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TED SARANDOS

In his Media Mastermind speech the Netflix chief said: “We’re programming for the world” See p.6

ANNE SWEENEY

As she leaves Disney Anne Sweeney told delegates it’s important to do what scares you See p.12

MORGAN SPURLOCK

The reality supremo said during his keynote: “If you don’t own your voice someone else will” See p.6

FILM & TV CROSSROADS

Writer, director, producer M Night Shyamalan appears on stage as part of the Film & TV Crossroads series of conferences today

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NEWS Proven hits remain key to Sohu chief says China on successful CBS formula brink of content explosion

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H E H EA D of CBS’ worldwide distribution arm has said that the company’s ability to create shows with longevity that “look forward” is a major part of its global success.

Speaking at a MIPCOM Media Mastermind session yesterday, CBS Global Distribution Group president and CEO Armando Nunez said continuing the success of existing shows was a crucial part of the company’s strategy.

He said: “We have shows in our library that have been popular for 50 years; they still get seen around the world. We build these assets that will continue to work, the ones that look forward.”

Appearing alongside David Stapf, president of CBS Televi-

sion Studios, the broadcaster’s production arm, Nunez said the approach was particularly important in the digital age.

He admitted that digital had brought a new set of challenges for broadcasters, but that there were exciting opportunities for the companies that adapted.

“Anyone in distribution can’t help being excited,” he said. “It always creates angst when there are new entrants and technology, but that goes and the dust settles and people continue to exist. It’s an exciting time, it keeps us on our toes.”

Stapf, who is here for his first MIPCOM added: “From our point of view it’s the more platforms the better. We create content and there will always be a need for a story no matter what the platform. It’s still the case that the art comes first; we recognise that everybody we work with is an artist.”

CHINA represents a big opportunity for international content owners, and they shouldn’t delay entering the market, said Charles Zhang, CEO and chairman of the board at leading online video platform Sohu.com, during his Media Mastermind Keynote yesterday.

“Just look at the numbers,” he said, “the situation is very positive. There are 600-700 million internet users in China and they are watching a lot of video. Sohu, combined with four or five other big companies, is currently achieving around 3 billion video views a day.”

China’s traditional TV market is tightly regulated. For this reason, a parallel ecosystem of production and broadcasting is developing around online platforms like Sohu, Youku a n d Te n c e n t , which are not subject to the same controls. “This is where you find young viewers and all the big US and

David Stapf, president of CBS Television Studios (left), with CBS Global Distribution Group president and CEO Armando Nunez

Korean TV series,” said Zhang, citing strong performers such as Z Nation, The Strain, Homeland and Prison Break.

Until now, Sohu’s business model has been based around ad revenue, said Chang, because there has been no convenient way to make micropayments in China. “But that is changing fast. At Sohu, we are launching a payment-based platform so that people can buy Hollywood movies. We know the Chinese are willing to pay.”

One issue that has kept some content owners out of China is a fear of piracy, but Zhang said the major internet players who declared war on the pirates have won the battle. “With the piracy and micropayments issues sorted, we think the market will explode.

The world really is flat. We are waiting for you to come to China.”

Sohu’s Charles Zhang

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MIP_DAILIES_ADS_2014_V2.indd mipcom neWs 33 The official MIPCOM daily newspaper ®

Wednesday 15 October 2014

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Director of Publications Paul Zilk Director of Communication Mike Williams EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT Editor in Chief Julian Newby Deputy Editor Debbie Lincoln Sub Editors Neil Crossley, Sarah Kovandzich Reporters Stuart Braun, Ben Cooper, Andy Fry, Emelia Jones, Juliana Koranteng, Max Leonard, Rachel Murrell, Gary Smith, Joanna Stephens Editorial Assistant Hannah Stephens Technical Editor in Chief Herve Traisnel Deputy Technical Editor in Chief Frederic Beauseigneur Graphic Designers Muriel Betrancourt, Veronique Duthille, Carole Peres Head of Photographers Yann Coatsaliou / 360 Media Photographers Christian Alminana, Olivier Houeix, Michel Johner, Yohann Mortier Editorial Management Boutique Editions PRODUCTION DEPARTMENT Publishing Director Martin Screpel Publishing Co-ordinator Emilie Lambert Production Assistant Eric Laurent ADVERTISING CONTACT IN CANNES Christine Mendes • christine.mendes@reedmidem.com Reed MIDEM, a joint stock company (SAS), with a capital of €310.000, 662 003 557 R.C.S. NANTERRE, having offices located at 27-33 Quai Alphonse Le Gallo - 92100 BOULOGNEBILLANCOURT (FRANCE), VAT number FR91 662 003 557. Contents © 2014, Reed MIDEM Market Publications. Publication registered 4th quarter 2014.

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NEWS Netflix on a roll as content connects around the world

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VOD pioneer Netflix is in the midst of an international roll-out that has made it one of the hottest media brands in the world. So it was no surprise to see the Grand Auditorium packed for a Media Mastermind Keynote interview with et i chie content o ficer ed arandos p aining the et i proposition, he said “it should feel like a channel to consumers, but a channel where viewers set their own timetable and always find something they love. We’re programming for the world and for everyone in the home.”

Original production has become a big part of the company’s content o ering, with range s he New Black performing particularly well in new Netflix markets like France and Germany. oming up is a avish drama

called Marco Polo and a Frenchlanguage series entitled Marseille.

One big development is that Neti is now unding fi ms, with four Adam Sandler movies and a se ue to rouching iger idden Dragon announced. Sarandos said the fi ms wou d debut on et i he theatrica distribution model is antiquated. Our view is that consumers should have the choice whether to watch something on a big screen or from the sofa.” onsumer choice is the et i mantra. Asked if the company is seeking to kill windowing, he said o, but we want to restore choice hat s what we did when we re eased the ouse ards series all at once. I don’t think it will be long before we see studios follow our lead.”

On the company’s launch strategy in new territories, he said “We launch with about half the volume we will have a year after launch. Everyday we learn more about viewing behaviour then we icence content to re ect that Ted Sarandos

Spurlock’s reality rallying call “IF YOU don’t own your voice, someone else will. Being authentic and being original starts with you,” Morgan Spurlock said at his Future Of Factual Keynote. he star documentary director wasn’t going to let a broken nose sustained playing tag with his young son put him off his stride as he offered a rousing cry for original reality programming. e said psycho ogica profi ing once characterised him as both ‘mindful’ and ‘playful’ — and all his work had taken place in that space. “Know that your core programming lives and breathes in your public identity,” he said.

“And never go too far away from your core brand principles.”

Spurlock was already an industry veteran when he achieved

Morgan Spurlock

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fame with Super Size Me, and when that swept Sundance in 2004 he was already pursuing his next project. “Production is like a chain that should go seamlessly from one link to the next,” he advised. 30 Days, Mansome and others followed. n he had benefited rom the democratisation o fi mma ing and, though his work had always been platform-agnostic, he was excited by the “democratisation of distribution” offered by web streaming and mobi e devices is partnership with Maker Studios, Smartish, he said, would “bridge the gap between ed a s and rea ity , and be the p ace or ua ity, original factual. “Short-form digital content is more exciting and lucrative than ever before,” he said here s no better p ace to be authentic than on these new screens.”

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NEWS

Personality Of The Year Paul Zilk presented the Personality Of The Year award to entertainment industry creative icon Simon Cowell at a gala dinner in his honour yesterday

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NEWS Sweeney says goodbye to a TV industry ‘unleashed’ by digital

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OR Anne Sweeney, the greatest gift is curiosity.

“I do believe it’s important to do what scares you,” said Sweeney, who will leave Disney after 18 years to start a new career as a director — surely a bit scary even for the co-chair of Disney Media Networks, the president of Disney/ ABC Television Group, a former MIPCOM Personality Of The Year and, according to The Hollywood Reporter, the most powerful woman in entertainment.

Sweeney, who was talking at yesterday’s Media Mastermind Keynote, said that, as she had advanced up the corporate ladder, she had become more and more distanced rom her first ove the creative end of the business.

“I’ve always felt very drawn to directing,” she added. “So I thought, if not now, when?”

As for the industry she is leaving behind, Sweeney believes that

Disney’s Anne Sweeney: “no one future for television”

the digital technologies, far from disrupting the television business, have transformed it. “Digital

didn’t weaken the power of television,” she said. “It unleashed it. We’re giving people more

quality and options and they’re responding by tuning in, logging on, downloading, streaming, buying, renting and devouring our content any way they can get it.” he supported this view with figures claiming that, this year, people will watch 4.5 trillion hours of television — 140 billion more hours than last year.

Looking to the future, Sweeney said: “From the beginning, the television business has always been forward-looking — to the next episode, the next season, the next advance in technology that will change everything and take us to the next level. That’s why I was drawn to it in the first p ace and why I continue to love it.”

She also predicted that television would become more personal, driven by the tech-savvy Millennial generation that is driving the demand for cross-device viewing.

“There is no one future for television,” she said. “It may be impossible to predict what television wi oo i e in five or years because the odds are it will look different to everybody.”

She added: “The future of television is unknown because its potential is now unlimited.”

How Lego turned bricks into screen hits WHY DID the world’s largest toy-maker decide to enter the content market? At yesterday’s Media Mastermind Keynote, Jill Wilfert, Lego Group’s vicepresident of global licensing and entertainment, set out to answer the question — and explain how the toy giant leverages its global brand power to “build new experiences and drive new forms of engagement”.

Wilfert said: “The timing of our entry into the content market was the result of the convergence of a number of factors. We were seeing more and more examples of people adding stories to our bric s in fi ms on YouTube — perhaps the most inspiring example of that was Eddie Izzard’s Death Star Canteen sketch, which was hi-

larious. Added to that, people in the TV industry were demanding it. So we started off creating shorts, which were really well received, then one TV special, then two TV specials, then a series — and it’s culminated this year with The Lego Movie.”

Wilfert revealed that The Lego Movie had done so well that two more were being planned.

“But we are tough on ourselves in that we always try to exceed the already high expectations around our content,” she added.

“And the audience has responded to that very positively.”

People have a strong personal relationship with Lego, which the company is careful to respect. Wilfert admitted there had been times when it had been tempting to be “a little more

Lego Group’s Jill Wilfert: “We are tough on ourselves”

edgy” and target the teenage market. “But we’ve managed to find the right balance with our content,” she added. “We’re maintaining really broad appeal but we’re never inappropriate.”

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She admitted that Lego can be very choosy about the brands with which it works — but only because its ocus remains firm y fi ed on its brand va ues and its relationship with its fans.

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NEWS Kuschevatzky keynote ponders polarisation of TV and movies

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Axel Kuschevatzky, head of international film production at Telefonica Studios, will deliver today’s keynote in the Grand Auditorium at 10:25

der to u fi ega ob igations, he said. “In some other countries where the company operates there are tax breaks. Being a digital telco with a strong video strategy, to set up a production division (Telefonica Studios) was the next logical step. Telefonica Studios integrates both scenarios — obligation and tax breaks — creating a whole new feature and television series slate.”

Kuschevatzky said Telefonica is currently producing around 12 fi ms a year n , he said, the company will release a theatrical feature directed by Academy award-winner Alejandro Amenabar (The Others), Regression, starring Emma Watson, Ethan Hawke and David Thewlis.

XEL Kuschevatzky, head of international film production at Telefonica Studios, is at MIPCOM today to give the Film And TV Crossroads keynote (Grand Auditorium, 10:25).

Speaking to MIPCOM News in advance of the event, Kuschevatzky said he plans to “explore what is happening now in the theatrical release world and discuss the usual misconception about TV and movies being polar opposites”.

A movie producer by background, Kuschevatzky said his activities are part of a broad-based strategy that has seen Telefonica expand its production activities. “In some countries, such as Spain and Argentina, it has to produce in or-

Building bridges between film and TV ONE OF the highlights at this year’s MIPCOM was the new Film Commissions Day yesterday (Tuesday), when Olivier-Rene Veillon illustrated how collaborations between producers and commissions can inject real life into fiction on any screen.

Veillon, the CEO of Ile-de-France Film Commission, highlighted the impact of such partnerships on Versailles, the new $30m (€23.6m) 10-part English-language blockbuster being filmed at France’s iconic Versailles palace for Canal+.

Veillon used Versailles, the series, as a case study to show how the partnership with a film commission is giving the French/ Canadian producers (CAPA Drama, Incendo Productions, Marathon and Zodiak Media) access to the most rare of settings for very expensive productions.

The Film Commissions Day also acknowledged how film commissions need to consider the growing importance of the TV industry to their business.

“The world is changing and many of these commissions accept they must bring TV and animation into the equation,” said moderator Marlene Edmunds, founder of Marlene Edmunds Media Consulting. “They can see they must pay attention to the multiplatform economy.”

Also highlighting what their organisations can contribute to film, TV and animation

Ile-de-France Film Commission’s Olivier-Rene Veillon

were Lithuania Film Centre, Bilbao Film Commission, Italian Film Commission, Film London, Germany’s Medienboard BerlinBrandenburg, plus South Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

“The commissions, including Lithuania, are tossing out the old-world model of focusing on only film and embracing all audio-visual media,” said Edmunds.

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“Other upcoming titles include apocalyptic adventure Welcome To Harmony (Matthew Fox and Jeffrey Donovan), the animated feature Capture The Flag and the drama La Patota,” he said.

When asked by MIPCOM News about the current trend towards high-end drama, Kuschevatzky said the market has matured enough to sustain original content in platforms that were “out of the discussion just a couple of years ago”. The business model has changed, he said, with some platforms such as home video having been replaced by VOD, while others have become polarised either by blockbusters or franchises.

“Nowadays it seems that you only can have either tentpoles or tadpoles. TV and independent fi mma ing became the and of multi-layered entertainment.

We had to rethink the whole system.”

FACEBOOK WORKSHOP IS A MUST-SEE EVENT

THURSDAY morning’s Facebook Workshop: Best Practices Leveraging Facebook And Instagram In Broadcast will be a must-see event. for producers and broadcasters wanting to use social media to grow their audience and drive engagement.

Speakers will discuss how the platform can help content creators connect with their audiences any time, anywhere.

Glenn Miller, Facebook’s head of sports and entertainment partnerships, EMEA, believes that “Through Facebook and Instagram, broadcasters can increase their reach and engagement at a global scale, participate in real-time conversations, and discover content”.

Miller will be joined at the workshop by his colleagues Vanessa Bakewell, head of entertainment EMEA, Karla Geci, head of media partnerships, and Will Guyatt, head of communications, EMEA, for Instagram.

The session runs from 9.30-12:00 in the Verriere Californie, level 5 of the Palais.

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NEWS Industry chiefs agree it’s best

to ‘fish where the fish are’

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HOULD the makers of high-end content embrace or exclude the open-access platforms?

At the MIPCOM Access Is Ownership: Fireside Chats session, three big brands discussed their approach.

Ben Pyne, president global distribution, Disney Media Networks, prefers the former. “Our mantra is ‘fish where the fish are’,” he said. “We license cataogue to et i , and we pitch them new shows — such as the Marvel Daredevil series, debuting in 2015.”

Predictions that the new platforms would cannibalise the audiences of old are unfounded, he said. The consolidated audiences for drama debuts are bigger with multiple platforms, and revenue is higher too.

Disney also has a deal with US OTT supplier Dish designed to give cost-conscious web-savvy

graduates affordable pay-TV lite. Hopefully, they will up-

grade later. And Maker Studios, with its nine billion downloads

Disney’s Ben Pyne: “fish where the fish are”

TV takes prime place for Millennials TV HAS nothing to fear from changes in consumer media behaviour, Viacom International Media Networks vice-president research and insights, Christian Kurz, told MIPCOM delegates this week.

“TV is stronger than ever,” he said during his Understanding Millennials session. “Our research shows 63% of people (aged six-to-34) believe TV has never been this good. It is viewed as more innovative, pro ific and legitimate (as a way to pass time) than ever before.”

On the impact of disruptive technology such as mobile devices and on-demand platforms, he said: “Non-linear viewing doesn’t replace traditional viewing, it complements it. TV is still the preferred medium when people want to watch

Viacom International Media Networks’ Christian Kurz

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of short-form video? To coin a phrase, Disney loved it so much, it bought the company.

Erin McPherson, Maker’s chief content officer, said Maker’s own content cross-pollinates with that of Disney.

“We will be making new shortform expressions of classic Disney franchises,” she said. “And Disney Junior and Fusion will programme the best of our content.”

Maker will also soon launch Smartish, Morgan Spurlock’s channel for short-form content by “people too smart, and too ugly for television”.

Meanwhile, Andrew Stalbow of Seriously is building the next generation of movie franchises rom a mobi e first e perience His game Best Fiends, launched last week, was created with high-end design and writing talent, and movie-style music composed by Despicable Me composer Heitor Pereira.

“Our focus is on reach and retention,” said Stalbow. “We expect a mi ion down oads in the first week. And our session lengths are incredibly high. The average for games is two to three mins: Best Fiends is getting 12!”

events, lean back and relax or view communally, for example with family.”

Tablets are the next most-used devices for TV viewing and tend to come into their own when viewers are on the move or when the TV set is being used for something else.

“Smartphones also have a role to play among young audiences, who tend to use them in bed when they should be asleep,” he said.

Kurz said this kind of research, which surveyed 10,500 people in 14 countries, is increasingly significant or media companies as they seek to stay relevant to consumers. ou have to have your finger on the pulse of what the audience is doing. Research is driving our approach to programme-making, marketing and partnerships. It’s the basis of our strategy,” he said.

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Comaneci tumbles into town with BBC gymnastics format

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NE OF the world’s most famous gymnasts is in Cannes to promote the international format sales of Tumble (6 x 90 mins), the BBC’s live Saturday-night format in which she is a judge.

Triple Olympic gold medal-winning gymnast Nadia Comaneci judges celebrities as they learn and perform gymnastic routines, assisted by professional mentors and partners.

“People around the world love gymnastics,” Comaneci said.

“The first time I saw our celebrities perform, I realised this is going to be a great show.”

Contestants need a reasonable level of fitness, but they don’t have to be gym bunnies. And nor do they have to be young.

“You see [actor and presenter]

Carnaby’s Andrew Loveday (left) with actor, writer and director Timothy Gibbs

CLASSIC MEETS MODERN IN MAGNUM OPUS

Nadia Comaneci: “People around the world love gymnastics”

Peter Duncan perform and he’s 60,” Comaneci said. “It’s not just learning a move — it’s learning to do it right every time. I know how hard that is.”

She added: “The celebrities are very competitive, but everyone

has fun. It’s great family viewing, and it motivates viewers to give it a try.”

Comaneci had fun too: “I did a beam routine in six-inch heels.”

The format of Tumble is available from BBC Worldwide.

AMSTERDAMbased producer/ distributor Off the Fence (OTF) is celebrating its 20th anniversary at MIPCOM this week. Pictured here are Darrel James (left), Ellen Windemuth, Georgina Eyre and Bo Stehmeier

Australian kids dive into Blue Zoo AIR PIG Productions, RTE and Flame Distribution are showcasing Blue Zoo, a new tween and teen adventure documentary series for ABC Australia and RTE Ireland.

The series puts eight teenagers through a training course at an Australian marine-rescue park.

“The teenagers are empowered to go on this epic adventure to care for rescued dolphins, seals, turtles and penguins,” said Air Pig Productions’ Sally Browning, who executive produced the series. “All the animals in the marine park are rescued. By the end of the series, the teenagers have become experts.

They’ve gone to boot camp to learn how to surf and scuba dive, and they’ve bonded as friends.”

With the first 13 x 30 mins series of Blue Zoo already rating well on ABC3 Australia, a second series focusing on sharks has now been given the green light.

Although pitched at nine- to 13-year-olds, Browning said the series is pulling in a wider demographic on ABC3. “It’s attracting viewers as young as four who love the animals, and viewers as old as 15 or 16 who really relate to the rookies,” she added.

The series also has an underlying

Director of photography Dean Cropp (left) with a Blue Zoo diver

conservation message, with the teenagers dealing with such environmental issues as plastic pollution in the water.

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CARNABY International Sales & Distribution is in Cannes with a raft of content for the international market, including a chilling neo-noir historical fiction based on the Lockerbie bombing and a new film executive produced by Martin Scorsese.

TV drama Magnum Opus centres on a troubled CIA operative whose parents were killed in the 1998 bombing of Lockerbie Pan Am Flight 103. Directed and executive produced by actor, writer and director Timothy Gibbs, who also stars in the lead role, the drama follows the agent’s increasingly desperate attempts to avenge his parents’ murder.

Gibbs, who is chief executive of Magnum Opus producer The Alkeme Company, said: “It’s a throwback to the film-noir classics but with a new visual sense. It has a dark, dreamlike feel. We didn’t set out to make it noir — that part came later when we explored the story.”

Andrew Loveday, joint CEO of Carnaby, which has global distribution rights to Magnum Opus, reported “a lot of interest in the show” among MIPCOM buyers.

Carnaby’s movie catalogue includes Scorsese’s Tomorrow, which tells the story of an injured soldier’s return from war in Afghanistan. The film stars Stephen Fry, Stuart Brennan and Joss Stone.

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Sony’s Howe challenges TV industry to give 4K the OK

Octopus TV’s Andrew Eborn

OCTOPUS TV GRABS DEAL WITH GOOLASH OCTOPUS TV, the UKbased group that manages and delivers digital content via cloud technology, has signed a deal with content Dubai-based Goolash International Holdings (GIH).

The long-term agreement will see Octopus TV’s technology handle the cloud storage, online screening and digital distribution of Voopa The Goolash (13 x 30 mins), GIH’s “quirky” CGI animation series targeting six- to eight-year-olds.

Produced by the New Zealand-based company formerly known as Photon NZFX, the series follows the miniature Goolash people, a peaceful group of unusually shaped creatures. In the Voopa The Goolash series, the Goolash people’s idyllic world is almost destroyed but restored. Caring for the environment, respect for one another, and awareness of the ability to create and destroy are among the messages delivered.

The series is written by Charles Hodges, famous for hit kids animation like Shaun The Sheep and Dennis The Menace.

Distributing shows via Octopus TV would make it easier for GIH to manage and distribute its titles to potential and existing clients of digital-platform operators, said Andrew Eborn, Octopus TV’s president.

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ROADCASTERS and TV manufacturers are still “resistant” to the potential of 4K technology, despite rapid advances in the medium, according to the head of Sony’s 4K academy in the UK. Speaking to MIPCOM News, Gillian Howe, manager of the Sony Digital Motion Picture Centre at Pinewood Studios in London, said there was “anxiousness in the marketplace” about using 4K technology for filming and post-production.

She said: “There are a lot of naysayers out there who think that 4K is still way off in the distance; but if you look at the market there are already a lot of people out there filming in 4K and the technology is moving very quickly.”

Howe heads up the centre in London, which Sony established last October as a way of educating and training film-makers, producers and directors in 4K shooting and post-production techniques. The masterclasses

Gillian Howe, manager of the Sony Digital Motion Picture Centre in London

are held throughout the month for a range of techniques and are free of charge.

“We want to reach out to people who are interested in 4K,” she added. “Everybody is looking for that edge and 4K can give them that. It’s an elegant solu-

tion. Some of the people we have coming in are doing photography courses but they have no experience of 4K at all.

The centre at Pinewood Studios was established after Sony rolled a Digital Motion Picture Centre in LA in May 2012.

TMS’ Lupin takes Italian job TMS ENTERTAINMENT has announced a licensing deal with Italian TV channel Boing, produced and broadcast in Italy by Mediaset and TBSE, for its animation series Lupin III (26 x 30 mins).

What started out as a comic drawn by manga artist Money Punch and later became a hit TV show in Japan, has now been reimagined in Mediterranean Europe. TMS Entertainment’s president Yoshiharu Suzuki revealed at MIPCOM yesterday that the latest series will see anime’s most roguish criminal mastermind leave Japan for Italy.

“We used San Marino as our main location and travelled to Italy for our research,” Suzuki said. “Our company started producing shows in 1964 — we are

Boing chairman Silvio Carini (left) signs a deal with TMSE’s Yoshiharu Suzuki

celebrating our 50th anniversary this year. There is a large Lupin III fan base abroad and we hope this experiment, two years in the

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making, will be a success and prove our commitment to producing shows with broad, international appeal.”

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NEWS

Argentinians sharpening focus on partners and funding deals

A German Calvi from INCAA (left), Paola Suarez of Germina Films, and Rachel do Valle of ABIPTV Brazil

RGENTINIAN producers Germina Films and Prisma Cine have signed a co-production deal at MIPCOM with Brazilian producer Plural, for the 13-part fiction series Public Relations. Meanwhile, in a move that will be of interest to producers in Cannes, INCAA (Instituto Nacional de Cine y Artes Audiovisuales) has made an alliance with the Ministry of Federal Planning, Public Investment and Services, through which it is offering $1m per project to three international fiction co-productions.

Fifty-three Argentinian companies are at MIPCOM this year, alongside representatives of INCAA and members of the Association of Private Broadcasters of Argentina (ATA), and for the second year, representatives of the broadcast channels association, TRAMA, and Federal International Distribution (FID) which represents regional producers.

“Companies attending include fiction and telenovela specialists Telefe International and Artear, formats producers Endemol and Dori Media, and drama specialist VillarruelLlorente (ONTV),” said Silvina Cornillon, from INCAA’s office of external affairs. “We are primarily promoting and supporting more than 4,000 hours of content produced by a new generation of independent companies, mainly in documentaries, and children’s content. And in terms of pan-regional, we have deepened our partnership with Brazil in order to strengthen co-productions, and also started building relations with India.”

INCAA has also initiated a partnership with the National Ministry of Education and the TV channels PakaPaka and Encuentro.

“Thanks to this we are representing 15 educational projects for kids and looking for international co-production partners,” she added.

Studio 100 renews with Comarex KIDS and family studio Studio 100 Media has extended its sub-distribution agreement with Mexico-based distributor Comarex at MIPCOM. The three year extension covers exclusive rights for Studio 100 Media’s entire catalogue within the TV and home entertainment sectors for Latin America as well nonexclusive rights for Spanish-speaking USA. Patrick Elmendorff, managing director of Studio 100 Media said, “Our companies have operated a successful partnership over the years and with their vast experience and expertise distributing in Latin America we are confident that our programmes remain in the best possible hands.”

Marcel Vinay Jr, CEO of Comarex, added, “Studio 100 Media’s great portfolio will appeal to Latin American broadcasters and audiences.”

Key shows in the Studio 100 Media portfolio include Maya The Bee, Vic The Viking, Heidi, Tashi, K3, Zigby and Bumba.

Patrick Elmendorff: confidence in Comarex

A DEAL signed yesterday will see three major new fiction series — Lazaro, Cortar El Puente and Las Campanas De Queretaro — co-produced by Mexico’s Argos Films and Spanish producers Veralia and Filmanova. Pictured at the signing are Veralia’s Carlo Boserman (left), Argos Film’s Epigmenio Ibarra and Filmanova’s Anton Reixa.

MIPCOM FIRST AID POINT The First Aid Point at MIPCOM, where delegates can go for medical attention, has moved. It is now close to the entrance to the Riviera, by the access to the car park.

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NEWS NFB’S COWS GO HOME WITH KINO LORBER THE US rights of one of Michael Moore’s top picks from this year’s Toronto International Film Festival has been acquired by Kino Lorber from the National Film Board of Canada.

Wanted 18 is a Palestinian documentary produced by Intuitive Pictures and directed

by Amer Shomali and Paul Cowan. The film recreates an astonishing event from the first Palestinian Intifada — the Israeli army’s pursuit of 18 cows, whose independent milk production on a Palestinian collective farm was declared a threat to Israel’s national security.

The film tells the story from the point of view of the farmers and the cows, as well as the Israeli in charge of quashing the rebellion. Stop-motion animation, drawings and interviews are used to create a tribute to the ingenuity of grassroots activism.

REAL RAILWAY MAN SOLD TO NPO DOC RAW CUT Distribution has licensed its documentary Enemy My Friend to Netherlands documentary channel NPO Doc. Originally produced in 1995 and remastered by Raw Cut, the programme follows former British soldier and Japanese prisoner of war Eric Lomax on a journey to track down one of his tormentors. The story was the inspiration for Hollywood blockbuster The Railway Man, starring Colin Firth.

Tatiana Oei from NPO Doc said: “The original footage is incredibly moving. Enemy My Friend is the ideal addition to our forthcoming run of documentary titles.”

Richard Jeffs, Raw Cut’s head of distribution, added: “This year is the 75th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II, making it even more humbling to watch two men from opposing camps talk so candidly about a terrible period in history.”

Stars receive warm reception

for Sky Vision’s Iceland thriller

Fortitude stars arrive in Cannes: Richard Dormer (left), Sienna Guillory and Luke Treadaway

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KY VISION, BSkyB’s international distribution arm, launched the highbudget series Fortitude (12 x 60 mins) at MIPCOM yesterday, bringing in several stars to promote the show, including Richard Dormer (Game Of Thrones), Luke Treadaway (Clash Of The Titans; Attack The Block) and Sienna Guillory (Luther; Resident Evil: Apocalypse). Also appearing in the Tiger Aspect-backed Fifty Fathoms series is Stanley Tucci, Michael Gambon, Christopher Eccleston and Sofie Grabol.

Commissioned by Sky Atlantic, Fortitude is Sky Vision’s biggest scripted series since it launched in 2012. Created by Low Winter Sun’s Simon Donald, the action is set in Fortitude, a small, close-knit community in the Arctic, whose reputation as one of the safest places on earth is shattered when it becomes the scene of a murder.

“The geographical environment certainly magnified our emotional environment,” said

Guillory, who plays the part of young scientist Natalie Yelburton. “Iceland was a big, barren landscape. Working in that wilderness brought the cast together and created warmth.

And the imposing elements made the scripted events all the more catastrophic.”

Guillory praised Donald’s ability to weave a bewitching story that kept even the cast guessing until the bitter end. “We had no idea what was going to happen next,” she said. “Every time a new script was revealed, we were all in a frenzy of anticipation.”

Sky Vision has pre-sold Fortitude to Canal+ France, TV2 Denmark, SVT Sweden, YLE Finland, Super Channel Canada, NRK Norway, RUV Iceland, DBS Israel and OTE Greece. Warner Bros. Home Entertainment and PBS Distribution have picked up the home-entertainment rights.

Fortitude is executive produced by Patrick Spence (Five Minutes Of Heaven), Frith Tiplady (Peaky Blinders) and Andrew Woodhead (Spooks).

Global Agency on Exchange trip GLOBAL Agency has staged a stunt at MIPCOM to promote its latest game-show format.

The Turkish distributor has been out and about the Palais, offering gift items to delegates in exchange for something of their own, such as a pen or a business card.

The stunt mirrors the game play in its latest format, The Exchange Project, in which contestants are given a budget to spend on one item that they then have to trade with members of the public in the hope of gaining an item of higher value. The person with the highest value item after four hours is awarded €5,000.

The Exchange Project is in among the raft of dramas and formats being offered by Istanbul-based Global Agency to the international market at MIPCOM.

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The Global Agency team promotes The Exchange Project

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NEWS

Nippon TV offers formats that show good home track record

H This Old Thing presenter and vintage expert Dawn O’Porter

NEW HOME FOR THIS OLD THING US ARTS network Ovation, has acquired the US TV premiere rights to the six-part series This Old Thing from Zodiak Rights.

The MIPCOM deal was announced by Scott Woodward, Ovation’s senior vice-president of programming and production, and Janet Robinson, Zodiak Rights’ vice-president of sales and acquisitions.

Presenting a stylish alternative to disposable fashion, host Dawn O’Porter shows viewers how to look for lost classics in vintage shops, high-end boutiques and relatives’ attics to prove that clothes from the past can be clothes of the future with a little imagination and artistic flair. Together with expert guests, she also explores the history of fashion, and gives practical advice on how to bring tired clothing up to date by customising and reinventing old pieces.

“This is a gem of a show that works so well with Ovation’s mission of presenting programming that shows art is everywhere,” Ovation’s Woodward said. “We just loved Dawn’s wonderful, infectious energy and enthusiasm.”

This Old Thing originally premiered on Channel 4 in the UK, and is produced by RDF Television West.

AV I N G o b s e r ve d trends in last year’s market, Nippon TV returned to MIPCOM this year with a revised slate of format offerings for international buyers including popular Japanese docu-reality titles The One(s) I Loved and Would You Pay?!.

“We realised we had to bring formats to market that already have a good track record in Japan,” Shigeko Chino, Nippon TV’s senior director international business development, said. “We have run returning specials of both these format titles in our home territory — our high ratings success encourages buyers to take an interest.”

The One(s) I Loved is a biographical talk show where a celebrity reveals past loves in their life. Would You Pay?! is an observational reality and quiz show that monitors people’s decision-making prowess.

According to Allison Hashiba,

Nippon TV’s Shigeko Chino (left) and Allison Hashiba: ratings success

N i p p o n T V ’s m a n a g e r, inter national business d evelopm ent , t h e r e is a continuing proliferation of interest in edutainment and docureality formats at MIPCOM. “Our formats are underpinned with universal themes. Everyone wants to learn more about people’s lives from a different perspective and delve into individual decision-making

processes,” Hashiba said.

Nippon TV’s science-based edutainment format Ultimate Brain has already enjoyed success in China, a country where children are not allowed to partake in scientific experiments at school. Hashiba added that finding alternative ways to educate children on television is making other Asian broadcasters take note.

More Jamie shows head Down Under FREMANTLEMEDIA International (FMI) and Australia’s commercial free-to-air channel, Network Ten, have agreed a multi-year deal that will see the network take exclusive first-run rights in Australia to all the new and upcoming Jamie Oliver content, and extend its agreement for titles from the Jamie Oliver back catalogue.

As part of the agreement, Network Ten is currently airing the new series Jamie’s Comfort Food (6 x 60 mins). Produced by Fresh One Productions, the series sees Jamie creating simple, pleasurable food.

“We are thrilled that Network Ten has signed on to continue bringing Jamie’s down–to-earth cooking style, passion for big

Jamie Oliver with Network Ten’s head of acquisition and development manager Azar Marashian and FMI’s Paul Ridley

flavours and delicious recipes to Australian audiences,” Paul Ridley, FMI’s senior executive vicepresident distribution & home entertainment, Asia Pacific, said.

Network Ten chief programming

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officer, Beverley McGarvey, added: “All of Jamie’s franchises are extremely popular with Australian audiences and they will continue to play an integral role in Ten’s programme schedule.”

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WEDNESDAY 15 OCTOBER GLOBAL HOTSPOTS EXPANDING HORIZONS IN NIGERIA: THE ‘NOLLYWOOD’ CASE STUDY 9.30-10.15 I Californie, Palais 5 Speakers Mo Abudu, Executive Chairman & CEO, EbonyLife TV, Nigeria Alex Eyengho, President, Association of Mo Abudu Nollywood Core Producers (ANCOP) and Vice President, International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF), Nigeria Emeka Mba, Director General, National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Nigeria Sola Omole, Director General, Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), Nigeria

DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION: THE QUEST FOR THE AUDIENCE WHAT DO WE WANT? CONTENT! WHEN DO WE WANT IT? ALWAYS! 9.15-9.45 I Esterel, Palais 5 Speakers Kristian Bruarøy, Head of TV 2 Sumo, TV 2, Norway Jim Packer, President, Lionsgate, USA Sam Toles, Vice President, Content Acquisitions and Business Development, Vimeo, USA Moderator Jim Packer Catherine Warren, President, FanTrust Entertainment Strategies & Board Member, Bell Fund, Canada

THE USER INTERFACE CHALLENGE 10.00-10.30 I Esterel, Palais 5

EXPANDING HORIZONS: POLAND – EUROPE’S UNDISCOVERED GEM 10.30-11.15 I Californie, Palais 5 Speakers Stefan Brauburger, Head of Contemporary History, ZDF, Germany Krisztina Gallo, Head of Original Production CEE, Sony Pictures Television Networks CE, Hungary Andrzej Godlewski, Deputy Director, Telewizja Polska (TVP1), Poland Ed Sayer, Vice President, Commissioning, National Geographic Channels International, UK Ewa Puszczynska Krauze, Producer, Opus Film, Ed Sayer Poland Wojtek Zadrożniak, Program Acquisition Executive, TTV, Poland Chair Marlene Edmunds, Chief Executive/Founder, Marlene Edmunds Media Consulting, France

Speakers Rose Adkins, Founder & CEO, ScreenHits, UK Steve Gibbons, Head of User Experience & Steve Gibbons Design, BBC, UK Stephen Hodge, Managing Director, Toon Goggles, USA Moderator Jesse Cleverly, Creative Director, Wildseed Studios, UK

VOD: BEYOND-VIEWING OPPORTUNITIES 10.45-11.15 I Esterel, Palais 5 Speakers Christopher Archer, CEO, LookLive, The Netherlands Yukiko Kimishima, Divisional President, International Business Development, Nippon Television Network Corporation, Japan Kris Hardiman, Head of Product Management, Red Bee Media, UK Kris Hardiman Moderator Jesse Cleverly, Creative Director, Wildseed Studios, UK

SCREENING THE VERY BEST OF 4K NEXTV FORUM

10.00-10.45 I Sony 4K Theatre, Auditorium I, Palais 4 Speaker Keiya Motohashi, Head, Executive Office & Senior Strategist, UHDTV & Smart TV Services, NexTV Forum, Japan

RED BULL MEDIA HOUSE

11.15-12.00 I Sony 4K Theatre, Auditorium I, Palais 4 Speaker Florian Edenberger, Director Footage & Special Projects

RAI/DBW COMMUNICATION

14.00-14.45 I Sony 4K Theatre, Auditorium I, Palais 4

KROPAC MEDIA

15.15-16.00 I Sony 4K Theatre, Auditorium I, Palais 4 Speaker Berti Kropac, DoP and Founder, Kropac Media, Germany

SCREENING THE VERY BEST OF 4K: TRATOR FILMES The World Cup in 4K 16.15-17.00 I Sony 4K Theatre, Auditorium I, Palais 4 Speakers Victor Lemos, Executive Producer, Trator Filmes, Brazil Alex Miranda, Director, Trator Filmes, Brazil

Speakers Giuliano Berretta, President, DBW Communication, Italy Paola Carruba, Head of Music Publishing & Music Production, RAI Com, Italy

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OFFICIAL CONFERENCE & SCREENINGS FILM & TV CROSSROADS

FILM & TV CROSSROADS KEYNOTE 10.00-10.20 I Grand Auditorium, Palais 1

KEVIN BEGGS, Chairman, LIONSGATE TELEVISION GROUP

FRESH TV FICTION

13.15-14.00 I Grand Auditorium, Palais 1 Presenter Virginia Mouseler, CEO, The Wit, Switzerland

MASTERCHEF SHOWCASE

Kevin Beggs

14.30-15.00 I Esterel, Palais 5

FILM & TV CROSSROADS KEYNOTE 10.00-10.20 I Grand Auditorium, Palais 1

AXEL KUSCHEVATZKY, Head of International Film Production, TELEFONICA STUDIOS Axel Kuschevatzky

Joe Bastianich

Moderator Peter White, International Editor, Broadcast, UK

WORLD SCREEN FORMAT TRENDSETTER AWARD

FILM & TV CROSSROADS

FROM CULT TO MAINSTREAM: FILM & TV CROSSROADS CASE STUDIES 11.00-12.00 I Grand Auditorium, Palais 1 Speakers Ben Donald, Executive Producer of “The Refugees” for BBC Worldwide, UK Steven Moffat, Executive Producer and Lead Writer of “Doctor Who” and Co-creator and Executive Producer of “Sherlock”, UK Glen Morgan, Showrunner/Writer of “Intruders”, USA Mira Sorvino, lead actress in “Intruders”, Oscan Winner, USA M. Night Shyamalan, Executive Producer/Director, “Wayward Pines”, USA Moderator Julian Newby, Editor in Chief MIPCOM News, Boutique Editions, UK

Speakers Joe Bastianich, acclaimed restaurateur, critic & judge from the hit US adaptation of MasterChef, MasterChef Junior and also judge on MasterChef Italy Mark Fennessy, CEO, Shine Australia, Australia Thierry Lachkar, CEO, Shine France, France Nadine Nohr, CEO, Shine International, UK

NEW! THE FORMATS SUPERPANEL: WHAT DO BUYERS WANT? 15.15-16.00 I Esterel, Palais 5

Speakers Phil King, President – CTV, Sports, and Entertainment Programming, Bell Media, Canada Anette Rømer, Head of Acquisitions, TV 2 DANMARK, Denmark Merrily Ross, Vice President Formats, MTG, UK Ran Telem, VP Programing, Keshet Media Group, Israel Chair Anna Carugati, Group Editorial Director, World Screen, USA

DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION: THE QUEST FOR THE AUDIENCE

THE VOD PLATFORMS SHOW & TELL 16.30-17.30 I Californie, Palais 5

M. Night Shyamalan

Speakers

WORLD SCREEN CONTENT TRENDSETTER AWARD

ACQUISITION SUPERPANEL: WHAT DO BUYERS WANT?

12.15-13.00 I Grand Auditorium, Palais 1 Speakers Sasha Breslau, Head of Acquired Series, ITV, UK Paulo Mendes, Director of Acquisitions, TV Globo, Brazil Les Sampson, Head of Acquisitions, Stream Co (Nine), Australia Christian Vesper, SVP, Scripted Programming & Current, SundanceTV, USA

Tonjé Bakang Tonjé, CEO, AFROSTREAM, France Brendan Gallagher, VP of Business Affairs, Gravitas Ventures, USA

Tonjé Bakang Tonjé

Marisa Lloreda, Head of Acquisitions and Programming, Bigstar, USA Brendan Gallagher

Marisa Lloreda

Chair Anna Carugati, Group Editorial Director, World Screen, USA

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NEWS New NHK and BBC partnership to explore the wild side of Japan

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HK and BBC Worldwide have announced at MIPCOM that NHK and the BBC’s Natural History Unit will be co-producing new natural history series, Wild Japan.

The three-part, blue-chip documentary series will explore the diverse and untamed regions of Japan, revealing the creatures that inhabit them and showing how the Japanese have learned to live in unpredictable landscapes

— from the freezing northern island of Hokkaido and the seismically volatile main island of Honshu to the subtropical Nansei islands in the far southwest.

The series will see the two parties contribute equally in terms of editorial staff, film crews and equipment. Leading the production are executive producer for NHK, Tomonori Take of NHK Enterprises, and series producer Mary Summerill of the BBC’s Natural History Unit.

Arab Idol: recommissioned by MBC

MIDDLE EAST FEASTS ON REALITY TV

BBC Worldwide’s Paul Dempsey (left) and Tim Davie, with NHK’s Yukinori Kida and Junko Ogawa, and BBC Worldwide’s David Weiland

Austro-Iranian deal for cheetah doc ORF AUSTRIAN Broadcasting Corporation, Iran state broadcaster IRIB and Interspot Film, Vienna have announced at MIPCOM their co-production of wildlife film Wild Iran — The Desert Phantom: On The Trail Of The Last Persian Cheetahs.

“ORF proposed the idea to IRIB at last year’s MIPCOM,” said Changiz Hasani, general director of IRIB, adding that the Iranian broadcaster was very interested in further documentary co-productions having worked with ZDF and ARTE in France.

“Austrian television is famous for its natural documentaries,” said Richard Grasl, chief financial officer of ORF. “We see this as the start of collaborations with IRIB on further documentaries. Iran is a very beautiful country but most people in Europe only know it from the news. We want to show Iran’s beauty.”

ORF and IRIB are planning further co-productions, with a documentary on Iranian carpets already slated.

ORF’s Richard Grasl (left), IRIB’s Changiz Hasani and Interspot Film’s Heinrich Mayer-Moroni

Wild Iran promises unique footage of Persian cheetahs, with less than 70 of the threatened species believed to be still living wild in Iran.

With the full support of IRIB and the Iranian conservation authorities, the film will observe the elusive cheetah in addition to the Persian gazelle, leopard and wild ass in their natural habitats. Production begins in 2015.

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FREMANTLEMEDIA International has clinched a new multi-format deal with pan-Arab media conglomerate MBC Group.

MBC has re-commissioned Arab Idol, the pan-Arab version of Idol (the format co-owned by FremantleMedia and 19 Entertainment) for another three seasons.

It has also recommissioned Arabs Got Talent, the Middle East edition of Got Talent (jointly owned by FremantleMedia and Simon Cowell’s Syco Entertainment) for three more seasons.

The Got Talent format entered the Guinness World Records in April as the most successful reality-TV format worldwide and has now been commissioned in 65 territories.

Additionally, MBC has for the first time clinched the pan-Arab rights to The X Factor, owned by Syco Entertainment and co-produced and licensed by FremantleMedia.

Already seen by more than 360 million viewers worldwide, the commission for three new seasons will extend the format’s reach to a total of 51 territories.

Meanwhile, Project Runway, a reality-TV contest for fashion designers by The Weinstein Company, has been licensed by FremantleMedia to MBC for the Arab-speaking region.

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NEWS Nigeria brings ‘ecosystem of indies’ as Nollywood TV hits the market

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NDEPENDENT Nigerian programmemakers are in Cannes to bring Nollywood TV to the international market. Hosted by the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC), producers and writers of all genres are at MIPCOM to showcase their original content to the world, supported by a new app that allows broadcasters to preview shows online and make contact with their creators.

The app, Afrinolly, has been developed to present a platform for videos, comedy, trailers, short films and information about Nollywood producers, writers and directors. It is available to download for free on multiple platforms and devices.

Afrinolly CEO Chike Maduegbuna said: “There are a lot of independent TV makers in Nigeria; we want to nurture that ecosystem of indies and make their content available to the international market. The African story is unique and often you don’t hear the story told

by Africans. We want film and TV-makers in Nigeria to have the chance to tell that story.”

Afrinolly is one of the companies at MIPCOM as part of the Nigerian Pavilion, sup-

Afrinolly CEO Chike Maduegbuna

ported by NBC. The organisation is encouraging content creators to participate in a series of events and networking opportunities throughout this year’s show.

The Qyou promises world-first for pay-TV

ORANGE OUTLINES ITS DESIRE TO INNOVATE

JEANNE Croiger, vice-president marketing TV & video, Orange, was one of the panelists speaking at the Global Channel Distribution Day session on Monday, entitled What Do Platforms Want? As the first French T-VOD platform, Orange is continuously seeking to innovate.

“As the internet develops, the customer is facing an abundancy of free content and new OTT services,” said Croiger. “Their attention and money are harder to catch. Besides, they want to enjoy entertainment when they want, meaning anywhere — anytime — with any device. This is why a better, mutual understanding between channels, platforms and content providers becomes crucial to meet customer expectation and create value.”

Croiger highlighted the fact that Orange, as a pay-TV distributor, favours a channel with an impactful brand and a strong, clear editorial.

The company still believes in the power of linear TV, she said, as its customers spend more than three hours per day watching TV. But she added that Orange also wants to support new ways of watching entertainment.

“We are working on a ‘clearer TV everywhere’ offer structure, with less packages, mixing linear channels, catch-up services and SVOD for an affordable monthly price,” she said. “We want to provide our content partners with innovative experiences that will enhance their content.”

BERNARD PROVES TO BE HIT AFTER HIT The Qyou’s co-founders Curt Marvis (left) and Scott Ehrlich

MIPCOM saw the launch yesterday of The Qyou, described as the world’s first 24/7 payTV network dedicated to high-quality, shortform internet video content.

Distribution has started with Beijing-headquartered StarTimes, the Chinese pay-TV giant, which is making The Qyou — pronounced “The Q” — available in 14 subSaharan African countries. The management is now in talks with other platforms to enter Europe.

The Qyou aims to bring the best of the nextgeneration original online video content to today’s TV screens. “There is an amazing

amount of content made for the web but not getting on to TV,” said CEO Scott Ehrlich. “At the same time, the industry is complaining that young people are leaving TV. So we’ve taken well-produced online content and taken it to the most powerful video-delivery platform.”

The short-form shows, licensed from all over the world, range from two to six minutes, and are licensed from a variety of sources, including YouTube multi-channel networks.

“We can go from linear to offering video-ondemand, catch-up, TV everywhere, clips-ondemand and enabling viewers to keep playlists,” said co-founder Curt Marvis.

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BRB Internacional has just closed its month of September with a new viewing record on YouTube — more than 27 million hits for the month. In August the company passed the 25 million mark, but, in just 30 days, that figure had risen by a further two million.

Among the most popular BRB series on YouTube is Bernard, which has registered more than 160 million views in the last year. A fourth series of the show, titled SuperBernard is currently in production.

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NEWS Marblemedia mines world’s top brands for inspirational stories

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A R BL E M E D I A has added primetime content to its t raditiona l pro gramming genres of kids and family. But in line with the multiplatform content pioneer’s guiding principle — “always be original”— its approach to diversification is innovative.

The Canadian company’s recent partnership with Cirque du Soleil, which will see the two companies develop a primetime mini-series, a one-hour drama and a musical event, illustrates the point: “We’re not making a behind-the-scenes documentary about Cirque du Soleil or televising their performances,” said Mark Bishop, marblemedia’s co-CEO and executive producer. “What we’re doing is leveraging the Cirque du Soleil brand and imagining what a drama, for example, would look like infused with its brand values.”

Another brand hook-up involves Ashley Madison, with which marblemedia will create a character-driven drama loosely based

David Production’s Taito Okiura

DAVID PRODUCTION IS YOUNG, GIFTED AND JAPANESE Always original: marblemedia’s Mark Bishop with Distribution360’s Kirsten Hurd

on the online dating service for couples in committed relationships. “Again, it’s about finding really interesting brands and telling new stories inspired by them,” Bishop said.

On the production front, marblemedia’s headline act at MIPCOM is Hi Opie!, produced in association with The Jim Henson Company. Kirsten Hurd, director of international sales and acquisitions for marblemedia’s Distribution360, said the new pre-school series had sparked interest among

buyers. “We’re also looking at Hi Opie!’s potential to be sold as a format,” she said. “It would be easy to localise the live-action segments and we believe the market for children’s formats is set to explode.”

Distribution360 was established five years ago to license both original marblemedia content and third-party programming. Its MIPCOM slate also features several new lifestyle and factual series, including Si Entertainment’s home renovation shows Tackle My Reno and Leave It To Bryan.

FIC and Radio-Canada in natural deal AN OUTPUT agreement has been signed at MIPCOM that will expose Fox International Channels (FIC) library of outstanding National Geographic productions to more viewers, including Canadian teachers and students.

Radio-Canada has acquired over a hundred hours of National Geographic documentaries to be broadcast on the ICI Explora channel starting in January 2015, when ICI Explora will also introduce a new primetime slot exclusively devoted to National Geographic productions.

The agreement was announced in Cannes by Louis Lalande, executive vice-president, French services at CBC/Radio-Canada, and Ward Platt, chief operating officer of FIC and CEO of

National Geographic Channels International (NGCI). It follows the launch of FIC’s new Content Sales division last month.

The partners have also signed an agreement allowing RadioCanada’s education platform Curio to air 200 hours of National Geographic documenta r ies previously acquired and aired on ICI Explora. This will enable subscribed teaching institutions and libraries throughout Canada to access National Geographic factual content.

“We are very pleased to partner with Fox International Channels Content Sales to expand our offering with outstanding content from National Geographic on all aspects of nature and the environment throughout the world,” said Lalande.

Ward Platt and Louis Lalande: expanding partnership

Platt added: “This expanding partnership with Radio-Canada presents the perfect opportunity to introduce French-speaking Canadian audiences and a new generation of bright minds to inspi r ing, h igh- qua l it y programming that encapsulates t he core of t he Nationa l Geographic brand.”

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TAITO Okiura, co-founder, president and CEO of Japanese animation studio David Production, acquired by leading Japanese commercial broadcaster Fuji Television Network in August, has been busy at MIPCOM seeking co-production partners.

Okiura remains David Production’s CEO, and Fuji TV has mandated him to develop co-production animation content with international partners, focusing on shows and merchandise for an international audience of pre-teens and young teenagers.

“Content aimed at Japan’s youth is still big business, but with the country’s aging population, our future growth strategy has to be international,” Okiura said.

The sale to Fuji TV was a big deal in Japan’s business media. “It is rare for a major broadcaster to acquire a young independent animation producer and allow autonomy,” he said. “They would normally obtain the library alone. In our case, they also wanted the talent.”

Among the titles David Production brings to Cannes is Baby Superman, an animation short produced for Warner Bros. Animation, and JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, a 26-episode series adapted from a manga comic that has sold more than 90 million copies. The second season will have 48 episodes.

NEWS MONKEY BUSINESS LEADS DEALS FOR BREAKTHROUGH TELETOON has commissioned a third season of kids’ animation series Rocket Monkeys (26 x 30 mins) from Toronto-based producer and distributor Breakthrough Entertainment. The series is produced by Breakthrough in association with Teletoon and Atomic Cartoons.

“Rocket Monkeys has been captivating Teletoon audiences since its launch,” said Athena Georgaklis, director of content at Teletoon. “We are looking forward to a third season of this hilariously-outrageous show.” Breakthough Entertainment is also highlighting another kids animation at MIPCOM, Pirate Express, aimed at seven- to 11-year-olds, about an adventurous Atlantean boy named Newt, who leads a motley crew of unruly pirates on bizarre voyages. In the drama genre, a MIPCOM launch for Breakthrough is Miss Don’t Touch Me (13 x 30 mins/6 x 60 mins), a series based on a graphic novel that peeks into a dark world of fantasy, fetish and murder. The series is a co-production with featurefilm producer Sudden Storm Entertainment and Breakthrough Entertainment handles worldwide distribution.“Miss Don’t Touch Me is powerful television that delivers intense drama and a highly-stylised look,” said Nat Abraham, president of distribution for Breakthrough Entertainment.

Pirate Express (Breakthrough Entertainment)

Content powerhouse Rainbow celebrates dreams come true

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AMILY entertainment specialist Rainbow celebrates its 20th birthday this year. The European studio was founded in 1994 by entrepreneur Iginio Straffi and now boasts 10 subsidiaries, which deal with a wide range of productions, from TV and movies, to toys, the internet and multimedia products.

Rainbow’s brands include Winx Club, Mia And Me, and the new animation Royal Academy (working title).

A glittering gala dinner took place on Sunday evening at The Grand hotel in Cannes to celebrate the anniversary. “Twenty years ago we started with nothing but today have built a magical international reality — a content powerhouse with a worldwide reach,” said Straffi. “Our story is a dream come true. It was an absolute privilege to celebrate this milestone with our friends and partners from the licensing and broadcasting sectors.”

Rainbow and m4e — joint licensors for magical brand Mia

Mia And Me is an innovative hybrid of live-action and CGI animation

And Me — have brought the property to MIPCOM 2014 on the back of a string of new broadcasting deals. The awardwinning show is an innovative hybrid of live action and CGI animation that combines fantasy, adventure and comedy.

Broadcasters include Nick Jr in the US where the hit series just started its second run.

Mia And Me also launched on Telemundo in Puerto Rico in May, and in September started screening on Televisa in Mexico and Planet COCUR in Turkey.

Me, Mum And Mystery going live GERMANY-based media company m4e has signed an option deal with Atlantyca IP Agency at MIPCOM for the television and licensing rights to Me, Mum And Mystery, a book series by Lucia Vaccarino, which features a mother and her 11-year-old daughter who together run an inherited detective agency in a small village. Under the terms of the deal, m4e will seek to develop the book series into a liveaction series for kids.

Hans Ulrich Stoef, CEO of m4e said: “We have high hopes for this show, we really believe in it. We like the story a lot and we think it’s very appealing for a wide audience. We were looking for a story like this.”

The show is currently in development with production due to commence at the end of 2015. The m4e Group, which is best known for its Mia And Me animation property, also unveiled a deal with Bastei Media this week. The two companies confirmed plans to co-produce a new CGI series

for four- to seven-year-old girls called Wissper. The series will be developed and co-produced

by Dan Good and London-based studio Absolutely Cuckoo. Additional co-producers are the Irish producer Telegael and the Indian animation studio Discreet Art Productions.

m4e’s Jo Daris (left), Lucia Geraldine Scott and Claudia Mazzucco of Atlantyca with Hans Ulrich Stoef of m4e

34

mipcom

Pitch Doctor empowers new delegates to master market

Pitch Doctor Paul Boross: “tips and tricks to help you cut through the noise”

P

ITCH Doctor Paul Boross addressed MIPCOM newcomers at the first session of the market’s First Timers programme, which attracted a wide range of new visitors.

“Being a ‘newbie’ at the biggest television festival in the world can be daunting,” he said.

“But there are tips and tricks that can help you cut through the noise and make yourself heard. It’s my job to help first-time MIPers lose their virginity while feeling more in control, safe and empowered.”

Newbies included former rugby player, author and sports commentator Luca Tramontin, who is producer of series Sport Crime. When asked what kind of potential business partners he would like to meet, he said: “Exactly

the ones I met today.”

Michael Neidus of MIDEM-regular Demon Music Group said: “We have a vast amount of original-recording copyrights with all-usage multi-territorial rights, as well as concerts and mini-documentaries. The beauty of these events are the networking opportunities, and prior to MIPCOM I used the website to see which companies had specific interest in music content.”

Executive producer Deryck Broom of Cape Town’s Trilogy said: “Confirming meetings can be tough for a first-timer and this First Timers programme broke the ice for me.”

Roberto Puig, CEO/creative director of motion graphics and design studio specialised in branding for TV and the web, Don Porfirio, said coming to MIPCOM was a strategy to grow his business outside of Mexico, Canada and the US. “This has taught us more about the fine art of networking and marketing. We will definitely come back more prepared.”

Mon Cheri Davenport, US-based creator of game-show Moks Nix is pitching her ideas to co-producers: “I met so many other awesome first-timers I would not have met if I had not attended.”

Although Times Television Network, part of India’s The Times Group, has been represented at MIPCOM in the past, head of international business Naveen Chandra said it was drawn back because of International Channel Distribution Day: “The day helps carry forward some of the conversations we were having with various platforms and understand the international markets and opportunities better. The first-timer programme helped organise our time much better.”

TAG’s Stanislav Georgiev (left) and Dusk! TV’s Edwin Teerink

NEW ERA DAWNS FOR DUSK! TV

DUSK! TV, an adult-entertainment TV network based in the Netherlands, is expanding its reach across Europe following a MIPCOM deal signed with Telekom Austria Group (TAG).

Dusk! will be distributed via TAG’s pan-European services, which reach more than 110 million TV homes via cable, satellite and IPTV signals. Dusk! previously reached 40 million TV homes in 10 European Union countries.

The channel has already rolled out in Bulgaria and will launch in Croatia and Macedonia imminently.

“We were intrigued by Dusk!’s content — adult entertainment is usually geared to a male audience but Dusk! has established a women-only panel to curate content that will mainly appeal to the other-half,” said TAG’s Stanislav Georgiev.

“We are looking forward to analysing the statistics but we imagine that these narrative-led adult stories will keep viewers’ attention,” he said.

Edwin Teerink, Dusk! TV’s director operations, added: “This deal marks a significant step for us at Dusk!. We are pleased to be able to get the signal of our unique concept right across Europe.”

Pianist doc strikes chord EXECUTIVE producer Phillip B Goldfine is in Cannes with his Oscar-winning documentary short The Lady In Number 6: Music Saved My Life, about pianist Alice Herz-Sommer, who died earlier this year having lived until she was 110.

In the documentary, distributed

by Daro Film Distribution, she discusses music, laughter and her optimistic outlook.

“It sounds trite, but Alice always said that seeing the positive side

helps, no matter how dark life gets,” said Goldfine. Incarcerated in a concentration camp during WWII, she played more than 100 concerts for prisoners and guards.

She maintained throughout her life that optimism — and music saved her life.

Daro also distributes several of Goldfine’s action films, including Dead Still, Mercenary: Absolution — starring Steven Seagal — and Badge Of Honor, starring Martin Sheen.

Phillip Goldfine (right) with Daro’s president Pierre-Andre Rochat

35

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NEWS

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Flowers In The Attic (A+E Networks)

A+E Networks sees flurry of EMEA deals for movies

A

+E NETWORKS has finalised a raft of sales agreements for Lifetime Original Movies with broadcasters across EMEA. “A strong story is the foundation of any good movie, alongside great casting and high-end production values,” said Joel Denton A+E Networks’ managing director, international content sales & partnerships.

In Belgium, RTL has picked up a package of movies that includes Flowers In The Attic, Petals On The Wind, Sworn To Silence, and An Officer And A Murderer among others. Vox Germany has picked up Amanda Knox: Murder On

Trial in Italy, Flowers In The Attic, The Hunt For The I-5 Killer and Finding Mrs. Claus. TV2 Norway has purchased Betty & Coretta, The Bling Ring, A Killer Among Us, Baby Sellers, Clara’s Deadly Secret, and Chris Bohjalian’s Secrets Of Eden.

Further south, Nitro and Neox Spain has picked up Flowers In The Attic, Petals On The Wind, Liz & Dick, Return To Zero, She Made Them Do It, Happy Face Killer, and Jodi Arias: Dirty Little Secret. Euforia Lifestyle TV in Romania has acquired Happy Face Killer, Jodi Picoult’s Salem Falls, A Killer Among Us, and The Secret Sex Life Of A Single Mom, among other titles.

MEMORANDUM FOR MAXIMILIAN

REPRESENTATIVES from ORF (Austria), TV UNAM (Mexico), OPMA (Mexico), the Mexican government, Universum and Interspot film sign a memorandum of understanding to mark the co-production of the historical drama-documentary Maximilian – Dreams Of Power. Maximilian, a Habsburg prince, was emperor of Mexico for three years in the 1860s but was defeated by Mexican revolutionaries and executed. The HD production (1 x 50 mins) will be available from Universum to air internationally early next year.

37

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mipcom

NEWS Japanese creativity is the key

to growth in content export

J

CREATIVE, the celebration of Japanese creativity, expanded its focus for 2014 and last night brought animation to the party for the first time. The three strands — drama, formats, and animation — represent areas of outstanding Japanese quality, according to Hiroshi Inoue, chairman of the Japan Commercial Broadcasters Association.

“When you talk about Japanese content, the first to be important for us was animation, of course, but now the format is seeing big international growth — quiz shows and variety shows are lifting sales in the format business,” Inoue said. “Talking about drama, cultural factors are very important, so it’s not always that easy to sell, particularly in the US and Europe.”

He added: “Japan is now very keen to export Japanese content, and the Japan Commercial Broadcasters Association is supporting developing these exports in every way it can. I’m here to support all the Japanese private broadcasters here at MIPCOM.” Inoue stressed the importance of high-value products to Japan: “Today, technology is advanc-

Japan Commercial Broadcaster Association’s Hiroshi Inoue

ing, and one of our strengths is using technology to add value, to make high-quality products,” he said.

He also expressed concern about piracy, and highlighted the con-

sumer’s role in respecting the rights of creators.

J Creative also featured live kyogen theatre, Japanese cuisine and the Sixth Annual MIPCOM Buyers Award for Japanese Drama.

Shining a light on Buddha’s life LIVES don’t come much more epic than that of Gautama Buddha, the sage upon whose t e a ch i ngs Bu d d h i sm wa s founded. And historical series do not come more epic than Spice Studios’ Buddha (55 x 45 mins), which dramatises his life and work.

Lead actor Himanshu Soni was in Cannes with Ridwanaa Khan of Spice Studios to promote the show. Before production Soni went on a 10-day silent meditation retreat and studied Buddhist texts to prepare for the role, and

Himanshu Soni and Ridwanaa Khan

he said that Buddha’s teachings continue to be relevant in the modern world.

“He teaches you to live in the present fully, and that in life everything changes every minute,” Soni said.

The series has already aired in India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Indonesia, Myanmar and Cambodia, and Spice Studios is seeking a wider global audience. It is the company’s first visit to Cannes, and Khan said it plans to return next year with a fuller slate of programming.

39

WILDLIFE WINNER SPREADING WINGS IN MIPCOM LAUNCH THE SECOND season of the multi-award winning series Life Force has been launched at MIPCOM. Distributed in Asia

by NHK Enterprises, and internationally by Discovery Program Sales, Life Force 2 is a global production partnering NHK and NHNZ with CCTV9, Science Channel, Discovery Networks International, Arte and SVT. This evolutionary wildlife science series tracks the lives of animals inhabiting global ‘hot spots’ and unravels compelling scientific mysteries. The six one-hour episodes stretch from China’s Tibetan Plateau to the Namibian desert and Costa Rica’s tropical forests.

“I’m very proud to release the latest fruit of NHK’s partnership with NHNZ,” said NHK Enterprises’ executive producer of nature & science programmes, Shinichi Murata.

“The work we’ve been doing together for more than 15 years goes far beyond a mere financial arrangement; it represents true co-production.”

Kyle Murdoch, NHNZ’s managing director, added: “It’s wonderful to culminate this series at MIPCOM 2014 and celebrate with our friends from NHK as Life Force 2 is offered to other broadcasters. We are excited to see our distributor run with the series and share it with the global market.”

Life Force 2 saw its world premiere in July on the Science Channel in the US under the title Mutant Planet and is premiering throughout Europe and in South East Asia, Taiwan and India over the next three months.

NHK’s Junko Ogawa (left), NHNZ’s Kyle Murdoch, NHK Enterprise’s Shin-ichi Murata, and Discovery’s Elliot Wagner

mipcom

NEWS Tencent portal proves perfect fit for hit game-show format

F

OLLOWING a successful run on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN), the survey-based game show format Are You Normal? has proved a major ratings success for Chinese online portal Tencent, with 330 million streams for the first 10 episodes of series one.

“We were looking for a format with a strong social media gene and Are you Normal? fits the bill SURVEYED. YOUsaid ANSWERED. perfectly,” Benny Luo, deputy creative director at Tencent.

“But also, the young generation in China love to get involved with launched the Official MIPCOM Are Normal?

Survey. surveys likeYouthis.

They feel that uestions about yourthe behaviour at the andwhere here they internet ismarket a place ults - “normality” is defined by the majority rules! can answer these sorts of revealing and quirky questions about lives.”

Is it normal to and their Is it normal to end a normal to enter the Palais themselves MIPCOM evening in earing the same clothes as lose your MIPCOM Sasha Bushnell, vice-president La Chunga? the night before? registration badge? development at Zoo Productions, who developed the format for OWN, sees long-term potential 82% 85.5% 53.9% in the say it’s sayidea, it’s especially sayin it’scounNot Normal Not Normal Not Normal tries where change is rapid, like China. “The idea of comparing personal habits and finding commonality is sociologically very important in aIs itcountry like normal to sneak Is it normal to participate Is it normal to your way into a party youan in a breakfast meeting on China.

It effectively anchors miss a meeting at haven’t been invited to? only 3 hours sleep? the market? emerging new society,” he said.

All3Media International is distributing the format, and senior vice73.7% 71.9% president, press and76.9% marketing, say it’s say it’s say it’s Rachel Glaister seesNormal significant Normal Normal potential across Asia: “After the success in China we will be taking a big team to ATF to push this show,” she revealed.

Mohamed Abu El Enein

EGYPT EMERGES INTO NEW DAWN

RESULTS ARE IN!

E YOU NORMAL?

Tencent’s Benny Luo (left), Rachel Glaister of All3Media and Zoo Productions’ Sasha Bushnell Is it normal to appear interested in a show just to get a free giveaway?

64.1% say it’s Normal

A daring

A whopping

of MIPCOM attendees have swum in the sea in Cannes.

of MIPCOM attendees have realised a whole two days have passed at the market without phoning home.

of you have fallen asleep in the Palais toilets, we don’t blame you!

Uh-oh

Eek!

Naughty Naughty…

of attendees have missed their flight to or from the market.

of market goers have lost luggage on the way to/from Nice airport...an excuse to go shopping on Rue d’Antibes?!

42.3% 72.8% 11.8%

Is it normal to get lost trying to find your hotel/apartment after a late dinner or drinks?

55.6% say it’s Normal

16.7% 13%

2.6% of MIPCOM goers have run away from a Cannes taxi without paying.

The results of All3Media’s pre-MIPCOM Are You Normal? survey reveals some interesting and surprising things about delegates

ZDF commissions format to find ‘the one’ GERMANY’s ZDF has commissioned game show format One In A Thousand, co-developed by the BBC’s commercial arm BBC Worldwide, German public service television broadcaster ZDF and the joint venture between BBC Worldwide and All3Media Germany, Tower Productions.

The format sees 1,000 contestants compete in each show over 10 knock-out rounds that test physical, mental and emotional

abilities to find the ‘one’. It will be further developed by ZDF’s entertainment department, in collaboration with Tower.

Isabelle Helle, director, Germanspeaking Europe, BBC Worldwide, said: “It’s a testament to the strength of our partnership with ZDF that only a year after we first discussed the idea here at MIPCOM, we have created a completely original, ambitious and exciting primetime entertain-

ment format.”

Thorsten Haas, head of development, entertainment, ZDF, added that the show has an “international look and feel to it — but at the same time will be a close fit for our German audiences”. One In A Thousand is expected to premiere on ZDF across Germany in early 2015 and will then be launched to international buyers. BBC Worldwide will hold the international distribution rights of the format.

A NEW version of The Arabian Nights, entitled The One Thousand And One Nights, is back in production after work on the ambitious project had to be postponed due to the political changes taking place in Egypt.

Bringing the tales of the famed Arabian Nights to the screen with grandeur, excitement and non-stop action is a personal dream for Mohamed Abu El Enein, head of the Sada el Balad channels and the show’s producer Cleopatra Media.

“Egyptian drama has long had its own rich history that enriched the entire Arab world, and it is only now coming back to life after the June 30 revolution and the presidency of Abdel Fattah al-Sisi,” said El Enein.

“Inspired by the many political and social developments that we went through, we look forward to opening up new horizons for change and shaping the world not only of Egypt but the whole Arab region.”

El Enein highlighted the numerous opportunities emerging in “the dawn of a new Egypt” and spoke of the need to capitalise on the fertile market of the country’s 90 million inhabitants. “With the new rule of law, investment opportunities are greatly improved in various fields and in particular in the media, which plays a strategic role in such a transformation,” he said.

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mipcom

NEWS New Alterna’TV chief sets out masterplan for LatAm growth

A

YMERIC GENTY, the recently appointed CEO of Eutelsat America’s channel distribution division Alterna’TV, is in Cannes this week to tell potential partners about the company’s growth strategy. “AlternaTV’s main business until recently has been distributing Hispanic channels to the US,” said Genty in an interview with MIPCOM News, “but since we became part of Eutelsat earlier this year we have started exploring ways to expand our business.”

Genty sees a number of opportunities. One is to help its existing channel clients achieve greater coverage in Latin America. Another is to partner with new clients seeking to expand into the Latin America region. An example of this is a new deal with MTG-owned Trace that will see Trace Sports Stars made available to pay-TV platforms in Latin America. “Eutelsat works with

Cedric Volkman (left) and Zylo’s Daniel Harroch

FIRMS EMBARK ON ARTISTIC VOYAGE TO PLANET RIPOS Aymeric Genty

around 5,500 channels globally,” said Genty, “so we can use our expertise to help some of them build a business model in the region.”

A further opportunity is to introduce Alterna’TV’s existing portfolio of channel clients, which includes Canal Once, Latin American Sports, AYM Sports, Canal 22 Internacional and Ecuavisa, to platforms in markets like Asia and Europe.

Finally, Genty sees a key role for Alterna’TV in helping content owners expand their offering beyond linear channels. “Consumers increasingly want content across platforms like online VOD and mobile,” he said. “We are well placed to help content owners develop their strategy beyond linear because we can accurately assesses the demand and audience for specific services.”

Telemundo rides Mexican wave

Marcos Santana

WITH Mexico named as MIPCOM Country Of Honour, Marcos Santana, president of Telemundo Internacional, the distribution arm of US Hispanic channel Telemundo, gave MIPCOM News an insight into his company’s rewarding relation-

ship with the country. According to Santana, “Telemundo produces an average of 260 hours of telenovelas and two super-series of 70 hours yearly in Mexico. Two of the titles debuting this MIPCOM; Acero, Woman Of Steel (Senora Acero) and Les Miserables (Los Miserables) are currently in production in Mexico. “In addition there is The Lord Of The Skies (El Senor De Los Cielos), whose second season we are also promoting at MIPCOM 2014,” he said. For Santana, working in Mexico makes sense because “the content produced there is of the best in Latin America, and its standards are such.

“There are two components that ensure [a good] result in Mexico: first the locations and production facilities, and second, that it has

one of the largest ranges of quality talent in the region.”

Telemundo Internacional is the world’s second largest distributor of Spanish-language content, reaching more than 120 countries with more than 200 programming slots dubbed and subtitled into more than 40 languages.

Said Santana: “Latin America is always hungry for quality telenovela content.

“Likewise, countries such as Africa and Asia have demonstrated a significant interest in our productions as well, so much so, that one year ago we launched through our parent company NBCUniversal the Telemundo pay TV channel in Africa, and a telenovela block of two hours on the NBCUniversal’s DIVA channel in Asia.”

VIDOX Media, Genial Media and Zylo France have announced co-production agreements for their new animation Planet Ripos (52 x 13 mins), thanks to the participation of Juan Ripolles, a well-known Spanish artist, upon whose work the animated characters are based.

The Chinese Cultural Centre in Europe of the Kayan Dynasty of China is investing in the series, as are private financiers Roberto and Alejo Dominguez of Argentina.

Both sets of investors are fans of Ripolles’ work, and the Kayan Dynasty has an agreement with the artist himself to buy his current output. “Ripolles has a huge following in China,” Daniel Harroch, founder of Zylo, said. Vidox Media, Genial Media and Zylo have worked with Ripolles, who is 82, to translate his figures into characters for Planet Ripos. The series follows a gang of children and their adventures in a technological, ecologically advanced planet. “We’re open to all types of licensing and distribution deals,” added Harroch, who is at MIPCOM with Cedric Volkman of Genial Media.

The series will be ready for delivery in 2016.

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mipcom

NEWS CNBC set to serve up second series of Restaurant Startup

A

SECOND series of Shine Group’s Restaurant Startup has been commissioned and is set to air on CNBC in January 2015.

The format follows restaurateur, author and TV personality, Joe Bastianich (judge on MasterChef USA, MasterChef Junior USA and MasterChef Italia) and chef and restaurant operator, Tim Love, as they vie to invest their own money in restaurant concepts they believe could make them millions.

“The fact that we’re spending our own money adds very real pressure to the situation — the stakes are high and they are for real,” Bastianich said. “It is one of the most educationally substantial and genuine unscripted programmes on the market. The

show will resonate with viewers “In Italy, it’s a cultural phenomon a global level.” enon whose language has passed At MIPCOM, Bastianich is tak- into everyday speech, whereas ing part in a MasterChef Show- in the US it’s a high production case panel, which will explore value show that’s bigger and just the format’s international roll- more ‘American’, but what both out, approach and appeal over the versions share is the aspirationlast decade. “I’m the only judge al aspect, the fact that food can who does two versions of the change your life.” show so I’d say that I’m in a good position to offer genuine insight into the adaptability of the format because the two versions are successful for very different reasons,” Basti- MasterChef judge Joe Bastianich with Shine International CEO a n ich sa id. Nadine Nohr

TO MARK its new name and re-designed stand, Rai Com (previously Rai Trade) invited Italian Michelin-starred chef Gianfranco Vissani (left) to provide the finger food for their cocktail party. Vissani is pictured with Rai Com CEO Luigi De Siervo.

TV Azteca takes on Food Fighters ELECTUS International and TV Azteca have signed a format deal for the US distributor’s Food

Pedro Lascurain (left) and Ricardo Coeto of TV Azteca with Electus International’s Paulette Bensussen and TV Azteca’s Rodrigo Fernandez

Fighters. The show, which pits professional chefs against amateurs making their signature dishes, is going straight to series and will air on later this month in primetime.

“Mexico is such a culinary mecca, there are so many different trends when it comes to food,” Paulette Bensussen, head of Latin America distribution and production at Electus, said.

“It’s such a big territory for Latin America,” she added. “We hope to take the show to explore the food traditions of other countries in the continent.”

Food Fighters had a successful first run on NBC and format deals have now been done in more than 20 territories.

The company also said its format Fashion Star’s Chinese incarnation, The Goddesses’ New Clothes, was performing well, with a series high of 20 million viewers in Dragon TV’s 21.15 Saturday slot. The programme features innovative second-screen engagement that allows users to buy the items they see on their mobile devices.

45

Keshet’s Your Family Or Mine

KESHET SITCOM FINDS NEW HOME IN GREECE KESHET International’s sitcom Your Family Or Mine is set to launch in Greece following an adaptation deal with one of the country’s largest terrestrial broadcasters, Alpha TV. A minimum series run of 40 episodes will be produced by Plus Productions, a company affiliated to the broadcaster.

Your Family Or Mine, which is based around the lead characters’ Friday and Saturday night dinners with their extended family, was originally produced by Tedy Productions for Israel’s Keshet Broadcasting, was also picked up by US cable network TBS earlier this year and is being produced by Sony Pictures Television.

George Pofantis, director of programming, Alpha TV, said: “Alpha returned to commissioning fiction programmes last year and the response has been overwhelmingly positive.

With Your Family Or Mine, we have assembled a brilliant cast who represent characters recognisable from our everyday lives.”

Keren Shahar, general manager distribution, Keshet International said: “It’s great to see Your Family Or Mine adapted for Greece, where the culture is heavily familyorientated.”

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NEWS

TVbeat gets measure of Classroom Video fights valuable niche audiences stereotypes with Tricon

L

AU R E NC E Miall d’Aout, CEO of mult iplat for m aud ience measurement specialist TVbeat, said MIPCOM is the ideal place for meeting potential clients because it is where all broadcasters and platform operators gather in one place.

Broadcasters in the major economies base the measurement of

TV-audience ratings on “samples”, a few thousand TV homes, to represent the entire TV popualation. TVbeat offers “census” measurement, where every viewer and pair of eyes counts.

After successful trials in Croatia, Serbia and Slovenia, TVbeat has expanded to conduct similar trials in the Nordic region, and the Baltics (Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania).

“We have shown that we can help multiplatform operators manage their service, assess content, understand their viewers and diagnose churns,” Miall d’Aout said.

“In addition, we can help them monetise their data.”

The census audience-ratings technology is so precise, she said, it could help broadcasters monetise niche channels that would TVbeat’s otherwise register zero ratings Laurence when using sample-based measMiall d’Aout 297B_TAXI_CANNES_N_COMurement.

Classroom Video’s Dee Powell and Tricon’s Nick Solowski

TRICON Films & Television, the Canadian production/distribution group, has licensed Colour Me to UK-based Classroom Video.

Colour Me is a one-hour documentary that questions what it means to be black and the problems caused by stereotyping people’s ethnicity. It features Canada-based motivational speaker Anthony McLean who shares personal experiences with teenagers.

And Classroom Video, a subsidiary of Australia-based education-

media company VEA Group, has acquired the UK and Australian education rights.

Dee Powell, Classroom Video’s global acquisitions manager, felt the topic would be a muchneeded addition to the citizenship Education courses taught at UK secondary schools.

“Diversity is taught in classes as part of PSE (personal and social education). But we’ve not got the subject discussed in Colour Me in our library of videos; so it will fill a gap,” she said.

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mipcom

NEWS Outlook bright as SBS acquires Hammond’s wild weather show

A

USTRALIAN broadcaster SBS and the Vienna-based production and distribution house Terra Mater Factual Studios (TMFS) have agreed a pre-sale deal for the new three-part series, Richard Hammond’s Wildest Weather, at MIPCOM. Produced by Terra Mater Factual Studios and Oxford Scientific Films in co-production with BBC and in association with Hamster’s Wheel and PAAN, the Hammond-presented show explores some of the most terrifying weather worldwide. SBS secured the rights for the three-part prequel Richard Hammond’s Miracles Of Nature last year.

“SBS is Australia’s most unique broadcaster bringing audiences the best in international content,”

Terra Mater’s Sabine Holzer (left), Toni Iffland and Peter Andrews of SBS and Terra Mater’s Sven Westphal

said Peter Andrews, head of network programming SBS Television, which has also acquired 18 extra hours of programming from TMFS’ landmark natural history series. “We are delighted to have agreed to this package of titles from leading factual supplier Terra Mater Factual Studios and are excited to be bringing Richard Hammond’s Wildest Weather

to SBS in 2015 with many other titles to follow.”

“SBS turns out to be an excellent partner in bringing our bluechip programmes in the fields of wildlife and nature, science and history onto Australian screens,” says Sabine Holzer, responsible for TMFS’ documentary output.

“I’m looking forward to a longlasting relationship.”

MONDO TV TAKES STUDIO 100 SHOWS TO MIDDLE EAST MONDO TV has signed a three-year deal to represent selected Studio 100 content in the Middle East. Mondo TV will get distributionrights for animated and live action productions, including cult programmes like the classic animated TV series Maya The Bee and Heidi, and live action TV series Pippi Longstocking, together with more recent productions. The agreement covers free and pay TV plus DVD and VOD. “Mondo TV has huge expertise in the media industry, distributing the whole chain of rights. We are happy to team up with Mondo TV and look forward to a fruitful co-operation,” said Studio 100 managing director Patrick Elmendorff.

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NEWS

OTF, ITN and Smithsonian remember Asian tsunami

Rai 3’s Olivella Foresta and Scorpion TV’s Juan Solera

SCORPION SCORES WITH RAI 3 DEAL ITALIAN broadcaster Rai 3 has picked up documentaries Little Ripper and The Dare Of Garamba from London-based Scorpion TV for Rai 3’s daily afternoon Geo slot.

The live studio show, intercut with documentaries from around the world, focuses on wildlife, nature and environmental issues but, according to Rai 3’s Olivella Foresta, Geo aims to feature human interest stories that involve passionate, ordinary people.

“I was really attracted by the novelty of Scorpion TV’s two titles,” said Foresta. “I am not looking for investigative types of documentary or pure wildlife content but rather films that are character-driven and bring out issues in a light manner.”

Little Ripper is a feature length Australian documentary by the award-winning Boord brothers, capturing the heart and soul of the dying sport of pigeon racing.

The Dare Of Garamba by Ramon Campoamor follows the journey of those who want to save the mythical Garamba National Park from poachers and transform the area into a tourist destination.

“We select our documentaries from festivals around the world,” said Scorpion TV’s Juan Solera. “They are not specifically made for TV — these films are unique products from independent producers. We are very proud to provide high quality documentaries to Italy’s main broadcaster.”

O

F F T H E Fenc e (OTF) has acquired ITN Production’s Tsunami: 10 Years On (working title), commissioned by the Smithsonian Channel, and reports that it is near to closing several pre-sales for the topical 60-minute documentary.

It is now 10 years since the Asian tsunami that killed 230,000 people on December 26, 2004. “The world stood still, watching the devastation unfold,” said Bo Stehmeier, OTF’s managing director of distribution. “Broadcasters around the world will want to commemorate this anniversary with their audiences.”

The documentary offers “a chance to look back and remember, as well as to look forward to try to prevent a disaster of that magnitude happening again”, said ITN executive producer Ian Russell.

Producer/director Marc Tiley added: “The biggest factor in the loss of life was that there was no early-warning system. Since

Tsunami: 10 Years On (Off the Fence)

2004, huge advances have been made in this area. In fact, it’s estimated that 10 times more people would have died in the Japanese tsunami of 2011 if it weren’t for the warning systems developed after the 2004 event.”

The documentary also looks at the very real possibility of a tsunami hitting the US West Coast.

“It could be in the next five years or the next 150 years,” Russell said. “But it will happen. And the

big question is whether America is ready for it.”

“We are always looking for stories that combine topicality, drama and scientific investigation,” said David Royle, executive vicepresident of programming and production at Smithsonian Channel. “It fits our mantra, which is to provide our audiences with compelling, story-driven non-fiction television that enriches their understanding of the world.”

TVO gives thanks for Bushwhacked!

MONDAY was Bushwhacked! day — not only did the Australian Children’s Television Foundation (ACTF) series debut on Canada’s TVOntario (TVO), but it also marked the first day of production on the third season of the ABC3 Australia kids’ factual show.

“Yesterday was Ca nadia n Thanksgiving, which is a big day for family viewing and so a great day to launch a series like Bushwhacked!, which has strong coviewing appeal,” said Suzanne Wilson, TVO’s acquisitions executive for children’s media.

Wilson’s first exposure with Bushwhacked!, which sees hosts Kayne Tremills and Kamil Ellis track down some of Australia’s most dangerous and elusive ani-

TVOntario’s Suzanne Wilson (left) and ACTF’s Roberta Di Vito: “One of those market treats”

mals with the help of wildlife experts and their country’s indigenous communities, was at MIPTV earlier this year. “It was one of those market treats,” she said. “I watched it and thought, ‘Oh wow, how perfect is that’.”

Bushwhacked!’s Canadian debut follows on the heels of sales to the

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US, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. “It’s a good, fun programme that should work well for Canadian audiences,” said ACTF’s international sales manager, Roberta Di Vito. “Canada and Australia not only share similar landscapes but they also share a strong indigenous culture.”

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