TODOTV | Nº 59 | 2010 | DIC | ASIA TV FORUM 2010

Contents

_/14 Special Reports Co-Production: Asia and Latin America Across Oceans _/14 Telenovelas A Surefire Genre for Audience Success _/27

ttv Š2010

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Gallery

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Mipcom 2010 _/22

4th- 8th October - Palais des Festivals Cannes - France

Hsm Specials - Leaders The Power of Imagination James Cameron, Director, Screenwriter and Producer _/12

Executives Driving the Asian Market _/20

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Hui Leng Yeow, Project Director, Asia TV Forum

Singapore’s Media Ecosystem _/30

Aubeck Kam, CEO, Media Development Authority of Singapore

Larry Namer _/24

President, Metan Development Group

José Escalante _/25

Executive Director, Latin Media Corporation

LISTINGS _/32

_/20

_/25

ttv ©2010

PRESIDENT / CEO Sebastian Lateulade EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Soledad Saldías EDITORIAL MANAGER Sebastián Amoroso EDITOR Stephanie Biscomb ONLINE DIRECTOR Omar Méndez ONLINE EDITOR Diego Alegre EDITORAL ASSISTANTS Sebastián Torterola Dino Cappelli PROOFREADER Josefina Mezzera Regules OPERATIONS DIRECTOR Rodrigo Ros INTERNATIONAL SALES Dolores Irazábal Renata Del Pup PRODUCTION MANAGER Dario Aleman IT MANAGER Alejandro Barros IT ASSISTANT Ricardo Pereira DATA OPERATIONS Fernando Moreno WEBMASTER Nazario Pereira TRANSLATORS Josefina Caviglia Ken Mandel Marlyn Mandel FINANCE MANAGER Cr. Michel Schwartz FINANCE ASSISTANT Mónica Iriarte art & Design Unik design info@unikbureau.com www.unikbureau.com Headquarters Ruta 8 Km 17,500 Of 503 A Zonamerica / CP 91600 Tel. (+598 2) 518.2848 Fax. (+598 2) 518.2849 Montevideo - Uruguay EuropE 114, rue Villiers de l´ Isle Adam 75020 Tel. (33) 6 6726.5894 París - Francia ttv is a monthly publication owned by TodotvMedia.

Its distribution is free of charge. The articles reflect the opinions of the individual authors on the topics covered, without implying editorial control or endorsement of the content by the management and ownership of the magazine. For all purposes, the advertisements and their content are the sole responsibility of the advertiser. Reproduction in whole or in part, in electronic or print form, of the content of this publication, without express written permission of TodotvMedia is strictly prohibited.

6 TTV MAGAZINE

chile All Eyes on Chile Media coverage at the Atacama Desert has set a new historical episode in global communications.

The Chilean miner rescue, where 33 miners were trapped over 2,000 ft (700 m) for 69 days, provoked unprecedented actions such as those taken by the New York Times or the Washington Post. Both newspapers delayed their distribution process in order to publish pictures of the first miner who emerged from the capsule, escaping the depths of the mine. Networks such as CNN International, BBC World, UK’s Sky News, iTele and BFM from France, Euronews and an extensive list of others, offered continuous coverage from the place where everything took place. A campsite with over 1,500 journalists from all over the world was set up next to the San José mine, which was visited by leaders and celebrities from several countries. Words of courage for the miners, their families and the entire rescue team arrived from the world’s most remote locations. Even the White House sent its own message: “Our thoughts and prayers are with the brave miners, their families, and the men and women who have been working so hard to rescue them,” US President Barack Obama expressed in a statement. According to Chile’s Media Observatory, images from the rescue of the first miner, Florencio Ávalos, were seen by over 1 billion people in five continents. In other words, more people were watching the rescue than the World Cup final, which garnered 800 million viewers. According to Nielsen, 10.6 million people were watching the three news cable channels from 11:00-11:15 PM EST, the time in which the first miner surfaced. The phenomenon also strongly impacted the Web, where 5.8 million streaming channels were generated between Tuesday and Wednesday, according to data from Ustream. Social networks also felt the commotion. Andre Noyes, a Facebook spokesman, told CNN that Facebook users in Chile published 478 news stories about the rescue per minute, while US users managed to publish a whopping 1,265 related news stories per minute.

cHINA

mexico

Telefe Co-Production in China Starts Shooting in November

Progressive Ban on Analog TV Sales

‘HeartBeats’, a telenovela borne from a coproduction agreement between Argentinean broadcaster Telefe and Shangai Media Group (SMG) will start shooting in China this November. Once pre-production is over -this includes stage design, set production, casting calls, book adaptation and approval of the first 40 scripts- the telenovela will be shot over the course of the next five months.

‘HeartBeats’ is scheduled to premiere on Dragon TV by March 2011 in Shanghai, to be later distributed all across China by SMG. Telefe Internacional will handle distribution to the rest of the world. “The four companies financing the project, Telefe, SMG, and the European companies CTN and SVP, are looking to recover their investment, based on a 360° business model that includes: distribution in China, international distribution, ad sales, and product placement,” said Guillermo Borensztein, Telefe’s Sales Executive of Programming, Formats & Production Services for Asia.

Mexico’s Ministry of Economy (Secretaría de Economía) announced that it’ll be adapting the country’s Official Norm (NOM - Norma Oficial Mexicana) in order to progressively ban analog TV set sales, with the aim of supporting digital technology sales and distribution, said Bruno Ferrari, the Ministry’s chief officer. Ferrari also said that the organization does not expect analog TV manufacturers to stop production immediately since most analog TVs are exported, but that next year TV set sales should be entirely composed by digital equipment. “By adapting this norm, only digital TV sets will be sold in Mexico, in order to assure the process leading to our analog blackout, scheduled for 2015,” he told local media.

Last October 13th, Ferrari said that the Federal Government will launch a program aimed at enabling set-top box purchases in order to reduce analog TV sales. This program will start running as in 2011, providing the country’s poor population with resources and funds to purchase set-top boxes. The country’s northern states will be the first to enjoy the benefits of this program.

NEWS

Disney, Paramount, Marvel Reform Distribution Agreement Paramount Pictures will assign its world marketing and distribution rights for Marvel Studios’ ‘The Avengers’ and ‘Iron Man 3’ to The Walt Disney Studios. Disney will pay US$ 115 million for these rights, payable to the date the films open in movie theaters. The amount will at least guarantee for distribution expenses. As for Paramount, it will continue to globally distribute upcoming films ‘Thor’ and ‘Captain America’, as well as the already premiered ‘Iron Man’ and ‘Iron Man 2’. Marvel Entertainment’s ‘Thor’ and ‘Captain America’ will make their world debut on May 6th and July 22nd 2011, respectively.

Licensing rights for ‘The Avengers’ will be granted to Epix under Paramount’s pay TV agreement currently in effect.

“Closing this agreement means that Disney will be responsible for commercializing and distributing ‘The Avengers’ and ‘Iron Man 3’ worldwide, and take advantage of these two long-awaited movie releases on The Walt Disney Company’s multiple global platforms,” stated Rich Ross, President of The Walt Disney Company.

APPOINTMENT Karen Barroeta Appointed as Telemundo’s Creative Marketing SVP Telemundo, the American network for Spanish speakers in the US, announced Karen Barroeta’s appointment as their new Creative Marketing SVP. Barroeta will report to Susan Solano Vila, Telemundo’s Marketing SVP. Together with this appointment, Telemundo announced Carlos Collazo’s promotion to On Air Promotions VP, reporting to Barroeta. In this recently created position, Barroeta will be in charge of positioning specific products, promotions

SPAIN

and advertising for the Telemundo brand, supervising creative service teams. She will be responsible for guiding the creative process and implementing creative strategies through cohesive messages on every platform. Barroeta will continue to be responsible for Telemundo Internacional’s strategic marketing operations, promotions, communications, and talents, supervising Alejandra Recasens, recently appointed as Marketing and Promotions VP. Recasens will report to Barroeta and to Marcos Santana, Telemundo Internacional’s President.

At the same time, Barroeta will continue to supervise marketing and promotions for Telemundo’s cable channel in Mexico, led by Marcos Santana.

TVE CUTS ORIGINAL PRODUCTION, STEPS UP FOREIGN PURCHASING

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC The Country Sets Date for Digital Transition

Televisión Española (TVE) is producing less, while seeking for more external content. This was to be expected as soon as the country’s government decided to put an end to advertising in the public channel. However, in Spain, and from a political point of view, the assumption is read differently.

Media and agencies informing on the situation highlight that the data reported by the Corporation’s President, Albert Oliart, before the Parliament Control Commission, show that TVE’s original production during the first four months of 2010 was 63.37%, a lower percentage than last year’s, when internal production reached 63.8%. In 2008, original productions amounted to 70.44%, further emphasizing the downward trend. A consequence that deems logical to those who travel around international audiovisual markets, but not so for those with political interests. Due to this drop in original production, TVE has brought more external production to its screens (29.5% in 2008 and 36.1% in 2009). This is easy to understand: if there is less money and original production is always more expensive, content from outside is the logical and cheaper answer. At the Parlamient Commission, these ups and downs were deemed as unacceptable. Some representatives -such as Gaspar Llamazares from the IU and Virtudes Cediel from the PSOE- even told Oliart so at the Parliament meeting, according to local media. Llamazares reminded Oliart that external production percentages reflect a “deficient performance of RTVE’s mandate,” reminding him that this mandate fixes 100% of internal production for news shows and 60% for a generalist offer.

Meanwhile, Cediel informed on RTVE employees’ discomfort due to the fall in original production during 2010.

September 24th, 2015 is the date set by the Dominican Telecommunications Institute (Indotel - Instituto Dominicano de las Telecomunicaciones) to make the final transition from analog to digital television. To date, 15 countries have fully migrated to the digital television standard. The Dominican Republic is part of the bulk of countries that are in the process of deploying a digital television system, a hot topic since the US announced their own transition date in 2005. At that time, the Federal Communications Commission decided that by February 17th, 2009 analog broadcasts must cease.

Despite the forecasts, the switch-off did not come into full effect until June 12th, 2009. After a series of workshops, demonstrations, lectures and tests on Channel 4 (CERTV), Indotel announced this week that they have finally reached a consensus on the standard to be used for Dominican digital television: ATSC (Advanced Television Systems Committee). The Caribbean country is characterized by technological tradition and local understanding of the standards used in the US, which are preferred by local industry, as set forth by the Decree 407-10, which contains the decision.

TELEVISA, RCN FORGE STRATEGIC ALLIANCE Channel RCN Colombia and Televisa confirmed their strategic alliance on Tuesday, in order to consolidate their position as world leaders in content creation, production, and distribution.

The news was announced by José Bastón, Grupo Televisa’s TV President, and Gabriel Reyes, President of RCN Televisión, after a private meeting that was held over the past days at Televisa’s headquarters in Mexico City. “RCN and Televisa are meant to be leading stakeholders in the world television industry, and we are taking advantage of this opportunity to strengthen bonds in a relationship that started several years ago and promises to continue bringing positive results for many years to come,” Bastón commented. The agreement continues to allow RCN Colombia to air Televisa original content exclusively and vice versa. In addition, both companies are creating an extensive telenovela script catalog together, which may be adapted

by Televisa or RCN, not only for Mexico’s and Colombia’s screens but for major European and Asian countries. Televisa and RCN have also agreed to develop original stories together. “Competition requires us to open new doors in more countries, which is Televisa’s best ally in conquering new and bigger world markets,” Reyes pointed out. As part of their alliance, these networks will sign up further agreements to co-produce telenovelas in several European and Asian countries. Following this line, Televisa and RCN have already achieved great success developing projects together.

Most recent examples include successful local versions of ‘Yo soy Betty la Fea’, the Fernando Gaitán Salom original story ‘Ugly Wu Di’ (in China), and ‘Bela a Feia’ (in Brazil). Both projects not only conquered their respective countries’ audiences, but became the most important commercial hits within those territories.

Globo TV International Sells Series to China’s CCTV Globo TV International has signed a programming deal with Chello Zone to broadcast on CCTV, the People’s Republic of China national television network. According to the company, the deal includes Globo TV International’s 1997 series ‘Woman’, and ‘Seven Women’, produced in 2003.

These titles will be airing on CCTV-8, China Central Television Network’s drama channel, as part of their daily primetime programming block. CCTV-8 is one of China’s most popular television channels, currently available to over 200 million viewers in the region. “This is the first time Globo TV International programming will be broadcast on a government-owned channel and we’re confident that with our programs’ good performance we’ll be able to grow and consolidate this recently constituted partnership,” Raphael Corrêa Neto, Head of International Sales at Globo, affirmed. Chello Zone’s Adam Robinson also commented on the news, stating that ‘Woman’ and ‘Seven Women’ “adjust to the quality programming we are securing for CCTV-8’s primetime drama line-up. I am sure both series will be well received by our viewers in China.”

APPOINTMENT Berta Orozco in Charge of Sales for Asia and Africa, Caracol TV Internacional After almost three years on the job, Alejandro Toro, sales executive of Caracol TV International in charge Asia and Africa, left his post to settle in Spain.

Berta Orozco, with a BA in Journalism from the University of Seville in Spain, will take his place. Orozco used to be Sales Executive for Western Europe for two years. Her new role will take her to Singapore from the 8th to the 10th December, where the eleventh edition of the Asia Television Forum (ATF) will take place. The tradeshow will contribute to the expansion of Caracol in the Asian market.

CHINA Youku Signs Agreement with Disney Youku CEO Victor Koo announced the agreement in Beijing during the China 2.0 Technology Conferences organized by the American University of Stanford in Beijing, even though he avoided giving further details, Reuters reported. This is a further step to try to progressively monitor content that, until now, was uploaded by users with little control. Koo, who smilingly said he was “tired” of their project being compared with YouTube, also explained that currently 70% of Youku video content is copyrighted, while 20% of videos are produced by users, and 10% originally developed by the video site. “We have 230 million Chinese Internet users who visit Youku monthly,” said Koo, who, however, acknowledged that the business is still not reporting profits. He explained that the Youku model is based on agreements with major producers that offer their programs in the VOD system. The Chinese entrepreneur, former President of Sohu. com (one of the most famous Chinese portals), also explained that Internet companies in China are no longer dedicated to just copying foreign ideas. “We are focusing on the comparative advantages of knowing the market,” he said, referring to the more than 400 million Internet users that make China the leading country in number of users worldwide. Thus, for example, he stressed that the agreements allow Youku to upload a movie just 30 days after its premiere, while the competition has to wait up to six months. Major producers are particularly interested in entering the Asian country, since the presence of foreign films in China is limited to 20 releases per year with a shared box office, so many productions do not reach the cinemas. “This creates a unique market opportunity for Internet TV in China,” Koo said. Among the first Disney content to become available are several seasons of the ‘Desperate Housewives’ series, as well as animated films and educational videos in their original language and Mandarin subtitles. Youku was founded by Victor Koo in 2006 and, according to Alexa, is the 49th most visited site in the world. In 2009, it obtained over 200 million yuan (about US$ 30 million) and expects to grow “in the triple digits” this year.

NEWS

LATIN AMERICA

Cable TV: Revenues Accrued to Reach US$ 34 Billion in 2010-2015 The number of pay TV subscribers via HFC networks will exceed 29 million by the end of 2015 in seven major Latin American markets, with Argentina, Brazil and Mexico accounting for 74% of total subscribers to cable television systems. These figures are the result of a recent study promoted

by US consulting company Signals Consulting, which focuses on new competitive scenarios projected for the main markets of Latin America. In Mexico, increases in investment by fixed operators will, according to Signals, force cable companies to increase their CAPEX to upgrade their broadband networks and expand their range of speeds of 10 Mbps and above, before Telmex is allowed to venture into the subscription television market. In the case of Colombia, Chile and Brazil, Signals forecasts that competition will turn more towards an integrated offer aimed at the residential market with the intention of adding mobile phone services, with special emphasis on family plans that allow a single account billing by multiple lines to facilitate inclusion of Quad-Play packages. The study also highlights that, in Argentina, regulatory problems experienced by the Clarín Group to offer broadband services halters this operator’s biggest investment opportunities, compared to a more stable regulatory framework for dominant telephone companies after Telecom Italia was authorized to a 58% increase of its shares in Telecom, which could result in increased aggressiveness of incumbent operators in their broadband offers, to package it directly or indirectly with pay TV services.

TELEMUNDO INTERNATIONAL, EYEWORKS SIGN GLOBAL DEAL FOR ‘MISSING’ Telemundo International and Eyeworks announced an agreement for the acquisition of rights to the ‘Missing’ format for multiple territories. After a deal agreeing to produce the original TVN Chile story in Argentina and Brazil, Eyeworks will also be able to do so in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Iceland, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Sweden. Meanwhile, its Latin American version has been sold in 90 countries. ‘Missing’ came to Eyeworks’ attention through Diego Guebel, CEO of Eyeworks in Argentina and Brazil, who said: “As soon as we watched ‘Missing’ [original version called ‘Where’s Elisa?’] in Chile, we noticed that there was something different and innovative in this program. Based on our belief in the strength of this format, we partnered with Telemundo International and we are working together to co-produce the series in Argentina and Brazil.”

COMCAST’S PROFITS DOWN 8.2% IN THIRD QUARTER US cable operator Comcast reported a 7.3% rise in overall revenue for 2010’s third quarter, MarketWatch reported. However, its growing costs -fueled by the company’s potential acquisition of a controlling stake of NBC Universal- resulted in an 8.2% drop in profits.

Despite this scenario, Comcast managed to exceed analyst expectations, which had forecast greater losses. The cable TV operator managed to earn US$ 867 million during the third quarter of 2010, US$ 77 million less than the US$ 944 million collected in 2009 for the same period. Its cable TV business grew 7%, reaching US$ 8.9 billion so far this year, while all profits pertaining to its programming grew 9% to US$ 383 million. According to Bloomberg, Comcast lost 257,000 subscribers during the last quarter, most of them subscribers of lowcost promotions that refused to renew their subscriptions. On the other hand, the company earned 421,000 new Internet, digital video and telephone subscribers. This new client flux -combined with higher rates and greater service variety- has managed to minimize the blow of deserters. Comcast recently re-launched its Xfinity platform, a service that enables its TV cable subscribers to view video and TV programs online, previously reserved for users with both TV cable and Internet subscriptions. In this way -and despite the various alternate justifications provided by Comcast- the US’ most important cable operator is fighting against “cord-cutters” and expired subscriptions stalking the country’s industry, with more services and a stronger emphasis on digital services.

Korean TV Productions Showcased in Latin America Organized by KISA, the Korea TV Showcase 2010 was held in Mexico City and gathered TV industry representatives from both Mexico and other countries. The goal: to promote Korean production in a demanding Latin American industry. Production companies KBS, SBS, EBS, MBC and Polaris Travel Channel offered the Mexican market new options to enrich their programming schedules with quality content brimming with the look and feel of Korean culture. Steven Park, Sales Director at KBS Media, stated that the production company’s presence in Latin American countries such as Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia and Venezuela has brought undeniable audience success and, therefore, upcoming distribution plans are focused on this area of the planet. Melina Lee, Head of Korean Content Distribution for Latin America and coordinator of the event, guaranteed that “despite the fact that the market’s opening started out as a difficult challenge, content demand has increased over recent years and, thus, world programmers’ interest to satisfy their audiences has considerably catapulted.” Preceded by a presentation held in Ecuador, this meeting introduced the best productions from Korea, now up to par with demands from an audience looking for culturally diverse offers. From series to telenovelas, to children’s shows and documentaries: everything, from Korea to Latin America.

LEADERS - HSM SPECIALS

James Cameron, Director, Screenwriter and Producer

The Power of

Imagination APART FROM BEING THE DIRECTOR, SCREENWRITER AND PRODUCER OF TWO OF THE BIGGEST BLOCKBUSTERS IN THE FILM INDUSTRY, JAMES CAMERON IS ALSO KNOWN AS THE MAN BEHIND NEW 3D TECHNOLOGY. IN THE FOLLOWING REPORT, CAMERON SHINES A LIGHT ON SOME OF THE LATENT SECRETS BEHIND HIS SUCCESS. *ttv special “Audiences accepted the new 3D format, a crisper, brighter and more technically reliable format.”

“We have ouR own company that creates cameras for the 3D system, always searching for ways in which to better this technology: brighter images, better production control, looking to assure that 3D products on small screens have the best quality possible.”

* This article arises from an interview included in ManagemenTV’s HSM Specials series, provided to ttv.

12 TTV MAGAZINE

I

t is no coincidence that two of the biggest hit movies in the history of film were directed by the same person. Back in 1997, the amazing story behind ‘Titanic’ offered a perfect combination of action, love, hate, pain and spectacular visual effects. Twelve years later, in 2009, ‘Avatar’ presented a new way in which to discover the link between man and nature, revolutionizing all film parameters with the introduction of 3D technology. James Cameron (Ontario, 1954), director, screenwriter and producer with ample experience in the

film industry, shares the most recent news on 3D development and the challenges, processes and fruits that this technology implies.

A NEW DIMENSION. Development of 3D technology is rapidly growing stronger within the audiovisual market and especially in film.

Cameron, a pioneer in 3D movies, explains the history behind the technology’s origins.

“This is a great change in the way in which we watched and consumed movies. My first 3D project was fifteen years ago when I -and an

Avatar Genre: Science fiction Year: 2009

associated engineer- started a company that created 3D cameras. We were conscious of the changes that came and went and we were starting to experiment with the system to see what was possible. Over the years we realized that this could actually be a new way to watch movies that would eventually replace 2D,” he explains. According to Cameron, this was a gradual process that reached its peak in the last years. “Audiences accepted the new 3D format, a crisper, brighter and more technically reliable format. The way in which the technology has been integrated into movies has been a lot more organic than in the 50s, developing since then from time to time until today,” the Canadian remarks.

THE 3D REVOLUTION. From there, Cameron looked into boosting the art behind facial animation and capturing movement in CG, in order to create the so-called CG Performance.

In this way, ‘Avatar’ -Cameron’s first projecttransformed him into the father of 3D technology. “You’re always thinking about how things will finally look on the screen. The most important decision -and fundamental in the success achieved by ‘Avatar’- was to create CG characters to appear during close-ups. This had never even been tried to do with main characters in a project of this importance.

I’ve always thought that the biggest risk is to precisely not take that risk. We were definitely on unknown territory, having to figure out problems on our own. Sometimes we’d stop mid-production because we thought we had gotten into a dead-end street and we’d ask ourselves what to do about it; we thought about what we needed to do in order to make the system work, because we were creating a system from square one. We started to shoot scenes with actors and realized that we were doing it over just one plane, but the jungle counted with different levels of depth -it wasn’t flat- and a virtual landscape doesn’t depict the ‘true weight’ of an actor, because it’s decoded in a binary system of ones and zeros, so we had to create a physical terrain that adjusted to every aspect of the computerized terrain,” Cameron explains.

As for the development of the cinematographic experience, Cameron explains that he always works under a project provider model. “We have our own company that creates cameras for the 3D system, always searching for ways in which to better this technology: brighter images, better production control, looking to assure that 3D products on small screens have the best quality possible. As in all new technology, it is later absorbed and quickly adopted. We want to consolidate the 3D revolution,” he highlights.

STORIES WITH GUARANTEED SUCCESS. The stories behind high-risk and high-budget

movie projects such as ‘Avatar’ and ‘Titanic’ are fascinating. The story behind ‘Avatar’, a blockbuster that broke box office records, goes back 15 years in time.

“Initially, the project wasn’t conceived in 3D. It was just another 2D movie. I wrote a script about another planet, the beings that lived in it, their language and their culture. My first idea was to create something visually dramatic but then I thought about turning it into what it ended up being. We realized that it was too early to develop a project with 3D technology and this is where I say that an idea has to be directly linked to what’s practical. Back then there were several steps that this technology still needed to take, so we just saved the project knowing that advances would happen sometime and it was all just a matter of waiting for the right time. I’ve always wanted to create a science fiction story but I had never written it. I had to put my creative hat on and many images from books I read as a child popped into my head, as well as those related to my environmental concerns. I tried to approach this subject with creativity and innovation and in such a way that I didn’t dominate the story and that, at the end, the audience could feel my concerns about the environment without pointing any fingers, something important during the Titanic Genre: Drama Year: 1997

“[‘Avatar’] was a new idea and, therefore, we had to create this giant brand before it premiered on movie theaters.” creative process. This knowledge combined with very emotional and visual movies is my secret formula for success. Despite not liking the word ‘formula’, one must be analytical in regard to what you put in a movie; you have to push sentimental buttons to take the audience on a journey of emotions, combined with impressive special effects,” Cameron reveals.

THE METHOD. Behind every great cineaste one can find a rational management model that drives the already-produced material toward commercial success for different audiences. “One needs to think about the market, who you’re selling to, how they’ll respond to something new. I mean, the main principles of marketing applied to selling your movie to a global audience. If you think about ‘Avatar’, you can realize that the brand was created from zero. It wasn’t a movie based on a book or on a TV series, it was a new idea and, therefore, we had to create this giant brand before it premiered on movie theaters.”

Likewise, as a movie director and producer, Cameron has people he needs to report to. “I report to people and people report to me. My management is both vertical and horizontal. I have to be transparent about what’s going on, assure that those on top find out about problems from me, first-hand. I need to be proactive in the way I resolve problems and show them how to visualize changes. For example, at one time we were counting on a technology that wasn’t working, and this created diverse problems in different areas, visual effects among them. My role as producer was to resolve those problems that had generated an inner crisis, in such a way that everyone felt comfortable, letting them know that we were on top of everything that was happening.” ttv

TTV MAGAZINE 13

SPECIAL REPORT / CO-PRODUCTION: ASIA AND LATIN AMERICA

Across

Oceans > By Sebastiรกn Torterola GOOD ECONOMIC TIMES IN ASIA AND LATIN AMERICA ARE COMING AT A TIME WHEN CO-PRODUCTIONS BETWEEN PLAYERS FROM BOTH REGIONS ARE ON THE RISE. TTV REPORTS ON THE MOST OUTSTANDING CASES, ANALYZING THEIR BUSINESS MODELS AND EXPLORING THE STRATEGIC POTENTIAL OF CO-PRODUCTIONS AS A COMPLEMENT TO THE MARKET FOR TAPED CONTENT.

Sha Nu Zui Niu Chinese adaptation of ‘Dumb Girls Don’t Go to Heaven’ Production: Televisa/Hunan TV

J

ust like the world wars changed the political global map, the financial crisis changed the economic landscape across continents. As dominant as the US and Western European markets are, they are still trying to wall up the cracks caused by monetary recession and their still-convalescent budgets. Meanwhile, Asia and Latin America seem to emerge from the storm with renewed strength, positioning themselves as the financial players of this decade. This economic reality is clearly reflected in the realm of audiovisual production and distribution. The television industry is contemplating the emergence of unprecedented business bridges between companies in Latin America and Asia, a relationship that has worked for a decade, mostly founded on taped products and formats. Now, an attractive business model is starting to grow within these developing societies: original content co-productions in Asia with a Latin American imprint.

A TWO-FOLD RISE IN PRODUCTION. Several trends converge in this model of intercontinental co-productions. First, both regions have experienced an explosion in local original production during recent years. In Latin America, great positioning of production hubs like Argentina, Colombia, Brazil, Mexico and Miami (Hispanic US) has led large international groups -such as Endemol, FremantleMedia, Eyeworks, HBO, Discovery, Fox, Disney and Turner, among others- to open offices in those countries and engage in large-scale production operations. This is due to these countries’ technical and vocational maturity, combined with the numerous advantages of producing in the region: convenient costs, an array of locations, top-tier talent, state-of-the-art technology and geographical accessibility.

On the other hand, Asian markets like China, Korea and Japan are clear examples of the strength of Asian drama, which has had a considerable boost in recent years. Examples abound: award-winning drama ‘The Vulture’ (NHK, Japan); ‘The Fugitive: Plan B’ (KBS of Korea) airing in the Philippines, Thailand and Japan; ‘Road No. 1’ (MBC, Korea) launched at MIPCOM, and many others. China, for instance, produced about 400 titles in 2009, almost 13,000 episodes.

Moreover, the region’s tech-savvy audiences -used to managing multiple devices and screens- demand innovative and high-quality experiences from Asian producers. This is probably why production technology available in modern cities like Singapore and Abu Dhabi are the most advanced in the planet. Asian players have increasingly propelled their content toward global markets: their presence in major international tradeshows is growing, as well as their involvement in state agencies to promote the sector, holding events such as the International Drama Festival in Tokyo (IDTF), the Shanghai Television Festival and the International Seoul Drama Awards, and working together to spread their contents to the world.

A SHIFTING MARKET. Despite having achieved an important number of distribution agreements with several Southeastern Asian countries for telenovelas, presence of taped Latin American programs in Asian screens during recent years has certainly dropped. The reason behind this lies, precisely, in an upsurge in regional production. “Local companies are producing striking high-quality content, which means they can sell products to neighboring countries that are culturally more familiar to them than Argentinean products. The Philippines is also producing quite well and, because of its bilingual nature (Tagalog and English), is also selling throughout Africa. Another example is Korean drama, which killed Latin American distribution in Asia for at least two years, with hits such as ‘Winter Sonata’. This is why telenovela consumers in Southeastern Asia (Indonesia, Philippines and Malaysia) have stopped demanding our products,”

TTV MAGAZINE 15

SPECIAL REPORT / CO-PRODUCTION: ASIA AND LATIN AMERICA

Michelle Wasserman, International Sales Manager of Programming and Production Formats for Argentinean distributor Telefe International, tells ttv.

In order to mitigate this effect, some Latin American companies have come up with a solution: associate with their Asian counterparts and create a typically “glocal” product, one that competes in the region but can be exported on a large scale. In this way, production icons from both regions are beginning to partner with pioneering Latin American companies in Asia -such as Televisa, Telefe, Globo, TV Azteca, Latin Media Corporation- and Asian companies receptive to sharing expertise and venture risks, such as CCTV, Shanghai Media Group, Hunan TV, Dragon TV and Worldwide Rights Corporation.

The results of these productions are so far still being tested.

Most are Latin American format adaptations for the Asian market, where a local version is made for its regional distribution. The most eloquent audience figures come from Televisa for its Chinese version of the RCN Colombia format, ‘Ugly Betty’ (‘Chou Nu Wu Di’), which reached second place in national ratings during Dragon Chou Nu Wu Di TV’s primetime with a cumulative Chinese adaptation of ‘Ugly Betty’ audience of 280 million viewers Format: RCN Colombia and an average 11 million per broadcast. Televisa’s first original format to be adapted in Asia was ‘Dumb Girls Don’t Go to Heaven’ (‘Sha Nu Zui Niu’), aired on Hunan TV. The notable exception is ‘Heartbeats’, an original telenovela born from an agreement between Shanghai Media Group (SMG) and Argentinean broadcaster Telefe. The project is currently in its filming stage in China, and distribution in other continents will be in charge of Telefe International.

Meanwhile, the last edition of MIPTV in Cannes was the setting for a new co-production alliance between Televisa and China Central Television (CCTV), which will result in the creation of an original telenovela to be completely produced in China with local writers, actors and directors.

In contrast to the traditionally regional profile of Asian content, Latin American producers and distributors have had a more universal approach for several years, with content designed around stories and values that can work for any latitude. Latino partners could very well contribute in this aspect, if the goal were to internationalize content produced in Asia.

REQUIREMENT: MUTUAL TRUST. Even though co-productions today are a common worldwide practice, they were not always chosen as a business model. The popularity of co-productions is firstly due to solidarity in the case of economic risk between both parties. Secondly, co-productions are part of a “glocal” territorial expansion strategy, founded on content with universal values that is tailored to each culture through a local producer. However, the path to co-productions requires a mature relationship between parties, and not only on paper.

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Within the Asian business culture, these relationships seem to require a more gradual and lengthy effort. “There’s a striking difference in terms of what it takes to get results in a region like Asia that, unlike Latin America, requires a master’s degree in patience to build mutual trust as a pre-requisite for any negotiation,” Guillermo Borensztein, Telefe International’s Sales Executive for Programming, Formats & Production Services in Asia, shares with ttv.

Raphael Corrêa Netto, Head of International Sales of Brazilian broadcaster Globo, agrees on this point: “The Asian market does not necessarily work under the same purchase and timing conditions as the Latino market. Moreover, we have learned that they are very demanding in regard to content quality selection, from the story itself to its production.” Co-producing in Asia is within Globo’s plans but there are still no immediate projects to talk about: the company is still on its path to building relationships within the region.

As for Telefe, the company conducted negotiations for two years before ‘Heartbeats’ and, while some titles from Telefe International’s catalog have been adapted and/or are in the process of being adapted or negotiated in countries such as India, Malaysia and Indonesia (a version of ‘Wild Angel’ aired in SCTV’s primetime under the name ‘Hafizah’), this is the first time the Argentinean company is participating as copartner in a long-term fiction, “investing a bit more than in just scripts, consultancies and know-how,” Borensztein adds.

THE UNAVOIDABLE AND COMPLEX CHINA. When a Latin American company thinks of Asia, its primary focus is on the world’s most populous nation. However, China is probably one of the most complex markets for business, due to its government’s strict incidence and the intricate map of its television market. “China has a long tradition in local content production and there is great local talent. However, there is still an area of opportunity in the systematization of production processes and integration with major television networks. The fact that China has about 3,000 TV channels makes it a very complex and competitive market,” Arturo Casares, Advisor for Asian Markets at Televisa, explains to ttv.

Despite its successful track record in terms of format adaptation, the Mexican giant continues on its path towards consolidation. “In Latin America, both markets and production processes are more standardized and, although markets are always moving, this does not even compare to the complexity of the Chinese market. The Chinese market is the union of several regional markets, sometimes with their own dialects, such as Canton,” Casares says.

According to Borensztein, another important difference with Latin America lies in the realm of technology: Asia is “ahead” in latest developments and its competitive costs make it a favorable ground for investing resources and time. The Argentinean executive also delves into other relevant factors: “There are other limitations which one must learn to overcome, such as high tax rates for audiovisual sales in countries such as India, Vietnam and Thailand. Other countries hold extensive controls over content to be broadcast, as is the case of the SARFT [Administration of Radio, Film and Television] in China. The outlook is encouraging, but the process remains extensive and we are just taking our first steps.” Indeed, Telefe International had to run the first 40 scripts of ‘Heartbeats’ by the SARFT for approval before even starting with recordings for the telenovela.

PRODUCTION TIME. Besides China, other countries becoming attractive to Latin American companies are Singapore, South Korea and Malaysia. The first two count with strong presence of government agencies boosting production in the media and entertainment sectors.

Since last year, Singapore’s Media Development Authority (MDA) is developing the Singapore Media Fusion plan, which has invested

SPECIAL REPORT / CO-PRODUCTION: ASIA AND LATIN AMERICA

universal stories that will enable several aspects of local cultures to identify with the original story.

Here, the beginning of the script adaptation process is as or more important than the negotiation itself, so the ideal is for us to get involved -also involving the author as creator of the idea- with changes on main ideas, mediating as much as possible between authors and local adaptors. This can be ideally done via face-toface consultancies or, alternatively, remotely,” Borensztein explains.

Fernando Pérez Gavilán (Televisa) and Ma Runsheng (CCTV) sign a co-production agreement during MIPTV 2010.

US$ 179 million toward its goals of “providing the best environment for media business, investing in research and development to exploit new opportunities in the digital media value chain and connect Singapore-made content, applications and services to the world.” The agency reports that in 2009 the country produced 60 short films and 2,200 hours of TV content. Six hundred companies are operating in the exploding field of digital and interactive media.

The Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA) is another governmental effort to fuel the sector, this time in South Korea, by financing several projects in many areas, such as TV dramas and documentaries, animation, games, development of mobile technologies, etc., with a strong international market orientation.

As for Malaysia, José Escalante, President of Latin Media Corporation, offers the best first-hand Latin American experiences in this market, where the distribution and production company has played an important role in co-productions since its inception. “In Malaysia there is top-notch technology, a variety of equipment and talent, and productions are made under the region’s standard prices,” the executive tells ttv. Mainly oriented towards telenovela production, Escalante found that every one-hour episode requires a budget of US$ 30,000 to US$ 40,000, while a 26-hour production takes six months of production. The picture is less encouraging if one considers the lack of government incentives in the country: “So far, production of dramas and telenovelas are handled entirely without government funding.

There are no local subsidies,” the executive remarks.

As for the co-production process itself, Telefe’s experience with China’s SMG is worth sharing. “First, the process involves a comprehensive analysis of our catalog and contemplates several options in order to select

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Next, Telefe accompanies the local producer or network through a consultancy provided by an “in site” or “flight” producer. However, in the case of entertainment formats “we might consider a consultancy in Buenos Aires, with coaching from a technical team and production staff,” or in cases where a pilot is required, “such as the one we’re currently developing for some projects from Latin American clients,” the executive adds. The process ends with the finished and “impeccable” product on the air, shifting the company’s attention towards its strong international distribution.

2011: AN ASIAN ODDISEY. Arturo Casares’ words can easily represent the voice of the entire industry: “Asia is the fastest-growing market in the world at the moment and being present there will surely open many possibilities in the future.” Everyone wants to be there yet only a handful of Latin American companies have seeded their roots in the region. For those who are planning their first co-production experiences in 2011, Raphael Correa’s position appears to be relevant: “Asia is a distant market for Globo, and we must be humble enough to start working harder, with more sales and marketing resources to position our business for that region.”

Globo’s next target seems to have already been hit by Telefe. “After selling ready-made content to the region for years, coupled with years of study, analysis, travel and the reception of Asian representatives in Argentina, Telefe is now reinforcing its position in the new growing challenge marked by the rise of local productions and co-productions, in an area where potential is unlimited and unpredictable,” Borensztein remarks. It is true that the Argentinean broadcaster will continue to focus on its current co-production of ‘Heartbeats’ to assess its performance. However, like all new and risky experiences, it stimulates the senses and expands the horizons. “After analyzing the lessons of this first co-production experience in China, we will probably try to replicate the model in India, extending then to the rest of the region.

At this point, and in the same way that co-production agreements are worked from the government in Europe, it is our initiative to transfer this expansion process into Asia,” the executive reveals.

The Asia TV Forum presents itself as an excellent opportunity to probe the responsiveness of Asian players, test joint proposals and, mainly, deepen one’s knowledge of a uniquely complex and attractive market. ttv

EXECUTIVES

Hui Leng Yeow, Project Director, Asia TV Forum

Driving

the Asian Market

NEW PAVILIONS, NEW TOPICS AND MORE INDUSTRY EXECUTIVES WILL TURN THE ATF INTO A PORTRAIT REPRESENTATIVE OF THE ASIAN MARKET AND ITS HEALTHY TV BUSINESS. THIS 2010 EDITION EXPECTS THE ATTENDANCE OF 800 COMPANIES FROM 50 COUNTRIES, DISCUSSIONS ON 3D TECHNOLOGY AND THE STGCC, A PARALLEL MARKET ON TOYS, COMICS AND GAMES

By Sebastián Torterola

“In 2005, the total transaction volume was about US$ 33 million, compared to US$ 88.7 million last year.”

“The emerging Chinese market and developing Southeast Asian economies, such as Vietnam and Indonesia, also look very interesting and definitely have room for growth.”

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F

rom an intimate market held in a resort island hotel ten years ago, the Asia Television Forum (ATF) has evolved into an unavoidable content market in the calendar of players interested in the Asian industry.

“ATF used to be known primarily as a market to facilitate the entry of European and US content sellers into Asia. This has changed with the increased demand for Asian content and the rise of production capabilities within the continent. We are seeing more sellers from the region and increased intra-Asian trade. There is also an increasing trend of co-production projects happening, and we are happy to be facilitating this growth,” Hui Leng Yeow, the event’s Project Director told ttv.

About 800 companies from over 50 countries are expected to attend ATF, an interesting figure considering that the last edition of Discop East held 710 companies, whereas the undeniable world-leading market MIPCOM held 1,700 exhibitors. This evolution is accompanied by new features for this edition of the tradeshow.

“This year’s program will address ‘Beyond TV’ topics. There will be a new Stereoscopic 3D Panel, with 3D exhibits on the show floor. Also, we will be co-locating the Singapore Toys, Games & Comic Convention (STGCC), a sister event of our New York Comic Convention.

Both markets will be held at adjacent halls at the Suntec Convention Centre and will overlap for a day (10th December). In conjunction with STGCC, the ATF program will feature licensing and animation sessions,” the executive states.

STRENGTHENED EXPECTATIONS. According to Yeow, the number of sellers, buyers, country representations and the value of deals transacted at ATF have been increasing every year. “In 2005, the total transaction volume was about US$ 33 million, compared to US$ 88.7 million last year. The percentage of Asian sellers has also increased from 32% in 2005 to an estimated 53% in 2010. For buyers, we are seeing more coming from the North Asian region: China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, etc.,” she affirms. Registration numbers for this edition have already exceeded last year’s.

A good example of ATF’s growing popularity is the long-running presence of Latin American companies as exhibitors, and, more recently, as production partners, particularly in China. “Latin American companies have been present at ATF and in the region for many years. Companies such as Globo (Brazil), Telemundo (Hispanic US), Telefe (Argentina), Televisa and TV Azteca (Mexico) have been regular exhibitors and have been selling to Asian markets, such as China, Indonesia, Malaysia and Philippines, for a long time now. We are also seeing more co-production partnerships between Latin American companies and Asian companies in the recent years; this is certainly an encouraging sign of a maturing relationship that goes beyond sales transactions,” the executive says. Many Latin American formats have been and are being adapted into local Asian versions, proving to be high-quality content and universally appealing despite cultural differences.

THE ASIAN LANDSCAPE. The Asian market has been plagued with exciting changes, expansions, new channel launches, increased co-production activities and new technological and Internetrelated opportunities during the last decade.

“The Asian television market has been on the rise,”Yeow says. “There is also greater confidence in made-in-Asia content and formats, evident in the growth of regional activities at ATF over the recent years,” she adds.

However, due to its complexity, foreigners need time to know the business around this market. The region’s television industry landscape is unique and fragmented as it comprises countries at varying stages of development and sophistication. There are also several differences in terms of languages, as well as political development, culture and social sensitivities. “These generally have more impact on the content industry than other industries. It is important to understand dynamics, especially in countries where content is still tightly controlled,” the executive affirms. In any case, the general rule of thumb with working in Asia is that, although it takes time to develop relationships, they tend to last a very long time once formed. “We have some sellers who attend ATF every year but

may not have a lot of content suitable for the Asian market. It is important to us to keep an ongoing relationship with such companies.”

In general terms, Asian economies have been performing well in the past year; healthy GDPs and increasingly affluent middleclass populations have assured business dynamism. “These are essential drivers for a growing entertainment content market with increasing Pay TV channels and subscribers.

There is definitely demand for innovative content relevant to the different territories.

The emerging Chinese market and developing Southeast Asian economies, such as Vietnam and Indonesia, also look very interesting and definitely have room for growth,” Yeow states.

“There is greater confidence in made-in-Asia content and formats, evident in the growth of regional activities at ATF over the recent years.”

This year, the ATF will feature four new pavilions: two from China, one from Finland and another from Japan. Visibly, Asian content providers have better representation each year and, according to the executive, “buyers can expect to find stronger Asian content to source from.” The fact that the ATF and STGCC are converging for this edition also generates much expectation. “These two events are complementary. Our vision is for content sellers to harness the unique STGCC platform to reach out to Asian consumer audiences, and hold premiere screenings and focus groups for feedback on newly-developed content,” Hui Leng Yeow concludes. ttv

2009 NUMBERS The 10th edition of the Asia Television Forum recorded relevant numbers and percentages to analyze. The 3-day market closed with US$ 88.7 million worth in deals, a 20% growth from 2008’s record of US$ 73.7 million programming sales. Despite the economic climate not being at its best, it recorded 8% growth in overall participation. 740 companies from 53 countries participated, from which 312 companies from 41 countries were buyers. The event experienced an 11% increase in seller participation and 5% increase in buyer participation. The ATF organization promotes other quick facts: “The opening ceremony was officiated by Acting Minister Lui Tuck Yew, whereas the opening party was held at the Asian Civilization Museum and sponsored by the Media Development Authority of Singapore,” apart from other activities organized by TV Azteca, the French Embassy, UKTI, Malaysia Pavilion and Al Jazeera, among others . Finally, the event was also recognized as the Exhibition of the Year, an award conferred by the Singapore Experience Awards.

TTV MAGAZINE 21

MIPCOM 2010 4th- 8th October - Palais des Festivals Cannes - France

The famous Palais des Festivals gathered some 1,700 exhibitors and 12,000 professionals from the entertainment industry -belonging to 100 different countriesduring the week of 4th - 8th October, according to reports from the event’s organization. MIPCOM held a “Spotlight on Australia” for this edition on October 5th, welcoming over 250 Australian executives at the Palais des Festivals. According to the organization behind the largest television and entertainment business tradeshow, Australia is a market that has experienced significant changes in the last twelve months, including digital channel launches and the entry of new IPTV players, as well as shifts in consumption habits thanks to the advent of VOD services, among others.

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_/04 01. Fernando Barbosa (Disney Media Networks Latin America and Ben Pyne (Disney Media Networks) 02. Edson Mendes and Delmar Andrade (Record TV Network) 03. Elías Hofman (Exim Licensing Group) 04. Michal Nashiv (Dori Media Distribution and Dori Media Contenidos) and Elena Antonini (Dori Media Distribution Argentina)

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05. Zasha Robles (Spiral International) 06. Tony Cohen (FremantleMedia), Jon Kamen (@radical.media) and David Ellender (FremantleMedia Enterprises) 07. Rodrigo Piza (Cookie Jar Entertainment)

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08. Alex Marin and Brendan Fitzgerald (Sony Pictures Television) 09. Matteo Corradi (Mondo TV) 10. Mariana Fernández (Artear) 11. Thomas Sitrin (World Wrestling Entertainment International) 12. Alan Poensgen and Laura Tapias (Aviatrix Entertainment)

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_/13 13. Maarten Meijs and Pim Schmitz (Talpa Media Holding) 14. Ernesto Ramírez (Comarex), Nora Castrejón López (TV Azteca), Marcel Vinay Jr. (Comarex), Carmen Pizano (Comarex), Marcel Vinay Hill (TV Azteca) and Raúl Mendoza (Comarex) 15. Florencia Stivelmaher (General Bureau of Creative Industries, Ministerio de Desarrollo Económico, Government of Buenos Aires City) 16. Mathieu Bèjot (TV France International)

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EXECUTIVES

S

aying that China is one of the largest markets for doing business is easy. Yet actually disembarking on Chinese fields is a thing few players of the industry can accomplish. Metan Development Group has built a strong strategic line between Los Angeles and Beijing and, through it, develops customized content for audiences from the most populated nation around the globe.

“There is no question that Chinese viewers are increasingly becoming a more valuable audience for content providers. The Chinese viewer is one of the most sophisticated and tech-savvy in modern history,” Larry Namer, president of the company, affirms.

Metan specializes in program development and production for television and Internet, specifically for the Chinese market, and has succeeded in creating an axis of audiovisual content between Los Angeles and Beijing, including studios and production facilities in both countries. Its flagship program, ‘Hello!

Hollywood’, is an entertainment news program broadcast on a first-run syndication network consisting of over 45 television stations that reach over 600 million people in China today.

“In 2008, I had a chance to really understand the Chinese media industry at the time, but was even more excited about the possibilities of where it was headed to. Here is a market where there are over 3500 television stations hungry for good quality television content,” Namer assures. In terms of audience, the executives says that Chinese viewers “love Hollywood and everything that has to do

Hello! Hollywood Entertainment News

with it.” Blockbuster films rule the Chinese box office and the market is not a stranger to cult followings of Western shows such as ‘Gossip Girl’, ‘Heroes’, and ‘Prison Break’ that dominate the Chinese online scene. “However, what the Chinese consumer wanted was something that tied Hollywood to China. They weren’t interested in a dubbed program that was developed for another market – what they wanted was a show produced specifically for them,” he explains. That’s when ‘Hello!

Hollywood’ steps in.

STATE-OF-THE-ART VIEWERS. According to Namer, China is home to over 420 million Internet users -most in the world- and over 500 million mobile users. This aspect is crucial for the business, since it rejects the concept

Larry Namer,

President, Metan Development Group Who wouldn’t want to have a couple of offices flourishing in Chinese grounds as the extension of a truly successful business?

Listening to the words of Larry Namer, President of Metan Development Group, is certainly a good start. In this interview, he describes the inner details of the Chinese TV market, with which he’s been working for almost four years and counting.

By Sebastián Torterola 24 TTV MAGAZINE

of “traditional TV”. “They truly are at the forefront of multi-platform viewing. Today in China, programming -whether on television, online, or mobile- is treated separately and contents rarely cross beyond their silo. Our programming is exploited so that nontelevision platforms are not merely just an extension of distribution, but are utilized to create two-way communications between our program and the audience. We believe interaction is driving the Chinese viewer today and develop our programming to enhance that viewing experience beyond the four walls of television,” Namer says.

In this line, Metan has sought to lead the multi-platform experience in China, with some innovative initiatives integrating programs and advertisers. “We created unique branded segments for Ford and their introduction of the all-new Ford Fiesta into the China market through a music countdown piece in ‘Hello!

Hollywood’. Online, we harness our online video partners such as Kaixian001 -a social networking site- and Sohu -an online news portal- to interact with our audience through polls, trivia, and games. The results are displayed on our television show each week and create an instant bridge between the platforms. We have also done similar work for a ‘green’ campaign for Philips and their push in the China market earlier this year as well,” the executive comments.

In his words, there are two philosophies about China and its Western counterparts, such as the United States. One is that the Chinese market is and will follow the media trends of Western markets. The other philosophy is that the Chinese market will eventually lead and pioneer the media market for the rest of the world. “I am a firm believer of the latter and believe that Metan is at the cusp of being that conduit between China and the rest of the world,” he adds. Due to this reason, the company will very probably expand and open its own offices in Shanghai in 2011, to join the ones already set up in Beijing. ttv

Celebrating its first year on the international market, Latin Media Corporation is pressing ahead with its commitment to Asian production and cosmopolitan distribution. It offers a catalog with titles from Malaysia, Ecuador, Chile and Costa Rica.

By Sebastián Torterola

José Escalante,

Executive Director, Latin Media Corporation

S

ince its birth at MIPCOM 2009, the company headed by José Escalante has had a major outbreak in Malaysia, where its main partner is based: Worldwide Rights Corporation (WRC). From there, the partnership invests on local drama productions. “We are finishing production of ‘Bola Cinta’, and producing our second drama, ‘Pesona Kasih’,” José Escalante tells ttv.

Latin Media Corporations’ (LMC) exploration of the Asian market is mostly due to its strategic vision of the region’s potential, where original drama production has increased in recent times. “The Malaysian market has a great knowledge of the preferences and habits of their audience. In Malaysia there is high technology, a variety of equipment and talent, and the productions are made with the region’s standard prices,” the executive says.

In regard to funding, the executive comments that their telenovela and drama projects are

not financially supported by the Government of Malaysia. “There are no local subsidies.

Meanwhile, the productions that we are working on operate on a budget of between US$ 30,000 and US$ 40,000 per one-hour episode. A 26-hour product takes up a production time of six months,” Escalante reveals.

INTERCONTINENTAL DISTRIBUTION. According to the executive, Malaysian content generated from the association between LMC and WRC is well distributed, especially in regional countries. “The series have been pre-sold/sold in Singapore, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Arab countries and some African countries. We are currently trying to open markets in Europe and Latin America,” he assures. However, unlike other continents, Asia is very difficult to generalize in terms of audiences, and preferences vary significantly from country to country. “The region has great potential. However, there are very few similarities within the audiences of, for instance, Japan, China, Thailand, Malaysia and India,” he explains.

Moreover, the LMC catalog goes beyond oceans, representing Chile’s Channel 13, among other Latin American companies.

“We will be bringing ‘First Lady’ from Canal 13 (Chile), dramas ‘Persona Kasih’ and ‘Bola Cinta’ (Malaysia), ‘She the Taxi Driver’ (Ecuavisa), ‘½ Docena’ (Costa Rica) and several animations to the Asia TV Forum,” Escalante concludes. ttv Bola Cinta 30 x 60’ Telenovela Series

First Lady 100 x 45’ Family Drama

The origins of its partnership in China can be found in producer Nafalia, a company active in the field of co-production in countries like China and India, that later led to the creation of WRC and an association with LMC to distribute content internationally. “The producer has its own studios, although they sometimes rent them for specific projects.

The company also holds partnerships with other local production companies and talent agencies,” Escalante affirms.

She the Taxi Driver 100 x 60’ Family Drama

TTV MAGAZINE 25

TELENOVELAS

A Surefire Genre for Audience Success Family Secrets_Caracol TV Internacional

Ways of the Heart_Record TV Network

A Knockout Lover_Venevision International

Date Blind_Dori Media Group

The Reyes Brothers_Telemundo Internacional

Bola Cinta_Latin Media Corporation

Between Love and Desire_Globo TV International

Cain & Abel_Telefe International

DEMAND FOR THE TELENOVELA IN INTERNATIONAL MARKETS CONTINUES TO RISE. AFTER 50 YEARS ON THE AIR IN LATIN AMERICA, THE GENRE HAS GAINED THE INTEREST OF WORLDWIDE BROADCASTERS. ASIA IS NO EXCEPTION: AN ARRAY OF TITLES HAS BEEN AND IS BEING BROADCAST IN ASIA’S MAIN MARKETS.

By Sebastián Amoroso

26 TTV MAGAZINE

T

he telenovela is the Latin American genre par excellence.

Born in Cuba on the radio, it later travelled to the countries that adopted it as their own and, in time, grew into its key producers - each with their own narrative and artistic singularities: Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia, Brazil and Argentina. For over 50 years the telenovela has managed to tell the story of the region’s different cities and towns, depicting their different expressions and styles, from the classic melodrama to the costumbrist story, going through comedies and historical telenovelas.

Despite the dissimilar nature of these producers’corporate realities, each one uses different strategies to position and differentiate themselves within the international market. Below, ttv presents a report on what the different Latin American distributors will be offering at the next Asia Television Forum (ATF), to be held between December 8th and 10th in Singapore.

TELEVISA INTERNACIONAL. Grupo Televisa, the largest producer and distributor of telenovelas in Spanish, produces between 10 and 12 telenovelas a year, which represents approximately 1,430 hours of fiction. Televisa’s stories are known for their traditional form, better aligned with the classic melodrama. Its most considerable premieres in 2010 will all be presented at the ATF: ‘Triumph of Love’ (150 x 60’), ‘Teresa’ (150 x 60’), ‘Timeless Love’ (150 x 60’), ‘Marriage Diaries’ (140 x 60’) and ‘Fill Me With Love’ (150 x 60’), all shot in HD.

Furthermore, Televisa has already closed co-production agreements in Asia, most precisely in China, a country with which Televisa sealed its first agreement with Triumph of Love_Televisa Internacional China International Television Corporation (CITVC) for the telenovela ‘Ugly Betty’ -after a prior agreement with Colombia’s RCN channel- from which the co-production ‘Chou Nu Wu Di’ was born. Televisa and CITVC signed a new agreement during MIPTV 2010 that will borne a new telenovela produced in the Asian country, initially targeted at a potential audience of over 2 billion people.

TELEMUNDO INTERNACIONAL. Owned by NBC Universal, the Telemundo Network produces between 7 and 8 telenovelas a year, roughly 1,000 programming hours. Their telenovelas are known for their high budgets and complex yet neutral stories. Telemundo Internacional will be presenting ‘The Reyes Brothers’ (13 x 120’), ‘Aurora’ (130 x 60’), ‘Beautiful But Unlucky’ (130 x 60’), ‘Missing’ (90 x 60’) and ‘Behind Every Woman’ (120 x 60’) at this edition of the ATF. Amongst Telemundo Internacional’s work in Asia, its historical debut of ‘The Clone’ in Japan stands out. The Telemundo Internacional and TV Globo coproduction is the first HD telenovela to ever be broadcast to that country’s estimated 30 million homes. Premiered on October 4th, the Gloria Pérez original story is broadcast at 3:59 PM on BS Japan. ‘The Clone’ will also be the longest-running telenovela in Japanese TV history.

“This production is not only the longest-running telenovela and the first to be broadcast in HD: it is also the first time that a free Japanese channel directly buys a premiere. On the other hand, it is also the first time that this country buys a product before it finishes airing in its own home-country,” Xavier Aristimuño, VP of Sales and Business in Asia,

highlights. The telenovela has already been sold to over 30 countries, including Chile, Peru, Uruguay, Colombia, Vietnam, Guatemala, Dominican Republic and Bolivia.

GLOBO TV INTERNATIONAL. Giant Globo TV is one of the other most important telenovela producers in Latin America. From its Globo Production Center (CGP - Central Globo de Producción) in Rio de Janeiro, better known as Projac, it currently produces 2,500 hours of entertainment a year, telenovelas being one of its pillar genres. Globo TV will present ‘Between Love and Desire’ (165 x 45’) and ‘Seize the Day’ (100 x 45’) to the Asian market at this edition of the ATF, apart from an eclectic and complementary catalog that includes documentaries, series and formats, among other television genres.

The technical quality of Globo’s productions is the result of ongoing investments that the corporation has been running since 1994, both in technology and in research and development for digital high-definition production. Since 2007, Globo counts with 6 studios equipped with the latest digital technology for HD production and post-production.

“We’re having great results with canned products, mainly Globo documentaries, one of Globo’s main genres in the last three or four years in the region,” International Sales Director Raphael Corrêa Netto tells ttv.

TV AZTECA. Another production giant within the genre is Mexican group TV Azteca, which annually produces around 10,000 hours of TV programming. The Mexican group has injected about US$ 55 million in order to set up its Estudios Azteca Novelas production complex, which will take up almost 6,000 m2. “TV Azteca is one of the three main telenovela producers in terms of quality and investment,” affirms Marcel Vinay Jr., CEO of Comarex, a division in charge of distributing TV Azteca audiovisual content to the international market.

For this edition of the ATF, TV Azteca will present succesful telenovelas such as ‘Running From Destiny’ (130 x 60’), ‘Daniela’ (195 x 60’), ‘Torn Apart’ (150 x 60’), and ‘Fierce Angel’ (150 X 60’), amongst other titles within its international market portfolio.

Strictly speaking, the telenovela genre is an undisputable pillar for the Mexican group’s presence within the international arena. In this sense, the executive highlights: “TV Azteca produces about 3 hours a day, some 800 telenovela episodes a year. And, this year, we’re increasing production to 900 episodes,” Vinay Jr. reveals.

RECORD TV NETWORK. Another Brazilian giant disputing leadership in the country’s open TV market is Record TV. From its RecNov production center, the channel works on 6 productions a year: 5 telenovelas and one miniseries at the same time. RecNov is only 5 years old and located on a 280,000 m2 area in Vargem Grande in Rio de Janeiro. The company’s new studios, inaugurated in November 2009, are vast and equipped with state-of-the-art technology.

Record TV Network develops its own productions, counting with renowned writers and directors with experience in generating great hits for the channel, such as ‘Ways of the Heart’, ‘Love and Conspiracy’, ‘The Law and the Crime’, ‘Savage’ or ‘Proof of Love’, among many others that have conquered ratings in Brazil.

“All our productions are done with a very international approach.

We take great care in understanding what the international market wants; it’s the biggest concern on our minds when producing our shows. We’re currently negotiating with some Asian territories; despite not being co-production agreements, we’re in the process of selling our products to countries such as China or Vietnam,” Delmar Andrade, International Sales Director for the distribution company, explains to ttv.

TTV MAGAZINE 27

TELENOVELAS

CARACOL TV INTERNATIONAL. Colombia’s Caracol Televisión produces an average of 5 telenovelas, 3 series and one anthology series a year. Combined, this represents about 1,000 hours of dramatized hours. Caracol Televisión’s international division exports all dramatized programming the channel produces.

Several factors play a part when selecting a product: “Good local rating performances are always a great element to sell a production, but you also have cases where the product’s performance in other territories is not the same as its domestic performance,” Angélica Guerra, VP of Caracol TV Internacional, explains.

This is why the company’s International Sales area is constantly generating feedback with its Production area, mostly in tune to the opinions every client garners of each product. “We’re attentive to their preferences, to the topics they wish to deal with, with the best casts and with all the elements that allow us to always keep improving, in accordance to both markets, the local one and the international one,” Guerra affirms.

Caracol TV Internacional will be presenting the telenovelas ‘The English Teacher’ (120 x 60’), ‘Family Secrets’ (60 x 60’) and ‘Mariana & Scarlett’ (120 x 60’) at the ATF, as well as series and miniseries, among other genres. Berta Orozco, Sales Representative for Asia and Africa at Caracol TV Internacional, explains to ttv that the main goal “is still to keep our current clients satisfied with our productions,” and that her new role at the company will allow her to work toward opening the Asian market and consolidating the distributor’s content “in set programming timeslots, as we’ve previously done in several occasions for these territories,” she underlines.

TELEFE INTERNATIONAL. Argentina’s Telefe channel currently produces between 4 and 5 telenovelas a year, about 700 hours of programming. A milestone in the channel’s production tradition has been ‘HeartBeats’, an original telenovela born from a co-production agreement between Telefe and Chinese company Shanghai Media Group (SMG). The project is currently being recorded in China and its distribution to other continents will be in charge of Telefe International, the Argentinean channel’s distribution arm.

At the ATF, Telefe International will launch the telenovelas ‘Cain & Abel’ (150 x 60’ approx.), ‘Secrets of Love’ (69 x 60’) and ‘WAGs, Love for the Game’ (134 x 60’ approx), as well as teen telenovela ‘The Resistance’ (150 x 60’ approx.), among other titles included in its international content portfolio.

10 telenovelas a year, approximately 1,300 programming hours,” César Díaz, VP of Sales at Venevision International, affirms to ttv.

Distributor Venevision International presented the telenovelas ‘Eva Luna’ (120 x 45’), ‘The Perfect Woman’ (120 x 45’), ‘A Woman’s Sacrifice’ (120 x 45’), ‘Salvador: A Knockout Lover’ (120 x 45’) and ‘Recipe for a Family Feud’ (120 x 45’) at the last edition of MIPCOM, among other titles.

“Our extensive telenovela catalog at Venevision International is always available for the international market. Our clients are who benefit from having an ample and varied catalog at their disposal, where they can search for what will fulfill their markets’ needs, from teen telenovelas to classic drama stories,” Díaz concludes.

DORI MEDIA GROUP. Based in Israel and Argentina, producer Dori Media Group (DMG) bets on local content with international scope.

‘LaLola’, produced by Dori Media Contenidos and based on an idea by Sebastián Ortega for Underground Contenidos, is one of DMG’s bestselling products: the comedy was sold to over 83 countries since its premiere. DMG telenovelas and drama series are conceived for all kinds of audiences -families, kids and teens- and in all sorts of subgenres: romantic and classic comedies, as well as avant-garde and kids and teens programming. It also works on reality and game shows, such as multiplatform content ‘uMan’ (TV, Internet and mobile). “We know that our clients have very high expectations for our content. And, as always, we’ll be presenting a broad array of telenovelas and daily dramas,” says Andrés Santos, VP of Sales for the company.

DMG will launch its telenovelas ‘Date Blind’ (120 x 60’), ‘Beautiful Thieves’ (26 x 60’), ‘Money Time’ (70 x 35’) in Singapore, as well as the second season of teen series ‘Split’ (45 x 30’), among other genres. In regard to formats in Asia, the executive highlights how the business has grown and offers some key deals in the area: “Within the last months we’ve signed several format agreements and have several other in the works for ‘Amanda O’, ‘Date Blind’, ‘Mannequins’, ‘Money Time’, ‘Champs 12’ and ‘Beautiful Thieves’,” the executive reveals.

LATIN MEDIA CORPORATION. From its beginnings at MIPCOM 2009, Latin Media Corporation (LMC), the company headed by José Escalante, has had an important focus on Malaysia, where its main partner is located: Worldwide Rights Corporation (WRC). From there, the alliance invests on local drama productions. “We’re finishing production for ‘Bola Cinta’ and are amidst production for our second drama, ‘Pesona Kasih’,” José Escalante tells ttv.

“In short, we’ve managed to present this market with an attractive and varied offer of original and modern titles, from diverse genres and subgenres, going through fiction and entertainment. Most of these are premiering in the region and others, even if they aren’t, still carry great potential based on the interest surrounding their presentation,” Michelle Wasserman, International Sales Manager, affirms.

‘First Lady’, offered at the ATF, registered 17.6 rating points during its premiere.

Ever since then, it’s become one of the most-watched programs on Chile’s Canal 13, managing to increase the channel’s average ratings significantly.

‘First Lady’ is distributed by Latin Media Corporation (LMC) in Europe, Latin America and North America. WRC distributes it in Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Oceania. ttv

VENEVISION INTERNATIONAL. The Organización Cisneros’ distribution arm exploits all productions currently generated by its two production sources or infrastructures: the Venevision network in Venezuela and Venevision Productions, the independent producer of Spanish-spoken programming located in south Florida in the US. “On average, we’re producing some

28 TTV MAGAZINE

On the other hand, the LMC catalog goes beyond oceans, representing the catalog of Chile’s Canal 13 (UC-TV), among other Latin American companies. “At the Asia TV Forum we’ll present Canal 13’s telenovela ‘First Lady’ (100 x 45’) and dramas ‘Pesona Kasih’ (26 x 60’) and ‘Bola Cinta’ (30 x 60’), as well as Ecuavisa’s ‘She the Taxi Driver’ (100 x 60’), among others,” Escalante details.

Running From Destiny_TV Azteca

EXECUTIVES

Singapore’s Media Ecosystem

THE CEO OF MDA - AN AUTHORITY DEVOTED TO ECONOMICALLY FOSTERING SINGAPORE’S NATIONAL MEDIA INDUSTRY - EXPLAINED THE VARIOUS REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS THE COUNTRY HAS ON CO-PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION FOR MULTI-GENRE CONTENT.

By Sebastián Torterola “Singapore TV producers have partnered with AETN, BBC, Discovery, National Geographic, Shanghai Media Group and Fremantle Media to develop programs that travel the world.”

Fleabag Monkeyface 52 x 11’ 3D Animation TV Series

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A

s interest and fascination in all things Asian grows around the world, Singapore positions itself as a key, strategic bridge between the East and the West. With this in mind, its Media Development Authority (MDA) extends its governmental branches throughout the global market to assure alliances of all kinds: co-productions and distribution, financing and national understanding partnerships, with an ambitious aim: to make Singapore the “global capital of new Asia media.”

The MDA’s promotional activities cover a wide range of sectors within the media industry, including film, TV, games, animation, and interactive digital media (IDM), among others. “MDA achieves its aims by three strategies: supporting businesses, promoting social connectedness and implementing the Singapore Media Fusion (SMF) plan,” its CEO, Aubeck Kam, says. Within these, it’s possible to highlight training of local talent, marketing campaigns promoting made-in-

Singapore content, and programs fostering international partnerships and tie-ups.

INITIATIVES IN PROCESS. “MDA is committed to creating a vibrant and self-sustaining media financing ecosystem which will play a vital role in ensuring the long-term success of Singapore’s media industry,” Kam affirms.

There are interesting figures to share.

To date, close to SGD 1.5 billion (US$ 1.15 billion) worth of media funds have been anchored in Singapore. The projects supported by MDA throughout the region are many, including a strategic alliance with Imagenation Abu Dhabi and Hyde Park Entertainment Group in 2009 to fund three to four films a year, with an estimated production value of US$ 75 million over a five-year period.

Other alliances include a US$ 70 million Integrated Media Fund (IMF) managed by SIMF Management Pte Ltd, a Singaporebased subsidiary of Salon Films Hong Kong, set up in Singapore in March 2010. The IMF targets to produce a slate of feature films, TV series, animation and related interactive game development content over a five-year period.

Another example is the Gobi Singapore-China Media Ventures Fund, a SGD 100 million (US$ 73.3 million) cross-border venture capital fund targeting early- to growth-stage companies in digital media and technology sectors, launched in August 2010. This Fund aims to promote bilateral industry cooperation between China and Singapore by providing funding support for Singapore companies entering the Chinese market, as well as Chinese companies seeking to internationalize through Singapore. It will be managed in Singapore by Gobi Partners, a China-based

Aubeck Kam,

CEO, Media Development Authority of Singapore

“Co-production treaties included the first SingaporeAustralia coproduction, the 3D action thriller film ‘Bait’ by Singapore’s Blackmagic Design and Australia’s Arclight Film.” distributors including Bomanbridge, Electric Sky, ID Distribution, Indigo Films and Looking Glass International acquired a slate of High Definition programs, totaling 17 hours, by Channel NewsAsia (Singapore) for international distribution,” Kam states. venture firm with approximately US$ 250 million in assets under management.

Kam mentions another relevant case: “The US$ 20 million production fund of digital media and visual effects company Infinite Frameworks, has gone into production for two projects, ‘Future Earth’ and ‘Anatomy of a Crime’. These projects have provided excellent opportunities for building capability and skills transfer, especially in the areas of postproduction and visual effects. Working with international partners such as IMG, Endemol, Darlow Smithson and AETN All Asia also enabled such Made-by-Singapore projects to obtain global reach and distribution.”

Television producers and broadcasters within the country are increasingly developing projects with multi-platform appeal to achieve a higher engagement with audiences. New series like ‘Partners in Crime’ -produced by Very!- and ‘Hidden Cities’ -produced by Beach House–, which were launched recently at this year’s MIPCOM by international distributors Electric Sky and AETN International respectively, are a good example. “Our coproduction approach has reaped dividends for Singapore television producers, who have partnered with leading international media brands such as AETN, BBC, Discovery, National Geographic, Shanghai Media Group and Fremantle Media to develop programs that travel the world. Last year, international

G O V E R N M E N T-T O - G O V E R N M E N T. Singapore has built business relationships with Asian and International partners in the media arena for many years, through governmentto-government co-production agreements. It currently holds co-production alliances with Australia, Canada, China (feature film and TV movies), South Korea (TV co-productions) and New Zealand.

The results of these national agreements are encouraging. 2009 saw several Singapore media companies benefiting from coproduction treaties with Australia and Canada. “These included the first SingaporeAustralia co-production, 3D action thriller film ‘Bait’ by Singapore’s Blackmagic Design and Australia’s Arclight Film. Others include animated TV series such as ‘Rob the Robot’ by One Animation and Amberwood Entertainment (Canada), ‘Jack’ by Sparky Animation and PVP Animation (Canada), ‘Silly Bitty Bunny’ by Scrawl Studios and CarpeDiem Film & TV (Canada), as well as ‘Mr. Moon’ by Sparky Animation Skaramoosh (UK) and Title Entertainment (Canada).”

“The US$ 20 million production fund of digital media and visual effects company Infinite Frameworks has gone into production for two projects, `Future Earth’ and `Anatomy of a Crime’.“

Land of The Midnight Sun 4 x 30’ Lifestyle Series

The Singapore Pavilion will be present at the ATF with a special focus on the industry’s stereoscopic 3D capabilities and, as Kam says, “showcasing some of the latest collaborations between government and industry that help media businesses to exploit new opportunities in digital media and to move up the value chain.” ttv

TTV MAGAZINE 31

Connected

Women on the Edge

Split – Second Season

Armoza Formats

Caracol Television

Dori Media Distribution

Executives Attending

Booth: G-23

Booth: F20

Avi Armoza, CEO Mihal Brezis, VP International Relations Anat Lewinsky, Sales, Europe Kelly Wright, Sales, Americas Metin Bilman, Development

Connected

(Factual Entertainment - 25’) Five women, who don’t know each other, are each given cameras to film their lives. Through the cameras, five parallel stories will unfold in this intimate, provocative format.

7-Question Millionaire (Game Show - 45’)

A unique game show format that combines online player participation into a mega-jackpot to be won in just seven questions in this prime-time studio program.

Executives Attending

Berta Orozco, Sales Executive for Western Europe, Asia and Africa

Women on the Edge

(Miniseries - 120 X 60’)

Moral dilemmas, extreme circumstances, uncomfortable positions… are some of the situations in which each one of our characters will be immersed and that will place the viewer before an ethical dilemma that our main character will have to face and solve during the show. The show is fed with real stories, as well as with current topics and matters that create social concerns. Some of these stories will have unsolved endings, but most of them will have astonishing endings that will always make the viewer reflect about each case and in some cases have them feel indentified with the main character.

The English Teacher

(Telenovela - 120 X 60’)

When his wife leaves him for a wealthy American, Kike decides to put everything into his company and begins looking for new businesses in the United Sates. To do so, he reaches out to his cousin Luis Fernando, who lives in Miami, and to Pili, the beautiful English teacher with whom he falls in love instantly. What Kike doesn’t know is that Pili has a boyfriend, and Luis Fernando, in trouble with the mob, has hired his lover to help him take over the company. After losing everything, Kike will have to start from scratch in order to compete for business in the United States.

Executives Attending

Leora Nir, VP TV Channels, Dori Media International Andres Santos, VP Sales, Dori Media America Pauline Ick, Director of Marketing and Sales, Asia-Pacific, Dori Media Distribution

Split – Second Season

(Teen Series - 45 x 30’)

After solving the age-old conflict between vampires and humans, 16-years-old Ella refuses to live in absolute isolation, merely because she is the new prophet. As she sets out to find a resolution, she is exposed to the unfamiliar world of Demons, a world that will soon force her to choose between Adam, a young demon who is the new love in her life, and Leo, the vampire who still loves her. Sold to over 60 countries in only 1 year since its debut. Winner of the Accolade Award of Excellence for drama series, 2010.

Date Blind (Ciega a Citas)

(Telenovela - 120 x 60’)

Single and somewhat unattractive, Lucía overhears her mother make a bet with her younger sister that she won’t be able to bring a real boyfriend to her sister’s wedding. Lucía sets out to find a genuine loving boyfriend, knowing all too well that she has only 258 days at her disposal until her sister’s wedding day. Sold to 16 countries in 1 year. Nominated to the International Emmy Awards, 2010. Winner of the Rose d’Or competition in the Telenovela and Soap Opera category, 2010.

Between Love and Desire

Globo TV International Booth: F21

Executives Attending

Hugo Aloy, Sales Manager Portugal and Asia Pacific João Fonseca, Sales Executive Africa, Middle East and Asia Felipe Boclin, Marketing Coordinator

Between Love and Desire

(Entre el Amor y el Deseo) (Telenovela - 165 x 45’) Luis Carlos’s heart is torn between two women: Claudia loves him with a sincere and kind love, which allows him to live a true love. Patricia, on the other hand, lives obsessed by the passion and the desire to have Luis Carlos at any price. Between Love and Desire is a story about love in all its forms, from the most pure and sincere to a love that lights passion and unleashes uncontrollable desires.

First Lady

Latin Media Corporation / Worldwide Rights Corporation Booth: D02

Executives Attending

Seize the Day

José Escalante, Executive Director, Latin Media Corporation Farid Khaleeque Ahmad, Executive Director, Worldwide Rights Corporation

Written by renowned author Manoel Carlos and directed by award-winning filmmaker Jayme Monjardim, it tells the story of a group of everyday people and their joys and struggles while dealing with the twists and turns that fate throws their way.

Set in Rio de Janeiro and the lovely beach town of Búzios, with locations in Paris, Jerusalem and Petra, its delicately told drama and sensitive treatment of real-life situations makes for an emotional and enthralling portrait of the challenges we all have to overcome to live and love.

First Lady

(Telenovela - 100 x 45’)

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(Primera Dama) (Family Drama - 100 x 45’) Sabina Astudillo is an ordinary, young but ambitious woman who is willing to do anything to seduce Leonardo Sandander, a Presidential candidate of Chile, to become the First Lady.

However Estrella, Sabina’s mother becomes her moral guardian and insists that she returns Caetano’s stolen money. Sabina also becomes distracted with Mariano, the man she truly desires. Will she succeed in her brutal ambition?

Paradise For Two

Mediaset Distribution Booth: R 32.07

Executives attending

Patricio Teubal, Head of Sales Manuela Caputi, International Sales Manager

Paradise For Two

(TV Movie – 1 x 100’)

One day Alice, a marine biologist, who lives in an isolated beach in Sardinia meets Carlo, an unscrupulous businessman who wants to build villas for tourists right in the bay where Alice and her daughter live. However, they start falling in love...

Sin And Shame

(Drama Miniseries - 6 x 100’ or 12 x 50’) Towards the end of the 1930’s Rome is controlled by fascists.

Carmen, a radical and sensual woman, meets Nito, a diabolic and criminal man who begins stalking her. She endures difficult war years, the German occupation, the resistance, the liberation.

The day finally will come when she will be able to deal with her stalker.

Puppy in My Pocket

Mondo TV Booth: E02, Italian Pavilion

Executives Attending

Matteo Corradi, Senior VP of International Sales Micheline Azoury, Head of International Sales & Brand Manager

Puppy in My Pocket

(Animation - 52 x 13’) Full HD

Friendship is a universal feeling. It’s the warmth that heats your heart up, it’s the joy of not being alone, of having someone next to you who returns your love and takes care of you- Friendship is a strong power, and the purest the heart of those who need a friend is, the more explosive this energy gets… and who is purer than children?

Power Buggz

(Animation - 26 x 26’) Full HD One quiet summer evening before the start of the school year, a mysterious explosion rocked the science lab at Coastal High School.

World-renowned scientist, Dr. Kristoff Dralda, conducted research on the evolution of insects. A powerful mineral, Makite, had recently been discovered on the school grounds. Dralda was unhurt in the explosion, but years of research went up in flames. His insect specimens were nowhere to be found. Strangely there were streaks of Makite that tracked across the room and into the cracks of the walls.

The Law and the Crime

Record TV Network

Telefe International

The Law and the Crime

Booth: C24

(Serie: Completed – 21 x 60’)

Catarina is a high society woman who decides to study and become a police officer after her father’s murder in a robbery.

Uncharged of the most problematic police department of the region, her only goal is to make the law being accomplished. Her path cross with Nando’s, a boss of drugs traffic, and with Romero’s, a militia policeman. The plot unleashes itself when Nando kills his father-in-law, who is father of Romero. The brother-in-law is a policeman too, ignores the formalities of the law and swear to revenge the death of his father. He is tight of his points, joints the militia to get more strength, go up the hill and accomplish his goal.

‘The Law and the Crime’ shows the shock between violence on every social classes. The main point of the story is the universe of drugs, police and bribe politicians, the duality of law and crime that occurs in the world. In many places, the drug dealer is the law.

Esther, the Queen

(Mini-Serie – Format – 10 x 60’) The story happens in 479 AD, in Persia, and tells the story of a beautiful young Jewish girl who saves her people from annihilation through the love the king raised after seeing her.

Courage, Determination and faith makes Esther one of the greatest references in Jewish culture and one of the most noticeable women in history. The great differential of the version produced

by Record TV Network is the last generation technology used to record the scenes, using many special effects.

Booth: H15

Executives Attending

Michelle Wasserman, Head of International Distribution Programming, Formats & Production Services Guillermo Borensztein, Sales Executive Programming & Formats

Cain & Abel

(Telenovela - 150 x 60’ Approx.)

Produced: 2010 – ON TV/Telefe This new fiction deals with the biblical myth of the confrontation between brothers, the eternal battle between good and evil. A second reading that blends two brothers’ current confrontation within a powerful family. ‘Cain & Abel’ deals with a plot where no feeling seems to exclude the other: love and hatred, indifference and compassion, happiness and disgrace, which as life, go hand in hand. Agustín Vedia returns after a long exile. His presence will modify the course of the family company. He should fight against greed and ambition, even challenging his own father, powerful Eugenio Vedia. The love of Valentina will reappear with the same strength as the first day, confronting him again with his brother Simón. We know that there are good and bad people in the world. They never told us how much evil those who want to do good can cause or how much the one who spreads evil suffers.

In ‘Cain & Abel’ we will have all these different shades, in which nothing is what it seems.

Drowning City

The Reyes Brothers

Telemundo Internacional

Cain & Abel

Triumph of Love

TV Azteca

Televisa Internacional

Booth: H22

Xavier Aristimuño, VP Sales & Business Development Asia Adriana López, Sales and Marketing Coordinator

Booth: G16

Martha Contreras, Sales, Asia

The Reyes Brothers

Mario Castro, Director of Sales, New Business Arturo Casares, Advisor for Asian Countries

The story of the brothers Juan, Oscar, and Frank, who are honest and kind-hearted men until the day their sister Lidia tragically dies with her lover – the powerful businessman Bernardo Elizondo. This terrible accident leaves Juan and his brothers not only destroyed by the loss of their younger sister, but with a thirst of revenge that will carry them to investigate Bernardo’s past, which is a mystery to all of them.

Triumph of Love

Executives Attending

(Gavilanes) (Telenovela - 13 x 120’)

Aurora

(Telenovela - 130 x 60’) A pure and true love will blossom between Aurora and Lorenzo, but when Aurora’s parents find out that she is pregnant with the child of a humble man they fear this will ruin her life and decide to take her away and forbid her from ever seeing him again.

After giving birth, Aurora will become very ill and her father, a prominent scientist, will cryogenize her until he finds a cure for her strange disease. Twenty years later, she will wake up and find out that everything has changed.

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Executives Attending

(Telenovela - 150 x 60’) (HD) Victoria is a very successful and renowned fashion designer, but as a young woman she was employed as a maid and fell in love with the wrong man, with whom she had a daughter that was lost in an accident. Victoria has never stopped looking for her lost daughter Maria, and 20 years later destiny will reunite them again when Victoria hires Maria as a model.

Teresa

(Telenovela - 150 x 60’) (HD) Teresa is a young woman dominated by her own greed. She would rather lie and cheat her way out of poverty than find an honest job. She will destroy the heart and happiness of those around her, who love her, without a shred of remorse. But, she fails to realize that, eventually but inevitably, a time of reckoning will arrive, and life will want its due.

Executives Attending Drowning City

(Drenaje Profundo) (Suspense / Thriller - 20 x 60’) The story of an old conspiracy and the disparity that arises between two different worlds in the darkest depths of Mexico City.

It also follows the trials and tribulations of a tenacious investigator from an elite police agency specializing in solving all forms of serious crime and dealing with emergency situations that put the safety and stability of the world’s largest city at risk.

Running From Destiny

(Prófugas del Destino) (Romance / Drama - 130 X 60’) Three women are serving time in prison for crimes they never committed. Suddenly, a riot breaks out and they take the opportunity to escape. On their way an accident involving three nuns takes place and they take their personalities to survive. This event will lead them into a big deal of adventures and romances where they will have to look into their souls and passions to overcome their past and make justice.