worked very hard to make a bespoke deal with Universal for the rights to feature Australian band Powderfinger on Smashcut,” said Jordan.

“Luckily, I had a close relationship with the band which really helped in making it happen.

“The only thing we are lacking now is content; people need to see Smashcut as a new distribution platform.”

AMONG the guests gathered at the CBeach Restaurant for the Spotlight On Australia Lunch on Tuesday were (from left): Reed MIDEM’s Anne de Kerckhove and Peter Rhodes; Jenni Tosi, general manager of industry development and investment, Film Victoria; Guy Gadney, The Project Factory; and director Gregor Jordan

It pays to work with Australia The Wiggles’ Mike Conway

The Project Factory’s Guy Gadney

TAX REBATES, talent and increasingly flexible co-production guidelines were just three of the advantages detailed at the MIPCOM Working With Australia Workshop And Matchmaking Event on Tuesday.

Participants heard Fiona Cameron, Screen Australia’s head of strategy and operations, get into the nitty gritty of production financing.

“A new expanded points test recognises the reality of contemporary film-making and gives credit to heads of department not previously allocated points,” she said.

She also pointed out that co-productions with local companies

automatically pass the ‘significant Australian content test’, meaning that such TV and documentary projects receive a 20% rebate.

Screen NSW chief executive Tania Chambers added: “We are extremely experienced in multi-party, co-financed deals. Creatively, our people are very familiar with that.”

Other presenters were: Emma Humphreys, Tourism Australia’s PR manager, UK, Ireland, Nordic and Netherlands; Jane Roscoe, network programmer, Special Broadcasting Services Corporation; and Jenni Tosi, general manager of industry, development and investment, Film Victoria.

Screen Australia’s Fiona Cameron: “Australia mustn’t hide its light under a bushel”

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NEWS

YOUTUBE TO TAKE WIDE-ANGLE VIEW THE OPERATORS of videosharing website YouTube will use Thursday’s session Working With YouTube: Tales From The Digital Frontier to demonstrate how it has become the ultimate international distribution platform.

The session, featuring two major European media groups and an independent video distributor, is designed to bring together content creators and distributors, large and small, to discuss how working with YouTube fits their strategy.

“We believe it will be more powerful to hear from the people actually using YouTube,” said Jeffrey Nathenson, YouTube UK’s head of film, music and sport. “The range of panelists proves that it has become a great way for traditional broadcasters like Rai from Italy and French media giant Largardere to reach a new generation of viewers, while also working for smaller independent players like X-Treme Video.”

At a time when parent company Google is to launch Google TV, Nathenson added: “YouTube will be an element within Google TV.” The session will be introduced by Patrick Walker, YouTube’s director of partnerships, EMEA. The speakers include X-Treme Video’s Franck Bywalsky, Largardere’s Gregory Dray and Andrea Portante of Rai New Media.

Rai’s Andrea Portante (left), and YouTube UK’s Jeffrey Nathenson

Shields urges marketers to join the social-media revolution “THE FUTURE is here and the potential for social media is nothing short of phenomenal,” Joanna Shields, Facebook vice-president, EMEA, told delegates at the keynote

Engaging Your Audience Through Social Media.

Shields added that Facebook users spend 700 billion minutes a month on the site, sharing 30 billion pieces

Facebook’s Joanna Shields: “We are hardwired to talk”

of content. She added: “We are hardwired to talk and to share our own experiences.”

Social media had created a “tectonic shift” in the media world.

She told delegates it was possible to use Facebook very effectively in branding and advertising. Polling is a very effective tool, she added, noting that when Toy Story 3 came out in the UK, 140,000 people answered polls and there were 200,000 ‘likes’ in one weekend.

In a Q&A following the keynote, Shields said traditional advertising has been campaign-based and, when the event is finished, activity tapers off. “Facebook allows you to continue to reinforce the message even after the event has finished.”

“It’s an incredible marketing tool,” she said, but added: “You need to take stock of your brands, look at the equity and figure out a marketing plan to back it up.”

Branded entertainment’s perils posted BRANDED entertainment is seen by some as new money for content, but the reality is far more complex, speakers agreed at Tuesday’s Branded Entertainment Summit: Hear From The Thought Leaders.

In reality, the relationship between clients, agencies, producers and platforms is complex, delicate and constantly changing. As Peter Tortorici, president, GroupeM Entertainment, explained, managing this relationship takes a lot of time too — and that makes it expensive.

“Aligning everyone’s interests takes more than luck. It takes skill. And the whole thing is always in motion. So we all have to be very quick on our feet.”

The creative challenges are legion, but Robert Friedman, president of media and entertainment, @radical.media,

cut through the noise when he argued that it is the viewer that counts. “It’s hard to manage everybody’s needs, but our key client is the viewer. [If] we forget that, we’re dead!”

For large and costly projects, the risk of failure is high. But as Dominique Delport, CEO of Havas Media, said, it’s hard to keep client expectations realistic while at the same time recognising that branded entertainment only works with high-level executive buy-in. “It’s a conviction business,” he said.

Also on the panel were Ogilvy Entertainment’s Douglas Scott, Publicis Entertainment’s Marcus Vinton and NBC Universal Digital Studio’s Cameron Death. The session was moderated by media commentator and journalist Kate Bulkley.

GroupeM Entertainment’s Peter Tortorici: “Be quick on your feet”

entertaining everywhere. entertaining everyone.

Stand H4.05

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FILM COMMISSIONS SET OUT STALL WHILE there are is no national film commission in Finland as yet, efforts to create one are being put on the front burner.

That’s the word from Sanna Kultanen, project manager for Film Location Finland, an umbrella group for the four regional Finnish film commissions, speaking at the Meet Film Commissions And Media Funds conference.

Alessandra Bergero

Arie Bohrer

Alessandra Bergero, president of the Italian Riviera Alpi Del Mare Film Commission, admitted that one of the reasons she had started up the film commission was because the landscape in her area was gorgeous, but during the winter the hotels were pretty empty so rates were very reasonable.

Arie Bohrer of Film Austria and Austrian Independent Film Producers, and president of the European Film Commissions Network, also addressed the conference.

Format gurus suggest how to save cash without sacrificing quality SBS TV’s Maria Thastum: “a competition plus local masters”

TVNorge/FEM’s Eivind Landsverk: “very limited budgets in Scandinavia”

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FORGET democracy when it comes to multi-territory production. That was the advice handed out at the Entertainment Master Class (EMC) Producers Forum on how to lower the cost of creating expensive formats.

Maria Thastum, head of entertainment at Denmark’s SBS TV, shared her experiences of what works — and what doesn’t — in the challenging world of format co-productions.

Democracy is fine in terms of casting but never in production, Thastum told a packed auditorium. The idea of multi-territory production is “to create synergies and save money”, she added — a goal that is rarely achieved

if the partners become embroiled in the minutiae of, say, employing exactly the same number of camera operators from each participating country.

Eivind Landsverk, programme director of TVNorge and FEM, observed that, if done right, multi-territory creation could lower costs, generate more broadcast customers and increase revenue.

“And being small markets, we have very limited budgets in Scandinavia,” he said.

In Thastum’s view, producing one ‘master’ show for all the territories can work for certain formats, although language and cultural differences invariably present problems. Local masters, in which there is one recording and

several locally edited versions, are a better option, but cost more money.

Back-to-back production, in which studio facilities are shared and 100% local products produced, is the safest approach, but more expensive again.

“Our latest approach is a competition plus local masters,” she said, citing Wipeout as the ultimate example.

“Wipeout was the highest-rated TV show ever in Sweden and Denmark — and that’s of all shows of all genres,” she added.

Also speaking on the panel were the EMC’s director of studies, Christoph Fey, Kanal 5’s Sara Goldensohn and 4mat4media’s Ludo Poppe.

Producers enthuse about French TRIP FRANCE unveiled details of its new tax rebate, known as TRIP, in the Production Incentives In France conference.

“You can’t go through both doors,” said Patrick Lamassoure, managing director of the Commission Nationale du Film France, noting that those who wanted to shoot in France needed to choose either TRIP or the traditional route.

Olivier-Rene Veillon, executive director of Ile de France Film Commission, added, however: “For those who want to shoot in France but couldn’t because of budget issues, TRIP has added a new level of competitiveness.”

The first season of the BBC’s fantasy drama Merlin was shot in Picardy in

2008 without the tax rebate, but Renaud Mathieu, who produced on both seasons, said that the timing of TRIP came in very handy in the second season when it came to putting budgets together.

John Bernard, line producer for Peninsula Film, said the ability to move the paperwork and refund quickly was a significant factor in TRIP’s favour.

“Cash flow is a huge issue,” he added.

Peninsula’s John Bernard

Film France’s Patrick Lamassoure

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NEWS

Movers and shakers …

OLIVER Stone was at MIPCOM yesterday at the FremantleMedia Enterprises (FME) stand to introduce his latest production to international buyers, with an interview by Sir David Frost. The 10-part TV series called The Untold History Of The United States, was produced for Showtime. It revisits some of the historical dramas that have inspired some of Stone's biggest movies, and will attempt to offer new insight into events that shaped the Cold War and the United States of today. Pictured are: David Ellender (left), global CEO, FremantleMedia Enterprises, interviewer Sir David Frost, producer and director Oliver Stone, FME's senior vice president of acquisitions & development (Americas) Jeff Tahler, and producer Fernando Sulichin

ce with ing his television presen g queen RuPaul is expand this week.

COM MIP at AMERICAN actor and dra ting mo pro is Drag U, which he l a third series of RuPaul’s and tutoring on how to fee who undergo makeovers en . wom s said file aul pro RuP ies e,” ser fac The e’s just about painting someon ng one’s beautiful again. “It’s not to make magic by changi how ut abo It’s t. tha n tha ’s Drag Race aul RuP ies, “It goes deeper ser hit s viou spin-off of two pre titles for Logo, the es duc perception.” Drag U is a pro r Untucked. World of Wonde e: Rac g asters Dra ’s adc aul bro 20 RuP n and re tha handles sales. To date, mo ada, Sweden and the Can and Passion Distribution and s, title e Rac g ght the Dra around the world have bou mats also are available. on to broadcast Drag U. For Netherlands have signed

THE MIPCOM 2010 Buyers ’ Award For Japanese Dra ma, Drama Festival in Tokyo was presented to Tokyo Bro awarded by The Japanese adcasting System Televisi (TBS) for the drama series on Jin, the Edo period. TBS division about a doctor who is transported back in time to president, media busines s division, Ryoichi Nitta, accepted the Award at Mo nday night’s MIPCOM Ope ning Night Party, which was organised in partnership with The Japanese Drama Festival in Tokyo, along wit KOCCA and Saban Brands h

Connected Creativity Inspire. Connect. Transact.

4-7 April 2011

Find out more tomorrow The New Global Entertainment & Technology Marketplace

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NEWS

Lookout! Titanic to sail again 100 years after maiden voyage ACADEMY Award-winning writer Julian Fellowes (Gosford Park, The Young Victoria, Downton Abbey) is the talent behind a new mini-series about the sinking of the Titanic, coproduced by Lookout Point, Deep Indigo Productions and ITV Studios Global Entertainment.

“The Titanic provides a microcosm of the world at large,” Fellowes said. “The sinking of the Titanic happened at a crucial time in history, when people were steering towards the iceberg of the First World War.” Fellowes described how Titanic (4 x 60 mins/2 x 90 mins), intricately weaves multi-character stories to construct a new vision of the Titanic disaster.

“A project of this scale can only be produced with the support of inter-

ITV Studios’ Tobi de Graaf (left), writer Julian Fellowes and Lookout Point’s Simon Vaughan

national markets and we are delighted to have the green light from our UK, Irish and Canadian broadcasters, who provide the bedrock of our funding,” said Simon Vaughan, founder of Lookout Point.

Having secured deals with CanWest Global Communications in Canada and TV3 in Ireland, Vaughan is looking forward to opening talks with broadcasters in territories including the US, Japan, France and Italy.

“This major event mini-series will be launched in 2012 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic,” he added. “It has been a bruising couple of years for companies who want to make ambitious TV, but we are extremely fortunate to be working with the strongest players in the market.”

Formats and music for ITV Studios HIT FORMAT Come Dine With Me is now in 30 local versions, confirmed ITV Studios Global Entertainment, as it unveiled three new deals in Cannes.

The latest versions will be made for TV3 Ireland, CYBC Cyprus and new Iranian broadcaster Marjan Television Network. Between them they will produce 125 new episodes. ITV Studios also announced it has closed a multiyear deal with the UK’s Channel 4 for additional daytime and primetime episodes.

In other news, ITV Studios has reached a distribution agreement with US company Base Productions. It means the UK company will have exclusive worldwide rights outside the US to formats and series produced by Base. The first fruits of the deal are three episodes of Mystery 360, which are available to international buyers

All singing the same tune: Wienerworld’s Anthony Broza (left), Elm Sreet’s Howard Kruger, ITV Studios’ Steve Gallant, and Elm Street’s Duncan Smith

at MIPCOM for the first time. The 60minute programmes use new technology and CGI to investigate un-

explained phenomena including Big Foot and ghosts haunting a prison.

In the UK, meanwhile, ITV Studios

has given Elm Street Media Productions license to exploit rare and previously unavailable music footage.

The footage, long dormant in ITV’s archives, includes live performances and studio sessions by international hit-makers such as Status Quo, Belinda Carlisle, Pulp, Motorhead and Nick Cave.

Many of the original recordings were produced by former ITV commissioner Duncan Smith, who is now Elm Street’s managing director. “I’m coming face-to-face with programmes I made 20 years ago at ITV, where I had great relationships with the artists,” Smith said.

London-based Wienerworld has bought global DVD rights. However, international broadcast rights to the initial 70 hours of footage are still available, Smith said.

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Evolve or perish

“ENTERTAINMENT is a business,” Kiss bassist, reality star and brand entrepreneur Gene Simmons told delegates at the Building Successful Entertainment Brands session on Tuesday. “It’s your professional and fiduciary duty to spread your brand.”

And Simmons practices what he preaches. Since Kiss launched in 1973, it has racked up more than 3,000 licensed products ranging from condoms to funeral caskets. As Simmons said: “We have you coming and going.”

Fellow panellist Bob DeBitetto, president of A&E Network and BIO Channel, described how Simmons helped reinvent A&E. “Kiss and Gene were bigger brands than we were. We thought, why not get next to that?”

A&E launched Gene Simmons’ Family Jewels in 2006. The series has now aired 100 episodes, helping A&E reach new heights on social media.

“On Facebook, our brands recently got 35 million impressions in one month,” said DeBitetto.

But DeBitetto is not prescriptive about what’s next. “With brands, you evolve or perish,” he said.

“At A&E, we’re comfortable with a certain amount of chaos as our brands evolve and move forward.”

sales.redbullmediahouse.com

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GONG LAUNCHES VOD PLATFORM GONG Media, the multi-platform entertainment destination for 15- to 29-year-olds, is at MIPCOM this week for the launch of Gongvision, its new international VOD platform.

Speaking to the MIPCOM Daily News, Gong founder Andre de Semlyen said the creation of a dedicated on-demand destination will allow Gong to have a more immersive and engaged relationship with its audience. Through the platform it will offer a range of free-toview programming, as well as streaming, download-to-own and download-to-rent payment models. The idea is that viewers will consume the content as and when it suits them.

Voltron rises again in animated series based on Eighties classic

Classic Media’s Chloe van den Berg (left), WEP’s Ted Koplar and Bob Koplar, and Classic Media’s Nicole Blake

VOLTRON, the giant guardian of the universe formed by five robotic lions, will come alive for a new generation.

Classic Media and World Events Production (WEP) are relaunching the classic property to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the original series. And, along with Hollywood production company Kickstart Productions (Wanted, Wolverine And The X-

Men), they will co-produce a new 26 x 30 mins animated television series.

Called Voltron Force, the series will feature 2D and CGI animation. It is the first cartoon based on the franchise in 10 years, and is scheduled to debut on Nicktoons in 2011.

Classic Media is handling the worldwide distribution and merchandising, and it has been announced that Mat-

tel has signed as the master toy licensee.

“Classic Media’s exceptional brand management capability will play an integral role in the highly anticipated relaunch of this classic property,” said WEP’s president, Ted Koplar. “Voltron’s legacy of innovative and iconic toys is in great hands with Mattel, whose vision promises to re-imagine and reinvigorate Voltron toys like never before.”

TEDTalks take to Europe’s airwaves Gong’s Andre de Semlyen: “Anime, anytime, anywhere”

“We already have many strong relationships with mobile, online and TV platforms around the world,” said de Semlyen. “But Gongvision is a new way for us to connect with the audience.”

Gong is best known as a Japanese anime provider.

However, de Semlyen said it also had “a mix of video gaming, magazine and music programming — anything we think is right for our audience”.

TALKS by some of the world’s greatest thinkers will be made available for free broadcast thanks to an agreement between the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and TED. Under the TED Pilot Open TV Project, the EBU’s 75 active members will be allowed both to broadcast the TEDTalks (also available for free at www.TED.com) and to create new programming around them.

TED is a non-profit organisation devoted to ‘ideas worth spreading’. At its annual conference, figures such as Bill Gates, Al Gore, Philippe Starck and Isabel Allende are invited to speak for 18 minutes.

“This agreement fits in well with public service values in bringing

quality knowledge and information to wide audiences,” said Nicoletta Iacobacci, the EBU’s head of interactive TV and cross-media.

TED began 25 years ago, as a four-day conference in California that brought people from the worlds of technology, entertainment and design together.

The EBU is the largest association of national broadcasters in the world, promoting co-operation between broadcasters and facilitating the exchange of audiovisual content.

Last month, the EBU held the first TEDx event, TEDxTransmedia, hoping to inspire public-service broadcasters to create innovative content and strategies in a bid to connect with the audience of the future.

EBU’s Nicoletta Iacobacci: “bringing quality information to wide audiences”

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BENTLEY Productions’ Midsomer Murders is one of the best-selling shows on the international market — currently licensed to 230 territories by All3Media International. After more than 80 episodes of murder and mayhem it has a new star — following the decision by John Nettles (DCI Tom Barnaby) to hand in his badge.

So how does the new lead Neil Dudgeon feel about taking over from a television icon like Nettles? “It’s been great,” he said. “People ask me this a lot but the truth is that the show and the scripts are so strong that it makes the process much easier.”

Dudgeon plays DCI John Barnaby, the younger cousin of outgoing Tom — and he’s clearly delighted that the chance to star in such a high-profile show came his way: “As an actor, you always welcome this kind of opportunity — particularly because it brings with it the chance to act opposite fantastic talents like Edward Fox.” Dudgeon, who made a guest appearance in Nettles’ final episode, is joined in Midsomer by his headmistress wife Sarah, played by Fiona Dolman — also in Cannes to promote the show, and as upbeat as Dudgeon: “I’ve been trying to get a guest part on Midsomer for ages. Now I get to be involved without being murdered after one episode.”

Brian True-May, MD of Bentley and producer of the show, has no qualms about the handover — and says it has resulted in some interesting dynamics: “Because Neil’s character is younger, his relationship with Jason Hughes, who plays DS Ben Jones, has gone in a new direction. Overall, the new casting has helped reinvigorate the show.”

Midsomer newcomers

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MIPCOM NEWCOMER KATE LEBEDEFF managing director, Deluxe Television, Germany.

“Deluxe Television is convinced that cable, IPTV, on-demand and satellite platforms will have a big appetite. Deluxe Television started in 2005 with Deluxe Music, the first sophisticated music TV, and today, the group, is one of the biggest providers of music programmes in Europe.

The latter are distributed and commercialised worldwide via satellite, cable and the internet.

“High quality standards and the idea of maximum music marketing form the basis of its portfolio which, besides TV and radio, also combines an online platform with an integrated shop, a label and production company.

“Deluxe Lounge HD, the first HD music TV channel worldwide, captivates viewers with exclusive content — lounge, chillout and ambient, enhanced by breathtaking landscape shots.

“Our calendars are full with meetings with potential distribution partners here.

Deluxe Lounge HD is launching on another large German cable operator, and we have deals in the pipeline in France, Switzerland, Poland, Slovakia and other territories all launching within the next four to six weeks!”

Calvet unleashes Superprod by pacting with DQE on Lassie SUPERPROD, the company launched by former Gaumont-Alphanim CEO Clement Calvet just days before MIPCOM, has signed its first deal, with DQ Entertainment (DQE) to co-produce Lassie.

Calvet had been CEO of Gaumont Alphanim since 2007, and before that of Alphanim before it linked with Gaumont.

“I’ve worked with DQE and DQE’s chairman and CEO, Tapaas Chakravarti, for more than 10 years so we have a long history together,” he said. “We’ll be sharing the production and Superprod will be doing pre- and post-production.”

“When you start up a new company, it’s important to get up and running as fast as possible, so being able to pick up Lassie and continue working with a partner like Tapaas is amazing.”

Superprod has also signed a development agreement with TF1 and is

Reunited: DQE’s Tapaas Chakravarti (left), and Superprod’s Clement Calvet

expecting to be picking up global payTV broadcasters shortly.

Chakravarti said: “I’m delighted that Clement Calvet has joined the gang of entrepreneurs and once again will

share the joys as well as the anguish of being a creator as well as producer.”

Calvet has several films to his credit as well. He said Superprod will also be producing live action.

Cappon maps Rai’s course on global map ONE WAY to show that you mean business in international expansion is to put one of your top executives in charge. This is what Rai has done — by naming former director general Claudio Cappon as CEO of NewCo Rai International, the company responsible for managing the Italian pubcaster’s global activities.

Cappon told MIPCOM Daily News that NewCo is part of a new strategic plan “which recognises that Rai needs to be active in the international marketplace if it is to compete effectively in the emerging media landscape”.

Part of NewCo’s mandate is public service, which means strengthening Italy’s image worldwide through the diverse content available on its international channels. But there is also a commercial agenda, Cappon said. “It’s early days, but the idea eventually is that all interna-

tional activities, such as global channels, programme distribution and production, will be managed by NewCo.” There is also likely to be a new name.

“There is a lot that is yet to be decided

— including our financial resources.

But it’s clear that branding will be an important part of what we do — and we won’t be able to call ourselves NewCo in five years’ time.”

NewCo Rai’s Claudio Cappon: “Rai needs to be active in the international marketplace”

NEWS

27

Stars and dealmakers in action KEN FINKLEMAN is preview ing his satirical comedy series Good Dog, in which he pla ys a neurotic TV producer wh o seduces a much younger woman — and then pitc hes a reality series about his life . “My new series really has a fee l of the French new wave; it simply follows the life of a moder n middle-aged man in the city, talking about what’s goi ng on around him,” he said. Pro duced

by Shaftesbury Films in association with Astral’s The Movie Network and Corus Entertainment’s Movie Cen tral, the 13 x 30 mins series premieres on Canadian pay -TV outlets The Movie Networ k and Movie Central in 2011

e Television’s David Zucker Rola Bauer and Scott Fre co-production The Pillars TANDEM Communications’ ma dra erel to discuss lavish in the US. Bauer and took to the stage in the Est rz mini-series backed by Sta tion strategy came Of The Earth, an eight-part duc pro and del mo al nci the fina Zucker discussed the way ject together on this epic pro

on of Ben Hur. ibution rights to the mini-series versi DRG has bought the international distr and Germany’s 3 na Ante ’s Spain US, de ABC for the Buyers of the $25m, four-hour epic inclu roducer Muse Entertainment’s co-p ): right to (left are OM MIPC at ProSieben. Sealing the deal ibutor Alchemy von Hennet, DRG’s Patrick Roberts, distr Michael Prupas, ProSieben’s Thomas al film’s origin the of son r, Wyle David Genetic TV’s TV Distribution’s Nick Witkowski, and r director, William Wyle

AFTER garnering excelle nt ratings on UK broadcast er ITV, the Touchstone HD series Single Handed, dist ributed by Zodiak Rights , has been re-commission ITV1 and Irish broadcast ed for er RTE. Owen McDonnell, who plays Irish rural pol Jack Driscoll, was in Can iceman nes and arrested the atte ntio n of RTE ’s Jane Gogan (left), Jane Millichip of Zodiak Rights and series produc er Clare Alan

INFINITE Frameworks’ Nick North (left), joined forces with Corus Entertainment’s Irene Weibel, Telefilm’s Florence Moureaux and Nelvana Enterprises’ Colin Bohm to announce a new series in CGI of Franklin And Friends (26 x 22 mins). Franklin celebrates his 25th anniversary in 2011

y Drop, which has drawn 13 ENDEMOL’s high-stakes game The Mone rs in the UK, had its international playe e million viewers and 450,000 onlin party are Tom Toumazis (left), h launch at MIPCOM. Pictured at the launc Money Drop’s executive The p, Grou mol Ende r, office l ercia chief comm Group CEO mol Ende , Kreiz Ynon and , producer David Flynn

28

NEWS

MIPCOM NEWCOMER JERONIMO MACANAS, CEO, mgMEDIA, Spain.

mgMEDIA’s Jeronimo Macanas: expanding into the US and Latin America

“mgMEDIA is a company devoted to technology for digital-content multichannel distribution. Its innovative technological solutions, offered in software, as a service model, make it possible to create business models for the digital distribution of movies, music and e-books to connected devices (TV, Blu-ray players, set-top boxes) mobile phones and the internet. My goal for MIPCOM is to reinforce our network, especially with content providers around the world.

“We are setting up an ‘offHollywood’ player for connected devices in the US market. As a second phase we will expand the service to Europe. I am looking for long-term partnerships with contentproviders who share our strategy of innovating in cinema distribution. We aggregate content for several initiatives in the digital cinema-distribution environment.

“Our business has changed completely over the past 12 months. We have seen that our strategy is on the right path. We are expanding our business to the US and Latin America, and we have plans to start operations in the Middle East.”

Asian natural history partnership sees Nagarhole elephants in 3D ASIA’s remote national parks are the subject of a six-part documentary series, Asia’s Wild Treasures, a collaboration between NDR, ARTE, Swiss TV, EIKON, Oak3 Films and Singapore’s Media Development Authority.

Elephants in Nagarhole National Park in India will be shot in 3D, while the rest of the series will be in HD. Series producer Sharmila Choudhury worked closely with David Attenborough while she was a member of the BBC Natural History Unit. Her production credits include Planet Earth, The Ganges and The Life Of Birds.

The series has been pre-sold to Italy,

Elephants on parade in Asia's Wild Treasures (TVF International)

France, Switzerland and Hungary, among others. The remaining distri-

bution is being handled by TVF International.

KELLY Rowan (The OC, Flashpoint), is set to star in a new series of movies for television, co-produced by Breakthrough Entertainment, Salient Point Productions and Colossus Entertainment. She will play Rebecca Kane, a newly paroled prisoner working with the local chief of police. “Breakthrough is thrilled to be working with actor/producer Kelly Rowan, producer Graham Ludlow and writer Donald Martin on this new series of mystery movies,” said Marina Cordoni, executive producer of movies at Breakthrough.

Let the music play, says Nordisk NORDISK Film & TV has signed a deal with Audio Network, giving the Banijay Entertainment-owned company unlimited access to more than 35,000 music tracks from the broadcast music producer and supplier’s library.

“Audio Network’s simple approach of pre-clearing the entire library for distribution across all platforms, all territories, in perpetuity, saves Nordisk time, money and hassle,” said Audio Network’s business development director, Jean-Paul Ditmarsch.

“Audio Network is the perfect fit,” said Nordisk’s head of entertainment, Per Jorgen Ostby. “Nordisk has a strong, proactive attitude towards creativity and high-quality content.

Audio Network’s music catalogue is

of the highest quality and covers all creative genres. Best of all, their music comes without the licensing, cost

restrictions and limitations of many other libraries — it’s the perfect resource for us.”

Partners in perfect harmony: Audio Network’s Jean-Paul Ditmarsch (left) and Juliette Squair, with Nordisk Film & TV’s Per Jorgen Ostby

NEWS

Stars come to Cannes to promote Endemol’s latest Hot property HOLLYWOOD actors Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Leeves and Wendie Malick are in Cannes to promote their hit cable sitcom.

Hot In Cleveland sees Bertinelli (One Day At A Time), Leeves (Frasier) and Malick (Just Shoot Me) play three friends from LA who, finding themselves stranded in a US backwater, rent

a house together and start afresh.

Created by Emmy-Award winning writer Suzanne Martin (Frasier, Ellen) and similarly lauded producer Sean Hayes, the show draws comparisons with the Eighties classic The Golden Girls. Indeed, it co-stars ex-Golden Girl actor Betty White. White is revered by all three of her younger co-

Jane Leeves (left), Valerie Bertinelli and Wendie Malick: hot in Cannes

stars. “She’s a spitfire,” Bertinelli said.

The first season of the show has reached 33 million people, with highly rated outings on TV Land in the US, CTV in Canada and the Nine Network in Australia. Season 2 starts production next month and 20 new episodes start to air from January 2011.

International sales were announced this week to BSkyB in the UK, Germany’s Tele Munchen Group and NTV’s CNBC-e in Turkey. Cathy Payne, CEO of Endemol Worldwide Distribution, anticipates closing with 15 licensees by the end of the week, which will see the show go into about 90 territories.

“Comedy doesn’t always travel, so the first sale to a non-English-speaking territory is crucial,” Payne said.

“When a major territory takes a show to dub it, it builds the confidence of other broadcasters.”

Project Factory captures crime gang UNTIL last week, Dog Money World’s Claire Evans, Anna Bay and James Boyce were headed for Canberra, not Cannes. Then the creative collective was spotted at a pitching session in Sydney by transmedia specialist The Project Factory — and their world went mad.

The cause of the insanity is Crime Plays, described by Bay as a “participatory experience using geolocative technologies”. She added: “Crime Plays is for an audience looking for a more immersive form of entertainment. Users complete crime missions, such as taking out contracts on their friends, picking up suspicious packages and doing deals, with the aim of scoring points and becoming the top dog in their crime world.”

Guy Gadney, director of The Project Factory, takes up the story: “We totally fell in love with Crime Plays. We thought it was a fantastic product for

co-production and right in the heartland of what we do.”

Gadney and his partner, Jennifer Wilson, decided that MIPCOM was the obvious place to pitch the concept to broadcasters and telcos on the hunt for compelling new-media content. But with literally days to go before the start of the market, time was running out.

“We were given huge support by Reed MIDEM’s Natalie Apostolou, as well as Screen Australia,” Gadney added.

“Amazingly, the whole caravan picked up momentum — and here we are.”

The market’s initial reaction to Crime Plays has been “very positive”, Evans reported, adding: “Unique is a word that a lot of people have been using.”

Criminal masterminds: Dog Money World’s Anna Bay (left), Claire Evans and James Boyce (far right) with The Project Factory’s Guy Gadney

29

FINLAND COMES TO SANTA’S RESCUE

Santa delivers a new commission for Small World and Aito Media

SMALL World IFT has brokered a MIPCOM deal with Finland’s Family Channel for Christmas game show Rescuing Santa. The Finnish broadcaster will be first on air with the format, which Small World co-developed with Finnish producer Aito Media.

Filmed in Finnish Lapland, the show sees Santa kidnapped and contestants dispatched to the Arctic Circle rescue him. If they fail, Christmas is cancelled.

Tim Crescenti, president of Los Angeles-based Small World, said interest has built steadily in “the ultimate feel-good event show with a Christmas twist”, which has also been optioned in the US, the UK and Norway.

Eero Hietala, creative director of Aito Media, added: “We’ve had a lot of attention from the market, but somebody needed to take the leap and be first. Family Channel’s belief in Finnish ingenuity has granted our Christmas wish.”

In a second MIPCOM deal, Crescenti — who was responsible for bringing Dragon’s Den out of Japan in 2002 — reported that Germany’s Tresor TV has optioned the Danish format I Survived A Japanese Gameshow.

CONFERENCES & EVENTS

WEDNESDAY 6 OCTOBER

➤ HIGHLIGHT KEYNOTES

➤ ASIAN CONTENT EXCHANGE

➤ CONNECTED EXPERIENCE

➤ EVENTS

CONNECTED EXPERIENCE

11.30 > 12.30 ONLINE VIDEO: TO PAY OR NOT TO PAY

8.00 > 9.15 THE NEW CONTENT & MEDIA ECOSYSTEM BREAKFAST Moderator: ■ Leyla Neyman, Managing Partner, Seneschal Neyman

Telecom Carriers: Enablers and new Consumption Networks Speaker:

Moderator: ■ Kate Bulkley, Columnist & Media Commentator Speakers: Michael Comish, CEO, Blinkbox Entertainment Ltd. ■ Peter Cowley, Founder & CEO, Spirit digital media UK ■ Duccio Donati, Executive Vice President, Comcast International Media Group ■ Simon Nelson, Controller, Portfolio & Multiplatform, BBC ■ Larry Tanz, President, Vuguru LLC ■

Andres Jordan, Vice President, Innovation, Deutsche Telekom North America

An introduction to UltraViolet – Bringing Digital Entertainment to Light

CONFERENCE ROOM ESTEREL, LEVEL 5

Speaker: ■ Tim Wright, Director of Technology, Sony Pictures Europe & DECE Consortium

VERRIÈRE GRAND AUDITORIUM, LEVEL 1

9.30 >10.15 MEDIA CONVERGENCE: REINVENTING PORTALS AROUND ONLINE VIDEOS AND TABLETS Moderator: ■ Kate Bulkley, Columnist & Media Commentator

NEW! THE ASIAN CONTENT EXCHANGE The Asian Content Exchange A special “Fresh Asian Content” presentation of the hottest new documentaries, dramas and formats from China, Japan and Korea – presided by The WIT’s Virginia Mouseler followed by Matchmaking.

Hosted by:

Keynotes:

Virginia Mouseler, CEO, The WIT

SCOTT MOORE, MSN Executive Producer and General Manager, Microsoft Corporation

10.30 > 11.15 SCREENING

GEOFF SUTTON, General Manager, MSN International Media

AUDITORIUM K, LEVEL 4

CONFERENCE ROOM ESTEREL, LEVEL 5

11.15 > 12.45 MATCHMAKING

10.15 > 11.30 PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS STRATEGY FORUM: THE FUTURE MEDIA ORGANISATION By invitation

Pre-registration required.

On site admission if space allows.

CONFERENCE NETWORKING ROOM, LEVEL 5

VERRIÈRE GRAND AUDITORIUM

10.30 > 11.30 THE IMPACT OF CONNECTED TV ON THE MEDIA INDUSTRY Moderator: ■ Kate Bulkley, Columnist & Media Commentator Speakers: Shirlene Chandrapal, Director of Yahoo! Connected TV – Europe, Yahoo Europe LTD ■ Gidon Coussin, Co-Founder & VP of Gobal Business Development, Boxee, Inc. Lesley Mackenzie, Group Digital Officer, LOVEFiLM.com ■

■ ■

Jim Packer, Co-President, MGM Worldwide Television Phd Vassilis Seferidis, Director, European Business Development, Samsung Electronics Europe CONFERENCE ROOM ESTEREL, LEVEL 5

12.45 > 14.15 DIGITAL & VIP SPEAKER LUNCH This networking lunch is designed to welcome the MIPCOM 2010 conference speakers and bring together key digital executives from studios, broadcasters, online-video platforms and aggregators.

By invitation MAJESTIC HOTEL, SALON CROISETTE

Visit www.mipcom.com for speaker information & regular updates

CONFERENCES & EVENTS

WEDNESDAY 6 OCTOBER

➤ HIGHLIGHT KEYNOTES

➤ ASIAN CONTENT EXCHANGE

➤ CONNECTED EXPERIENCE

➤ EVENTS

CONNECTED EXPERIENCE

THE NEW PUBLISHING REVOLUTION AND THE IMPACT OF APPS

THE NEW PUBLISHING REVOLUTION AND THE IMPACT OF APPS

14:30 > 16:00 RICH MEDIA APPS FEST: iPAD APPS SHOWCASE

17.30 > 18.30 SUPERPANEL: CAN RICH MEDIA APPS GENERATE SIGNIFICANT DIGITAL REVENUES?

Chair: ■ Ferhan Cook, Publisher MobiAdNews/President, Any Screen Productions Ltd. Expert Panel: ■ Daniel Efergan, Digital Creative Director, Aardman Animations Ltd ■ Pasa Mustafa, Global Head of Original Digital Productions, Endemol Group ■ Patrice Slupowski, VP Digital Innovation and Communities, Orange

Moderator: ■ Ingrid Silver, Partner, Denton Wilde Sapte LLP Speakers: ■ John Jelley, Producer, HD and Digital Strategy and Development, Sky News, BSkyB Ltd ■ Hemant Madan, Head of Developer Marketing, Vodafone Internet Services, Vodafone Group Sonnia Park-Dionisio, Senior Manager, Digital Distribution, Walt Disney Company

Case Study: Speaker: Jen Topping, New Media Commissioning Manager, Channel 4

■ ■

Michael Schneider, CEO, Mobile Roadie LLC Richard Titus, Managing Director, Octavian Ventures AUDITORIUM A, LEVEL 3

AUDITORIUM A, LEVEL 3

16:10 > 17:15 SMART PHONE AND TABLET PUBLISHING: CASE STUDIES Chair: ■ Ferhan Cook, Publisher MobiAdNews/President, Any Screen Productions Ltd.

18.30 > 19.30 THE NEW PUBLISHING ECOSYSTEM NETWORKING COCKTAIL Open to all participants CONFERENCE NETWORKING ROOM, LEVEL 5

FEATURED PRESENTATION: A Book Publisher’s Perspective Anna Rafferty, MD of Digital Publishing, Penguin Books

• CASE STUDY 1: PRODUCTION PERSPECTIVE Speaker: ■ Shaun Barriball, Managing Director, Mobile IQ • CASE STUDY 2: NEW LICENSING DEALS Speaker: ■ Dan Witters, Managing Director, KIWA Media UK • CASE STUDY 3: APP STORE PERSPECTIVE Speaker: ■ Cédric Thomas, OVI Store Manager, Nokia France AUDITORIUM A, LEVEL 3

For all MIPCOM live conference content updates, follow twitter.com/_mip_ For conference videos & liveblogging, visit MIPBlog (blog.mipworld.com) & all live content also available on our mobile apps (road.ie/mipcom)

JOIN THE CONVERSATION To make your own tweets more visible, include the #MIPCOM hashtag & if uploading photos to flickr, please tag them with “MIPCOM” too!

Transcripts of selected sessions available on mipcom.com, via Take 1 Transcription, from October 11

The world’s entertainment content market

MIPCOM® is a registered trademark of Reed MIDEM - All rights reserved.

FOLLOW MIPCOM LIVE!

Speaker:

32

NEWS

Lambert produces shows with added ‘value clash’ IT’S BEEN a fantastic year for reality TV guru Stephen Lambert, whose format Undercover Boss was such a big hit for CBS in the US that it has now been given a 22-episode series commission.

The show, which sees top executives working on the shop floor of their own organisations, has now been sold to 200 countries — with an increasing number of territories opting to produce their own versions. So how does he explain its success? “It’s the perfect recession show. At a time when viewers feel under incredible pressure, it shows that the boss appreciates what they do. There’s

also great comedy as bosses tackle jobs they’re not used to.”

Lambert is now in Cannes with a range of new shows. Chief among these are Three In A Bed, The Village, Your Plate Or Mine and Fairy Jobmother, which has just been picked up by Lifetime US. All are shows that “use a value clash to help people learn something”.

Lambert’s company Studio Lambert, which is backed by All3Media, launched two years ago and is already turning over 17 million pounds a year — a growth rate which owes a lot to the deal-making prowess of Lambert’s US

chief Eli Holzman. Back in the UK, Lambert is currently engaged in a ground-breaking reality show called Seven Days In Notting Hill. A real-life soap for Channel 4, the unique thing about the series is the way in which Studio Lambert has created a “feedback loop — so that viewers of the show can directly influence the cast by making comments on their lifestyles”.

Studio Lambert’s Stephen Lambert

OTHER EVENTS

➤ EVENTS

➤ PRESS CONFERENCES

WEDNESDAY 6 OCTOBER 10.15 - 11.30 Reed MIDEM PricewaterhouseCoopers strategy forum: The Media Company of the Future By invitation only

16.00 - 18.00 Innova Distribution Challenges and Opportunities of Digital Media in Russia BLUE LOUNGE, AUDITORIUM I

VERRIERE AUDITORIUM LOUIS LUMIERE

12.45 - 14.15 Reed MIDEM The Digital VIP & Speakers Lunch, sponsored by Rovi By invitation only MAJESTIC HOTEL, SALON CROISETTE

Deals get done.

NEWS

Duo of deals strengthens Malaysia’s co-pro links with Europe and China

The Kung Fu Chicken partners, left to right: National Film Development Corporation of Malaysia’s Nurhayati Othman, Animasia Studios’ Edmund Chan, Agogo International’s Steven Ching, Neptuno Films’ Josep Viciana, MDeC’s Kamil Othman, and Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission’s Roslan Mohamad

MALAYSIA’s Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC) has announced two international co-production deals.

Animasia Studios from Malaysia, Agogo International (Hong Kong), and Spain’s Neptuno Films have agreed to co-produce the 2D animated action-adventure series Kung Fu Chicken (26 x 22 mins). The series

follows the adventures of a kung fustyle protection agency called Golden Egg Securities. Edmund Chan, managing director of Animasia Studio, said the deals strengthened Animasia’s presence in Europe and China.

Another Malaysian company, EdOnline Technologies, and Scrawl Studios in Singapore and the UK’s Bryant Whittle have signed to co-

develop and co-produce animated pre-school series Red, Yellow & Blue (52 x 11 mins).

Animasia Studio and two other Malaysian companies — 2D and 3D specialist Backbone Entertainment and 3D animation expert Les Copaque — have agreed distribution deals with the US’s Latin Media Corporation.

Channel aims to aid Afghan recovery

1TV’s Farrell Meisel: helping to build “a stable, independent media sector”

BROADCAST veteran Farrell Meisel is at MIPCOM in search of collaborations with companies interested in investing in the future of Afghanistan.

In his new role as CEO of Afghan TV channel 1TV, which launched in February, Meisel is looking for partners to “drive the development of Afghanistan’s free-market economy by building a stable, independent media sector”. To this end, he is seeking cross-cultural alliances to help fulfil 1TV’s mandate to provide independent, balanced and objective news, current affairs and pro-social content.

He is also looking to acquire both finished programming and formats.

Meisel, who has a background of working in emerging and “geo-politically troubled” markets, said that 1TV is already challenging free-to-air service Tolo TV for the number-one spot. “There is no market research in Afghanistan,” he added. “But independently commissioned surveys show that we are the fastest-growing TV channel in the country.”

1TV, which was founded by the entrepreneur Fahim Hashimy to unify Afghans by providing programming that transcends racial and ethnic barriers, has already licensed several formats from India, the US and Turkey.

33

ADDING LAUGHS TO THE RECIPE ASTRAL Studios is at MIPCOM to put South Africa’s burgeoning production sector on the international TV map.

Executive producer Irene Constantinides makes her debut at the market with completed programmes and planned productions. Among the new titles seeking international distribution is Do Me A Flava, a comedy cookery show mixing humour with the influence of food on national cultures. It is hosted by popular South African comedian Darren Maule.

Astral’s Irene Constantinides: seeking partners and funding

Production for the 13-part, 24minute series is scheduled to start later this month. Astral Studios, established for 20 years, had been focusing on corporate clients until six years ago, when it decided to expand into broadcast TV. It started with edutainment and documentaries for local networks SABC and M-Net. The company has come to Cannes to broaden its distribution reach, market its portfolio of skills such as 3D animation and widen its access to funding.

“We felt the quality of our work is good enough for the international markets and MIPCOM is the market to go to,” Constantinides said.

NEWS

twofour54 adds Charisma to ‘evolving media ecosystem’ INDEPENDENT Arab production house Charisma has chosen Abu Dhabi-based twofour54 as its new Moving to Abu Dhabi: twofour54’s Tony Orsten (left) and Wayne Borg with Charisma’s Ayman Al-Zyoud

production base in the Gulf, benefiting from the state-of-the-art production, post-production and

broadcast facilities at twofour54 intaj.

In the first three years, Charisma Gulf plans to produce close to 4,000 hours of scripted and non-scripted programmes, entertainment shows and documentaries.

Ayman Al-Zyoud CEO and founder of Charisma, said: “Our focus on insightful content makes it only logical for us to expand our operations within the Gulf. It is this shared vision of cultural relevance and original content, along with its infrastructure and production facilities, that made us choose twofour54.”

Tony Orsten, twofour54’s CEO, added: “Attracting major Arab production companies such as Charisma will add not only to the amount of Arabic programming produced at twofour54, but also contribute to our rapidly expanding and evolving media ecosystem through increased career opportunities for Arabs working in the media industry.”

World invited to keep eye on Asia NHK WORLD TV has launched an initiative called Your Eye On Asia, which aims to bring the culture of Asia to the world through more than 20 programmes, ranging in subject matter from current affairs to cooking.

“The target for us here at MIPCOM is to distribute our English-language programming to territories outside Japan, and to see this content broadcast on satellite or the internet,” said Yuichi Itamiya, the company’s head of programming division.

Itamiya, who is making his MIPCOM debut this week, added that NHK World, which is currently available to 129 million households in more than 120 territories, is looking to expand its distribution network.

35

AFRICA BUYS 500 HOURS FROM OTF OFF THE Fence (OTF) has sold 500 hours of programming to African broadcasters. Wananchi has bought a range of titles for its Zuku Afrika and Zuku Life channels, including The Locator (44 x 30 mins), Amazing Wedding Cakes (33 x 60 mins), Magnificent Obsessions (48 x 30 mins), Shamwari: A Wild Life (26 x 26 mins) and Future Earth: Journey To The End Of The World (50 mins). Namibia Broadcasting Corporation, meanwhile, has bought Shamwari, Extinction Sucks (6 x 30 mins), Nature’s Greatest Moments (158 x 5 mins), series one of Man Made Marvels (6 x 60 mins) and Sharkville (50 mins). South Africa’s On Digital Media has picked up Magnificent Obsessions and Reservations Required (30 x 30 mins) for TOP TV, while Autentic has taken 43 hours of history and adventure shows for the Explore and History channels.

POPPIXE TO MTV3 RAINBOW’s PopPixe (52 x 13 mins) has been sold to MTV3 Finland.

The list of territories set to air the series, which is aimed at four-to 10-year olds, now includes France, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Turkey, South Africa and Israel.

A GIFT TO TV FRANCE’s Media Valley and the UK’s Black Camel Pictures have teamed up to produce the liveaction drama Gifted. The 26 x 30 mins series is adapted from the Marilyn Kaye novels about highschool students with supernatural abilities.

NHK World’s Yuichi Itamiya: distributing English-language programming

4 --77 April April2011 2011 Fresh content. New deals.

Palais Cannes, France Palais des desFestivals, Festivals, Cannes, France www.miptv.com www.miptv.com

Save the date!

The world’s entertainment content market

NEWS

37

Brazil’s independents build on ‘talent, locations and multi-cultural heritage’ THE BUOYANCY of Brazil’s independent TV production sector can be seen in its MIPCOM entourage, which includes a major development bank, a government official, the country’s leading public broadcaster and the biggest Brazilian delegation ever to attend Cannes.

With 200 million citizens, 73 million online users and 175 million cellphone subscribers, Brazil is nurturing a highly competitive multi-platform content distribution business. Marco Altberg, the ABPI-TV’s president, said that the country’s production sector had defied the recent global recession.

Consequently, investors and broadcasters are among those keen to understand how the local TV sector can grow internationally. “We have the talent, the locations and an enviable multi-cultural heritage,” he added.

Marcelo Goldenstein, director of culture, business and tourism at BNDES, reported that the Brazilian development bank had invested in co-produced animation such as

Fishtronaut (with TV PinGuim), Doggy Day School (Mixer) and My Big Big Friend (2DLab). He said: “We are here to see how international programming works to improve the financial schemes we offer.”

Buyers of ABPI-TV programmes include EBC, which launched TV Brasil, the country’s first officially stateowned public broadcaster, in 2007.

“We believe that coming to MIPCOM with the independent producers will help us to build a strong foundation with [original] programming and international acquisition,” said Silvio Da-Rin, TV Brasil’s general manager for international affairs.

Bruno Amado, project manager at export-promotion agency ApexBrasil, added: “I want to understand how Brazilian companies and their international counterparts promote their content.”

Eliana Russi, ABPI-TV’s executive manager, also disclosed that Newton Cannito, Brazil’s audiovisual secretary for culture ministry, was in Cannes.

ABPI-TV’s Marco Altberg

ApexBrasil’s Bruno Amado

BNDES’s Marcelo Goldenstein

ABPI-TV’s Eliana Russi

Turkey loses its heart to Forbidden Love

The cast of Forbidden Love, in Cannes to promote the hit Turkish series

GLOBAL Agency was at MIPCOM yesterday to promote its scripted format Forbidden Love, which is performing strongly across the Middle East and Eastern Europe — particularly in Turkey, where it was the summer’s hottest TV phenomenon.

The big-budget series about love, betrayal, obsession and revenge within a wealthy Istanbul family averaged over 40% ratings for Channel D, peaking at 73.7% at the end of the series in June.

Some 18 million Turks watched the final episodes of Forbidden Love,

making it the season’s most talkedabout series, propelling its cast to international stardom, sparking fashion trends and even stimulating tourism, as fans flocked to the locations.

Produced by the Turkish production company Ay Yapim, Forbidden Love has now been optioned by Mediaset for an Italian version.

Global’s Agency’s CEO, Izzet Pinto, said: “Forbidden Love has been an incredible success and is sure to spread to other territories. The powerful emotions in the story hook in huge audiences from beginning to end.”

N3P38+D_Mise en page 1 11/10/10 10:52 Page1

38

NEWS

CALLING IN THE FORMAT PEOPLE

The Format People’s Michel Rodrigue (left) and Justin Scroggie

FORMAT advisor and broker Michel Rodrigue and format doctor Justin Scroggie have been granted a one-year mandate by China’s Liaoning TV to identify existing suitable western formats as well as to help the provincial broadcaster build up its own formatdevelopment team.

Operating as The Format People, Rodrigue and Scroggie are at MIPCOM to look for primetime entertainment formats that will play well with Chinese viewers.

“Shiny talent, dating and music formats with western production values are top of our wish list,” Rodrigue said, who described the deal’s creative and commercial potential as “the most exciting thing to have happened to the format industry for years”.

Scroggie added: “When I asked Liaoning TV what constituted a hit in China, they said, ‘Oh, about 135 million viewers…’.”

The Format People are also in talks with CCTV in Beijing and Anhui TV to offer the same service. “We are using training and seminars as our calling card,” Scroggie said, adding: “China is an incredibly Westfacing market at the moment.

It’s all there to be done.”

Japan, Korea and Dubai line up for start of Scan2Go space race JAPAN’s d-rights, Korea’s SBS Contents Hub, and Dubai’s NewBoy have come together in a multi-territory coproduction deal for new animation title Scan2Go. Scan2Go is 52 x 30 mins space-racing action adventure targeted at young boys and directed by Mitsuo Hashimoto (Beyblade/Dragonball).

The storyline for Scan2Go combines a quest with a race to become the best Scan2G driver in the universe.

The idea for the title came from the Scan2Go toy, the brainchild of Manar Tarabichi, president and CEO of NewBoy. “We created an exclusive and new kind of toy that no one has experienced before,” Tarabichi said. “We’ve done a lot of kids animation but were looking for something new and better and we found it with NewBoy,”

Off to a racing start in Cannes: Ha-Mook Sung of SBS Contents Hub (left), with Takamoto Miura of d-rights and NewBoy’s Manar Tarabichi

said d-rights vice-president, international division, Takamoto Miura.

Ha-Mook Sung, head of the animation & merchandising business team for

Korean broadcaster SBS Contents Hub, added: “It’s timely for us since Formula One [motor racing] is very much on the minds of young boys in Korea.”

Malaysia docs tell unique stories NATIONAL Geographic Channels International (NGCI) has announced at MIPCOM the distribution of four Malaysian documentaries.

The documentaries were co-produced

by NGCI and National Film Development Corporation of Malaysia (FINAS).

The titles available in both SD and HD are: Inside Becoming A King, SMART Tunnel, Fight Masters: Silat and Among The Great Apes With Michelle Yeoh. NGCI vice-president of content sales Germaine Deagan said: “Malaysia has a rich combination of impressive creative talent and unique stories. The quality of the productions and compelling subjects are a perfect fit for our catalogue. We’ve received interest in these programmes from key buyers in advance of MIPCOM, further illustrating the global market appeal for these productions.”

Among The Great Apes With Michelle Yeoh (NGCI)

NEWS

Audiovisual From Spain opens for business with doc and format deals THE AUDIOVISUAL From Spain stand has seen a raft of deals sealed during MIPCOM including the sale of the format I Want To Have A Million Friends to UAE company The Frame.

The reality format by La Pierna Audiovisual was the winner of the New Audience Engagement Category in the Content 360 competition at MIPTV 2010. Explora Films has sold 12 hours

Format friends: Marcus Borregon (left), from La Pierna International with Tarif Sayed of The Frame

of documentary programming to US broadcaster V-ME including The Lord Of Sipan, and has sold a further doc package, including Elephants: The Twilight of the Giants, Ireland’s RTE.

Documentaries delivered: Guillermo Sierra (left), of V-ME TV and Explora Films’ Oscar Portillo

ON THE heels of its launch at MIPCOM 2010, animated series Arthur And The Book Of Life is garnering interest.

France Televisions has confirmed the broadcast of the series upon its completion. The series is based on Luc Besson’s film trilogy Arthur And The Minimoys.

It is the product of a partnership between EuropaCorp and Zagtoon, which reports there have been requests for information about the show from several territories.

Episodes of Arthur are expected to be ready for international broadcast by the end of 2011.

Pictured left to right are: France Televisions deputy director of children and youth programmes Celine Limorato and head of children and youth programmes Julien Borde, with Zagtoon co-founders and Arthur producers Jeremy Zag and Jacqueline Tordjman

Turkish pact completes Naruto’s mission TV TOKYO has signed a deal with SinemaTV that puts the Japanese animation Naruto on Turkish screens for the first time.

“Naruto has sold to nearly every territory in the world. Turkey was the last territory we were aiming for, so this deal completes the circle,” said Hiroshi Tsutsumi, manager of international licensing, animation division, at the animation business department of TV Tokyo Corporation.

Details of the deal were forged by TV Tokyo’s subsidiary licensing arm, MediaNet. The agreement means Naruto will appear not only on Turkey’s SinemaTV but also MTV Network and Nickelodeon, which SinemaTV represents in Turkey. “There’s been a big demand by the youth of Turkey for Naruto and we’re now finally able to bring it to Turkey,” said Fatih Oflaz, president of SinemaTV.

Mission accomplished: TV Tokyo’s Hiroshi Tsutsumi (left), MediaNet’s Ryo Kano and SinemaTV’s Fatih Oflaz

39

BIG TEST FOR TEXTUALITY MYRIAD Pictures has acquired all international rights to the romantic comedy feature Textuality, and is selling the film at MIPCOM. Textuality stars Jason Lewis (Sex And The City), Eric McCormack (The New Adventures Of Old Christine, Will & Grace) and Carly Pope (24, Californication). It tells of two ‘serial texters’ who shun commitment because technology allows them to juggle multiple relationships.

“Textuality is a smart, fun film with popular actors and an original concept,” said Myriad president and CEO Kirk D’Amico.

The film was produced by Toronto-based Strident Films and directed by award-winning music video director Warren P Sonoda.

THE MAGIC CIRCUS COMES TO TOWN EUROVISION TV has announced the launch of its latest coproduction, The Magic Circus Show, a 100-minute primetime family show involving children from all over Europe.

“This is a true first for circus shows — a format that has never been made before,” said Nadja Burkhardt, Eurovision TV project manager for the show.

“EBU members have embraced this project with great enthusiasm from its inception.”

The host broadcaster is Radio Television Switzerland, with coproducers including France 3, RTP (Portugal), RTR (Russia), RTS (Switzerland), TROS (Netherlands) and VRT Ketnet (Belgium).

Experience the MIP Online Screenings demo at MIPCOM.

Stand N° 06.40, level 01

www.onlinescreenings.com The world’s largest online library of new children’s, youth, documentary and factual programmes

NEWS

China DTV deal marks iConcerts’ first foray into mainland China ICONCERTS has brokered a distribution and co-production deal with China DTV Production Company, a division of CCTV (China Central Television). The multi-faceted collaboration will see China DTV Production’s digital music channel broadcast a primetime block of iConcerts-branded concerts and live studio performances to more than 60 million households. China DTV Production will also further syndicate the iConcerts-branded block to its affiliate networks. The Swissbased company will also explore new formats for co-production and, to ensure a multi-platform presence, it has entered into a partnership with CIBN (China Information Broadcast Network) to launch www.iConcerts.cn.

“China presents us with significant growth opportunities and we are delighted to be part of this historic collaboration, which we hope will plug the gap between music lovers in China and the West,” said Etienne Mirlesse, CEO of Transmedia, the company that owns iConcerts. “We will work with China DTV and CIBN to feature both the best international and Chinese artists across our digital channels.”

Mika, an iConcerts favourite

NATIONAL Geographic Channels International (NGCI) and Open University Worldwide have signed their second deal this year. The new agreement includes 33 hours of content for broadcast in Italy. The programmes, which were developed in partnership with the BBC, cover history, lifestyle and science. The series Bang Goes The Theory has already been broadcast in Australia, France, the Middle East and the UK. Additional series will be available from early January 2011. Pictured celebrating the deal are: Open University Worldwide’s Sarah McCormack (left), NGCI’s Michelle Bagliebter, Fox Italy’s Giuliano Papadia (who represents NGCI in Italy) and Open University Worldwide’s Marie Roche

41

NAZI HUNTERS PROLIFERATE CINEFLIX International Distribution (CID) reports multiterritory sales for its chilling drama-doc series Nazi Hunters (8 x 60 mins), which has continued to sell into all the major TV territories in the wake of its international launch at this year’s MIPTV. Since April, 13 broadcasters from China to Chile have acquired the HD series, which tells how a band of Jewish avengers hunted down some of the 20th century’s most evil men, including Adolf Eichmann, Klaus Barbie, Josef Mengele and Paul Touvier.

CID president and managing director Paul Heaney said: “It is Nazi Hunters’ mix of interviews, archive and reconstruction that proves so compelling in the telling of these stories.”

Executive producer Nick Godwin added: “It’s the end of an era for Nazi hunting. This is our last chance to talk to many of the remarkable people who risked their lives to bring Nazis to justice. We’ve got the guys on camera who actually went out there and hunted down some of the most ruthless men in the world. And the stories they have to tell are astonishing.”

Crime Investigation Asia goes international AETN International has this week agreed to sell internationally a raft of AETN All Asia Networks (AAA Networks) productions, from History, the Crime & Investigation Network and The Biography Channel in Asia.

Highlights include: Hidden Cities (4 x 60 mins), produced for History in

collaboration with the Media Development Authority of Singapore; Crime Investigation Asia (9 x 60 mins); and one-off specials including The Maguindanao Massacre, which chronicles the killing of 57 people on the Philippine island of Mindanao.

“AETN International is pleased to represent this slate of compelling local content from AAA Networks,” said Sean Cohan, senior vice-president of international at AETN. “We look forward to continuing to bring our viewers the very best of both international and Asian content”.

Cineflix International Distribution’s Paul Heaney: multi-territory sales for “most evil men in history”

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NEWS

GOING WILD ON FREEBOX

WildEarth.TV’s “safari as it happens”

WILDEARTH Media is to launch a 24/7 full-stereo 3D channel — WildEarth.TV — on the IPTV platform Free SAS, bringing more than 2,000 hours of fresh 3D content per year to French audiences via Freebox.

For the past three years, WildEarth has been broadcasting its authentic ‘live’ wildlife content on the internet.

Graham Wallington, WildEarth.TV’s CEO and cofounder, said: “Our focus is on faithfully recreating a real-life experience of nature. There is no scripted narrative or staged events. There are no cutaways to recorded footage of, say, lion kills.

This is safari as it happens.”

The introduction of 3D stereo will enhance the experience still further, Wallington added.

Torsten Hoffmann, WildEarth.

TV’s distribution director, said: “France is the most advanced IPTV market and our interactive, live content will be a popular addition to the existing bouquet.”

Early next year, WildEarth.TV will add live dives with sharks and whales to its line-up.

WildEarth.TV “faithfully recreates a real-life experience of nature”

Angola emerges from war to become a force in branded entertainment THE ECONOMY of the once wartorn southern African state Angola is strong enough to contribute to the growing international branded-entertainment business, say two executives at Jodisa, an Angolan ad agency.

CEO Serge Mankwe and managing director Andre Costa Rocha are at MIPCOM for the first time to find potential partners for their new branded-entertainment venture.

The agency is setting up its own production division to develop and create entertainment content for clients. It is also seeking deals with experts in international branded content who want to enter developing economies such as Angola.

“Our local clients have no problem wanting to go global because Angola is an aspirational country,” Mankwe said.

“The economy has experienced twodigit growth which has been sustainable for the past 10 years. It is also very young: 50% of the population is under 14.”

Jodisa already creates traditional-media ads locally for global clients such as Coca-Cola and MTV Networks, plus local brand owners such

as telecoms groups Unitel and food/beverage company Refriango.

It specialises in creating branded interactive live events. Jodisa sees MIPCOM as an opportunity to expand further into branded content on multiple platforms, including digital media.

Jodisa’s Andre Costa Rocha (left), and Serge Mankwe

Africa gets real with new HiTV outlet HITV is announcing the launch of 4RealTV, Africa’s first reality TV channel.

HiTV is a multi-channel digital satellite TV service which began operations in Nigeria in 2007 and now reaches three continents with its music and film channels. It is present in 15 African territories.

The channel will launch on November 15 with several international formats, including Nigerian Idol.

“Our strategy is to launch with our existing catalogue of international formats and then move on to localisation as soon as possible, depending on the response of the market,” said Toyin Subair, CEO and managing director of HiTV. He is looking for additional international formats for the new channel while in Cannes.

HiTV’s Toyin Subair: “Move to localisation as soon as possible”

NEWS

FoxFast Edit Bay billed as ‘delivery system of future’ TWENTIETH Century Fox Television Distribution has declared June 1, 2011 to be its digital delivery D-Day. On that date, its FoxFast Edit Bay online platform will be available for any client’s complete use.

Fox will be able to deliver its full-length TV and movie content to clients worldwide in the form of digital files, effectively ending any dependence on the unreliable physical distribution of traditional video tapes.

Owning one of the world’s biggest archives of Hollywood material, both in SD and HD standard, Fox was not in a position to encode and digitise its catalogue overnight.

So starting in 2009, the company set up a framework for rolling out its digitisation strategy. By June next year,

all clients will be able to download the original video and use FoxFast Edit Bay to customise or localise the video to their specific needs.

They will also be able to add foreignlanguage text or dubbed audio, then send them back to Fox, which will complete the re-packaging and return the programme or film ready for broadcast or internet transmission — at no extra cost.

John Koscheka, Fox’s senior vicepresident of worldwide fulfillment and digital services, said: “We believe this is the delivery system of the future. We can do all this in real time.

We can already cut the transaction time by 50%, enabling us to accommodate the industry’s increasingly shorter release windows.”

Twentieth Century Fox Television Distribution’s John Koscheka: “cutting transaction time by 50%”

MGM HD set to debut in Spain MGM WORLDWIDE Networks is launching a Castilian-language HD version of the MGM Channel in Spain.

With the SD version of the MGM Channel already well-established in Spain, the HD simulcast will give

viewers a compelling new way to view the channel’s mix of contemporary and classic Hollywood films, said Bruce Tuchman, president of MGM Worldwide Networks.

He added: “MGM continues to

Chello Multicanal’s Eduardo Zulueta (left), and MGM’s Bruce Tuchman

cement its leadership position as the only studio-branded movie-driven channel with a truly global footprint and track record in both the HD and SD arenas. This latest launch highlights the great success we have had with MGM Networks over the last decade.”

The HD version of the channel will be distributed to platforms via a strategic alliance with independent channel group, Chello Multicanal. The first deal unveiled is with Telefonica’s Imagenio platform, which will also continue to carry the SD format.

Chello Multicanal’s managing director, Eduardo Zulueta, said: "MGM is truly an iconic brand. After years of an excellent relationship, it is only fitting that the first HD project Chello Multicanal launches in the Spanish market is MGM HD."

43

MTVNI CONTENT DRIVE PAYS OFF MTV NETWORKS International (MTVNI) has emerged from the downturn with 5,000 hours of programming and 20% more content than it had in 2008, according to the company’s executive vice-president, Steve Grieder. In 2008, when many producers were cutting back on new series, Grieder took the decision to ramp up investment.

“Despite the general atmosphere, we chose to increase our commitment to creativity and it has paid off,” he said. “Our slate now includes properties such as The Hard Times Of RJ Berger and Victorious, both of which are performing extremely well. RJ Berger claimed the second highest audience for kids’ live action in the US and went straight to the number-one spot in its slot in the UK. We also have deals very close to being signed in around 10 territories for Victorious.” Although MTVNI has an impressive number of programme brands, Grieder said partnerships were still valuable: “We are ambitious but humble in that we are always open to working with partners in order to produce series such as Ugly Americans, which I believe has the makings of a new South Park.” He added that MTVNI had appointed Maria RakhmatullinaUfland as sales director of emerging markets.

MTV Networks International’s Steve Grieder: “ambitious but humble”

44

NEWS

F1 KIDS SERIES SCORES 22 WINS FORMULA Fun Entertainment signed a deal with Al Jazeera Children’s Channel that will see kids CGI series Franco And Formula Fun (52 x 11 mins) air in 22 territories including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar.

The series brings motor racing to boys aged between three and seven, and has sold to TV4 (Sweden), TV2 (Norway), MTV OY (Finland), CH2 (Iceland), and Hop! TV (Israel).

Franco And Formula Fun won the 2009 MIPJunior Licensing Challenge. Since then, CEO Marina Nicholas has been progressing the commercial opportunities generated. She has secured the support of Silverstone Circuits, and produced play mats modelled on the Silverstone and Melbourne race tracks.

“The show was built with licensing and merchandising in mind from the outset,” Nicholas said. “Winning the MIPJunior award provided the final endorsement we needed of the brand’s potential, and moved the project from proof-ofconcept stage into production.”

Flying visitor offers top talent an opportunity to join jet set KEVIN Parrott, founder and CEO of boutique private aircraft brokerage Apogee Jets, is in Cannes to seek new business. “I’ve flown in to talk to studio chiefs about how Apogee might be able to help them with travel arrangements for their top talent. We provide a highquality service which means talent can get anywhere they need to go in the world safely, discreetly and on time.”

Founded seven years ago in Florida, Apogee provides jets to music and entertainment stars. At only four hours’ notice, it has exclusive access to more than 5,500 aircraft, ranging from light jets to wide-body airliners, positioned worldwide.

There is, however, more to Parrott’s business than luxury jets. “Apogee is an end-to-end service which provides

Apogee Jets Kevin Parrott: “an end-toend service”

whatever the client wants, whether that’s helicopter transfers, personal protection or pet transport. Everything is about providing the client with the service they require.”

Apogee’s up-to-the-minute flight information means it can often offer “empty leg” transfers, whereby clients book planes which are flying empty after delivering clients — at a a discount price.

THE SECOND series of The Garfield Show was launched on the international market in Cannes by Turner Broadcasting’s Cartoon Network, France 3 and Dargaud Media.

Cartoon Network US has picked up 52 new episodes of the CG animated cartoon after a successful premiere in the US of Jim Davis’s overweight cat last year. Named one of 2009’s best new children’s shows by People magazine, the first series sold in more than 140 countries. The second series achieved high ratings after debuting on France 3 in August. In addition to the series, 52 shorts of 40 seconds for multi-platform and mobile use are available, as well as two half-hour specials in 3D format.

Pictured left to right at the launch: France Televisions’ Julien Borde and Celine Limorato, Dargaud Media’s Robert Rea and Turner Broadcasting’s Cecilia Persson

Publicis defines route for Renault TV

Formula Fun’s Marina Nicholas: powered by MIPJunior success

PUBLICIS Entertainment has awarded the IPTV distribution contract for its Renault TV account to Vision IPTV and sister company Playout247. Renault TV will be hosted on Vision IPTV’s new internet TV platform — Extreme IPTV — launched this week at MIPCOM. The system, from Vision and Playout247,

consolidates all Publicis Entertainment’s video assets for the client in one content-management system.

Publicis will be able to broadcast scheduled Renault TV content over the web or by satellite from one secure source. Viewers can choose what to watch and when to do so, or follow a liner schedule.

“Vision IPTV’s platform for the delivery of TV over the internet means we can manage our assets more efficiently through one single partner and deliver a more powerful and effective viewer experience,” Marcus Vinton, managing partner at Publicis Entertainment, said. “This locates the Renault brand at the leading edge of broadcasting.”

NEWS

REDOUANE Belarbi (right), secretarygeneral of the Moroccan Ministry of Communication, visited MIPCOM in order to support the presence of members of the Moroccan media industry.

Here he is joined by Mostapha Mellouk (left) of Mediacom, and Sarim Fassi-Fihri of MPS/Cinedina.

FILM Content Company Europe (FCCE) has signed a distribution deal with Africa Interactive for two new series, Spark Africa and Bottom Of The Pyramid.

“Both programmes showcase how local African entrepreneurship, combined with social responsibility, delivers an inspiring and entertaining narrative,” said FCCE’s chief commercial officer, Justus Verkerk (left), as he met with Africa Interactive’s Pieter van Twisk.

45

HAIRY BIKERS FOR 7TWO AUSTRALIAN free-to-air digital channel 7TWO has licensed more than 27 television titles from BBC Worldwide, ranging from classic comedy and light drama through to favourite food and lifestyle titles. Included in the package are the camp classic Are You Being Served?, pastoral favourite The Good Life and upwardly mobile Keeping Up Appearances. Jonathan Creek, All Creatures Great And Small, and The Hairy Bikers’ Cookbook were also in the mix.

CELEBS ACQUIRED FOR BBC KNOWLEDGE BBC WORLDWIDE Channels this week acquired over 200 hours of factual programming for global audiences of its BBC Knowledge channel. Among the titles are Genius, Secret Millionaire US and The Queen from Zodiak Rights.

Celebrity factuals such as Joanna Lumley: Jewel Of The Nile, Concorde’s Last Flight and Ross Kemp In The Middle East from Endemol were also included. And All3Media International contributed — among others — Derren Brown Investigates, Britain’s African Emperor and The Private Life Of Pigs.

CAVEMEN ARE EVERGREEN

CELEBRATION time: Zodiak Rights has picked up its first global pre-sale to Nickelodeon, of the pre-school animated series Tic Toc House. The series is being produced by Korea’s FunnyFlux Entertainment and The Foundation, which is a division of the Zodiak Media Group. Present at MIPCOM were (from left): Zodiak’s David Frank, Nigel Pickard and Karen Vermeulen; FunnyFlux Entertainment’s Jung Gil Hoon and Jean Chang; Nickelodeon UK’s Debbie MacDonald and MTV Network’s International’s Jules Borkent.

EVERGREEN Entertainment has licensed two CGI movies — Micropolis and The Wheelers — to distributors in Russia, Spain and Indonesia. In addition, the company’s dialogue-free series Crazy Cavemen (39 x 7 mins) was the 15th most requested screener at MIPJunior.

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47

RT’s Free Video proves hit with 2,000 users in 155 territories LESS than a year after its launch by Russian international news channel RT, Free Video can boast more than 2,000 registered companies from 155 countries.

Free Video is an archive video-footage service that RT supplies worldwide in English, French, German, Spanish and Arabic. The free footage comprises a combination of clips from the RT

RT’s Xenia Fedorova: “The free service is part of RT’s promotional strategy”

channel’s breaking news stories and documentaries.

“People always ask us about a business model that offers broadcast-quality videos for free,” said Xenia Fedorova, RT’s head of department of promotion and development of media projects. “Our source of income is from the advertising on our news channels and the distribution of our documentaries. The free service is part of RT’s promotional strategy.”

RT uploads up to 30 video clips, of about five minutes each, daily. And users are downloading about 250 packages a day, Fedorova added.

In addition to its broadcast-quality formats, RT plans to make the video clips available in the Flash format for easier online transmission.

Koch nominated for International Emmy TELE Munchen Group (TMG) is celebrating the news that Sebastian Koch, star of its epic drama co-production Jack London’s Sea Wolf, has been nominated for an International Emmy.

Herbert Kloiber, TMG’s managing director and owner, said that Koch’s best-actor nomination would boost the Sea Wolf sales effort, which is being handled at MIPCOM by Tele Munchen International. “We are thrilled and proud that Sebastian Koch has been nominated,” he added. “This is recognition of our aim to produce

high-quality programming. So far, Sea Wolf has been sold to 83 territories and

we are sure this will trigger additional business.”

MIPCOM Daily tweets You say it; we pick the best here!

Disney closes landmark Spain deal: Announced Monday at Cannes' Mipcom mart, the pact ranges across new, recent and... http://bit.ly/cxoOwT jackstarstruck - Jack Beast Wow! #foxtel Australia is commissioning full #transmedia project #slide for teens! #mipcom sharonfeigal - Sharon Feigal More applauses for statements at this session than at Fresh TV yesterday. Think KISS have a lot of fanboys and -girls here! #mipcom simon_staffans - Simon Staffans morning early birds - hoping for better weather in Cannes today - the rain made a right mess of my hair yesterday #mipcom sleepydog - Toby Moores

To see all MIPCOM tweets, visit blog.mipworld.com now Sebastian Koch, star of Jack London’s Sea Wolf, nominated for an International Emmy

If you include the hashtags #MIPCOM in your tweets, they will appear on MipBlog.

Above is our selection of those tweets.

BERNARD Chevry (left), founder of MIDEM, MIPTV and MIPCOM, was given a diploma of honour from the city of Cannes (Citoyen d’Honneur de la Ville de Cannes) by deputy mayor Bernard Brochand this week

SPORT SCORES IN DIGITAL WORLD LIVE sport is playing a crucial role in TV’s ability to withstand the threat of digital media, according to Jacques Braun, vice-president of Eurodata TV Worldwide, the audience analysis service provided by research group Mediametrie.

Braun said TV’s strong showing in the first half of 2010 can be directly linked to mega-events such as the Vancouver Winter Olympic Games, the FIFA World Cup and Formula One. “Some of the audiences recorded were superb,” he added. “Formula One secured 10.5 million viewers for RTL Germany, while the Nordic countries did very well with Vancouver. The World Cup achieved huge audiences almost everywhere — for example, in China CCTV secured 54.5 million for the Argentina/Germany game.”

While premium sports rights are very expensive to acquire, Braun stressed that smaller networks are also doing well with less high-profile events. “The success of swimming and athletics events in 2010 shows that live sport has a key role to play for many broadcasters,” he said.

48

NEWS

BESSAI ON EARTH RESCUE MISSION

CineFocus’s John Bessai: “save the planet one story at a time”

JOHN BESSAI, co-founder of Canadian production company CineFocus, first came to Cannes to participate in MIPTV 2009’s Content 360 festival. This week he is in town with Green Heroes, a transmedia environmental project that is seeking to “save the planet one story at a time”.

Bessai, executive producer of Green Heroes, said that Content 360 got him thinking about how to structure projects in a way that would work for the broadest range of stakeholders.

“I’m a story-teller — but I became interested in how you construct a model that is relevant to ad agencies, producers, social media while also engaging audiences.”

Green Heroes, which started life on the web, has become a 6 x 30 mins TV show.

“The web destination [GreenHeroes.tv] is built around a series of two-minute webisodes which profile people who have shifted their world view and are now motivating others to do the same. The TV show debuts in Canada on TV Ontario but now we want to talk to partners about how the model might be adapted to work for other territories.”

GRB’s magic ingredient for sales — just add a visit by Sandra Lee FOOD guru Sandra Lee was in Cannes to help GRB Entertainment promote her TV shows. Lee, a household name in the US, is best known for her Food Network series SemiHomemade Cooking (194 x 30 mins) and Sandra’s Money Saving Meals (51 x 30 mins). Forty countries have signed up to her shows but GRB thinks there is scope for more sales.

“Her warm yet straightforward ap-

proach to cooking and entertaining transcends cultural boundaries and speaks to women of all nationalities,” said Marielle Zuccarelli, senior vicepresident, international distribution, at GRB. Lee said: “My goal is to empower viewers to create spectacular, memorable celebrations for family and friends that go beyond the scope of what people think they can do.”

Sandra Lee: “create memorable celebrations for family and friends”

Geldof returns in dramatic style BOB GELDOF last visited MIP in 2007 to harangue the world’s media about biodiversity.

But he’s back this week as the protag-

onist of a feature-length drama about the creation of Live Aid, distributed

by BBC Worldwide.

When Harvey Met Bob (90 mins)

When Harvey Met Bob (BBC Worldwide)

stars Domhnall Gleeson as mouthy rocker Geldof and Ian Hart as music promoter Harvey Goldsmith.

“This is a touching, life-affirming and witty single drama about two men who attempted to make a real and lasting difference,” said Sarah Doole, director of comedy and drama, content and production, at BBC Worldwide. “I hope that, 25 years after Live Aid, this programme can remind audiences all over the world of the very real impact it had.”

The film was made for RTE and BBC2

by Great Meadow Productions. Goldsmith and Geldof have been involved in development, and the soundtrack features The Boomtown Rats, Queen, Bowie and others.

Great Meadow is donating all profits on the film to famine relief.

Telenovela travels from Chile to Turkey DISTRIBUTOR Medyavizyon has revealed that a Turkish version of Telemundo telenovela Donde Esta Elisa? is lined up to air on ATV from November.

Medyavizyon acquired the rights to the Chile-originated show at MIPCOM

2009. Having completed a deal with ATV for a 57-part Turkish version called Kizim Nerede, Medyavizyon president Fatih Oflaz, said: “We believe that the show will achieve high rating points, as the Latin American and the

Turkish cultures are quite similar in terms of series.” Medyavizyon has also brokered deals that will see TV Tokyo animation series Naruto and Bleach air on the SinemaTV family of channels and MTV Turkey.

NEWS

RTL joins flight deck of NPO’s pilot-testing TV Lab venture NETHERLANDS Public Broadcasting (NPO) has forged an unconventional agreement with RTL to develop the Dutch broadcaster’s groundbreaking TV Lab. Originated last year, by NPO’s channel manager Roek Lips, for multi-platform experiment, TV Lab was broadcast for the second time on the web and by Ned3 over a week in September. TV Lab presents new television formats in their pilot stage, with TV audience and online viewers voting for their favourite show.

“This pilot competition has enabled us to experiment with social media,” Lips said. “We broadcast the pilot, stream it live, and then viewers can in-

NPO’s Roek Lips: “Not a typical deal”

teract, watch each show and comment intelligently about it.”

Lips was approached by RTL and Big Brother creator John De Mol who wanted to use aspects of TV Lab’s format for hit talent show, The Voice Of Holland, which aims to connect the offline and online worlds.

“We did not want to strike a typical deal with RTL where they buy the rights from us to use our technique.

Instead, we wanted to progress the idea and work together in development,” Lips said. “We can now benefit if RTL builds on our foundations — I believe this exchange of knowledge is really good for the industry.”

GREG BONNAN, creator of new Engine Entertainment series Pt Dume, was on hand to see the launch of the title at MIPCOM. Bonnan, pictured left with Sean Compton, president of programming, Tribune Broadcasting, and Chris Philip, CEO, Engine Entertainment, hopes his new title will match the success of his classic surf, sand and sexy entertainment series, Baywatch

EuroArts celebrates with Mariinsky gala CELEBRATING 30 years in the musicTV business, EuroArts is presenting a trailer of the 3D programme 150 Years Mariinsky. Following the success this year of Lang Lang - The Third Dimension, EuroArts has decided to ramp up its 3D production. The company will be working on a number of titles with Context TV and CAN Communicate.

The programme 150 Years Mariinsky shows the history and grandeur of the

The Mariinsky Theatre

St Petersburg theatre, focusing on a 150th anniversary gala performance which includes Glinka’s ballet A Life For The Tsar, Donizetti’s opera Lucia di Lammermoor with Natalie Dessay, Swan Lake and the grand finale from Tchaikovsky’s opera Iolanta. Excerpts from performances are interwoven with anecdotes and interviews.

EuroArts and CAN Communicate, in collaboration with Mariinsky Theatre director and chief conductor Valery Gergiev, are planning to present at least six additional ballet and opera performances, in 3D and 2D.

49

SEEKING TO SWELL CBEEBIES OFFER

Henrietta Hurford-Jones: resonating with the brand values of CBeebies

HENRIETTA Hurford-Jones is attending her first MIPCOM in her new role as director of CBeebies investment at BBC Worldwide.

“I’m primarily here to commission programmes for CBeebies’ international channels,” she said. Working with the local channel teams, she will be searching out original programming and where appropriate, coordinating the pick-up of broader rights across different business lines.

“We are looking for standout ideas that are a bit special and that resonate with the brand values of CBeebies. Those ideas can come from anywhere, and we are also keeping closely aligned with what the CBeebies team in the UK are picking up.”

Hurford-Jones was previously director of international, kids and family, at RDF Rights. Prior to that, she worked at Fox Kids and HIT Entertainment.

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FEATURE: CONNECTED ENTERTAINMENT

WEB-TO-TV

A closer look at connected TV

Connected TV promises to put video content on a range of platforms, as well as bring much of what the internet has to offer into the heart of the living room. Juliana Koranteng reports Web-only sci-fi comedy series FCU: Fact Checkers Unit, produced by NBC Universal Digital Studio

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MERE decade ago, the emerging multi-media, multi-platform world of connected TV, also known as smart TV, would have been unknown.

Connected TV promises to deliver digital content via the consumer’s device of choice — from smartphones to cinema-size television screens. That has spawned services such as Google TV, Yahoo! Connected TV and Netflix’s streamed video via the Wii games console. All the leading television set manufacturers are bringing out internet-enabled TV sets — with

Sony, for example, teaming with Google for its Google TV connected TV service.

“There is so much going on in the connected TV business worldwide.

Broadcasters are using the internet as new a distribution platform, and the internet is helping new players come on board,” says Adriana Whiteley, strategy director at connected TV specialist Farncombe Consulting Group.

Early applications have included online video-on-demand and catch-up TV ventures. These include Hulu and Comcast’s TV Everywhere in

the US, the UK’s BT Vision and BBC iPlayer. Germany’s RTL Group and ProSiebenSat.1 Media are jointly planning a venture similar to Hulu.

IPTV technology has permitted telecommunications groups to use the internet to compete against cable and satellite pay-TV operators.

IPTV will account for 11% of the global pay-TV business by 2015, up from today’s 6%, ABI Research predicts. Research group In-Stat foresees revenue generated from web-to-TV content reaching $17bn by 2014 in the US alone.

Consumer electronics goods man-

ufacturers, from makers of “hybrid” set-top boxes to games consoles are installing internet-to-TV software into their products. Analysts at iSuppli forecast that 148 million-plus web-enabled TV sets will be shipped to retailers globally by 2014.

At the IFA technology show in Berlin last month, Google product marketing manager Brittany Bohnet presented Google TV, a new connected television service to be launched in the US later this year, with a worldwide launch planned for next year. The free service, which will be available on a Sony HDTV

FEATURE: CONNECTED ENTERTAINMENT

51

Farncombe Consulting Group’s Adriana Whiteley: “Broadcasters are using the internet as new a distribution platform” The Booth At The End, a 62-part, multi-platform psychological thriller distributed by Fireworks International

set, a Sony Blu-ray player and a Logitech set-top box, can be navigated by the user’s voice using Google’s Android operating system.

US-based Western Digital (WD), a company best known for its portable digital-storage devices, has entered the connected TV arena. “[Our products] allow digital-media buffs to access and play their own personal HD media stored anywhere on their network or USB drives. At the same time, they can easily stream Netflix [in US], Pandora, YouTube and other internet favourites to their HDTV,” says Dale Pistilli, vice-president of marketing, WD branded products group.

However, it is still early days and regulators have much to figure out.

“The broadcast spectrum is limited, while the internet can be hosted anywhere in the world. Also, the internet features other types of content that is part of a broader regulatory debate, not just video,” Whiteley says.

But established terrestrial, cable and

satellite broadcasters know they must confront the challenges posed by connected TV. Open standards are being devised to enable connected TV providers to offer services that can be received on a range of devices, online or on air.

One such scheme is UK-based Project Canvas, a joint venture of public broadcaster BBC, commercial rivals ITV and Channel Five, Channel 4, internet service providers BT and TalkTalk, and technology developer Arqiva.

“Depending on their circumstances, consumers will need a set-top box,

“

You have to adopt all these new channels, because viewers are

no longer focused on the traditional ones Jonathan Ford

”

broadband connection, or digital terrestrial TV aerials, which are supplied by so many different parties. It could get confusing,” says Richard Halton, Project Canvas’s director.

“What we’re creating is one box that makes it really simple to bring the broadcast and broadband delivery to the same TV set.”

Another initiative is being developed by Europe-wide HbbTV (Hybrid Broadcast Broadband TV), the brainchild of public broadcasters in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Its founding members include TV manufacturing groups such as Philips, Sony and Samsung.

“Our infrastructure is neutral.

Everyone along the TV/internet value chain can use it,” says HbbTV chairman Klaus Illgner. “Once one region adopts it, it will be easier to bring it to other markets.”

Farncombe’s Whiteley says: “The most popular content is available online for free or on-demand. The

Fireworks International’s Jonathan Ford: “Broadcasters realise they have to operate in the online and TV space”

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FEATURE: CONNECTED ENTERTAINMENT

HbbTV’s Klaus Illgner: “Once one region adopts it, it will be easier to bring it to other markets”

Panasonic’s web-enabled Viera TV

WD’s Dale Pistilli: “Internet favourites to the HDTV”

Project Canvas’s Richard Halton: “It could get confusing”

ubiquity of content may devalue the content itself but could elevate the importance of access to content.”

So how are rights owners protecting their assets’ value? Jonathan Ford, executive vice-president of digital acquisitions and distribution at Fireworks International, says: “As a distributor, you have to adopt all these new channels, because viewers are no longer focused on the traditional ones. As the market changes, broadcasters realise they have to operate in both the online and TV space. Already, everyone wants to see how the iPad tablet will change things even more.”

Fireworks has been selling programmes produced with multi-platform and internet-enabled devices in mind. Its drama Valemont, produced by Electric Farm Entertainment, comprises 35 short episodes, an alternative-reality game, prequel episodes, online-only videos, five half-hour episodes and a 100-minute movie.

The Booth At The End, which Fireworks is distributing for Michael

Eisner’s Vuguru digital studio, is described as a 62-part, multi-platform psychological thriller.

Jason Keane, vice-president, Universal Networks Interactive — part of NBC Universal’s Universal Networks International — agrees that rights owners should be producing multi-platform interactive content.

The group recently launched a series of web-video platforms for its channels, including Syfy, Studio Universal, Diva, and 13th Street.

Content devised for the platforms includes the web-only sci-fi comedy series FCU: Fact Checkers Unit, produced by sister company NBC Universal Digital Studio. It is being distributed globally on the digital platforms of Syfy in the UK, Syfy US iTunes, Syfy Universal in the Asia-Pacific and Australia’s Sci-Fi Channel.

FCU may be expanded for TV distribution as well, Keane adds, allowing the content to reach other connected TV audiences. “When you launch a series online, you can take that roving fan base with you to linear TV, which means a significant component of the marketing strategy will have already been done by the time it gets there,” he says.

“Instead of just being marketing and information tools, our websites offer integrated, immersive experiences. These include social networking, games, personalisation, catch-up TV; they extend the viewers’ relationship to the show.

We can then mine that data for our users’ profile to create even more targeted interactive shows for them, and more relevant audiences for advertisers.”

CONNECTED EXPERIENCE THE MIPCOM Connected Experience series of conferences start this morning, Wednesday October 6, with the Connected Experience Keynote from Scott Moore and Geoff Sutton of MSN

2 2 --33 April April2011 2011 Where the story begins.

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FEATURE: CONNECTED ENTERTAINMENT

55

T H E S TA RT O F A R E V O L U T I O N Yahoo! Connected TV launched

MIPCOM Daily News highlights a selection of companies around the world that have come early to the concept of connected entertainment.

Apple’s iTV: Apple TV, introduced in 2007, is reportedly being relaunched as Apple iTV to offer a wider range of audio-visual content via the operating system used on the iPad tablet and iPhone

Samsung: In August, the manufacturer’s broadband internet-enabled TV sets started to feature internet apps normally found on mobile handsets, linked to ESPN sports programming

Blinkbox: The UK-based aggregator of TV programmes and movies enables its subscribers to rent, download or watch content for free on their PCs, TV sets or Sony PS3 games console

SeeSaw: Broadcast technology provider Arqiva acquired the infrastructure of the now-defunct Project Kangaroo VOD service to launch SeeSaw in February. In August, it boosted its credibility by adding NBC Universal’s international hits to its catalogue

Boxee: Influenced by the Xbox games media centre, it was conceived in 2004 and combines connected TV and social media. With a $10m investment fund, this US venture launched in beta format in January

Fetch TV: UK-based, this service offers digital terrestrial channels, digital video recorder and VOD. Its partnership with TV Genius enables users to recommend and discover relevant programmes via the web, mobile networks and set-top boxes

Google TV: The search-engine group plans to give consumers access not only to the whole of the internet but also to live TV channels via the same remote-control device and TV screen. Google has joined forces with Sony, Logitech and computer chip manufacturer Intel to make TV sets with installed Google TV software

Sony PS3 games console: Sony’s games console-TV services are among the most international connected TV offerings to date. Via the PS3 device, players are able to access VOD/catch-up TV services in the UK, Australia, Germany, Finland, the Netherlands and Spain; there are plans to add the subscription-based Hulu Plus for the US

TiVo: In August, the digital video recorder pioneer unveiled plans to track the amount of TV and internet content consumers watch on their TV sets

Yahoo! Connected TV: Launched last year, this venture was among the first to enable viewers to access big-brand TV and online content (from CBS, eBay, Showtime, MySpace and Twitter, among others) via the TV set. Yahoo! is also reported to be buying a stake in Hulu

Microsoft: The PC software giant has been investing in connected TV for longer than most. Its Mediaroom IPTV platform is used by more than 25 telecommunication operators; its TV/PC Windows Media Center is in more than 25 million homes; and its 23 million-plus Xbox Live online game players can access TV and video content. UK subscribers to satellite-delivered Sky TV and Canadian customers of cable network Telus can access programmes via the Xbox 360 system. Microsoft is also behind the recently launched UK catch-up TV/VOD service MSN Video Player

FEATURE: MENA REGION

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PROBLEMS AND POTENTIAL

A region braced for change

The MENA region is full of peculiarities and potential. The annual Arab media outlook, produced by the Dubai press club, highlights both aspects of the regional content market.

Bob Jenkins analyses its findings and talks to three of the region’s leading content players Headquarters of twofour54, one of the largest producer/distributors in the region

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ELEVISION consumption in the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region is one of the highest in the world, ranking second only to the US. The 250 million people who live there watch, on average, 13% longer per day than the population of western Europe and 53% longer than the inhabitants of Asia Pacific.

Kuwait has the highest level of television consumption of any country in the world, and three of the five countries consuming the most television are in the MENA region, the other two being Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Despite this huge appetite for the medium, the region also has the lowest annual per-capita advertising spend of any region in the world at just $22, compared with $462 in America and $273 in western Europe. Putting these facts side by side is a great illustration of how

peculiarity goes hand in hand with opportunity in the MENA region.

The bedrock of this opportunity is, of course, the local economies and, with the IMF predicting an overall annual GDP growth of 10% for the Arab world, against 4% each for Europe, the US and Australasia, 7% for Latin America, 8% for Africa and 10% for Asia, it is clear that this is an area of real growth potential.

But, there is no getting away from present reality, and Marc-Antoine d’Halluin CEO of OSN, the region’s largest pay-TV operator, formed last summer by the merger of Orbit and Showtime Networks, believes there are three key reasons for the very low level of advertising spend per capita. He identifies these as “the lack of a proper audience measurement system, the lack of transparency in the local advertising industry and the presence of

non-commercial, government-subsidised networks”.

Wayne Borg, COO of twofour54, one of the largest producer/distributors in the region agrees that “the absence of robust audience measurement” is a problem but he insists: “This is an issue the industry will be addressing in the very near future with the introduction of people meters.” D’Halluin is less sanguine on this point, noting: “In a number of GCC countries the installation of people meters in private houses is against the law.”

A senior industry insider who wished to remain anonymous also put the very low per-capita advertising spend down to “a lack of a proper understanding by all but a few of the channels of the science of CPT [cost per transaction], allied to a tendency amongst many of the agencies to work on the basis of re-

lationships and bulk deals which drive down the cost of advertising”.

D’Halluin agrees with that view, complaining of “the presence of too many powerful middlemen and heavy discounting”.

Borg estimates that these problems

“

All new players have adopted the latest technology capable of fighting all forms of piracy as we know them

”

Marc-Antoine d’Halluin

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FEATURE: MENA REGION

OSN’s Marc-Antoine d’Halluin: “Lack of transparency in the local advertising industry”

have conspired to “undervalue the Arab FTA market by between 30% and 40%”, but he is keen to emphasise the potential that he believes exists in the region, arguing: “The high level of television consumption, the massive potential for growth in the advertising market and the fact that 60% of the population are aged 25 and under gives you a sense of the tremendous potential in the region.”

One way in which Borg sees that extraordinary age demo offering a significant opportunity is in the development of digital media. He points out: “With very few legacy issues, the region is in a unique position to redefine existing media models and deliver success across all

“

We might see a role reversal in which television is the promotional platform and smartphones the revenue-generating platform

Twofour54’s Wayne Borg: “Massive potential for growth in the advertising market”

Wayne Borg

”

platforms.” He adds: “In some GCC countries, such as UAE, mobile penetration is already close to 200% and forecasters are predicting 100% penetration for all MENA countries within five years, with a big uptake in data usage as opposed to voice. I believe this offers the MENA region the opportunity to lead the way in developing new business models, and we might well see a role reversal in which television is the

promotional platform and smartphones the revenue-generating platform.”

It is certainly the case, that very few of the close to 600 FTA channels currently in existence are making any money. According to the Arab Media Outlook report, of the near-600 FTA channels, the top 15 pan-regional operations took a 64% audience share and an 80% advertising share in 2009.

Moreover, the dominant MBC Group captured a 40% audience share and 50% of advertising across all of its channels. The report puts total advertising in the region for 2009 at $1.5bn, of which $900m went to panArab channels and $600m was shared by local terrestrial FTA channels, although it does predict a rise to $1.9bn in total advertising spend by 2013.

In reality, the disparity between the top channels and the also-rans is even starker, with the top five — MBC1, 2 and 4, Saudi TV1 and Al Arabiya (also owned and operated

by MBC) — taking a 47% market share between them, with MBC 1 alone accounting for 22%.

MBC 1 is an Arab-language, general family entertainment channel. The group does operate a pay service, MBC Drama Plus, which airs the most popular Arabic and Turkish shows 24 hours earlier than they are shown on MBC 1. MBC 2 is a movie channel, MBC 4 covers general entertainment, focusing on foreign series, as do Saudi TV 1, and Al Arabiya is a factual channel, concentrating on news, documentaries, talk shows and economics.

The existence of so many FTA channels is not only a drag on advertising but also on the pay model. With so many channels freely available, the incentive to pay for more is clearly not as great as it might be, which probably explains why pay TV as a whole has, according to Arab Media

Outlook, around 5% of the Arab television market, although it does predict that subscriber levels will rise 45% from the 2009 level of 2.2 million to 3.2 million by 2013.

Piracy is another drag on the regional pay business, but d’Halluin says: “All new players have adopted the latest technology capable of fighting all forms of piracy as we know them today, and OSN is swapping its subscribers to this new technology. We expect to complete this process by the end of this year and, once completed, we will be able to switch off pirate subscribers.”

And subscriber numbers have been growing. Between 2004 and 2007, Showtime’s subscriber numbers grew 18% CAGR, and even during the recession year of 2009, when it also merged with rival Orbit, the operator still threw a perfectly respectable CAGR of 9%. Currently pay-TV accounts for 30% of all television revenues in the region, according to Arab Media Outlook, which predicts that this share will rise to 35% by 2013.

Of the main pay operators, ART is the oldest and the one with the lowest ARPU. It focuses mainly on Arabic content and is one of the major regional producers of Arabic movies.

ART has also traditionally invested heavily in sport and, in particular, in Arab leagues. However, it has recently sold all six sports channels, and with them the sports rights they hold, to Al Jazeera, so a change of direction looks inevitable.

It seems inevitable, too, that the MENA content business is in for a period of great change and a great deal of consolidation. But it is a region with a great deal of potential, which will richly reward those emerging as the winners in this fascinating and sometimes contradictory area.

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