Summary
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Specials Reports PROGRAMMING Latin America: One Region, One Screen _/10 INDEPENDENT PRODUCERS Argentina’s Production Capacity_/36
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DISCOP AFRICA 2010 Conquering Africa_/48
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Gallery
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DISCOP AFRICA 3_/50
February 24th-26th, Pullman Teranga Hotel, Dakar, Senegal
Supplements TELENOVELAS Special Report_/24
Telenovela: A Centerpiece For Any Channel
Interview_/28 DREAM FACTORY
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Hiran Silveira, Director of Teledramaturgy, Rede Record
FORMATS Special Report_/56
Latin America: Entertainment Formats
Interview_/60
The TalK Show Formula
Rafael Bello, Executive Producer of ‘Cambio de Familia’ (SBT)
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Executives Business Integration_/16 Fernando Szew, CEO of MarVista Entertainment
The Glocalization Strategy _/40 Remy Blumenfeld, Director, Formats, ITV Studios
Elias Hofman_/67
Pedro Leda_/70
Randy Zalken_/68
Sebastian Darcyl_/72
President of Exim Licensing Group
President of The Fremantle Corporation
President of Ledafilms
Founder and General Director of ADM TV Creativa, Dharma Producciones and ClickStudios
Carlos González_/69
Managing Director, Latin America & Hispanic USA, FremantleMedia Productions TODOTV MAGAZINE 5
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 Editorial Assistants Sebastián Torterola Dino Cappelli PROOFREADER Josefina Mezzera Regules Operations Director Rodrigo Ros SENIOR ACCOUNTS EXECUTIVE Dolores Irazábal Production Manager Dario Aleman IT Manager Alejandro Barros
El Secreto de Sus Ojos brings an Academy Award to Latin America The film, co-produced by Argentinian channel Telefe, won Best Foreign Film, overcoming quality productions such as ‘La Teta Asustada’ (Peru), ‘The White Ribbon’, (Germany), ‘A Prophet ‘ (France) and ‘Ajami’ (Israel). “I would like to thank my producers Gerardo Herrero, Mariela Besuievsky, Vanessa Ragone, Axel Kuschevatzky and Telefe. Tom Bernard and Michael Barker of Sony Classics,” Juan Jose Campanella, Director of the Argentinean hit movie ‘El secreto de sus ojos’ said while receiving his first Oscar, the country’s historical second. Campanella mentioned Chile at the end of his short speech, in what was the only reference to the South American country throughout the night of the 82th delivery of the awards ceremony. “Two years ago Telefe won an Emmy and now, an Oscar; I think that this is not just good for Telefe but also good and important for Argentina’s television and film industry. We’ve already shown that our products are widely recognized throughout international markets and this should work as motivation for the entire industry to produce quality content,” Alejandro Parra, Telefe’s International Business and Film Director stated while celebrating in Los Angeles.
Data Operations Fernando Moreno Webmaster Nazario Pereira Webmaster Assistant Nazario Saldias Translators 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 Montevideo - Uruguay Tel. (+598 2) 518.2848 Fax. (+598 2) 518.2849 EuropE 114, rue Villiers de l´ Isle Adam 75020 París - Francia Tel. (33) 6 6726.5894 TodoTv 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.
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VENEZUELA RCTV Strategies RCTV has defined its strategy: to survive “the regime of President Hugo Chávez Frías” whatever the venue or way. It does so under protest and stressing, for the hundredth time, that it will not resign to its status as independent media “attached to the principles and values of the company, because we will not surrender and will continue to defend freedom and democracy in Venezuela,” emphasized Marcel Granier, President of Empresas 1BC, the umbrella group for all of RCTV channels, including those presented in Caracas on Monday: RCTV Mundo and RCTV Internacional. “This solution allows us to prove, with facts, that we will not surrender,” Granier told in a news conference after presenting the documentation required for broadcasting before the government’s Comisión Nacional de Telecomunicaciones (Conatel).The union that groups subscription TV channels in Venezuela called for RCTV International to be removed from the channel grid, after Conatel reported a RCTV has incurred in violation of established rules for broadcasters in the country, including reproduction of broadcasts from state and national radio and TV networks. As a reply, the company decided to divide itself and program respecting the regime’s rules: RCTV Internacional (it is not clear how much the company will respect the “international” part of its name) is presented as a national production company, and will therefore abide by Venezuelan law, including the requirement to air “Chavez’s abusive nationwide broadcasts”, accepted “under protest”. RCTV Mundo will have the typical pay TV foreign label, with a general-interest and international profile.
ARGENTINA US$ 35 Million Investment for Digital TV Deployment The South American country prepares to launch its DTT broadcasts for which investments of US$ 35 million were announced . In declarations to local press, Argentinean Digital Television System’s Coordinator, Osvaldo Nemirovsci, announced that public Channel 7 is expected to acquire 65 transmitters deployed in 37 facilities located throughout the territory and, this April, will be the first channel to broadcast digitally. According to Nemirovsci, the first stage includes installation in 23 provincial capitals, 9 major cities and 5 towns in Buenos Aires. By 2011, another 400 lower-power transmitters will join in. At a rate of almost US$ 1 million per installation, the official praised the coordinated effort of local and foreign companies for development of set-top boxes. The official stated that “the national government will acquire a million receivers to be distributed to households with fewer resources.” Argentina’s National Communications Commission (CNC) is responsible for approving receiver and television models the private sector offers to the market.
TTV MAGAZINE
NEWS
COLOMBIA Digital Channels for RCN and Caracol in June The Comisión Nacional de Televisión (CNTV) announced what frequencies were assigned to public and private channels in order to broadcast their digital TV signals beginning this year in Colombia. Juan Andres Carreño, the organization’s Director, explained that major private channels Caracol and RCN, will use channels 14 and 15 respectively. According to El Tiempo newspaper, Carreño said these channels could be used as from June 1st onwards, once the frequencies’ current licensees cease to operate there. Public channels (Señal Colombia, Canal Institucional and Canal UNO) will be digitally broadcast through Channel 16 In this case, the CNTV predicts the frequency’s release for November. The commission also confirmed that Colombia’s third private channel will operate its digital signal through Channel 17, while regional channels from each part of the country will be using Channel 18. In Bogotá’s case, Channel 18 will be assigned to TV Andina (Channel 13) and Channel 19 will go to Canal Capital. Finally, Channel 20 is being reserved for the country’s fourth private channel as soon as the CNTV decides to assign it. As for local channels, the CNTV has determined that, for instance, CityTV’s digital signal will air in Bogotá through Channel 40. Additionally, Channel 47 is being reserved for a second local private signal. Other local city channels will be distributed through Channel 41, Channel 42 and Channel 46, whereas Channel 44 and Channel 45 will be reserved for mobile digital TV services provided within the country’s capital city.
3DRG, Digital Rights Group’s New Division Through this division, the British distributor will release a 3D catalog, which will be presented at MIPTV 2010. The division is headed by Justin Judd, CEO of i-Rights, a digital branch of Digital Rights Group (DRG). The distributor will also acquire, via 3DRG, 3D produced content and new episodes of existing titles and remastered content in 3D. The animated short film ‘The Technical
Duccio Donati Promoted to Executive VP for Comcast International Media Group Comcast International Media Group (CIMG) announced its promotion of Duccio Donati as new Executive Vice-President of the company, where he’ll assume the division’s daily responsibilities as well as direct reporting and supervision of E! Entertainment Television, The Style Network, Versus, Golf Channel and G4 divisions. Donati’s role goes beyond programming and new media sales for CIMG’s programming properties, also including all the international channel’s properties in distribution, business development, finance and operations areas. Donati joined the company as Sales Executive in 1999 and has ever since held key positions in CIMG, one of Comcast Corporation’s most dynamic and rapidly growing divisions.
Hitch’, winner of several awards and currently being remastered for 3D, will be the first title included in the catalog. 3DRG seeks to acquire and invest in diverse programming, including factual, animation, drama, music and sports, focusing on 3D stereoscopic content. “2010 has began with a revival of interest in 3D, overwhelming success of films such as ‘Up’ and ‘Avatar’, and deployment of 3D screens for home use. It is still early for 3D TV but our customers worldwide are already looking for this type of content,” Judd affirmed.
More Content From BBC Worldwide For HBO Latin America BBC Worldwide Sales & Distribution has announced the sale of a program package to HBO Latin America, which includes classic TV music programs such as ‘Later ... With Jools Holland’, as well as two high-definition specials of ‘Electric Proms’ with the participation of British bands Oasis and Keane. Among other titles chosen by HBO Latin America, are the children’s series ‘M.I. High’ in HD, ‘Clay’ a film adapted from the book by David Almond, and the second season of police drama ‘Ashes to Ashes’, the sequel to BBC’s drama series ‘Life on Mars’. “This agreement highlights our catalog’s wide range, where you’ll literally find something suitable for every single audience,” Helen Jurado, Vice-President of Sales and Distribution for Latin America, affirmed.
SPAIN Advertising Spending Fell 20.6% in 2009 Spanish advertising spending dropped 20.6% from last year, making room for concern. This is confirmed by the first delivery of a InfoAdex’s study that shows a sharp drop in investment: 5.2 billion Euros in 2009, representing a 20.6% decrease compared to 2008. Internet, where ad spending grew 8.4%, was the only media to report positive numbers, unlike magazines, which captured almost 35% less of total investments. According to the report, ad spending in newspapers, Sunday magazines, radio, film, TV and the Internet decreased by $1.6 billion Euros. Investment in TV reached $2.4 billion, down by 23.2%; advertising on posters, billboards and building facades fell 22.6%, from 518.3 million to 401.4 million. The film sector, showing a 26.5% decline, attracted 15.4 million Euros in ads.
SPECIAL REPORT | PROGRAMMING
Latin America:
One Region, One Screen The TV industry is looking at 2010 as the year in which television markets will become energized, leaving gray skies and stormy horizons behind. Following an extensive survey conducted throughout Latin America, ttv reports its results, based on opinions offered by various programmers from diverse latitudes. The resulting picture is chock-full of production, acquisition and rating projections for the present year.
T
he year 2010 started the same way 2009 ended… on the up. Cycles have come full circle and macroeconomic projections discern a promising future. As if that weren’t enough, TV will be witness to the South African World Cup this year, an event known for its ability to attract masses and advertisers alike. While analysts continue to talk about an exodus towards pay TV, recent data is still giving open TV supremacy in Latin America: 83% of all homes watch open TV against 17% who pay for it. In Argentina, for instance, this year’s programming will have an additional incentive: the Republic’s bicentennial with special programming in open channels and the free-flowing ad spot, content and marketing exchange it entails. DTT is promising to promote technological opportunities, entertainment-driven content production and an array of players, despite Mexico’s economic romance with pay TV over DTT, which represents an imminent potential market of 1.6 million people.
> By Dino Cappelli
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Will Latin American programming grids see changes once DTT arrives? Those who know say yes. Multiple local channel associations, eventual public funding from governments and mobility produced by content quantity: the horizon seems to be clear.
Programming always goes hand-in-hand with ratings. Regional trends show decreased audiences – in Argentina, for instance, less people are turning on their TVs year-over-year. Telefe’s ‘Wags: Love for the Game’ had to conform to 16,7 point ratings during the first half of the year (while ‘The Braves’ consistently achieved 30 points) and El Trece’s ‘Alguien que me quiera’ is currently circling the 15 point mark. Nothing compared to 2004’s figures, where national fiction would never stoop below 26 points. Beyond specific metrics, Argentina’s open TV lost 200 thousand viewers in the past few months. Yet, this is not a theorem that needs to be proven but an axiom that’s barely contrasted by some programs’ growing audiences, such as ‘Futbol para todos’ during its live weekend broadcasts on the state channel. Meanwhile, people are spending less time on open TV – while cable, Internet and home entertainment consumption increases – and the first ones to jump ship where ABC1 viewers, both in northern Mexico and southern Argentina. SHARED PROGRAMMING GRIDS. As for programming, Latin America seems to have mirrored its grids. Products that prove to be successful in one market repeat their success when aired in a different one. The same telenovela distributed by Telemundo Internacional is aired at similar timeslots and towards similar targets in both Paraguay and the Caribbean. Local idiosyncrasies have been left aside and strong primetime content in Chile is aired during the same timeslot in Uruguay, all the way across the Andes. El Salvador is a good example of this. Salvador Gadala María, VP of Planning and Programming for TCS (Telecorporación Salvadoreña) told ttv about the company’s current programming status: “At Telecorporacipon Salvadoreña we currently count with great programs from different production houses that guarantee to be successful with our audiences: ‘Wild Heart’, ‘For love or Money’(Televisa), ‘Nuevo rico, nuevo pobre’, ‘Mafia Dolls’ (Caracol), ‘The Mentalist’, ‘El Capo’ (RCN), etc. We have programming targeted at all audiences and in all genres, including children’s shows, entertainment, news and shows.” Oscar Gatti, Programming Manager for Uruguay’s Monte Carlo TV, agrees. 50% of the channel’s grid is made up of national programs and the rest is comprised by content from alliances with global distribution companies. Here’s where the same titles as those aired in Central America come up. “During 2010, we plan to continue using open catalogs belonging to Argentina’s Telefe, Telemundo, Televisa and Sony – most preferably – even though this doesn’t mean we’re closed to other global distribution companies,” Gatti said. As the Ian Fleming saying goes, once is happenstance twice is coincidence… and in this case, the third time is confirmation. Carola Arze, Programming Chief for Bolivia’s Red UNO, reflects on the broadcaster’s programming grid today and for the rest of 2010: “We’re planning on changing our programming during 2010, with our series’ new seasons, with premieres and betting on national production. Considering how well our primetime has done, we’ll keep airing renowned telenovelas – such as ‘Wild Heart’ – as well as our news show and nighttime magazine, while our weekends will be strengthened with new series such as ‘Mujeres Asesinas’ and recurring shows like ‘Sábado Gigante’ and ‘Cristina’. Telenovelas still prevail on lateral Monday-to-Friday timeslots and weekends are divided into children shows, series, variety shows and national productions.” ORIGINAL PRODUCTION PREVAILS. Open TV channels in the continent aren’t just airing global products. Local production is also occupying a prominent place and thus, the best formats have been catapulted. Besides journalism and magazine shows that usually occupy lateral timeslots, Latin America is producing big for primetime.
Innovation as a new content generator. Launching new creations as way to “fill up” the screen. In general terms, this is how Record TV Network acts when faced before a new television season. And, according to Delmar Andrade, 2010 won’t be an exception: “Record TV Network is always innovating and releasing new creations. We currently produce telenovelas such as ‘Ugly Bela’ and ‘Ribeirão do Tempo’; documentaries like ‘Salvaje al extremo’, ‘Reporter Record’ and ‘Camera Record’; series such as ‘The Law and the Crime’ (second season) and ‘La saga de la Reina Ester’; and even entertainment, game and comedy shows. Additionally, Record is getting ready to launch great productions such as our ‘The Law and the Crime’ movie.” And they are not the only ones. State channels are constantly proving that cultural products can go hand-in-hand with sales and ratings in 2010. Uruguay’s renovated and government-funded Televisión Nacional is a good example, airing 24 hours’ worth of original content. Argentina’s Canal 7 is following the same path. And so is Colombia… Ever since 2008, Señal Colombia has been generating the perfect conditions to develop an increasingly audience-focused alternative, making sure that themes and content respond particular interests and concerns directly, articulating defined niches and consolidating a progressively clearer identity before its viewers. Diana Díaz Soto, from the channel’s Programming and Production division, told ttv that, “Señal Colombia’s current programming grid starts at 06:00 AM, airing for 18 hours straight. From midnight onwards, the channel airs programs received via satellite from German Deutsche Welle, as well as the day’s most significant national news stories.” And that’s not all of it. “In compliance with the national production quota legislation, 50% to 90% of Señal Colombia’s airtime is dedicated to national production.” Their new 2010 programming grid includes ‘Mi Señal Colombia’, targeted at children, movies from Mondays-to-Fridays, documentaries, national and foreign productions, teen content and series, pioneer magazines, specialized series featuring multiple stories and point-ofviews regarding the country and ethnic series to try and urge ethnic groups to produce them. FORMAT TIME. Back in the private sector, El Salvador’s TCS produces formats in order to “cover all entertainment.” Gadala María stated that the network is currently focusing on new formats, such as ‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire’. Telecorporación Salvadoreña sees over four national-coverage channels and two radio stations. Ever since its birth in 1965, the network has been known for independently creating content for each channel, currently counting with 45 years of programming design and production experience. TCS invests part of its budget on acquisitions, and is mainly interested in readymade U.S., Mexican, Colombian, Brazilian, Venezuelan and Argentinean products. “We currently have big entertainment franchises such as Televisa’s ‘Dancing with the Stars’ and ‘Singing with the Stars’, as well as ‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire’ that comes from the U.K.” Its focus might be set on reality shows, but this does not hinder the significance of original productions such as ‘Domingo para Todos’ (family show), ‘Viva la Mañana’ (daytime magazine) and ‘Brinka’ (a children’s show). As the financial crisis bids adieu, broadcasters have decided to produce… and invest. Colombia is a perfect example of this. “Approximatedly 30% of the channel’s productions are co-productions, considering certain criteria such as appropriateness for the channel, budget viability, grid needs and opportunities, among other details,” Diana Díaz Soto,
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SPECIAL REPORT | PROGRAMMING
Oscar Gatti,
Programming Manager for Monte Carlo TV (Uruguay)
“We’re betting on familysuitable content and programs that have become everyday classics.”
Carola Arze,
Programming Chief for Red UNO (Bolivia)
“Considering how well our primetime has done, we’ll keep airing renowned telenovelas.”
Delmar Andrade,
International Sales Director for Record TV Network (Brasil)
“We choose to work with original productions and with skilled writers and directors that have previously created big hits for Record.”
Diana Díaz Soto,
Programming and Content Producer for Señal Colombia
“Foreign audiovisual content serves the purpose of opening windows for Señal Colombia’s viewers, by showing other cultures and lifestyles, as well as other aesthetics and narratives.”
from the state channel, explains. In the Central American market, ”Construction of TCS’s new facilities, nationwide coverage and investing in high definition equipment has allowed us to remain avant-garde, producing and broadcasting the best local programs and news shows in the region,” Gadalá from TCS affirms. Brazil is no exception. Besides its own original content, Record TV Network is firmly setting foot on new terrains, backed by years of experience. It is currently developing ‘Ugly Bela’ jointly with Televisa and, according to Delmar Andrade, the network is “completely” satisfied. GOING FOR WHAT ALREADY WORKS. What’s good is determined by share and, if below the budget, twice as good. “All of last year’s products performed – and still perform – incredibly well: they all achieved over 25% share of all TV’s turned on in the market,” Gatti says from his key position at the Uruguayan channel, mentioning ‘Catalina’ and ‘El Señor de la Querencia’ from Chile’s TVN, as well as ‘Zapping’, ‘Susana’ and ‘CQC’ from Argentina. The main reason behind holding on to some 2009 products during 2010 is based on a brief affirmation: “These were last season’s top products.” The channel’s news show (‘Telenoche’), its 10-year-old daytime magazine (‘Buen Día Uruguay’) and two telenovelas (Telemundo’s ‘Madame Barbara’ and ‘Analia’s Face’) make the cut. As for telenovelas and series, Carola Arze from Red UNO in Bolivia also offers an explanation behind the channel’s instrumented changes that have resulted in the best audience levels in the country. “We’ve acquired animated cartoons, series packages and, to a lesser extent, movies, for this season. Part of our budget is always saved for telenovelas, which are mostly purchased from Televisa.” And so the programming grids go; and so the markets go too. News of successful sales by the top ten distribution companies for certain products repeat themselves. One market brings another market and so, globalism continues to rise over regionalism. In a connected world, grids get mirrored and audiences get the chance to comment on the same telenovela or format no matter if they’re in Ushuaia or New Mexico. ttv
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EXECUTIVES
Throne Heir to the
Carlos Slim Domit is the son of billionaire Carlos Slim HelÚ, founder of Mexico’s Grupo Carso, which runs various companies in the commercial, industrial, consumer and telecommunication sectors. This empire’s heir is also – and has been, for the last six years – its President, currently in charge of business for Sanborn and Telmex, the group’s biggest star in the lucrative telecommunication business.
> SPECIAL FOR TTV (*) “Grupo Carso and its related companies are structures that have not only been working towards expansion, but have also built an internal institutionalization program within them.”
C
arlos Slim Domit has been involved in various companies’ operations from a very young age and knows their secret to success and DNA very well. This makes him an ideal person to lead important operations. “Grupo Carso and its related companies are structures that have not only been working towards expansion, but have also built an internal institutionalization program within them. They feature very committed and competent teams who work with an institutional operating philosophy that transcends beyond the people; our operating structure is solid and has great development expectations,” Slim Domit affirms. THE STRENGTH OF A FAMILY. Carlos Slim Helú is committed to keeping this giant business in the family: three of his six children are involved in its corporate governance. For Slim, family is a vital issue. Carlos Slim Domit talks about his career within the Group with the ease of someone who was born and grew up immersed in the family business: “My brothers and I have been involved in the
Group’s operations since we were very young. We were active in many of the companies; my career has been geared towards its commercial and marketing areas.” Clearly, one of his father’s main qualities is his great communication skills. “He always talked to me and my brothers about business decisions, problems, solutions; it’s a process we have always shared. We did it informally at first and then more formally in operations and business meetings. It is a process in which we share a vocation, a work philosophy and the pleasure of working with people who are considered part of the team. These processes have been very natural, followed by a very clear and defined vocational call.” For Carlos Slim Domit, to have such an experienced father at arm’s length for advice is a luxury. “I do this very frequently. When working, I often seek his advice, opinions and even criticism. It is a privilege and an honor to have him as a counselor, as a friend and as a teacher,” he says. GRUPO CARSO. Grupo Carso’s name stands for the first letters of its founders’ names, Carlos Slim Helu and Soumaya Domit, his wife. When speaking about the group’s particular qualities, its founder’s son is concise and clear: “The group has an established internal structure and a very disciplined and institutional internal corporate governance scheme, and has been this way for years. It’s very used to public companies where the operational format, the reporting and presentation format, creates a clear managerial internal discipline.” The decision making process is well oiled within the group. “Decisions are made by the Boards of Directors, which counts with external
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Carlos Slim Domit,
consultants. When major decisions are at stake, they are referred to the Grupo Carso Board.” In cases where risks can be assessed, decisions are easier to make. “It’s about being ready but, above all, having the right information: this allows us to constantly make decisions and be active in those decisions.”
President of Grupo Carso
Despite forecasts, the group knows that to err is human. “The important thing about risks and mistakes is to be able to minimize them and know how to solve them. But above all, before making such decisions, we must be sure that they do not jeopardize an operation or the group’s companies’ viability. The important point is to identify areas of opportunity and risk, and quickly correct decisions which weren’t well made at the time or scenarios that could not be anticipated: the key is to be fast in execution. When the decision has already been made, it should be enacted quickly, so we can seize opportunities in the company’s favor.” COMPANY VALUES AND THE KEY TO SUCCESS. When talking about the principles that guide Grupo Carso, the words used are simple and unpretentious. “We look at limiting hierarchy levels between the worker and the general director, between corporate and customers, and between corporate and suppliers. This way, we’re constantly receiving information and fresh data regarding what’s going on in operations,” Slim Domit explains. Grupo Carso promotes internal training and gives their employees career choices within the Group, not just vertically but also horizontally, in different industries and sectors. “There are executives within the Group that started out in the industrial sector (Condumex) and are now in telecommunications, or that started out in business and are now on the financial side.” Within these values guiding company actions, one can find the keys to success of a company known for its business excellence. “The main thing,” Slim Domit repeats, “is our proximity to the operation.”He also notes that the group is characterized by managerial austerity within the company: “We are aware that we are dealing with resources, we have a responsibility in that sense, and try not to waste them. Another issue is the strength of our financial structure, which gives us room to maneuver when opportunities present themselves; we promote our people’s internal development a lot, we are constantly upgrading our companies, not only upgrading their systems, but their operation processes as well.” Another quality is constantly looking out and being very connected with what is happening in the world. “We compete a lot, we have international references, we benchmark our processes and we compete hard against
ourselves. We have no support and no crosscompany subsidy: each has to work for itself,” he explains. These values have undoubtedly affected Slim Domit’s leadership style. “I try to work a lot with people, seeking to involve them in the operation, communicating with them a lot, being involved in decisions. We have a consensus-based decision-making style; there is much discussion and lots of communication in that process.” There are two issues this employer never forgets. “We must find solutions, not blame. Besides, companies have corporate responsibilities, not areas. And that creates a dynamic in which everyone is thinking about what is best for the company, and not necessarily for their particular area. After many years of experience, I’ve come to the conclusion that when making decisions, common sense turns out to be the gold standard,” he says. TELECOMMUNICATIONS: FUTURE AND BUSINESS. As President of the Telmex Group, Carlos Slim Domit knows the industry very well, as well as its business potential. “I think TELCOs have two very valuable advantages. First, they are the world’s first on-demand companies: one talks on the phone to anyone at any time. It’s an industry with a very important customer service culture. The other interesting feature is network sophistication, the new digital age’s great revolution. Internet and broadband will allow for a greater range of services and products – meaning that content developers can have access to markets that they previously couldn’t reach – and, also, more sophisticated products and services. “ The way we consume content will change, and opportunities that were once unimaginable
“Internet and broadband will allow for a greater range of services and products – meaning that content developers can have access to markets that they previously couldn’t reach – and, also, more sophisticated products and services.” “Latin America is a market where all countries are growing at a very interesting pace.” will open up: “Content, idea, product, service producers – in short, the network – … we are a link between these producers and their potential customers. I think that the fact that both sides, content and consumers, are becoming increasingly varied, combined with our potential role, will allow new connections within society that will become progressively faster into the next generation.” LATIN AMERICA AND OPPORTUNITIES. Grupo Carso operates in many countries, but its Mexican roots nurture a close relationship with Latin America, where its businesses are flourishing. “We see many opportunities for growth in Latin America and we continue to make many investments. At this point, it’s a region with a large population, a market where all countries are growing at a very interesting pace. These countries are showing greater progress and will be able to access more and better services. I think this will help the economy of each of the developing countries, and the region, see interesting growth, highly controlled and predictable macroeconomic figures. I think the region has a very good potential.” ttv (*) Enjoy ManagemenTV on DIRECTV throughout Latin America: Sky and Net in Brazil, Multicanal and Cablevision Digital in Argentina, Cablevision in Mexico, and through other operators in the region.
TODOTV MAGAZINE 15
EXECUTIVES
Business
Integration Fernando Szew’s planner is full. The Argentinian, who heads the American producing and distributing company, said that 2009 was definitely a trial that the company surpassed with flying colors. New lines of business for 2010 include: an agreement for expansion in Latin America with Snap TV, top ratings on SYFY and an over US$ 25 million film catalog for MIPTV. > By Sebastian Torterola
F
rom his parked car and before entering a meeting, Fernando Szew spent a few minutes of his morning to assess the company’s business with us. In the spirit of someone who has just begun a promising year, he recalled 2009 as a difficult year, but an opportunity generator. “MarVista survived and continues to implement its growth policies without resorting to further cuts,” he said, before listing the company’s most important projects for this year. Szew started with the company’s alliance with Snap TV - a format production and distribution company led by Argentinian Ariel Tobi which propels original fiction and nonfiction production in Latin America and the Hispanic U.S., relying on MarVista Entertainment’s distribution branch to achieve international scope and even considering the U.S.’s English speaking market. “Snap works very well with nonfiction content and therefore, MarVista will not be involved in the creative aspect but will be responsible for negotiating with
Fernando Szew, CEO of MarVista Entertainment
Meteor Storm SyFy Channel 2010
16 TTV MAGAZINE
partners in the U.S. to export this creative mindset. However, all fictional and scripted content carry the MarVista stamp, with direct participation of our professionals and developed in true American style,” the executive explained. Snap TV already has original production agreements with different Latin American pan-regional channels and both companies had significant joint presence at NATPE 2010. The goal: to increase MarVista’s presence in Latin America and promote Snap TV’s products and ideas in the international market. “We attacked the whole continent through important relationships with partners in Brazil, Mexico, Argentina and Colombia,” Szew said, promising announcements for L.A. Screenings. RECOGNIZED AS GOOD CREATORS As for its expansion in the U.S., MarVista opens the year with major productions present at MIPTV. “We recently completed filming ‘16 Wishes’ (Debbie Ryan), our first Disney Channel International co-production - for Disney Channel U.S. and Worldwide - which will premiere during 2010’s next few months,” Szew announced. Additionally, MarVista is also internationally distributing ‘Meteor Storm’ - a movie produced by Szew and his partner, Michael Jacobs for NBCU in the U.S. - which has become SyFy’s highest-rated movie so far this year. The company also counts with another film, ‘Deadly Honeymoon’ (a thriller with Summer Glau), that was entirely shot in Hawaii and will premiere in April on Lifetime. “It’s our greatest catalog yet: six new, original productions with a total production budget of over US$25 million.”
EXECUTIVES
“Our MIPTV catalog is our greatest catalog yet: six new, original productions with a total production budget of over US$25 million.” “Within our agreement with Snap TV, all fictional and scripted content carry the MarVista stamp, developed in true American style.”
Deadly Honeymoon Lifetime 2009
Another area cashing in good dividends for MarVista is acquisition. According to the executive, it is here that the company “is ever more strongly positioned” among producers, partly because “of the competition’s financial losses, which provided us with opportunities to feature products that are different and independent”. MarVista represents four series from one of these partners: Canadian production company Apartment 11. “We’re having great success with ‘Prank Patrol’, which has been sold to several territories both as a format and as a readymade product. We adapted it in England with the BBC, and it’s currently being adapted on ABC Australia along with local producers,” Szew recalled. A CHANGING MARKET
COMPLEMENTARY MARKETS Ever since September 2009, Snap TV represents the MarVista catalog in Latin America, apart from its TV movie coproduction projects within the region, an initiative aimed at breaking trends. ttv spoke with Ariel Tobi, President of Snap TV, about this: “The main idea is to provide MarVista a differential value to U.S. production and really present production in Latin America as a cheaper and more profitable alternative. We can make very good films in Latin America with below-the-line budgets.”
Following a phenomenon that has been taking place since the beginnings of the financial downturn, production in the U.S. market has avoided the classic multimillion dollar pilot-production model at times in an attempt to make production more costeffective. Regarding this issue, Szew considers that: “Even though major production models remain profitable in some sectors, so many cable channels growing and trying to find a more fragmented audience must have made investments decrease in size. This creates opportunities for independent companies to, for instance, co-produce international formats.” This sets the tone of a market transformation that affects other areas, such as home
THE ROAD TO CANNES Besides bringing several premieres to MIPTV, MarVista Entertainment has licensed several titles in different territories: a teen movie, ‘Chatterbox’, in Israel (Noga TV), three thrillers – ‘Crimes of the Past’, ‘House Under Siege’ and ‘Nowhere to Hide’ – and drama ‘Eva’ in the Czech Republic (TV Barrandov) and romantic comedy ‘Falling Star’ and ‘Tricks of a Woman’ in Belgium (Vitaya).
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Kidnapped: 48 Hours of Terror 1 x 90’ Thriller
A Golden Christmas Comedy 2009
entertainment, which, according to the executive, has “been greatly affected...we have a digital distribution agreement with Warner, we’re excited about. In regards to traditional DVD, it’s definitely not disappearing and lack of funding isn’t the case, really… there are just fewer products that can be distributed that way,” he said. The executive agrees with audience fragmentation and adheres to the idea that we need to know which of the various emerging platforms will prevail. Foreshadowing more stormy skies this year, Fernando Szew ensures that threats serve to guide the path of future business: “We will suffer some instability, but it’s more important to observe the evolution of windows and technology that will significantly impact the market. The audience needs entertainment, consumer brands need to reach an audience to communicate their attributes. This is how you can find a way to tie up all the loose ends.” ttv
Univision Begins New Era of Telenovela Alliances The Univision Group, following the legal fray and break with Televisa that will apparently go on for life, has started its own path through the telenovela chapter. Univision Interactive Media formally launched their Novelas y Series online and mobile channel at Univision.com. There is no Televisa content in the channel’s programming. The Univision. com channel will include third-party productions from companies ‘Wags: Love For The Game’ to El Salvador such as Azteca America (TV Azteca Group), RCN Television and Dori Media Group, as well as Univision Interactive Media programming and From the creators of ‘The Successful Mr. And Mrs. Pells, ‘Wags: Love For Univision Networks’ successful programs and special events. Users The Game’ is produced by Telefe, Underground and Endemol, and will be able to access videos both online and on mobile devices. The is aired Monday through Thursdays during primetime in Argentina channel will also feature latest news in the telenovela world, gossip, by Telefe. The romantic comedy was released on April 5th in El Salvador behind-the-scenes footage and a message board in a section held and runs from Monday to Friday at 10:00 PM on Channel 33. jointly with DMG. Besides ‘Vidas Cruzadas’ (which has so far generated more than 2.5 million video streams in the U.S. and has, according to the group, become part of the most viewed content in the website’s history), ‘Beautiful BuT UNLUCKY’ Gets Univision’s digital division has reached important New Passport Stamp: Bulgaria audiences with other productions, including the record-breaking ‘Paz Sin Fronteras’ concert’s live Telemundo International’s telenovela landed in Europe, premiering in Bulgaria video stream. Since launching their new video on Monday, March 8th, aired by BTV channel Monday through Fridays at 2:30 search tool operated by Truveo last year, PM. The telenovela, starring Danna Garcia and Segundo Cernadas, is currently video searches have being broadcast in over 8 Latin American countries, including Peru, Ecuador, increased 104%. Panama, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala and Nicaragua. ‘Bella Calamidades’ is part of Telemundo Internacional’s production catalog.
Telemundo Shoots ‘Missing’
‘India – A Love Story’ Simultaneously Released in Several Asian Territories International Emmy winner ‘India - A Love Story’, will be broadcast in countries such as Macao, South Korea, Indonesia, Australia and Vietnam. Distributor Globo TV International also confirmed advanced negotiations in China, Singapore and the Philippines. During the first half of the year the soap operas will premiere in Chile, Ecuador, Uruguay, Peru, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Bolivia, Canada and Puerto Rico. Its release on Telefutura, Univision’s sister network serving the U.S. Hispanic market, has also been confirmed. ‘India - A Love Story’ stresses the differences between Brazilian and Indian cultures. 40 days were spent recording on location in India and Dubai and three 10-square-meter fictional cities were constructed in Globo’s Production Centre in Rio de Janeiro for this US$ 50 million production.
Filmed by Telemundo Studios, based on the original Chilean script, adapted by Perla Farías and starred by Sonya Smith, Gabriel Porras and Catherine Siachoque, among others, the telenovela is set in Los Angeles and was partially shot in that city in order to achieve audience identification. The production team hired cameramen and helicopters to shoot those scenes as well as establishing shots in Los Angeles. Other scenes are being shot in Miami, taking advantage of its rich architecture. The telenovela is filmed in high definition (30 frames) involving an 80-person team. 150 people participate on set, including extras, stand-ins and guest actors. Aurelio Varcarcel is in charge of its visual concept, working together with Macorix Pereira (edition) and Joaquín Sanchez (musical effects). The telenovela’s series-like edition process will allow for narrative licenses featuring agile and aggressive visual results. ‘Missing’ was designed under a contemporary and realistic concept. “It’s a great success in the U.S. Its first Telemundo airing had 1.3 million viewers, positioned as the third highest-rated premiere in the 10:00 PM timeslot in the U.S. network’s history,” Esperanza Garay, Senior VP of Sales and Acquisitions for Telemundo International, declared.
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‘En Nombre del Amor’ Gains Ground in Spain
Portugal Seduced by Record TV Network Productions Portuguese audiences are closely following Record TV Network’s productions through RTP station, which has aired ‘Flames Of Life’ and ‘Another Power’. The last episode of ‘Flames Of Life’ achieved first place in audience preference in Portugal, with 4.5% ratings and 36.2% share on RTP station. The Record TV Network telenovela was number one during its finale, and RTP scheduled ‘Another Power’ as its replacement. The new telenovela’s premiere has already earned very high ratings: 2.9% in audience ratings and a 23-point share.
‘La Loba’ Seizes Mexican audiences A strong love story seems to be the secret for capturing Mexican Audiences, which have been hooked on the new TV Azteca telenovela ‘La Loba’ since February 8th. Starring Mauricio Islas (‘The Cartel’) and Ivonne Montero, and distributed by Comarex, the telenovela reached peaks of 25 share points in the two weeks following its Channel 13 premiere. Production is headed by Alberto Santini from Azteca Novelas Studios and 150 one-hour episodes have already been planned. The title has been licensed in 14 countries. ‘La Loba’ is an adaptation of ‘Los Angeles No Lloran’, an Argentinean telenovela by Patricia Palmer, created by Bethel Flores (‘Eternamente Tuya’).
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‘Sea Of Love’ Triumphs in Peru ‘Sea Of Love’, produced by Televisa and launched in late 2009, was released in Peru on December 28th by America TV at 9:00 PM. The telenovela is a Delia Fiallo original story, produced by Nathalie Lartilleux and starring Mario Cimarro and Zuria Vega. ‘Sea Of Love’ is also being broadcast in Colombia, Ecuador, Panama and Paraguay, among other countries. This HD production is distributed by Televisa and is available in both readymade and format versions.
‘En Nombre del Amor’, broadcast on TVE1, is having remarkable audience ratings with an average of 4.6 points and 19.1% share since its premiere. Ratings have remained above 5.0 points and its share exceeded 20% during the last two weeks. The telenovela counts with 170 one-hour episodes and has been broadcast in several countries other than Spain, including Argentina, Colombia, Chile, Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Panama, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, the Dominican Republic, Paraguay, Venezuela, and Albania. It is currently airing in the U.S., Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Slovenia, Romania, Estonia, Israel, and Lithuania.
Outstanding Premiere for ‘The Beautiful Ceci And Mr. Indiscreet’ in Equador The telenovela opened March 1st in Quito on Teleamazonas at 8:45 PM, and positioned itself as the most-viewed program of the day, with household ratings of 16.6 and a 26.8% share. ‘The Beautiful Ceci And Mr. Indiscreet’ had previously shown good performances in Colombia, where it earned a 39.1% share. This telenovela, starring Julian Roman and Manuela Gonzalez, is distributed worldwide by Caracol TV Internacional.
TTV TELENOVELAS | SPECIAL REPORT THE TELENOVELA IN LATIN AMERICA
A Centerpiece
For Any Channel This article aims to offer a review of telenovela production and distribution in Latin America. At the same time, it’ll work as a guide in order to present those telenovelas currently leading rating and share trends in the region’s countries. To this end, ttv interviewed the region’s main producers and distributors of the genre. > Por Sebastian Amoroso
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he telenovela is quintessential Latin American television genre. Born in Cuban radio, it quickly spread to other countries, which adopted the genre as their own. Over time it transformed into mega productions – with its singular narrative and artistic characteristics – around the world: Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Brazil, Chile and Argentina. For over 50 years, the telenovela has been able to depict the diverse situations affecting the region’s population through its diverse expressions and styles, from its classic melodramas or costumbrist stories to its humoristic comedies and historical sagas.
Following a ttv original analysis carried out during the last three months, this report presents a review of the current status of Latin American telenovela producers. Even though these fiction factories’ corporate reality is very dissimilar, each one employs strategies to differentiate and position themselves within the sector, which reaches 82% of Latin American homes and that, for a few years now, has crossed the regional border to become a worldwide genre. TELEVISA INTERNACIONAL. The Televisa Group, one of the real heavyweights in telenovela production, currently produces between 10 and 12 telenovelas a year, representing nearly 1,430 hours’ worth of
fiction. Televisa´s telenovelas are known for their traditional style more akin to classic melodrama. Regarding its 2009 productions, the telenovelas ‘Mar de Amor’ (‘Curse by the Sea’) and “‘Corazón Salvaje’ (‘Wild Heart’) have been very well received by the Latin American public; as for its 2010 premieres, according to Carlos Castro, General Sales Director for Televisa Internacional, ‘Sucedió en Zacatillo’ (‘A New Beginning’) and ‘Niña de mi Corazón’ (‘A Double Identity’) “are attracting strong demand.” The executive affirms that, “Luckily all of Televisas’ telenovelas are shown in Latin America’s 16 countries, excluding Brazil.” Up until now, ‘Curse by the Sea’ has been purchased in Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Bolivia, Colombia, El Salvador, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, the Dominican Republic and Venezuela. ‘Wild Heart’ has travelled to Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Bolivia, Brazil, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, Panamá, Paraguay, Peru, the Dominican Republic, Uruguay and Venezuela. The telenovelas ‘A New Beginning’ and ‘A Double Identity’ began distribution in March. According to Televisa Internacional’s team, a product’s local performance is an indication of its potential success worldwide. However, this is not a determining factor since audiences, as well as their interests, culture and language, vary from country to country. “All content produced or distributed by Televisa is previously analyzed and studied. We rely on a very strict and well established investigation and analysis process, which is applied to all the products that the company offers to the market, whether locally or internationally,” Castro says. RECORD TV NETWORK. This Brazilian giant – who competes with TV Globo for audience leadership in the country – produces three telenovelas per year, which represent 720 hours. “We are currently producing ‘Bela, la Fea’ (‘Ugly Bela’) and ‘River Of Intrigues’, ‘Ribeirão do Tempo’,” Delmar Andrade, International Sales Director of Record TV Network, explains. Record TV Network develops its own productions with writers and directors whose credits include some of the channel’s greatest hits, such as ‘Caminos del Corazón’ (‘Ways of the Heart’), ‘Amor e Intrigas’ (‘Love and Conspiracy’), ‘La ley y el Crimen’ (‘The Law and the Crime’), ‘Salvaje’ (‘Savage’) and ‘Prueba de Amor’ (‘Proof of Love’), amongst many highlyrated others. Record TV Network has exported close to 18 telenovelas to more than 45 countries all over the world and in various languages. Amongst these are: ‘La Esclava Isaura’ (‘The Slave Isaura’), ‘Proof of Love’, ‘Esas Mujeres’ (‘These Woman’), ‘Savage’, ‘Hola, ¿Qué Tal?’ (‘What’s Up?’), ‘Vidas Opuestas’ (‘Opposite Lives’), ‘Luz del Sol’ (‘Sunshine’), ‘Caminos del Corazón’ (‘Ways of the Hart’), ‘Amor e Intrigas’ (‘Love and Conspirancy’), ‘Rueda de la Vida’ (‘Wheel of Life’), ‘Llamas de la Vida’ (‘Flames of Life’) and ‘Poder Paralelo’ (‘Another Power’). TELEMUNDO INTERNACIONAL. The Telemundo Network chain, part of NBC Universal, produces between seven and eight telenovelas per year, which translates into nearly 1,000 annual programming hours. These stories are known by their large budgets, complex stories and neutral themes. At the same time, through their Telemundo International distribution branch, the channel counts with a programming catalog with content from production houses such as TVN (Chile), SBS and Bandeirantes (Brazil), amongst others. “In the past few months, the telenovela ‘Bella Calamidades’ (‘Beautiful But Unlucky’) and ‘Más Sabe el Diablo’ (‘Falling Angel’) have obtained excellent results,” Telemundo International’s Esperanza Garay, Senior VP of Sales and Acquisitions for Latin America, assures ttv.
‘Falling Angel’ is now aired in Mexico, Peru, Nicaragua, Ecuador, Chile, Paraguay, Panama, Uruguay, Guatemala and Venezuela, amongst other countries. In Venezuela it achieved a 51.02% audience share, surpassing Venevision’s 42.51%, VTV’s 6.01%, and TVES’s 0.47%. In Ecuador it obtained 43.1% audience share and in Panama 37.9%, positioning itself as its timeslot leader in both countries. On the other hand, ‘Beautiful But Unlucky’ has been aired in Ecuador, Colombia, El Salvador, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panama and Peru, amongst others. It’s recently premiered in Spain becoming its timeslot’s leader. The telenovela, starring Danna Garcia, achieved 26.8% audience share in Ecuador, where it soared to the top of its timeslot, as well as in Panama, where it obtained 33.6% audience share. DORI MEDIA GROUP. This Argentina and Israel-based group is a public company aiming to generate local content with an international target. It is producing two daily teen dramas – one will be the second season of ‘Split’– and three telenovelas, amongst which ‘Ciega a Citas’ (‘Date Blind’), is still under production. This has become TV Publica Argentina (Channel 7)’s highest-rated series in the last 5 years increasing ratings during the 11:00 PM timeslot by 500%. “We believe 2010 will be a great year as far as new productions go: a 500-800 hour in total, which will be produced in Latin America and Israel,” Nadav Palti, President and CEO of Doria media group, affirms. Due to the 2009 global financial crisis, open TV channels will continue to look for telenovelas which have proven to be successful in other countries: “An example of this programming trend is our first season of ‘Split’, which was sold in 35 countries within nine months of its launch,” Palti explains. The comedy ‘LaLola’, produced by Dori Media Contenidos and based on an idea by Sebastian Ortega for Underground Contenidos, is one of Dori Media Group’s best-selling products, having been sold to 83 countries since its launch in August 2007. Other successes are “‘Rebelde Way’ (‘The Rebels’), a hit amongst teenagers in Latin America that was sold to over 50 countries. ‘Sos mi Vida’ (‘You are the One’), starring Facundo Arana and Natalia Oreiro, constitutes yet another of the company’s regional successes. CARACOL TV INTERNATIONAL. Colombian channel Caracol Television produces an average of five, three series and one TV special per year. Total production amounts to some 1,000 hours’ worth of drama per year. “‘Las Muñecas de la Mafia’ (‘The Mafia Dolls’) is currently our star product in our Latin American catalog,” Angelica Guerra, VP of Caracol TV International, comments. At present, the program is aired in Venezuela, Panama, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Peru and El Salvador. Colombian Caracol Television’s international division exports all the dramas it produces. When selecting its products, various factors come into play: “Good local ratings performance is always an important when selling a production, but there are also cases where a certain program’s local impact is not the same as that in other countries,” Guerra explains. Therefore, and from its International Sales Division, Caracol TV is able to perceive constant feedback regarding client opinions of each product from its Production Division. “We are attentive to their preferences, to the subject matter dealt with, to the best casts and to all the factors which help us improve in both local and international markets,” Guerra concludes. TELEFE INTERNATIONAL. Argentine channel Telefe produces between four and five telenovelas annually, adding up to 700 hours. Its most successful and currents telenovelas in Latin America are ‘Amor en
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Custodia’ (‘Love’s Guard’) and ‘Los Exitosos Pells’ (‘The Successful Mr. and Mrs. Pells’), the latter displaying a touch of comedy. Telefe International, the channel’s distribution branch, sells their readymade products to Latin America, even though, countries like Colombia, Chile and Mexico usually work with these fictions’ formats.
“Venevision International’s extensive telenovela catalog is always available for international markets. It is our clients who take advantage of having a wide and varied catalog at their disposition, through which they can try to satisfy their market needs, whether they need a teen telenovela or a classic drama story,” Díaz concludes.
VENEVISION INTERNATIONAL. The distribution division of the Cisneros Organization, Venevision International markets all productions generated from both of the company’s most important sources or production studios: the Venevision channel in Venezuela and Venevision Productions, an independent programming producer in Spanish based in the U.S.’s southern Florida, which also produces telenovelas in Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Panama and Peru. “On average, we are producing nearly 10 novelas per year, which add up to about 1,300 hours of programming,” Cesar Diaz, VP of Sales for Venevision International assures ttv.
RCTV INTERNATIONAL. RCTV’s production and distribution branch – whose transmission was recently closed by Hugo Chavez’s government – currently produces currently between three and four telenovelas a year for a total of 450 hours. When considering its other series, the total amounts to 600 hours of programming per year.
In regards to its telenovelas’ popularity, especially those distributed by the company in Latin America, Diaz emphasizes that it is currently possible to see Venevision International telenovelas in practically all of the continent’s countries. Examples of this are dramas such as ‘Alma Indomable’ (‘Untamed Soul’), ‘Pecadora’ (‘Sinner’), ‘Acorralada’ (‘Trapped’), ‘Los Misterios del Amor’ (‘Mysteries of Love’) y ‘Somos Tú y Yo’ (‘You and Me: A New Day’), amongst others.
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The telenovela ‘Toda una Dama’ (‘The Lady’) was RCTV International’s 2009 best seller, leading the channel to imprint its strong presence in the region’s open TV screens. The telenovela had an important impact in Ecuador in 2008 when it “managed to increase TCTV’s 8 point rating average to 21 points in such a difficult timeslot as 1:30 PM to. The telenovela is currently being aired in Colombia, Peru and Uruguay with excellent results; its broadcasts have finished in Costa Rica, Panama, and El Salvador, amongst others,” Guadalupe Dágostino, VP and General Manager of RCTV International tells ttv. Adittionally, the telenovela was acquired by non-traditional countries such as Egypt, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Yemen, United Arab Emirates, Syria, Libya, Iraq, Mauritania, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Sudan, Somalia and Djibouti. ttv
TTV TELENOVELAS | INTERVIEW
Hiran Silveira, Director of Teledramaturgy
Dream Factory Rede Record is currently capable of producing five telenovelas and a miniseries simultaneously. Its RecNov complex is located in a 280,000 m2 area in Vargem Grande, Rio de Janeiro. Today, 2,095 people including technicians, cameramen, makeup artists, producers and many others participate daily in creating a universe of dreams. > BY SeBASTIÁN AMOROSO “Brazilian telenovelas stand out for their quality.” “We will debut on a new timeslot during the first half of this year, 7:00 PM, with the telenovela ‘Vivendo o Amor’, with Televisa.”
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he Brazilian station is getting ready for its ‘River Of Intrigues’ premiere in April, a telenovela shot on a speciallybuilt staged city that cost almost US$ 2.75 million, apart from the over US$ 1.6 million invested on sets. Rede Record’s Director of Teledramaturgy, Hiran Silveira, comments on the Brazilian giant’s production capacity and its upcoming releases. Rede Record added a tenth studio to the RecNov complex in 2009. Is the station planning on making investments like these during 2010? Yes. Record will continue to invest during 2010. We plan to build two 1,000 m2 studios, plus community areas for staff and collaborators. In 2012, RecNov will be one of the country’s major production centers. What’s RecNov’s production capacity? Today, we are able to produce five telenovelas and one miniseries simultaneously, in other words, six productions. Our two new studios, inaugurated in November 2009, are spacious and equipped with advanced technology and infrastructure. RecNov is only five years old and located in a 280,000 m2 area in Vargem Grande, Rio de Janeiro. We are constantly expanding. Back in 2005 we had 324 employees
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and collaborators; today, we hire 2,095 people including technicians, cameramen, makeup artists, producers and many others, representing 550% growth in five years. We have state-of-theart technical equipment, including cameras, lighting and machinery. As for post-production, our editing, special effects and sound units are the most modern in the market. River of Intrigues Telenovela 2010
Hiran Silveira, Director of Teledramaturgy
HowmanytelenovelasdoesRecordproduce annually and how many production hours do they represent? Record channel produced five telenovelas and a series during last year. We plan to produce another five telenovelas and four miniseries this year.
“Each episode [in a telenovela] has an average cost of US$ 220.000, which means that every telenovela has a budget of about US$ 44 million.”
How are annual productions planned? Part of our plan is to address the station’s programming schedule. We generally produce products that have been previously selected, which are analyzed and selected by a committee of Directors from the station. We also count with a staff of writers, who start thinking on new story synopsis as soon as their prior projects are done. In other words, we are constantly both project delivery and project evaluation are constant. How many writers are involved? About 30 writers are continuously working to develop stories. Record will be releasing ‘River of Intrigues’ in April. How much did shooting this telenovela cost? Our ‘River of Intrigues’ telenovela will inaugurate our new staged city, and investment was higher due to this location’s construction. Building this town cost close to US$ 2.75 million and more than US$ 1.6 million were spent on sets. We’ve also heard that the station will be selecting a new primetime production during the first half of 2010. Could you tell us something about this new project? Yes, we will debut on a new timeslot during the first half of this year, 7:00 PM, with the telenovela ‘Vivendo o Amor’, with Televisa, a product that will appeal to the public for its simplicity and contemporary script.
the public wants to see. Not to mention that the country benefits from its natural beauty, allowing for the most varied and beautiful locations and giving viewers beautiful stories and images. What makes Record’s fictional stories different? Are they classical or folkloric telenovelas; are they linked to social reality, times in history or do they have a more global profile? Generally, our telenovelas are linked to current affairs, are family-friendly, consider all age groups and different socio-cultural profiles, containing issues that always represent reality. ttv
What is your expected annual investment for telenovela production? Each episode has an average cost of US$ 220.000, which means that every telenovela has a budget of about US$ 44 million. What criteria do you use when selecting the stories that’ll be developed during the year? As I explained, Record has a Directing Committee that analyzes each year’s best projects. Once the best stories – delivered by our writers – are defined, they are assigned and consequently developed, thus defining the channel’s new programming schedule.
RECNOV STUDIOS’ PRODUCTION CAPACITY
In your opinion, how does telenovela production in Brazil compare to other Latin American countries such as Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, Argentina or Chile? Brazilian telenovelas stand out for their quality. Brazil counts with the most advanced technology, which allows us to make any story we’d like, even epic pieces, such as our miniseries. Our writers write what
In November of last year, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was in charge of launching Record’s new locations that intend to establish the brand in the history of drama production. This represents the station’s tenth studio at the RecNov complex, adding a 12,000 m2 area, as well as a stage archive. The building, constructed in March 2009, generated over 500 jobs and was built under self-sufficiency and environmental sustainability concepts. Using advanced technological systems and high quality standards, studios have dressing rooms, makeup rooms, wardrobe rooms and switcher rooms. RecNov’s complex, located in Rio de Janeiro’s Vargem Grande neighborhood, was acquired by Record in March 2005. The station has built over 7,000 m2 worth of studios since then, daily accommodating around 2,500 employees.
River of Intrigues Telenovela 2010
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Nadav Palti, President and CEO of Dori Media Group
Delmar Andrade, Director of International Sales of Record TV Network
“ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “Telenovelas have much potential due to their ability to generate high loyalty levels and for being cost-efficient productions. We will produce between 500 and 800 hours in Latin America and Israel this year.”
“Record TV Network is currently producing two telenovelas, ‘Ugly Bela’ and ‘River Of Intrigues’”.
José Escalante, CEO of Latin Media Corporation “Latin Media Corporation distributes 200 hours’ worth of drama and telenovelas based on modern and contemporary stories. We take some distance from classic stories, yet always maintaining the great love story.”
Guadalupe D’Agostino, Vice- President and General Manager for RCTV International
Angélica Guerra, VP OF Caracol TV InternaTional “We produce an average of 5 telenovelas, 3 series and 1 special a year, adding up to approximately 1,000 hours of drama each year”.
“Right now we have 3 to 4 telenovelas, 450 hours in total which, if we consider variety shows, give us a total of 600 hours of programming per year.”
Jorge Franco Author of the novel ‘Rosario Tijeras’, of Colombia’s RCN
“The ‘Rosario Tijeras’ adaptation is full of new interesting and controversial elements and very well made technically speaking. Despite being pigeonholed into what they now call narconovelas, ‘Rosario Tijeras’ has important differences from others. It is a story with greater depth, with greater emphasis on social aspects and, unlike others, it’s origins can be found in literature.”
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César Díaz, Sales VP for Venevision International
Carlos Castro, General Director of International Sales, Televisa Internacional
“ “ “ “ “ “ “Venevision International’s extensive telenovela catalog is always available for international markets. It is our clients who take advantage of having a wide and varied catalog at their disposition, through which they can try to satisfy their market needs, whether they need a teen telenovela or a classic drama story.”
Karina Etchison, Sales VP for Europe, Africa and the Middle East
“Any content produced or distributed by Televisa is previously analyzed and studied. Televisa counts with an established and very strict investigation and analysis process applied to every product the company offers to the market, both locally and internationally.”
“We are very proud of launching ‘Second Chance’ in the United Arab Emirates, considering it will be our second production on Farsi 1’s primetime. We are sure that this telenovela will continue with the success achieved by ‘Victoria’, aired in the same timeslot.”
Alejandro Toro, Sales Executive for Asia & Africa, Caracol TV Internacional “The great problem with African markets is that our products may become available at a very low price, which means that the dubbing costs must be somehow amortized.”
Guillermo Henrich, Project Leader, Telefe International “The fundamental problem is that as long as African markets cannot absorb dubbing costs, our pre-screening process considering which titles we present will be a lot stricter, in order to cushion costs for global sales in the region.”
Raphael Corrêa Netto, Head of International Sales, Globo TV Int’L “We have a champion catalog, featuring complementary telenovelas: a drama, ‘Seize the Day’; a romantic comedy, ‘Watercolors of Life’; a light romance, ‘Paradise City’; and Emmy winner ‘India: A Love Story’, which will soon air in 90% of the American continent.”
TTV TELENOVELAS T.
LISTINGs TELENOVELAS This section features the companies at Miptv 2010 and their catalogues of Telenovelas
Be Kind To Me
All I need is Love
ARTEAR
Caracol Television
Booth: 20.18
Booth: 09.24
EXECUTIVES ATTENDING
Mariana Fernández, Sales Manager, International Sales Luciana Egurrola, Senior Sales Executive, International Sales Walter Sequeira, Acquisitions Manager Bernardette Delmas, Acquisition Executive
Be Kind To Me
(Series - 37 x 60’)
EXECUTIVES ATTENDING
Angélica Guerra, International VP Lisette Osorio, International Director Camila Reyes, Sales Executive for Eastern Europe Berta Orozco, Sales Executive for Western Europe. Alejandro Toro, Sales Executive for Asia and Africa.
All I need is Love
(Telenovela - 120 x 60’) After 22 years of marriage, Jose and Sonia are having a midlife crisis and to make things a bit more appealing their two kids are caught between whether to make it out there in the complex adult world and grow up or simply linger on as teenagers.
MIPTV 2010
Ladronas
Dori Media Group Booth: 12.02
EXECUTIVES ATTENDING
Left on the Shelf
(Series - 35 x 60’)
Mariana & Scarlett
(Telenovela - 120 x 60’) A biting, sarcastic sitcom which confronts the prevailing topic of the day; the fragility of forming a close personal relationship, the lack of commitment and paranoid phobias and fears which surge when you are on the verge of committing to that special someone.
Mariana and Scarlett are two sisters that succeed in the fashion world. In their way up to stardom, they fall in love with the same man. After the confrontations and many conflicts, they will understand that they must work together to get around the obstacles that life has put them.
India - A Love Story
Globo TV International Booth: A0.01
EXECUTIVES ATTENDING
Nadav Palti, President & CEO of Dori Media Group Michal Nashiv, President & CEO of Dori Media Distribution Argentina; CEO of Dori Media Contenidos Elena Antonini, VP of Sales, Dori Media Distribution Argentina Andres Santos, VP of Sales, Dori Media America Juan Fernandez, VP of Sales, Dori Media America Ehud Levi, CEO, Novebox.com Dalia Mestechkin, Head of acquisition & Director of Viva channel, DMG Revital Basel, CEO, Dori New Media Tali Fink, Director of Marketing, Dori Media Group
Raphael Correa, Head of International Sales Marcelo Mattar, Sales Manager Western Europe Gabriel Rohonyi, Sales Executive Center Europe, Scandinavia and Baltic Republics Hugo Aloy, Sales Manager Portugal and Asia Pacific João Fonseca, Sales Executive Africa, Middle East and Asia Pedro Dombrasas, Sales Executive Eastern Europe, Germany, Turkey and Greece Alejandra Moreno, International Marketing Manager Vinicius Pagin, Marketing Coordinator EMEA Fernanda Vio, PR Coordinator
Ladronas
India - A Love Story
(Action Series - 26 X 60’)
(160 x 45’)
Determined to right her husband’s wrongs, Emma Blinder recruits 3 attractive, professional women-thieves to help her. In each episode, the women embark on risky yet comical tasks, using all of their abilities to get justice done.
Set in contemporary Brazil and India, and filled with swirling color, music and movement, ‘India - A Love Story’ is gripping tale of tradition facing a new era and the power of love to overcome all obstacles. “2009 International Emmy Winner” for Best Telenovela.
Date Blind
Seize The Day
(120 X 60’) (Coproduced with Rosstoc)
(160 x 45’)
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.
‘Seize the Day’, written by renowned author Manoel Carlos and directed by award-winning filmmaker Jayme Monjardim, 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.
T. TTV TELENOVELAS
Juanita is a Singer who plays the guitar on public transportation to earn her living. In her struggle to help her brother and her mother ahead, she unfortunately meets Alejandro, a widow who is determined to make her become a great star.
Free as the Wind
RCTV International EXECUTIVES ATTENDING
Marcel Granier, President Daniela Bergami, CEO Guadalupe D’Agostino, Vice President and General Manager Haydee Pabon, Director of International Sales Marc Paneque, Director of International Sales Laura Mejias, Director of International Sales
Free as the Wind
(Telenovela - In production 120 hours) After the death of her wealthy father, Fabiola, a rebellious and beautiful college student must strive to keep her family united while discovering that her childhood friendship with Miguel Angel has blossomed into the greatest love of her life. A love so strong, it will move mountains. Together, they will embark on an amazing journey that will put their love to the test as they share a passion for ideals of justice and liberty for their fellow man.
Extreme Challenge
(Reality Show - 26 x 60’)
Intelligence, ability and endurance will be the key to go over the extreme challenges that each team must face.
The law and the crime
The Resistance
Missing
Record TV Network
Telefe International
TELEMUNDO InternaCional
Booth: 05.02
Booth: RSV14
Booth: A0.21
EXECUTIVES ATTENDING
Delmar Andrade, International Sales Director Edson Mendes, International Sales Coordinator
The law and the crime
(Series 21 x 60’)
‘The Law and the Crime’ shows the shock between violence on every social class. 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.
Ugly Bela
(Soap opera – on air) Because of her appearance, Bela is mocked by everyone, but being in love with Rodrigo, she makes everything to not disappoint him. Verônica sets up a plan so unmask them in front of everyone, but her evil plan fails. Rodrigo will get recovered and will be ready to restart their professional lifes and remake a real relationship.
Executives Attending
Alejandro Parra, Director, International Business Area Michelle Wasserman, Head of International Distribution Programming, Formats & Production Services Diana Coifman, Senior Sales Executive Programming & Formats Guillermo Borensztein, Sales Executive Programming & Formats Guillermo Henrich, Sales Executive Programming & Formats Meca Salado Pizarro, Head of Marketing
The Resistance
(Teen Telenovela - 150 x 60’)
EXECUTIVES ATTENDING
Marcos Santana, President Esperanza Garay, Senior VP Sales & Acquisition – Latin America Luis Daniel Capriles, VP International Digital Media Sales Karina Etchinson, VP Sales-Europe, Africa & Middle East Melissa Pillow, Sales Director Central & Eastern Europe Joysette Rivera, Sales Manager, Central America & The Caribbean Karen Barroeta, VP Marketing & Promotions Ana Pinos, Sales Manager-Asia
Missing (¿Dónde está Elisa?)
(Telenovela – 90 x 60’) In confusing, skeptical, cold and materialistic times a group of young people fight for a Better World. On one side, the Corporation makes the inhabitans of the “NE” (New Era) believe that they live in a perfect and happy world, but they are totally manipulated. On the other side, those who resist, the rebels, who know the truth. Between both worlds there is a wall which is real and impossible to jump. The challenge will be to cross and pull down that wall that separates them and confronts them.
The disappearance of a teenager will change the life of a family forever. Elisa Altamira, daughter of Mariano Altamira and Danna Riggs, was last seen on her father’s birthday, when the whole family gathered to celebrate at their Malibu beach House. That night Elisa’s cousins-Santiago, Flor, and Eduardo, invited her to a nightclub and after a great deal of begging her parents allowed her go. When Danna and he sister-in-law Cecilia went to pick them up, all of them started showing up except for Elisa. As the hours passed, her parent grew more and more desperate and it was then when they decided to call the police and file a missing report. At first the police was skeptical about the disappearance because they thought Elisa was just staying out past her curfew, but after investigating further they concluded that there had been foul play. They began suspecting everybody, even her family. Cristobal Rivas and Gisela Cruz will be the detectives in charge of the case. They will come across many theories about Elisa’s disappearance. Did somebody kidnap her to get back at her father? Did her secret relationship with her cousin Santiago turn bad? Did she run away from my parents because they were abusing her? Was her cousin Flor jealous of her? Or was it just a random crime?
Torn Apart A Woman of Steel
Televisa Internacional Booth: RSV.02
EXECUTIVES ATTENDING
Fernando Perez Gavilan, Vice President of Televisa Internacional Carlos Castro, General Director of Sales Ricardo Ehrsam, General Director, Europe & Asia Claudia Sahab, Director for Europe Elsa Garcia, Business Manager, Spain & Portugal Patricia Porto, Business Manager, Central & Western Europe Beatriz Rodriguez, Business Manager, Eastern Europe Manola Martin, Business Manager, Eastern Europe & Nordic Region Pedro Font, GMD Asia, Africa and Middle East Silvia Garcia, GMD Asia, Africa and Middle East Mario Castro, Director of New Business Claudia Silva, Director of Sales for Licensed Products Jose Luis Romero. Director of Formats and New Content Cecilia Rivera, Director of Marketing
A Woman of Steel
(Telenovela - 150 x 60’)
Valentina Villalba is a woman that has it all: beauty, a significant fortune that she inherited from her parents, a successful career and a man she adores. Years later, she meets Jose Miguel who can’t help falling in love with her striking beauty and strong character, and he decides to win her over
TV AZTECA Booth: LR 2.06
Executives attending
Marcel Vinay Hill, Vice President International Sales Marcel Vinay Jr., CEO Comarex Carmen Pizano, Sales, Latin America & Spain Ana Z. Sánchez, Head of Operations Martha Contreras, Sales, Asia Adela Velasco, Sales Europe & Africa Maxim Slavik, Sales, Europe
Torn Apart
Woman’s Sacrifice
Venevision International
(Telenovela- 120 x 60’)
Booth: 14.02
Identical twins Luz and Laura who as victims of their Grandmother Maria Julia’s ambition and evil have been separated at birth. While Maria Julia raised Laura as her own daughter in the city, Luz was saved from death and adopted by a country couple from humble origins. Now, twenty years later the sisters are living their lives unaware of each other’s existence. When Martin a handsome businessman comes into their lives he is unaware that he will become the only tie between the twins. When the truth comes back to haunt Maria Julia she will do whatever it takes in her power to keep her catastrophic secrets buried. Both sisters will fight for Martin’s love and eventually he will have to decide between the innocent and noble Luz and the whimsical and spoilt Laura. Torn Apart is the story of a bountiful and celestial love that has to face a wicked past and defeat the very devil in order to find eternal happiness.
EXECUTIVES ATTENDING
Manuel Pérez, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Venevision International Cesar Díaz, Vice President of Sales Cristobal Ponte, Exclusive Independent Representative for Europe, Africa & M.E. Miguel Somoza, Sales Director for Asia and North America Daniel Rodríguez, Sales Director for Latin America
Woman’s Sacrifice
(Sacrificio de Mujer) (Telenovela – 120 x 45’) Clemencia’s life was shattered 20 years ago when she was abandoned by the man she loved and her newborn baby was abducted. Now a successful, yet bitter, businesswoman, she is harshly confronted by her past - discovering that the young woman she is bent on destroying is none other than her long-lost daughter and the love she once felt for the man who deceived her is still very much alive.
TTV TELENOVELAS T.
CHILE The South American Country Signs Digital TV Agreements with Japan and Brazil In order to promote its digital TV, Chile has signed several agreements with Japan and Brazil after finally adopting the Japanese digital TV standard. René Cortázar, Transport and Telecommunications Minister for Chile, signed cooperation agreements in Santiago with Japan’s Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications, Akira Terasaki, and Brazil’s Foreign Minister, Celso Amorim. Cortázar recalled that the Japanese digital TV standard was chosen because it “offered the best reception quality, free TV for mobile phones, mobility and, also, greater number of channels.” Chile’s new television system will be implemented gradually from 2010 onwards, and definition of transmission networks that the national television channels will use is expected for this first quarter. Brazil will support Chile by helping the country purchase necessary equipment for DTT technological projects, sending experts, celebrating seminars and exchanging human resources and scholarships. Institutional cooperation between Brazil’s National Telecommunications Agency (ANATEL) and Chile’s Telecommunication Department (SUBTEL) will intensify on matters relating to digital television. Japan will cooperate by assisting Chilean engineers belonging to DTT broadcasting enterprises through NHK, its national public broadcasting company and many of its private counterparts.
Latin America, Part of Euronews’ Expansion Plans While the channel maintains its conflicts in Spain – where it hasn’t broadcast since TVE left the corporation – news is positive for Latin America, covered by Euronews’ expansion plan. According to an announcement made by the network President, Philippe Caylat, and as quoted by El Mundo newspaper, Argentina would be its first destination. TVE’s unilateral withdrawal from Euronews caused great discontent among the network shareholders, which have since pushed to stop broadcasts from the Spanish channel that, as of this month, began broadcasting in nine different languages and counts with an audience of 300 million homes around the world. “Our goal is to reach 16 languages and the next one will be Persian, in October,” Caylat explained.
NICARAGUA Albanisa Acquires Telenica Channel 8 Oil company Alba de Nicaragua SA (Albanisa) has acquired Televisora Nicaragua SA, Telenica, Canal 8. Venezuelan Rafael Paniagua, General Manager of Albanisa in Nicaragua, confirmed the news to Managua’s El Nuevo Diario newspaper, stating that the Nicaraguan channel was bought with funds belonging to this society. “It’s true that we bought Channel 8. What’s so strange about the emergence of ALBA-TV? Would it be strange if ALBA-Rail, ALBA-Airlines, and ALBA-Health showed up later? I don’t understand what’s so strange about this,” Paniagua said. Albanisa is a joint venture set up in Caracas, Venezuela, on June 17th, 2007, composed by PDV Caribe, a Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) subsidiary that provides 51% of all capital, and state-owned Petroleos de Nicaragua (Petronic) providing the remaining 49%, according to EFE. Paniagua did not specify the amount paid for the TV channel, venturing to say that the sum would be around the US$ 10 million mark. Both Albanisa and Albalinisa are related to the Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional (FSLN) ruling party, chaired by Daniel Ortega. Opposition politicians and journalists have condemned the Sandinista government for trying to monopolize media with Channel 8’s acquisition, especially considering that the channel usually airs programs that are critical of government policy. After the acquisition, the network has included five half-hour newscast editions in its daily schedule, all broadcast by TeleSur, the multistate broadcaster created with support from Argentina, Bolivia, Cuba, Ecuador, Nicaragua and Venezuela.
URUGUAY European Union Agrees to Cooperate with DTT Implementation The European Union (EU) signed a nearly US$ 1 million cooperation agreement with the South American country for commissioning of its TDTl European standard during the Deputy General Director of Foreign Relations for Asia and Latin America’s – Italian Stefano Sannino – visit to the Uruguayan capital, Montevideo. The agreement, signed between the EU and the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Mining of Uruguay, involves the disbursement of approximately US$ 950 thousand. “Digitalization allows for a better use of the spectrum. In each of the analog channels that are used today, about six digital channels can be deployed”, so that “ further deployment of the country’s channels will be possible,” the Minister of Industry, Energy and Mining, Raul Sendic, told local media.
PERU Panamericana Television Goes Bankrupt Peru’s open TV station – a national pioneer – has managed to continue operating without the urgency to meet its million-dollar debt. Ernesto Schütz Freundt regained control of the administration just over eight months ago, after it was taken away during a legal intervention by its former manager and minority shareholder, Genaro Delgado Parker. Now, INDECOPI has authorized the broadcaster to enter Preventive Bankruptcy Proceedings for debt around US$ 71 million. Panamericana Television’s attorney, Gonzalo de Bracamonte, shared details on the debt’s structure and how long the process will take: “There are about a thousand creditors, including employees. We will reach an agreement with creditors and propose a scheme that will not affect the channel’s ownership,” he said. Half of the US$ 71 million would correspond to debts acquired with public entities such as the National Tributary Administration Superintendence (Sunat), the Ministry of Economy, Finance and Municipalities and others. The process should be completed in about seven months. Labor debts are estimated to be around US$ 9 million, about 5% of the total. The Peruvian judiciary audited Panamericana Television (Channel 5) on June 8th, 2009 because of its US$ 67 million debt to the state. The channel has had ups and downs in recent years after having discovered that Ernesto Schutz, father of the current administrator, received money from Vladimiro Montesinos, former President Alberto Fujimori’s right-arm man (1990-2000). As part of that crisis, Delgado Parker, the channel’s first owner, initiated legal actions in order to take control despite his minimum percentage of shares. However, authorities determined that Schutz Freundt should be in charge of the station.
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SPECIAL REPORT | INDEPENDENT PRODUCERS
Argentina’s Production Capacity When speaking of Latin American production centers, Argentina is one of the key markets to consider. With its rich television production history, the country experienced a paradigm shift in the early 90’s that led to a rise in activity and introduced a new way of thinking and making TV. > By Sebastián Amoroso and Sebastián Torterola
T
he 1990s are considered a paradigm-breaking time for TV in Argentina. In this historical context, three men stand out as prime movers of a new professional aesthetic that forever altered the way local production thought: Adrian Suar, Mario Pergolini and Marcelo Tinelli. They all gave birth to media empires - Pol-Ka Producciones (Suar), Cuatro Cabezas (Pergolini) and Ideas del Sur (Tinelli) - with iconic, independentlyproduced programs such as ‘Poliladron, Una Historia de Amor’ (Pol-Ka, 1995, on Channel 13), ‘Caiga Quien Caiga’ (‘CQC’, Cuatro Cabezas, 1995, by América TV) and ‘Video Match’ (Ideas del Sur, 1989, Telefe).
costs when compared to the global market have caught everyone’s attention. These and other factors combined have positioned Argentina as a highly competitive production house and as an attractive market for foreign investment in terms of co-production and production services, as well as the sheer number of global players that have recently decided to land in the country: Dori Media Group, Endemol, Disney Media Networks, FremantleMedia, MTV Networks, Televisa, Sony Pictures Television, Discovery Networks and Cookie Jar, among others.
Ever since then, traditional stories have emerged as mass entertainment products and their talent, local technical skills and convenient reduced
Argentina houses 40 million inhabitants and is one of the three largest markets in Latin America, along with Brazil and Mexico. According to
36 TTV MAGAZINE
The Argentine Business Map
an Official Report made by Argentina’s Advertising Agency Association (AAAP)(*), these three nations comprise 80% of all advertising investment in the continent, 13.5% of which went to Argentina last year. “2009 will be remembered by the advertising industry as one of the worst in modern history. Ad spending dropped 10.2% globally (...) bringing 2008’s US$ 493.99 billion investment to US$ 443.7 billion in 2009,” the report stated, noting that the hardest hit markets were Eastern Europe (down 21.7%, US$ 7.6 billion less) and North America (down 12.7%, US$ 22.79 billion less). Meanwhile, Latin America was the only region that “escaped the market withdrawal, slightly growing 0.3% compared with 2008.” Within this context, the Argentine market presented a “slight recovery in advertising activity volume in regard to the downward trends that plagued previous years,” especially in 2008. Keeping in mind that this was an election year – which will always imply a considerable boost – total ad spending in Argentina grew by 16.67%, thus bringing totals for 2009 to US$ 2.39 billion, close to 1998’s record highs. As for TV, strictly speaking, the ad “pie” reached $ 979.73 billion, 18.6% more than in 2008 and 41.7% of total ad spending. If we slice the “pie” up, US$ 771.831 million went to open TV (growing 12.2%) and US$ 207.9 billion were destined for cable TV, representing a whopping growth rate of 50.2%. Despite this increase, local industry executives feel that the advertising sector is stagnating and falling. This is mainly due to the fact that these economic factors must be considered along with the proliferation of production companies in the market, greatly increasing its competitiveness and almost saturating local industry. As José Luis Massa, CEO of Illusion Studios – one of the largest animation producers in the region - rightly says, “this company could not live if it depended on the local market.” Indeed, the open TV map is well defined: Telefe (Channel 11, Telefonica Group), Artear (Channel 13, Grupo Clarín) and Canal 9 (Alba Communications Group) control ratings, while the rest of the audience is divided by America TV and Channel 7-ATC (public signal with national coverage). In regards to content, the structure is as follows: Pol-Ka and Ideas del Sur fill the Channel 13’s grid whilst Telefe is self-sufficient through its own production company – Telefe Contenidos – and features Eyeworks/Cuatro Cabezas productions. Additionally, Endemol Argentina, in the market since 2001, has produced and co-produced for most of the country’s channels. But Argentina’s television spectrum does not end there. According to data obtained by ttv, there are 23 independent production companies associated to Argentina’s Independent Television Producers Association (CAPIT), which gathers more than 3,000 industry professionals.
Pol-Ka Producciones Adrián Suar and Fernando Blanco’s production company – its majority owned by Grupo Clarin – has five studios in Buenos Aires: a total of 1,100 m2 plus two 400m2 and 300 m2 studios and a 4-hectare farm in the town of Pilar. The company also owns three trucks to equip on location sets, each carrying their own lights and generators, as well as ten post-production units (five for SD and another five for HD), seven Sony HD next-generation cameras, five digital beta SD cameras, and entire lighting station, cars and other technical elements. Pol-Ka currently employs 350 people primarily focused on its Buenos Aires’ facilities. “These are divided into art, costumes, technical management, logistics, maintenance and services, commercial management, administrative and financial management, human resources and content departments,” Matias Beltran, from the
company’s Planning and Management Control Department, explains. Pol-Ka also plays outside the country’s border with high-caliber productions, such as the ‘Epitafios’ I and II series for HBO Latin American Group or their local ‘Desperate Housewives’ adaptation – for Disney ABC International Television – in its four versions (Argentina, Colombia/ Ecuador, Brazil and Hispanic U.S).
Ideas del Sur Producciones Founded by Tinelli in 1996 and with 30% of its shares belonging to Clarin, Ideas del Sur employs about 260 people and offers production services in its 4,000 m2 building, annually generating 400 hours of original TV content. Its two studios – of 1,000 m2 and 300 m2 each – are fully equipped with Digital Broadcast technology, a 350-kilowatt lighting system and satellite connectivity for broadcasting live to anywhere in the world. The production company works with HD cameras and counts with eight editing units, an animation and special effects department and two mastering and audio dubbing rooms for post-production. Ideas del Sur also provides technical and production services including studio recording, shooting on location, video and audio post-production, voice-overs and product musicalization, animation and special effects, logistics and production facilities (sets, casting, accommodations, mobility, catering, costumes, makeup and hair styling). The production company has three main products that have travelled the world: ‘ShowMatch’ – currently airing on Channel 13 – ‘Los Roldán’ (‘The Roldans’), a fiction also adapted in Mexico (‘Los Sánchez’), Colombia (‘Los Reyes’) and Chile (‘La Familia Fortunato’), and ‘Patito Feo’ (‘Ugly Duckling’), marketed by Televisa and aired on Disney Latin America, Disney Spain, Disney Italy, several open TV channels in the region, and adapted in Mexico (‘Atrévete a Soñar’).
Eyeworks-Cuatro Cabezas Created in 1993 by Marcelo Pergolini and Diego Guebel, Cuatro Cabezas gained an increasingly prestigious place in Argentine TV thanks to programs like ‘CQC’, ‘El Rayo’’ and ‘Algo Habrán Hecho’. In 2008, they joined the Eyeworks group, the third largest independent production company worldwide. Today, Eyeworks-Cuatro Cabezas has different business units engaged in the TV, film, commercial and internet content production. Its Argentinean subsidiary produces television content of various genres: documentaries, current affairs shows, children’s shows, reality shows, docu-dramas and drama series. ‘CQC’ was produced in Argentina, Spain, Portugal, Chile, Italy, Brazil, France and Israel; ‘E-24’ and ‘La Liga’ were produced in Argentina, Spain, Italy and Chile. The company also develops original programming for international pay TV channels such as Discovery Networks, MTV, HBO, Fox, TNT, and History Channel. The production company doesn’t currently have any studios or mobile units of their own.
Telefe Contenidos Telefe is the only channel that produces fiction in the country. Through Telefe Contenidos, its production house, it supplies 70% of its own grid with comedies, series, telenovelas, reality shows and entertainment. Telefe counts with eighteen studios: a 12,176 m2 total with areas ranging from 130 m2 to 1200 m2. Today, the channel is divided into three main areas: the Northern Zone (where its Ronda and Teleinde studios are, with larger capacity suitable for international productions), their studios on Pavón street (entertainment), and their recently digitized Telefe Noticias studios.
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SPECIAL REPORT | INDEPENDENT PRODUCERS
The channel offers various services, including studio controls for editing, live broadcasts and recordings, set construction (design, production workshops and assembly of virtual or physical sets), editing (EQ Quantel, Avid Symphony and Xpress, Final Cut Pro, Protools, Foley Room), eight linear editing suites, seventeen non-linear editing suites, satellite service with its own capacity, mobile units and HD technology.
during the last NATPE in Las Vegas. In what was described as “a step toward acquiring its own studios in Buenos Aires”, the relationship became a lease, and will continue as such until recordings of ‘Date Blind’ end midyear this year. ttv was witness to one of the telenovela’s shootings, shot with Beta DG (digital SD) camcorders, employing 30 full-time professionals, and incurring in an estimated per-episode cost of US$ 40,000 to US$ 60,000 in technical investment alone.
A ‘Big Brother’ house was built at their Ronda studio, which was also used for the program’s Ecuadorian version (Ecuavisa). This is also where ‘Operación Triunfo’ (‘Star Academy’), ‘Protagonistas de Novela’ (RCN, produced by Promofilm), ‘Frijolito’ (Telemundo) and ‘Tango for 3’ (for the Russian market) were recorded, as well as Telefe’s newest entertainment show, ‘321…Let’s Win!’ Moreover, the company’s new offices will be built here and its expanison plans will undoubtedly lead to further stuido purchases in the area.
Speculations concerning which studios will host Dori Media’s future productions – such as ‘Mia’ or ‘Ladronas’ – involve a partnership with competitor Telefe Contenidos for their studios in Martinez (Teleinde and Ronda).
Endemol Argentina Under that name since 2001, Endemol Argentina is the only production company currently working for Telefe, El Trece, America and Channel 9. It has 300 people who work there every day and is the only Latin America subsidiary (Endemol is also present in Chile, Brazil and Mexico) with sufficient capacity to provide services for foreign productions. Their production capacity is mainly composed by four studios in Palermo, an estate in the town of Benavidez – where game show ‘Wipeout’ is currently located – two mobile production units and 25 editing units. Furthermore, Endemol Argentina offers a wide range of production services which include: cameras, sound, lighting, art department, test engineering, transportation and catering on location, among others. In regards to local production, Endemol Argentina has spent the last years producing countless television programs for all local open TV channels in Argentina as well as pay TV channels on a pan-regional level, including Discovery Networks Latin America (‘Killer Instinct’) and History Channel (‘Historia Extrema’), to cite two examples.
Dori Media Group Dori Media’s arrival to a Latin American market as important as Argentina was a transcendental event for local production, especially considering the enterprise’s specific characteristics: large-scale investment capacity combined with a major global distribution branch. This new player armed itself with Argentine talent and started its long-term project of optimizing local production quality and showing it to the world ever since. Michal Nashiv, CEO of Dori Media Contenidos considers “the Dori vision [to be] the other way round; an international approach adapted to the local market.” However, the company does not count with studios of its own. Its partnership with Central Park Productions ended abruptly in January
Illusion Studios Despite its interesting potential, Argentinean animation is perhaps the weakest local sector due to its lack of state support. Under these circumstances, experienced Jose Luis Massa felt he had to turn the wheel towards an international co-production policy in order to exploit Argentinian talent. Fast-forward this scenario two and a half years or so and we reach today: Illusion Studios now employs 100 full-time professionals, with projections to expand its workforce to 300 given the number of ongoing projects. “Annually speaking, our production capacity is divided into 200 hours of live action for TV, 1000 minutes of 2D series, 60 minutes of 3D cinema, 2 important theatrical productions and, on the side, development for 4 to 6 of our own projects,” Massa affirms. Two years ago, animation designers replaced their traditional boards with Wacom Cintiqs for direct digital design. Additionally, the company will film everything in HD this year, as well as release the first film entirely made with 3D stereoscopy technology “outside the Hollywood circuit”: ‘Gaturro’, a four-year project co-produced with Hindi company Toonz Animation and Anima Studios. Illusion works with 2D animation (Cutout), 3D (Maya/Autodesk), digital effects, sound design, new media and live action development. The company counts with its own filming equipment and hires studios and additional staff in Buenos Aires for shootings. Illusion also counts with scripting, animation, background, composition and post-production areas at its Martinez facilities in Buenos Aires. ‘Boogie’ (2009), an adult animation film, marked “a 180-degree shift” in the company’s strategy, becoming an Annecy festival finalist. The film was acquired by U.S-based Vision Films for international distribution. The company is currently co-producing ‘Doodlebops’, a 2D animation for pre-schoolers (Cookie Jar) and ‘Sueña Conmigo’, a live action series (Nickelodeon, Televisa) filmed in Channel 9’s studios, as well as other projects. ttv (*) The following AAAP documents were consulted for this report: Informe Oficial Latinoamericano de Inversión Publicitaria 2009 and Informe Oficial de Inversión Publicitaria Argentina 2009. Both reports rely on information from different consulting companies: IBOPE Media, Film Suez, Alberto Scopesi y Cia., Zenith Optimedia, Media Monitor Ltd.
Independent Production CompanIES Associated to CAPIT 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
BBTV S.A. Carburando S.A. Eyeworks Cuatro Cabezas S.A. Dori Media Contenidos S.A. Central Studios S.A. El Oso Producciones S.R.L. Endemol Argentina S.A. G.P. Media S.A.
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9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
Ideas Del Sur S.A. Innovo Producciones S.R.L. Kapow L C Acción Producciones S.A. La Cornisa Producciones S.A. Mandarina Medios Y Contenidos Producciones S.A. Pensado Para Televisión S.A.
17 18 19 20 21 22 23
Pol-Ka Producciones S.A. Promofilm S.A. Rosstoc Sonotex S.A. Underground S.A. Varenike Contenidos WIN TV SRL
EXECUTIVES
Strategy
The Glocalization
Following growing demand for formats in the most important TV markets around the world, TTV spoke with Remy Blumenfeld, ITV Studio’s Director of Formats, who pointed out the hottest format genres in the industry and shared details about the company’s strategy regarding local-global format production. > By Sebastian Torterola “Much time and resource is spent in ensuring it will be a success and essentially reducing the risk that broadcasters are, these days, less willing to take with untested ideas.” “ITV Studios owns and operates production offices in seven countries including the UK, USA, Germany, Australia, Scandinavia, France and Spain.”
Four Weddings Format 2009
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O
perating since March 2009, ITV Studios is Granada Productions’ renovated brand and UK’s largest commercial TV producer. Its numbers are impressive: 3,500 hours of original programming produced a year across all genres except news, and a distribution arm reaching 3,500 broadcasters and home entertainment partners in more than 350 territories worldwide. A year ago, the company created its Global Formats division as part of its expansion strategy focused on international reality shows and entertainment adaptation. Remy Blumenfeld, its Director, described the division’s objectives and shared his view on today’s formats market.
You joined ITV Studios a year ago to launch a Global Formats division. What were the new division’s main objectives? One of our key objectives, both in the short and long term, was to build and develop our creative collaborations in the UK and internationally. In the UK we’ve worked together with Indies such as Renegade Pictures on ‘Popstar to Operastar’
and with Talent TV and Impossible Pictures on piloting new shows. Globally, by collaborating with local producing talent and widening our network of production offices, we are able to not only offer broadcasters proven formats but also maximise the relevance and appeal in the local marketplace – meaning we are not just selling “carbon copy” formats in each territory. We are now operating seven local production centres, with recent openings in Spain and France, bringing a wealth of local talent to our formats. This strategy is already providing results such as the recent announcement of the 1000th episode of ‘Come Dine With Me’ produced by our German office for VOX, and the commission of ‘Four Weddings’ by TLC in the USA and by ZDF Neo in Germany, produced by ITV Studios USA and Granada Germany respectively. Could you make a commercial assessment of the division for 2009? Was it effective in terms of revenue? We increased our business by 40% between 2008 and 2009, and 2010 is looking healthy. In the UK we have negotiated a host of deals and we continue to develop relationships with local broadcasters worldwide though our regional production offices. However, as you say, ITV’s Formats division has been in existence for less than a year and we still have a lot more to do. Co-productions and format adaptation are important areas at ITV Studios. Can you describe ITV’s business model for Formats? ITV works with successful format creators in the UK, people behind such global hits as ‘I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here’ and ‘Come Dine with Me’ who dedicate their time to identifying and researching trends and devising, developing and testing ideas. So, by the time a
Remy Blumenfeld,
format reaches the attention of broadcasters, both in the UK and internationally, much time and resource has often been spent in ensuring it will be a success and essentially reducing the risk that broadcasters are, these days, less willing to take with untested ideas. Once the show has been commissioned by a local network, we will then work alongside a local producer, or, where available, the ITV Studios local production office, to fine-tune the format for that specific territory, ensuring it is relevant and appealing to local viewers. We are already achieving great results with this business model, with broadcasters commissioning second and third series using the same production set-up. You have taken an active role in opening new production bases around the world. Regarding formats, how many territories does ITV operate in? ITV Studios owns and operates production offices in seven countries including the UK, USA, Germany, Australia, Scandinavia, France and Spain. The company has strategically opened production offices in these key territories to stimulate licensing and produce its format brands locally, recruiting trusted creative leaders with a strong background in working with local broadcasters. On the other hand, we also have offices in Rio de Janeiro which are an extension of our ITV Studios Global Entertainment distribution business, which is dedicated to distribution of our programs and formats.
Director, Formats, ITV Studios
titles are a blend of genres. Our most successful formats such as ‘Come Dine With Me’, and ‘Hell’s Kitchen’ blend food and entertainment, whilst ‘Four Weddings’ is also very popular with its hybrid of a “fly on the wall” style and competitive element following four brides and their different big days.
You have a strong focus in reality and factual-entertainment programming. Which type of factual-entertainment and reality titles would you say are the most in demand internationally? There is continued demand for reality titles internationally, but the scope of their subject matter continues to evolve and develop. Some of the top performing reality
In general terms, has international format demand increased or decreased in the last years? How would you describe global trends regarding this area? We would consider that the demand for formats continues to increase. Broadcasters are increasingly looking for content that audiences can relate to – and formats are the perfect vehicle to offer this – providing viewers with three essential experiences: “That could be me; I wish that was me; thank god that’s not me”. It is certainly true that the importance of proven, adaptable formats has increased in recent years and
The Door Format 2009
Popstar to Operastar Format 2010
“Broadcasters are increasingly looking for content that audiences can relate to – and formats are the perfect vehicle to offer this – providing viewers with three essential experiences: ‘That could be me; I wish that was me; thank god that’s not me’.” as a formats distributor, we must continue to be more creative, flexible and supportive to our international broadcaster clients to keep representing a global player regarding formats. What are the company’s new products for Miptv? We will present a portfolio of strong new formats, including the recently launched ‘Popstar to Operastar’ which is already in development for the Netherlands, ‘The Door’ which is 2009’s break-out format, ‘Four Weddings’ and ‘Come Dine With Me’, which is now one of the UK’s most successful TV exports produced in 20 territories. ttv Hell’s Kitchen Reality show 2004
TTV MAGAZINE 41
todotvnews
HIGHLIGHTS
Tech
Apple TV:
Hobby or Market Transformation? Also known as iTV, Apple’s quest into television has generated various views on its positioning as a coordinating media tool. Todotv reviews its options and reveals the opinion of Carlos Bardasano, Executive Director of Kastuera Media, on the subject. > BY SEBASTIÁN TORTEROLA
channels they do not want.” What will they do then? Certainly not ask for a basic or premium package. “If they want to view a season of ‘Lost’, ‘ER’ or ‘Criminal Minds’, or a film, they will watch each show by subscription”, he says. At that stage, the executive detects a major threat to cable companies: eventually, they’ll no longer be content sellers through channel packages and they will start selling bandwidth.
“Apple TV is an i-Pod for television. Everything you have in i-Tunes on your computer can be now watched on TV, be it TV shows, movies, photos or music, made wireless,” Carlos Bardasano explains. In his words, iTV seems to be a platform integration concept to fit for the modern user: an instant quality experience. But what concrete expansion possibilities does iTV have in order to displace other TV platforms? As with most emerging technologies, that reality is far from a certain. Steve Jobs’ new “hobby” already has some years on the market (since the end of 2006) and has undergone a memory expansion improvement process, as well as software updates and new services. The settop-box can function as a home theater or a digital receiver capable of playing content from sites like YouTube, Flickr, MobileMe, and, like everything Apple, their online store iTunes, run on Windows or Mac. Among its main specifications (see table) one can find a 160 GB hard drive, 256 MB RAM, multiple-connection support such as USB, iPhone, iPod and remote control. Its price is listed as US$ 299 on Apple’s web site. Specifically, iTV transfers the iTunes model – together with music and images – onto the TV: the user turns it on and then chooses, purchases and watches sitcoms and movies. The remote control w orks as its intermediary. The controversy starts at the “buying” stage, the pillar of every on-demand model. Some consumers are starting to raise their voices, consumers who are not used to paying whilst surfing the net as, for instance, those from Latin America and Spain, yet not those in advanced markets such as England, Sweden, Israel and the US. Bardasano, however, directs his analysis towards another angle: “As technology progresses in terms of bandwidth, there will come a time when the next generation will not accept a cable package with 30
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While possible, this scenario depends on several factors. Despite already being in stock, the iTV is still a developing service pack that will continue mutating, seeking to meet growing market needs. Among the device’s criticism, one can note the limited number of websites that provide content: Amazon and Rhapsody (music), Jaman or Hungry Flix (movie rentals), Shoutcast and Last.fm (radio), Picasa (photos) and video websites like Hulu, Joost, CBS, MTV and CNN are not included on that list. Despite its merits and faults, the company continues to demonstrate eagerness to propose compelling alternatives for users, removing barriers and bringing digital distribution to each household. Today it’s a benchmark, so there is a lot of talk about it: “Apple and CBS are already in negotiations for a subscription model of US$ 2 per month for all CBS content, implying an automatic bypass of cable channels. Comcast also, very cleverly, has bought NBCU, ensuring content programming and production,” Bardasano says. ttv
Apple TV - Specifications Processor
Intel PentiumM 1.0 GHz, “Crofton” Processor
Graphics
NVIDIA GeForce Go 7300 (64 MB VRAM)
Hard drive
160 GB
Connectivity
USB 2.0 Infrared receiver HDMI Component Video
Networking
Ethernet connection: 10BASE-T/100BASE-T Wireless networking: 802.11 b, g, n
Audio
Digital Optical Audio RCA Analog Stereo Audio
Dimensions
197 x 197 x 28 mm
Weight
1.09 Kg
HIGHLIGHTS
todotvnews
MARKETS
TV No Longer What it Used to Be for Advertisers An Association of National Advertisers survey in the U.S. shows a considerable drop in the traditional mediums’ confidence levels. Two years ago, 58% of all advertising investment was devoted to TV; in 2010, it will represent only 41%. > BY Diego Alegre
T
he data was provided by Forrester, after conducting a survey within the U.S.’s Association of National Advertisers (ANA), whose members spend approximately US$ 14 billion in advertising per year. According to the Forrester’s results, 62% of respondents felt that television advertising is less effective than it used to be. The same survey conducted in 2008 showed that advertisers invested 58% of their advertising on television. This new study shows that, this year, television in the U.S. will receive less than half of ad spending, a projected 41%. The study results, presented at the TV & Everything Video Forum during ANA’s annual conference, showed that 77% of the marketers surveyed plan to change their advertising investment strategy, redirecting it towards other media. 73% expected to switch their investment favoring Internet advertising: 59% will invest more in search engine marketing and 46% on email marketing. Only 15% of all respondents said they will increase investment in traditional media such as radio, outdoor ads, magazines or newspapers, according to Adage Consulting. “It’s not that television will disappear, but expectations have increased,” Forrester analyst David Cooperstein affirms. New media platforms are more flexible in availability, more inexpensive and more measurable, both online and on mobile devices, which have resulted captures advertisers’ and media agencies’ attention when designing their media plans. Even though figures vary according to the investigation’s results, investment committed for this year, which stood at US$ 8.1 billion, could now be US$ 7.8 billion, according to Adage. Other data collected by Forrester indicates that 75% of all respondents said they believe that interactive TV advertising will be a new and better medium, albeit not mature enough to justify large advertising budgets. Still, 28% said they will spend more on interactive TV ads in 2010.
Finally, 80% of all respondents believe in new tools and television segmentation and, therefore, will plan 38% more as of 2010, as an alternative to the traditional 30-second spots. ttv
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todotvnews
HIGHLIGHTS
Tech
A World of Applications 24 operators - with America Movil, AT&T, China Mobile, Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Telefonica, Verizon and Vodafone among them - have decided to unite and create an open platform for developing and distributing applications. > BY Rodrigo Ros
I
f the application concept sounds familiar to you, you’re probably part of a new client base composed by 3 billion customers. And if this number is not surprising, it’s mainly because, little by little, all sense of wonder has been lost. This industry, which is located midway between IT development and new technology research for application of use, has announced one of the biggest alliances in the history of telecommunications. Twenty-four operators, including America Movil, AT & T, China Mobile, Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Telecom Italia, Telefonica, Sprint, Verizon Wireless and Vodafone, have announced this week that they’ll be forming a strategic alliance to create an open platform for development and distribution of applications. What does this mean? Through this alliance, operators will reach a captive audience of about 3 billion users. These figures exceed the idea of globalization. And, as if these operators could not constitute a cluster of weight by themselves, three manufacturers such as LG Electronics, Samsung and Sony Ericsson have offered their support to the initiative. In a world so chaoticly immersed in the infinite virtual network, this platform’s existence aims to develop a unique foundation on which manufacturers and operators and developers of all backgrounds can find a common space for presentation and distribution of market developments.
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Under the Wholesale Applications Community name, this ambitious proposal aims to capitalize on what many experts assume to be the sector’s new “gold mine”. According to the Gartner Institute, 2009 reaped – including games, services and gadgets – a figure of $6 billion. Not to mention that four of the five applications currently offered in the market are free. Projections for 2010 are in the 4.5 million download mark, i.e. 80% above all results obtained during the past year. By 2013, numbers are estimated at US$ 30 billion, more than a good reason to give serious consideration to this growing sector. But if these figures seem surprising at a first glance, the truth is that this niche’s leader is, of course, Apple. The company earned more than 99% of its economic benefits from application downloads in 2009, representing about 3 billion downloads since it launched its applications in July 2008. Hence the burning desire to form a mega alliance with major industry players, an alliance capable of competing in this area against the enormous advantage of Steve Job’s company. Any way we consider it, creating a common platform for application development, as well as the sector’s actual growth prospects, leave room for reflection on the transformations that will traverse the entertainment industry as a result. In this way, rethinking the business model seems to be, without a doubt, one of the greatest challenges of the upcoming years. ttv
SPECIAL REPORT | DISCOP AFRICA 2010
Conquering
Africa
DISCOP Africa’s third edition closed this February 26th in Dakar. ttv, THE only media present at that market, reports on the event. > By Rodrigo Ros
R
egarded by many as the last frontier, one of the first surprises when discovering the African market is the variety of channels and content it offers despite its very recent formation. Greatly due to their late media liberalization, the vast majority of African countries have just recently figured out their content and partnership-building needs. For most of the groups operating within the continent, the African market offers the possibility of reviving content sales through new payment platforms and newly released private channels. In fact, after launching a late-but-necessary regulatory organization and releasing new tenders, this market is recently enjoying a major explosion in its networks’ supply. The job is not easy: regulatory issues, lack of funds, compromised transparency in its countries’ political management, lack of definition in its channels’ editorial profile – and, therefore, in its need of content – and lack of business models are among the reasons that have led this market to be thought of as a big mess and, ultimately, a huge territory that still needs to be conquered.
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However, within this vast territory, some markets are noted for their interest in the audiovisual industry. This is the case of Nigeria, the continent’s major local production factory. With over 60 television stations, the country has steadily invested in the sector’s development. Counting with a population of over 149 million people, Nigeria’s developing sector – which isn’t even 10 years old – is looking to find its place within the continent and compete against its great rival: South Africa. In this context of disparate realities (countries like the Ivory Coast still operate under state monopolies), one of the main challenges is to generate turnover within a market where profits were considered to be minimal o non-existent up until now.
According to Cristobal Ponte from Venevision, one of the distribution companies to set foot on the African market, dubbing is a big issue in making products profitable. Thus, when it comes to Portuguesespeaking countries, "we're closing a deal to produce in Brazil so that finished products can be directly exported in their original language, without having to bear the cost of dubbing and offering us privileged entry into these markets."
Rwuanda, Senegal and Burundi. Venevision’s ‘Sabor a Ti’ (‘Destins Croissés’), ‘Trópico’ (‘Sous le Tropique’) and ‘Torrente de Pasiones’ (‘Tourbillon de Passion’) were presented for that market, among other productions.
It so happens that, according to Alejandro Toro, Caracol’s CEO of Sales for Asia and Africa, "the great problem in these markets is that our products may become available at a very low price, which means that the dubbing costs must be somehow amortized".
Finally we have the Portuguese-speaking territories, represented mainly by Zambia, Mozambique, Angola, Cape Verde and Zimbabwe, and where recently awarded 'India’ from Globo was presented, as well as 'Gata Salvaje' and 'Samantha' from Venevision and ‘Tiny Angels’, ‘Tiempo Final’ and ‘Hermanos y Detectives’, from Telefe. As for this last company, it is important to also highlight some interesting news that should be followed closely in the upcoming weeks: an adaptation of the ‘Luna Salvaje’ format.
In regards to language as a major barrier to access to the continent, William Henrich, Project Leader of Formats & International Production of Telefé considers that "the fundamental problem is that as long as African markets cannot absorb dubbing costs, our pre-screening process considering which titles we present will be a lot stricter, in order to cushion costs for global sales in the region".
MADE IN AFRICA PRODUCTIONS. Historically controlled by former colonial powers, the continent has been searching for a distinctive voice within the international arena. While large open TV channels vie for control over major international content providers, its local sector is steadily looking for a unique style that will put finally set them on the map of new trends worldwide.
Present for the second time in Africa after its participation in the Nairobi DISCOP Africa 2, Televisa group’s opinion is similar. On dubbing, Ricardo Ehrsam, General Manager for Europe, Asia and Africa stated that "the group's big bet has been to reach these markets with even more important numbers than usual to perform a much more aggressive and determined penetration strategy." Thus, Televisa introduced more than five new productions dubbed in English to this market, in addition to those already dubbed into French.
In this way, and considering recent emergence of large local production centers, Africa begins to assess production with new quality criteria and to develop new strategies and consumption formulas. Thus, as television set sales soar and new offers from TV networks arise, one can only wonder what needs this growing audience entails.
Televisa’s strategy has its own particularities, especially considering that it was only a couple of years ago that the company announced its agreement with Jean-Luc Azoulay’s JLA Groupe to produce telenovelas targeted at the European market. One of its first successes in this direction was ‘La baie des flamboyants’, which also sought to penetrate the Francophone countries of the continent. As for telenovelas in particular, there is clear evidence that the genre has widespread acceptance within the African context, as was noted by Ricardo Ehrsam: “This genre has a major advantage in that networks can close an entire week of programming for a period of almost 4 months without having to worry again. This makes us the perfect choice for young networks that have trouble finding enough content and programming strategies." THE TELENOVELA’S MAJOR TERRITORIES. Several titles have already become well-known to audiences from various African markets. In most cases, these sales are made possible thanks to dubbing productions for English speaking territories, which rank first in telenovela sales. This is the case of territories such as Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana and Uganda, among others. While Venevision concluded several agreements for 'Sabor a Ti' ('Sweet Essence'), ‘Sueño con tu Amor’ ('Yearning for Your Love') and 'Olvidarte Jamas' ('Always On My Mind'), sold to Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Ghana, Cameroon, Namibia, Zambia and Gambia, Caracol's 'La Quiero a Morir' (‘Love Her To Death’) and 'El Cartel' (‘The Cartel’), which were sold to Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana and Uganda, among others. Telefe was present with two of its catalog’s new titles: 'Amor en Custodia' (‘Love’s Guard’) and 'Don Juan y su Bella Dama’ (‘Don Juan And His Fair Lady’), which were well received in Ghana, Nigeria and Kenya, three of the telenovela genre’s major markets. The francophone territories occupy second place in regards to telenovela sales, mainly represented by the Ivory Coast, Madagascar, Cameroon,
With examples such as Nigeria’s – considered the continent’s Nollywood and ranked third in regional content production and sales – local production agreements causing the region to redefine its business philosophy is expected. Despite common assumptions, history of television in Africa is anything but recent. Its first public network started broadcasting in Morocco back in 1954, followed by Nigeria in 1959 and South Africa in 1976. After most of Africa’s countries’ independence following 1960 (this year marks the continent’s 50th independence anniversary), a long economic and political consolidation process took place. Releasing telecommunications sped the process up and international groups landing in the continent reinforced development of new short-term proposals within major territories such as Senegal, Cameroon and South Africa. Now, despite a supply line - bound by language and culture linked until recently to former colonial powers’ audiovisual groups, a new spell of openness toward potential international partners has put the African continent in a strong position compared to its Western counterparts. French-speaking paid TV operator Canal Plus Overseas provides a clear example of this: it just launched its first fiction miniseries for SubSaharan Africa called ‘ZEM’, locally produced in a small country like Togo, and premiered last January. According to Alain Modot, Head of Media Consulting Group and founder of TV France International, an interesting aspect of this case is that "’ZEM’ producers managed to find an opening and managed to create a channel, aware of what they had. This is something that most African producers still do not handle quite well, and is part of what should be addressed with more effort. That is: to provide greater definition to their network’s editorial line." In this sense, Ana Ballo, Director of CPACI (Conférence des Producteurs Audiovisuels de Côte d'Ivoire) offers an interesting reflection as well: "One of the things we need, without a doubt, is training and new alliances. We need to go outside, make new agreements, and no longer wait for help from the European continent. Who knows, maybe the key is just to partner with Latin American producers and find new ways to co-produce together." ttv
TTV MAGAZINE 49
DISCOP AFRICA3
February 24th-26th, Pullman Teranga Hotel, Dakar, Senegal The third edition of DISCOP Africa took place from the 24th to the 26th of February in Dakar. Just as in 2009, the event was celebrated on the west coast of Senegal, at the Pullman Teranga Hotel, gathering main players from more than 40 countries that form the sub-Saharian region of Africa. Even though one of Latin America’s first barriers of entry to the African market continues to be the language, several deals were struck. Sales were made by major production groups and distributors.
_/02
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_/04 01. Workshop “Made in Africa”.
05. Cristóbal Ponte (Venevisión International)
02. Alejandro Toro (Caracol TV Internacional)
06. François-Xavier Poirier (Novavision Promotion International)
03. João Fonseca (Globo TV International) 04. Karina Etchison y Elena Aguirre (Telemundo Internacional)
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07. Guillermo Henrich (Telefe International)
_/07
Portugal’s CBV in Charge of Talpa Media’s Formats Talpa Media and production company CBV sealed a 50-50 partnership on exclusive sale, adaptation and production of Talpa formats for different genres (reality shows, game shows and scripted programming) in the Portuguese market. CBV was founded in late 2007 by Endemol Portugal’s former directors - Piet-Hein Bakker, Peter Curto and Vasco Vilarinho - with investments from Joop van den Ende and Hubert Deitmers. Operating from Lisbon, CBV produces reality and entertainment programs for all broadcasters in Portugal.
FremantleMedia Produces ‘Password’ in Brazil and Mexico One-hour episodes for local versions of FremantleMedia’s game show format ‘Password’ are being produced for the Brazilian and Mexican markets. FremantleMedia is producing its game show for Rede TV and Azteca TV to air weekly. ‘Password’ is one of the most classic and successful game shows from FremantleMedia’s catalog. The format has been produced in over 10 countries since its first broadcast in the U.S. in 1961. Its renewed version was released in the U.S. in 2008, and is currently being produced in Spain, Greece, Indonesia, and other venues. ‘Password’ involves two teams (both made up of a contestant and a celebrity) that will try to guess the most words from hints and gestures that their teammate’s provides in order to win a great prize.
‘YOU AND ME’, Successful Business in Malaysia The ‘You And Me’ format broadcast on Astro Ria, has given the Malaysian channel some of its highest ratings ever. ‘Kau Dan Aku’, as the Venevision International local format is being called, was an instant success since its late 2009 debut. Its first episode ranked as the seventh mostwatched program of the week, achieving a 32.1% share in its timeslot. The young musical telenovela, aired on Saturdays at 10:00 PM, continues to provide high numbers for Astro Ria with an average 20% share.
Boomerang TV Reaches Format Production Agreement with Talpa Media in Spain Talpa Media, a division dedicated to development, production and distribution of formats and run by John de Mol, made a representation deal for their Netherlands catalog with Grupo Boomerang TV, a Spanish conglomerate comprising 14 producers in 21 countries. The Spanish group reported that the agreement provides exclusive representation of Talpa Media’s catalog in Spain. Boomerang TV’s portfolio will include formats belonging to several genres, such as reality and dating shows like ‘Dating in the Dark’ - with local versions in 11 countries - and game shows like ‘Divided’, ‘I Love My Country’ and ‘Guesstimation’, among others.
Local Adaptation of ‘The Succissful Mr. And Mrs. Pells’ Becomes a Hit in Peru The romantic comedy, distributed by Telefe International and renamed ‘Los Exitosos Góme$’, was released on February 8th at 9:00 PM on Frecuencia Latina. It became its timeslot’s big winner, with a total average household rating of 17.3%. It also became the program with the day’s biggest audience. Frecuencia Latina’s Peruvian adaptation of the Argentinean romantic comedy stars Diego Bertie and Gianella Neyra, as Martin and Sol Gomes.
TTV FORMATS F.
TTV FORMATS | NEWS
Adaptation Record for TVN’s ‘Missing’ The telenovela ‘Missing’ is making an unprecedented impact outside Chile. TVN’s original fiction is already airing in Uruguay (Channel 10) and Albania (Top Channel) but will now have local versions in two countries which are far from Chilean culture: Turkey and Indonesia, where preproduction for their own versions has already began. Ernesto Lombardi, Manager of International Business for Chile’s state channel, confirmed that talks with a Brazilian television station are also well underway, which would make ‘Missing’ the first Chilean telenovela to be adapted for the Brazilian market. The executive told La Tercera newspaper’s online edition that channels from Colombia, Spain, Italy and Portugal are also close to striking remake deals of the story about a young woman who disappears in a nightclub.
‘FOR LOVE OR MONEY’ for Hispanic US ‘Hasta que el dinero nos separe’, based on RCN TV’s original format ‘For Love Or Money’, premiered on January 18th on Univision Network in the U.S. The telenovela, which airs Mondays through Fridays at 8:00 PM, enjoyed good reception among viewers in its first weeks. Its premiere obtained 17.9 points and has managed to achieve an average rating of 16.2 points during its first month, overtaking competition from other Spanish-speaking networks in the same timeslot. The Televisa production is based on the Fernando Gaitan’s original work. ‘For Love Or Money’ (150 x 60), available in HD, is distributed worldwide by Televisa Internacional. Apart from Mexico and the U.S., the telenovela is also being broadcast in several Latin American countries including Bolivia, Costa Rica, Chile, Ecuador, El Salvador, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, Peru and the Dominican Republic.
Italian Version ‘Without Breasts There Is No Paradise’ for Mediaset Caracol TV’s distribution company, Caracol TV Internacional, has confirmed that filming for an Italian ‘Without Breasts There Is No Paradise’ version has began in Buenos Aires. The telenovela will be aired by Mediaset. Production is in Grundy’s hands, the same production company responsible for producing Telecinco’s version in Spanish. “After the great success achieved with this fantastic format adaptation in Spain, we are very excited about this new version we are doing for Mediaset. Channel 5 is Italy’s leading channel and has more than 22% share. The responsibility of creating a great hit for Italy is a real challenge,” Roberto Sessa, Executive producer for Grundy, commented. There are currently four versions of the telenovela being produced in different languages. Its Spanish adaptation is airing its fourth season through Telecinco and Telemundo Internacional is airing another version for the U.S. Hispanic market.
F. TTV FORMATS
Sony Pictures Television and Harpo Productions Agree on ‘The Dr. Oz Show’ Sales Both companies announced an agreement to sell successful new daytime talk show, ‘The Dr. Oz Show’ in various territories outside the U.S. The series’ U.S. version was sold to broadcasters in 82 different territories, including Korea, Hungary, Latin America, the Middle East, New Zealand, Romania, Russia and Turkey. In turn, the format was licensed to MBC in the Middle East and to Rossiya in Russia. The format is internationally licensed by SPT’s 2waytraffic and is part of this year’s MIPTV’s nonscripted entertainment formats portfolio.
Zodiak Entertainment Sells ‘The Guillotine’ in Spain Zodiak Entertainment Distribution commissioned its recent ‘The Guillotine’ game show format to Spanish Telecinco. The 26 x 45 minute series will be produced by Magnolia Spain, a subsidiary of Zodiak Entertainment in that country, premiering in spring 2010 during primetime.
TTV FORMATS | SPECIAL REPORT
LATIN AMERICA
Entertainment Formats The genre with the greatest power of local identification has shown its versatility in Latin America: it appears in the first places of the 10 most viewed programs in each country. > BY DIEGO ALEGRE
I
t’s been ten years since entertainment formats first came to the region’s fore. Since then, year after year, Latin America’s open TV channels’ grids have included some type of program within the genre, whether talk show, game show, reality show, talent show or quiz show format. What’s certain is that the genre has inserted itself in the main regional markets, where it competes with series, miniseries and the classic prime time telenovelas.
The genre’s versatility– which implanted and continues to implant a clear programming tendency – is recognized in the industry for factors such as its business model’s profitability that, depending on the type of program and the market to which it is directed, offers multiple forms of income. Another important factor worthy of mention is these formats’ high audience ratings and the important repercussions that they generate. These characteristics transform the genre into programs to which audiences feel close identification, further enhancing their participation. Companies like FremantieMedia Latin America, Endemol, Promofilms or Talpa Media, to mention but a few, have managed to successfully insert their formats in the region and have been successful in all kinds of ways. FremantleMedia Latin America has currently more than 15 formats in production or pre-production. The ‘Idolos’ (‘Idols’) Brazilian version, for example, is already in its fifth season on TV Record. Additionally, versions of ‘Password’, ‘Price is Right’, ‘Project Runway’, ‘Let’s Make a Deal’, ‘Distraction’, ‘All Star Athletics’ and ‘The Apprentice’ (which has already started its seventh season), ‘X Factor’ and ‘Hole in the Wall’” are being prepared for various regions within the subcontinent. Format sale and its subsequent development in local markets – where Argentina, Mexico, Brazil and Colombia head the list of main markets – arise from a detailed business analysis, which involves not only capacity for ad spending in the market, but is also based on a development plan including the company owning the idea’s know-how and knowledge of the broadcaster’s actual capacity. The genre’s good returns on regional screens are a fact. Ibope Media statistics confirm this programming trend and show its good performance. In each Latin American country’s top ten most viewed programs during 2009, at least one of the programs belongs to the genre. In Argentina ‘ShowMatch’ (El Trece) is the ninth most seen program of the year. The Brazilian version of ‘Big Brother’ on TV Globo was the third most watched in terms of audience; the same goes for the Costa Rican version of ‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?’, broadcasted by Teletica. At the same time, the Peruvian version of ‘El Show de los Sueños’,
aired by America TV, was the third most viewed program during 2009 in that country, achieving the same results in Chile, Panama, Puerto Rico and Uruguay. THE FORMAT IN THE WORLD. The phenomenon, which can be seen in various markets across the world, pushes strong movements in creative companies, which aim to reinforce their presence in a number of markets. Representation and production agreements - announced and now signed by Talpa Media with companies such as Boomerang TV Group in Spain, CBV in Portugal, TF1 in France or the Shine Group for Australia and New Zealand - are a clear example of this new trend. Even regional companies search out for strategic partners to develop their ideas. Zodiak Entertainment announced in Mipcom 2009, an agreement with RM 5º Elemento, owned by the Ricky Martin Entertainment Group, to produce and distribute its catalogue in Latin America and the U.S.’s Hispanic market, opening the possibility to create and produce formats in the region geared towards the rest of the world. At the same time, Endemol Group’s strategic moves are another clear sign of the genre’s growing demand. In Latin America, the Group has left its mark with a plethora of productions made for Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Mexico; or from the region to other markets, such as Turkey or
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TTV FORMATS | SPECIAL REPORT
Portugal. Additionally, they have sought to reinforce their acquisition catalog by buying British producers Tiger Aspect, Darlow Smithson and Tigress. THE BUSINESS IN THE REGION. With the renewal of open television in Latin America, formats have returned to the region, with the predominance of reality shows on diverse themes that have found new ground after the strong impact and moment of glory aspirational formats had. Therefore, the continent seems fertile ground for the genre that, when adding local identification, attracts a numerous audience. There are various formats which have been successful in the main regional markets, as shown by audience success – a result of good development and adaptation of the original idea, undoubtedly supported by astute marketing strategies, a profound knowledge of what the public wants and appropriate program timing – which correlates to the sound levels of economic growth that have been recorded in the last years. Ad spending grew 5% in the three main regional markets (Brazil, Mexico and Argentina) in 2009, and, according to projections made by Ibope, this should be repeated this year. This is a tempting reason for those broadcasters who wish to strengthen their program listings. According to the same company, advertisement investment in open television during 2009 was highest in Brazil, representing US$ 15.023 million, followed by Mexico with US$ 11.875 million, Venezuela with US$ 5.253 million, Argentina with US$ 3.632 million and Chile with US$ 2.153 million. These investments open opportunities for the development of business models, which could be viable, depending on the dimensions of each project.
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THE EFFECT OF THE CRISIS. Although the 2009 world financial crisis had a lesser impact in the region compared to more developed markets, broadcasters had to reduce costs and be efficient in their operations. To this end, they resorted to economic strategies, which in some cases only meant having to resort to reruns and, in others, through more creative formulae, producing lower budget formats, such as talk shows. Given the deteriorating global economy situation, companies had to reinforce their alliances and forge mutual collaboration agreements in order to overcome what most saw as a temporary setback. Within this scenario, there were renewed discussions about international agreements, programming strategies, and production processes. Considering that the success of open broadcasters is based on transmitting local programming, and given that some productions acquired outside the region showed low audience ratings, local production resurged once more so as to guarantee ad spending and the business’ profitability. As evidence of this, Argentina and Mexico made drastic changes to their program listings: both aired game show formats during their access primetime and primetime timeslots. The reasons, apart from the economic ones already mentioned, can be explained by the format’s characteristics: excellent cost-benefit relation, less complexity and lower costs than those involved in fiction, especially during production and permanence on the screen. In this first edition of MIPFormats, it is important to analyze the new business models and learn from the experiences and successful formulas presented, so as to understand in which direction the creation and distribution of a healthy growing genre can actually go. ttv
TTV FORMATS | INTERVIEW
Rafael Bello, Executive Producer of ‘Cambio de Familia’ (SBT)
The Talk Show Formula
Casos de Familia Genre: Talk Show
Three time Emmy Award winner Rafael Bello, currently based in Sao Paulo, Brazil, is one of the pioneers of the talk show format in the U.S. Hispanic market. ttv spoke with this renowned television producer - that has produced programs for over 18 years about his experience and the evolution of this particular format. > BY SeBASTIÁN AMOROSO “One of the talk show format’s main advantages is its low cost. It’s a program that can stay on the air without major problems.”
R
afael Bello is known for being the Mexican with most talk shows produced in and outside of Mexico, including the U.S. (Miami, Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago, Washington, DC, New York), Puerto Rico, Israel and Brazil. He’s also worked at producing company Galan Entertainment, where he oversaw development of programming and acquisitions, and developed and produced the reality show ‘El Príncipe Azul’ for Telemundo. Bello is currently based in Brazil, where he serves as executive producer for the ‘Casos de Familia’ talk show, airing Monday to Friday at 5:00 PM on SBT (Sistema Brasileiro de Televisão). How did you get into the talk show format business? My first experience was in Houston, Texas. At the time, Cristina Saralegui invited me to work on her show ‘Cristina’, in Miami. We had both thought of some projects together. Her husband, Marcos Avila, called me and offered me a position as producer for the
F. TTV FORMATS
program. I never thought I was going to stay in the business for so many years. It was predestined... Exactly. I was immediately called from Telemundo to produce ‘Cara a Cara’, hosted by Maria Laria, and whom I regard as the pioneer of talk shows in the Hispanic U.S. TV. It was originally a low-budget program, very local and targeted at the Hispanic community in Los Angeles. But it was so successful that they extended it, first nationally and then into the international market. I was in the program until some modifications were made, such as including Pedro Sevcec, former anchor of ‘Noticiero Telemundo’. I was then involved in production for ‘Cambia tu Vida Con el Padre Alberto’, also by Telemundo. Was that another hit? Yes: it was successful because Catholic religion is very present and very strong in Latin America. The idea came from Telemundo’s President of Entertainment, Nely Galan (Galan Entertainment). We held
Rafael Bello,
Executive Producer of ‘Cambio de Familia’ (SBT)
auditions for 500 priests across the U.S. and finally chose Father Alberto. We never thought it’d be so successful. It was crazy. Some criticized us and others cheered us for producing a program hosted by a catholic priest. Then I produced the secular programs (Journalist’s Note: the host then led religious programs on TV), ‘Cambia Tu Vida Con el Padre Alberto’ for Telemundo, which was broadcast throughout Latin America, and ‘Abre tu Alma Con El Padre Alberto’ for Miami’s GenTV channel – owned by Colombia’s Caracol TV – which interviewed recognized celebrities from the U.S. Hispanic community. What makes talk shows and reality shows different? In my opinion, talk shows were the first reality shows, even though they were not considered as such. The first reality show was that of Phil Donahue, ‘The Phil Donahue Show’, which aired for over 25 years in the U.S. Now we have Oprah Winfrey (‘The Oprah Winfrey Show’) and Jerry Springer (‘The Jerry Springer Show’). The truth is that talk shows don’t control their stories completely, because its stories are real. Whoever makes TV ethically has the responsibility of communicating these stories, at least up to the point where we think the story is real. Talk shows always reflect a community’s reality. On the other hand, reality shows do not reflect human behavior because participants know they’re being in the spotlight 24 hours a day, as in ‘Big Brother’. By contrast, participants in a talk show present topics they didn’t have the courage to discuss in their own homes. The problems presented in talk shows are unpredictable. That’s why I say that we have no control. It’s definitely not the same as producing an entertainment program, where we know what story is going to be selected and how we’re going to tell that story... not here, because we are dealing with human beings who put their personal situations, their realities, on the table. There’s a trend among open TV channels in Latin America to schedule talk show, reality show and game show formats... Talk show programs are commonly scheduled between 2:00 and 5:00 PM because they are aimed at housewives. One of the talk show format’s main advantages is its low cost. It’s a program that can stay on the air without major problems. Reality shows, however, do imply very high investments. Shooting a reality show can take five weeks, but preproduction takes three months and post-production takes nine. We’re talking about an entire year of work for just six weeks of airtime. Investment costs are too great for the risk implied. And what about game shows? The advantage of this format is that you can have many sponsors and do product integration,
“Talk shows were the first reality shows.”
as in ‘El Show de Don Francisco’ and ‘Programa Silvio Santos’ from SBT, to name two examples. These are programs that are several hours on the air, so one can play around with product integration and therefore fund the show. Reality shows can also be integrated with products because many require phone calls or text messaging. Telephone companies can also sponsor trips within the show and so on. But they are still much more expensive than talk shows or game shows. Are talk shows still profitable? Very profitable. The difference I find, for example, between the U.S. and Brazil is that in the U.S. I had to produce a program with participants who had to travel. Not all participants came from Miami because the Hispanic community’s reality is much more complex and diverse. One has to feature Cubans, Mexicans and Colombians as well, to reflect all the melting pot that is the Hispanic community. So we would fly people in from New York, Los Angeles, Puerto Rico... in this sense, the costs are much higher. On the other hand, in Brazil, we have participants from various Sao Paolo districts; they come, record and go. I think talk shows are still profitable because there are always stories to tell; that’s part of the essence of a human being. Topics may change as society evolves such as, for instance, couples who meet online. Furthermore, the talk show is a program that does not compete with other genres. It’s a completely different animal from other entertainment programming. There’s no loss of investment or ratings.
“The talk show is a program that does not compete with other genres. It’s a completely different animal from other entertainment programming.” You’re now directing another talk show, ‘Casos de Familia’ for SBT in Brazil, a country with 200 million inhabitants. What is that experience like? The program premiered five years ago. I was called in February of 2008 as a consultant and created a different idea for the program. Then, in September of that year, I signed a two-year contract as executive producer. The first change was to include a new hostess, Christina Rocha. At the same time, in order to make it more entertaining, we encouraged the interviewees to express themselves more dramatically. We highlighted certain storylines and provided ways to express them. We also provided an atmosphere for certain stories. In short, the stage and the dynamics were redesigned to meet viewers’, guest speakers’ and the channel’s expectations. As for the guests, most reside in favelas in Sao Paulo’s suburban community. There are interesting stories there that reflect some of the country’s reality. But this isn’t an aggressive format, unlike others where they way topics are approached and cases considered are different. I always say it would be ideal to have a talk show in each country. There is a difference in making a talk show in the U.S. and showing it to Latin America, because each country has its own set of problems. ttv
THE RIGHT BALANCE Rafael Bello won three Emmy awards, two as a reporter and one as a producer, all of them associated with human right violations in Mexico. He offers his opinion on communication professionals, saying that “I believe that we who work in the media have a great responsibility: we reach millions of people throughout Latin America. We therefore have the responsibility to carry a message. I’m not saying that it shouldn’t be done in an entertaining way. But yes, we have the responsibility to mix both.”
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TTV FORMATS | FOCUS
Fernando Barbosa, SVP of distribution, Disney Media Networks Latin America
“ “ “ “ “ “We are very happy to have finally landed in Mexico with this format (‘Who Wants To Be a Millionaire?’), along with TV Azteca, our partner. We believe open television audiences in Mexico have all the essential characteristics that’ll make this show a success.”
Carlos González, Managing Director, Latin America & US Hispanic, FremantleMedia
John de Mol, owner of Talpa
“Talpa moves quickly when trying to establish partnerships in major TV markets. We recently closed agreements in the U.S., France, Spain and Portugal. To our partners, Talpa is very attractive because of our creative product flow”.
Cristina Palacios, Manager of Production and Content of BE-TV
“We are working with Mark Burnett on a very interesting reality project. We have been working with his development team since November last year, with no release date in mind yet, but we have something very interesting in the works. Both Burnett and his team do an excellent job of involving the advertisers from the creative process onwards.”
Lisette Osorio, Director of Caracol Television International “We are very pleased and optimistic that this adaptation (‘Without No Breasts There Is No Paradise’) will be a success in the Italian market. Undoubtedly, this represents an important step for Colombian TV considering this is the first Latino format to reach open TV in that country”.
Raphael Corrêa Netto, Head of International Sales, Globo TV Int’L “It’s always been an innovative genre. We have had very good reception from potential broadcasters, especially toward ‘Profession Reporter’, which they considered groundbreaking and adaptable to their market because of its structure and the resources it requires.”
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“ “ “
“We are producers in each country, we do not work with any independent producers; this is not one of the company’s strategic decisions, it’s just how things have happened”.
Gonzalo Cilley, president of Resonant
Roxana Rotundo, Casablanca-VIP888
“ “ “ “ “ “ “More European and Latin American networks and producers are convinced by the benefits of a previously developed fiction format adaptation for their territory. The risk of an original project failing is very high, and there is nothing better than a proven format to reduce that risk.”
Marcel Vinay Jr., CEO OF Comarex
“There is nothing more controversial than religion and politics, and religion is universal. Our ‘Choosing my Religion’ format lasts for 12 weeks and features six religious leaders in the same house: a monk, an evangelist, a Buddhist, a rabbi, an Imam and a spiritualist… all of them faced with the task of converting 12 atheists to their respective religions with a very surprising ending.“
“We are delighted by the opportunity of offering Leonardo Bechini’s format catalog to international markets. The success and ratings it’s achieved in Latin America will be a guarantee when attracting buyers.”
Manuel Pérez, VP & CFO for Venevision International
“Success of ‘Battle of the Sexes’ in Ecuador is another addition to our formats’ excellent results in international markets, such as ‘You and Me’ in Asia which has done impressively on Astro Ria in Malaysia.”
Patricia Jasin, International Sales Director, Frecuencia Latina Int’L “We provide consulting services to local producers, allowing for easier and more effective adaptations, frequently involving original format creators, whom we often represent as agents. We try to select formats with proven success in their original country, but with adaptation potential as well.”
Jens Richter, General Director for SevenOne International “Our ‘Galileo’ format is science and entertainment at their best. The format already proved to be successful on international screens and we are delighted with its Rumanian premiere on Prima TV.”
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LISTINGs formats This section features the companies at Miptv 2010 and their catalogues of Formats
The Frame
Armoza Formats
Caracol Television
Booth: LR2.05
Booth: 09.24
EXECUTIVES ATTENDING
Avi Armoza, CEO Mihal Brezis, VP Anat Lewinsky, Sales, Europe Kelly Wright, Sales, Americas, Asia, Africa Metin Bilman, Head of Development
The Frame
EXECUTIVES ATTENDING
Angélica Guerra, International VP Lisette Osorio, International Director Camila Reyes, Sales Executive for Eastern Europe Berta Orozco, Sales Executive for Western Europe. Alejandro Toro, Sales Executive for Asia and Africa.
All I need is Love
(Cross Platform Reality - 60’ / bi-weekly / 24-hours online)
(Telenovela - 120 x 60’)
The next generation of Reality TV - eight couples reduce their living space to just one camera frame and must compete to be the last couple standing.
Juanita is a Singer who plays the guitar on public transportation to earn her living. In her struggle to help her brother and her mother ahead, she unfortunately meets Alejandro, a widow who is determined to make her become a great star.
The Bubble
(Game Show– 60’)
MIPTV 2010
All I need is Love
Three contestants are isolated in ‘The Bubble’, and then flown back into the studio to be quizzed on what they missed in this comedic game show.
Mariana & Scarlett
(Telenovela - 120 x 60’)
Mariana and Scarlett are two sisters that succeed in the fashion world. In their way up to stardom, they fall in love with the same man. After the confrontations and many conflicts, they will understand that they must work together to get around the obstacles that life has put them.
The Timers Extreme Weight Loss/Obese
Eyeworks Distribution Booth: R27.03
Executives attending
Dorothy Crompton, Senior Vice President, International Sales Marco van Reenen, Sales Executive, International Sales Jeff Goldman, Director of Business Development Ross Weintraub, Managing Director
Extreme Weight Loss/Obese
(Reality/Lifestyle - 6 x 60’)
Each week an epic transformation will reveal the nine-month journey of a single individual’s monumental struggle with weight loss under the guidance of super-motivator and weight loss expert Chris Powell.
The OCD Project
(Reality - 8 x 60’)
Six Patients with severe OCD move into a treatment center for 3 weeks of intensive treatment, where the patients will face their irrational fears head on- with guidance from our Psychologist.
Heads Or Tails
(Gameshow/Lifestyle - 8 x 30’ / 8 x 60’) Aa simple game of 50/50 chance that’s known the world over, and now one lucky person will have the chance to flip their way to one million dollars.
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Frecuencia Latina International Executive attending
Miki Ivcher, CEO Patricia Jasin, International Sales Director
The Secret 8
(Series - 3 Seasons - 115 X 30’) (Program & Format) A group of eight talented children participate in a confidential mission to solve the most incredible mysteries in a way that only they can do.
The Timers
(Series - 3 Seasons, 150 X 30’) (Program & Format) A group of children who travel through time with a mission to save the world, living an unforgettable story of adventure, action and fantasy.
Kell on Earth
FREMANTLEMEDIA Enterprises Booth: RB1
EXECUTIVES ATTENDING
David Ellender, Global CEO FremantleMedia Enterprises Mel Alcock, CEO FremantleMedia Enterprises EMEA Keith Hindle, CEO FremantleMedia Enterprises Americas Jon Penn, CEO FremantleMedia Enterprises, Asia-Pacific Lisa Honig, SVP Program Distribution - North America Sheila Aguirre, SVP Sales & Development Latin America & Hispanic USA Jeff Siegel, VP Home Entertainment, The Americas Gordon Craig, Head of Archive Sales Mary Beer, Director of Marketing Lisa Lazure, Head of Communications
Kell on Earth
Deus
(Entertainment - 8 x 60’)
A thriller series for children and teenagers, which deals with the most significant social revolution now facing humanity: the computer and the internet. In contrast to adults, children of the digital age were born into a world saturated with computers, which play a central role in their lives.
Public relations guru Kelly Cutrone gives her guide to the highpowered and fast-paced world of fashion PR. Kell on Earth takes a no holds barred look into the life of one of America’s most legitimate tastemakers as she balances running her wildly successful fashion PR Company, People’s Revolution, juggling Fashion Weeks in New York and London, with being a single mother and one of New York’s most notable women about town.
(Series - 2 seasons, 98 x 30’) (Program & Format)
Push the Button
FremantleMedia Limited
The Frontier
Booth: RB1
SevenOne International
EXECUTIVES ATTENDING
Booth: H4.12
Push the Button
Jens Richter, Managing Director Caroline Kusser, Senior Sales Executive Yan He, Senior Sales Executive Axel Boehm, Senior Sales Executive Bodo Braun, Sales Executive Zasha Robles, Director Spiral International Fabiola Flores, Sales Director Latin America / US Gillian Kirby, Sales Director Pan Regional Latin America
Tony Cohen, CEO, FremantleMedia Group Wolf Bauer, CEO, UFA Film & TV Produktion Gary Carter, COO, FremantleMedia Group Rob Clark, President, Worldwide Entertainment Simon Spalding, Regional CEO, Europe & Asia Pacific Monica Galer, Head of Northern and Southern Europe Daniela Matei, CEO Nordics, Central Eastern Europe & Balkans Patrick Schult, CEO, FremantleMedia Asia (Gameshow)
UK’s 2010 prime-time hit. Super-sized and revitalised, the traditional family gameshow will never be the same again.
Executives attending
The Frontier
(Action Thriller - 1 x 120’) It’s the global financial crises on steroids: in the gripping event thriller ‘The Frontier’ terrorist attacks on all oil reserves intensify the global financial crises, causing a civil war scenario.
Fugitives
(Action Thriller - 2 x 90’) Imagine you and your two best friends are on the run with the authorities in hot pursuit - one of your friends betrays you, your father turns out to be your worst enemy and you meet the love of your life.
Missing
The Resistance
Telefe International Booth: RSV14
Executives Attending
Alejandro Parra, Director, International Business Area Michelle Wasserman, Head of International Distribution Programming, Formats & Production Services Diana Coifman, Senior Sales Executive Programming & Formats Guillermo Borensztein, Sales Executive Programming & Formats Guillermo Henrich, Sales Executive Programming & Formats Meca Salado Pizarro, Head of Marketing
The Resistance
(Teen Telenovela - 150 x 60’) In confusing, skeptical, cold and materialistic times a group of young people fight for a Better World. On one side, the Corporation makes the inhabitans of the “NE” (New Era) believe that they live in a perfect and happy world, but they are totally manipulated. On the other side, those who resist, the rebels, who know the truth. Between both worlds there is a wall which is real and impossible to jump. The challenge will be to cross and pull down that wall that separates them and confronts them.
Wags, Love for the Game
(Romantic Comedy - 120 x 60’)
A policewoman, Laura Posse, who is a beautiful and cunning detective, totally focused on her job and with a messy love life, must go undercover as a wag to enter the football world and investigate “El Chiqui” further. In order to achieve this, she must work under Giselle, the queen of the“wags”and Tato Marin’s former partner (he is Flores’s manager). Love will hit Laura (she will be called Mia) and Chiqui very soon. However, Laura will try to stick to her job and will start a careful and delicate spying task, trying to forget her feelings. Passion, betrayal, mafia loyalties and unexpected transformations shape this story of love, misunderstandings and mysterious emotions.
telemundo internaCional Booth: A0.21
EXECUTIVES ATTENDING
Marcos Santana, President Esperanza Garay, Senior VP Sales & Acquisition – Latin America Luis Daniel Capriles, VP International Digital Media Sales Karina Etchinson, VP Sales-Europe, Africa & Middle East Melissa Pillow, Sales Director Central & Eastern Europe Joysette Rivera, Sales Manager, Central America & The Caribbean Karen Barroeta, VP Marketing & Promotions Ana Pinos, Sales Manager-Asia
Missing
(Telenovela – 90 x 60’) The disappearance of a teenager will change the life of a family forever. Elisa Altamira, daughter of Mariano Altamira and Danna Riggs, was last seen on her father’s birthday, when the whole family gathered to celebrate at their Malibu beach House. That night Elisa’s cousins-Santiago, Flor, and Eduardo, invited her to a nightclub and after a great deal of begging her parents allowed her go. When Danna and he sister-in-law Cecilia went to pick them up, all of them started showing up except for Elisa. As the hours passed, her parent grew more and more desperate and it was then when they decided to call the police and file a missing report. At first the police was skeptical about the disappearance because they thought Elisa was just staying out past her curfew, but after investigating further they concluded that there had been foul play. They began suspecting everybody, even her family. Cristobal Rivas and Gisela Cruz will be the detectives in charge of the case. They will come across many theories about Elisa’s disappearance. Did somebody kidnap her to get back at her father? Did her secret relationship with her cousin Santiago turn bad? Did she run away from my parents because they were abusing her? Was her cousin Flor jealous of her? Or was it just a random crime?
A Woman of Steel
Televisa Internacional Booth: RSV.02
EXECUTIVES ATTENDING
Fernando Perez Gavilan, Vice President of Televisa Internacional Carlos Castro, General Director of Sales Ricardo Ehrsam, General Director, Europe & Asia Claudia Sahab, Director for Europe Elsa Garcia, Business Manager, Spain & Portugal Patricia Porto, Business Manager, Central & Western Europe Beatriz Rodriguez, Business Manager, Eastern Europe Manola Martin, Business Manager, Eastern Europe & Nordic Region Pedro Font, GMD Asia, Africa and Middle East Silvia Garcia, GMD Asia, Africa and Middle East Mario Castro, Director of New Business Claudia Silva, Director of Sales for Licensed Products Jose Luis Romero. Director of Formats and New Content Cecilia Rivera, Director of Marketing
One World
Zodiak Entertainment Booth: LR4.02
Executives Attending
Marco Cordeddu, Managing Director Matthieu Porte, Head of Format Sales Emmanuelle Bouilhaguet, Scripted Sales Director Alexandre Piel, Head of Documentaries Acquisitions & Co-Productions
One World
A Woman of Steel
(9 x 90’)
Valentina Villalba is a woman that has it all: beauty, a significant fortune that she inherited from her parents, a successful career and a man she adores. Years later, she meets Jose Miguel who can’t help falling in love with her striking beauty and strong character, and he decides to win her over
‘One World’ is a brand new primetime entertainment show which merges the current trend of flash mobs and street art with big scale studio entertainment. It celebrates the power of imagination and surprise. Celebrities are challenged to impress and capture audiences with surprising and innovative acts of entertainment -using their own unique skills and expressions.
(Telenovela - 150 x 60’)
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H
ow does does the licensing business work in Latin America? To answer this question, it’s interesting to use the Exim Licensing Group example. Founded in 1982 in Argentina by Elias Hofman, the group’s president, the company is dedicated to entertainment product licensing, promotion and distribution. The company handles the licensing concept in its broadest sense and already has six different business divisions which regularly employ – between licensing, promotions and entertainment – 450 people.
EXIM PARTNERS TO CREATE ‘BONDIBAND’ Exim, Ledafilms S.A. and Mondo TV have decided to join production and worldwide exploitation forces for ‘BondiBand’ (52 x 15’) on all media platforms. The action and adventure animated series targets children who are 4 to 12 years old and will include recently developed high-tech features. Production is already underway and a December 2010 premiere has been projected. A theatrical production is also undergoing development. “Taking the knowledge we’ve accumulated for almost thirty years promoting famous toy and audiovisual production brands, we started working on this series’ development two years ago. The series combines high audience impact and practically unlimited licensing potential. We are pleased that Mondo TV and Ledafilms have joined the project, bringing with them their huge multimedia experience,” Hofman affirms. Finally, IAM group’s creative value should be highlighted, since it joined Exim for this development. Its general direction is in the hands of Jonathan Hoffman, CEO of Exim’s TV division, film director and responsible for all artistic creation of Exim’s live shows touring Latin America.
Today, Exim is one of the few licensing players with continental coverage. The company has offices in Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Panama, El Salvador, Guatemala, the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Mexico and its headquarters in Miami.
Barney Live Show
We are increasingly focusing on this second option “.
“The licensing business can be handled in two ways,” Elias Hofman explains. “One is using a licensing agent who looks for third party businesses. The other way is an integrated approach, where one sees the great variety of developments that can be covered and aims to provide the vendor – the owner of the license – and customers – mass consumer brands or advertising agencies, TV channels or internet live shows – a turnkey solution where all needed items are resolved.
Exim represents leading kid product brands such as ‘Barney’, ‘Bob the Builder’, ‘Thomas & Friends’, ‘Strawberry Shortcake’, ‘Sid’, ‘LazyTown’, ‘Pocoyo’, ‘Dinosaur King’, ‘Mister Maker’, and others, as well as all Discovery, Nickelodeon, Dreamworks (Brazil) and Sesame Workshop (Argentina) properties, among others.
Elias Hofman,
President of Exim Licensing Group Exim Licensing Group, founded by Elias Hofman in 1982, is one of the most prestigious and successful companies specializing in brand and celebrity licensing. The company counts with divisions responsible for developing brand and live show licensing, as well as businesses for emerging platforms. In this article, its president explainsthe these services’ scope.
By Sebastian Amoroso
Besides being an agent, the company has a products division – responsible for producing brands for their licenses – and a promotions division that creates campaigns - manufacturing all products that these promotions require in Brazil. The company also counts with a technology division, occupied with integral development of mobile phone (SMS) and Internet marketing actions among many others. One of the company’s most important areas is its live shows, which are integrally developed by creative teams, and takes care of both staging and thatre realtionships. Titles such as ‘The Backyardigans’, ‘Ben 10’, ‘Doki ‘, ‘LazyTown’, ‘ Barney’, ‘The Fairly OddParents’ and ‘Strawberry Shortcake’ are well recognized for their high-quality and mise en scène, among others that have already travelled - and continue to travel – stages from Argentina to Mexico. Exim’s newest area is their 360º internal product development division, where the company generates content and spreads it through different business venues. “Today we are concentrating much of our focus into this area, where we can combine both our expertise and creativeness without being tied-down yet never neglecting international trademark licenses, which generate massive business,” Hofman says. ttv
TTV MAGAZINE 67
EXECUTIVES
The Fremantle Corporation’s President presented the company’s focus, talked about upcoming agreements and compared the telenovela global phenomenon to what happened with reality shows not so long ago. He also provided numbers that speak for themselves.
Randy Zalken, President of The Fremantle Corporation By Sebastian Torterola
T
he Fremantle Corporation was founded in 1952 by Paul Talbot, a New York based pioneer of the entertainment industry. However, in 2006, the corporation was acquired by Canada’s Kaleidoscope Entertainment – owner of Morningstar Entertainment, Venture Licensing and KEI Productions – and moved to Toronto. todotv spoke with Randy Zalken, Kaleidoscope Partner and President of The Fremantle Corporation, a company known for its global distribution of ‘Baywatch’ and unrelated to homophone FremantleMedia.
as well as shows like ‘Snapped’ that tells the story of women who have emotionally collapsed to the point of murdering their husbands.
Canada, Australia, U.S.A, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom are the most important areas for company operations. In Latin America, Brazil is currently housing its major co-production negotiations. “We have also sought animation in Argentina but it did not work out, mostly due to time constraints as well as other factors. There is a great creativity and we would definitely like to do something there,” he notes. THE TELENOVELA AND ITS FUTURE. “We are celebrating the 40th anniversary of ‘All My Children’ (ABC), launching it in HD and the releasing an Internet initiative for the show,” the executive says, later adding: “Telenovelas are the most popular genre among women and youth right now; we’ve observed how its grown and found out that 260 hours are being produced a year.” In regards to the telenovela’s momentum, Zalken considers that ever since the genre exploded a couple of years ago, some large companies have already fallen and that the phenomenon grew too fast. Nonetheless, “it has become a mature business, and if players are conservative and careful, they can remain in the market for years.” The executive compares this phenomenon with what happened with reality shows: “People used to say, ‘it’s dying, it’s going to go away’, and now, it’s as strong as ever.”
The Fremantle Corporation is also attentive and active to drama productions and coproductions made for primetime, expecting to close deals in 2010 for two series in Italy, a series in Germany and ongoing negotiations in Canada. “This year, we will produce programming for US$50 million,” he highlights.
Yet could this genre ever successfully enter the U.S. market? Zalken mentions ‘Ugly Betty’ as the market’s most effective demonstration: “It will probably never work in the U.S. following Latin America’s exact model. However, even if it could enter the U.S. market with American content and viable adaptations, it will never become the type of entertainment that satisfies U.S. audiences”, he concludes. ttv
Healthy Gourmet 26 x 30’ Nutrition/Lifestyle - HD
All My Children Over 10.000 x 60’ Drama HD
Contrasting with the bustle of the TV industry’s interstices, Randy Zalken walks slowly and quietly, slipping sly jokes now and then. However, The Fremantle Corporation’s President says that the company’s movements “are not without their share of stress.” He states that the corporation is currently trying to “focus more in fewer areas,” which mainly implies genres like lifestyle, motor car shows, documentaries and coproductions. “We specialize in the automobile area, with shows that combine cars with sexy girls and music,” Zalken explains. That includes titles like ‘Hot Import Nights’ (22 episodes) and the hip hop DJ ‘Funkmaster Flex’ (65 x 30’) franchise on air via Spike TV, exclusively represented by the corporation. Moreover, the company also includes healthy cooking programs in its catalog,
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C
arlos Gonzalez has worked on FremantleMedia’s regional expansion since its beginnings, fourteen years ago. First based in Miami and now in Brazil for over a year, Latin America & Hispanic U.S.’s Managing Director heads the company’s original format production strategy, which is currently focused on Mexico and Brazil: “They are our priority, not only because they are the largest markets in the continent, but also because we have built strong production partnerships with local channels there,” Gonzalez says. That is reflected in FremantleMedia’s recent announcement that adaptations of their game show ‘Password’ would be co-produced in both countries. “We are at an advanced preproduction stage. We are recording the first programs in Brazil, while, in Mexico, we are currently on our first week of shooting,” the executive says. The company is responsible for producing the show in both territories but, in turn, has above-below-the-line agreements with two partners: TV Azteca in Mexico and Brazilian Rede TV. “We’re co-producing with local channels: we use their technical infrastructure, and we bring the artistic talent,” he explains. However, it took many years to reach the intensity with which the company operates in the region. González recounts: “During the first two years our offices were based in Chile,
one of the company’s strategic decisions, it’s just how things have happened,” the executive adds.
Price Is Right Brazilian Version Rede Record
where we obtained important know-how of the region; we then went to Mexico, where we opened our regional headquarters and set offices up in different territories: Argentina, Brazil and our current headquarters in Miami.” This is how FremantleMedia entered the original-production-for-local-audiences market and based its growth opportunities on relationships with major local players. “We are producers in each country, we do not work with any independent producers; this is not
Carlos González,
Managing Director, Latin America & Hispanic U.S. FremantleMedia Productions Amidst major agreements - such as the developing co-productions of their game show ‘Password’ in Brazil and Mexico and the upcoming premiere of the fifth season of ‘Ídolos’ in Brazil - FremantleMedia remains proactive within the Latin American market. Carlos Gonzalez, Executive Director for the region, talks about the latest developments for these projects and the over fifteen yearly titles that the company maintains and keeps renewing in the continent.
By Sebastian Torterola
‘Idols’, one of the company’s most successful formats, landed in Brazil in 2006 through SBT’s screen. The show switched channels and aired through Record after two seasons, and FremantleMedia settled in the country as a producer: “The show’s fifth season is currently in production and will air earlier this year, lowering our age limit to 16, two years younger than last season’s,” Gonzalez says. The show is a symbol of the company’s strategy: “We are focusing on making a permanent renewal of these shows in each territory. We don’t really air new shows year after year because we’re mostly focused on each project’s longevity,” he adds. Currently, FremantleMedia Latin America produces the following formats: in Brazil, ‘Idols’ (5th season, 36 episodes for 2010), ‘Password’ (1st season, 18 episodes), ‘Price is Right’ (2nd season, 65 episodes), ‘Project Runway’, ‘Distraction’ (1st season, 26 episodes), ‘Hole in the Wall’ (50 produced episodes), ‘All Star Athletics’ (50 produced episodes), ‘The Apprentice’ (Season 7, 17 episodes), ‘Opportunity Knocks’ (1st season, 12 episodes); in Mexico, ‘Poker Face’, ‘Price is Right’ (58 episodes for 2010), ‘Family Feud’ (52 episodes for 2010) and ‘Password’ (1st season, 26 episodes); in Colombia, ‘The X factor’ (6th season, 80 episodes), ‘Hole in the Wall’ (3rd season, 26 episodes), ‘All Star Athletics’ (1st season, 26 episodes). Moreover, even though the company is not currently producing for local channels in Argentina, it did produce a project in that country: Four seasons of ‘Latin American Idol’ (Sony Entertainment Television). “FremantleMedia was the production company but we always had a Sony executive producer on all four seasons, with an excellent working relationship between both companies,” Gonzalez explains. When asked about the genres that will succeed in the continent in the near future, the executive says: “Game shows have been in the region for a long time, and I think they’re here to stay. But I think reality television is all the rage right now.” Gonzalez explains that this genre has two success waves in the region: the first one, several years ago, happened during the reality show production boom that was followed by a “cooling phase” for the genre in the region, even before it happened in the U.S. and Europe. “However, over the past two years things have turned again, and I think it’s the healthiest genre in the region’s future, for always connecting with audiences: it is the way in which audiences can access the lives of other people,” he concludes. ttv
TTV MAGAZINE 69
EXECUTIVES
S
ince 1974, Argentinean company Ledafilms has independently represented several large U.S. companies in the film industry, such as Twentieth Century Fox and DreamWorks International. In its more than three decades of activity, the company has also ventured into co-production, post production and merchandising, and recent agreements include Latin American representation of ‘Star Wars: The Clone Wars’ – the latest CGI animation project from producer George Lucas, Lucasfilm – and a partnership with the U.S. company Exim LLC last year. Ledafilms’s big moment is reflected in its future business plan: “We are polishing our five-year plan because, considering our large volume of pre-sales, we can estimate the work we’ll have in the next five years with a certainty of 75%. We have output deals that expire in 2019,” the executive affirms. Good winds have been pushing the company since 2006, when Paramount bought Dreamworks and Ledafilms acquired Paramount’s representation for Latin America. After announcing that his company has just renewed this agreement for three more years, Leda explains, “With Dreamworks, we marketed 8 films per year – almost without a library since we were a new company – while at Paramount there are 20 new films per year and a catalog with over 1,600 titles.”
Star Wars: The Clone Wars Animation Lucasfilm
At NATPE’s most recent edition, the company introduced the new Lucasfilm project, a new animated series based on ‘Star Wars’. “Lucasfilm and Paramount are partners in the Indiana Jones movies. After finishing the franchise’s fourth film, ‘Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull’ by Steven Spielberg, Paramount asked us to sell all three previous films, but under the condition that television channels should air them within the 30 days prior to the new film’s premiere in theaters. We achieved that in 18 countries,” Leda recalls. For this reason, Lucasfilm also
Pedro Leda, President of Ledafilms
While speaking with ttv, the founder and President of Argentinean distributor Ledafilms made important announcements related to the representation of Lucasfilm and Paramount titles in Latin America. He also provided details about their new co-production project with Exim, and confessed to be paying close attention to new platform models.
By Sebastian Torterola
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turned to Ledafilms to distribute this new project. Additionally, the executive reports that during its screening at Paramount Studios on May 20th, the company will announce its contract with another U.S. company. POPULAR GENRES, NEW AUDIENCES, NEW PRODUCTIONS. In regards to the most sought-out shows, Pedro Leda says buyers primarily look for blockbusters: films with great actors, big budgets and adventure, action and family themes. Moreover, in regards to series, he names the most successful series in the company’s history, ‘Planet’s Funniest Animals’, a success for nine consecutive years. “The same producer has started a new series, entitled ‘It Only Hurts When I Laugh’ (26 x 30’). It also consists of comedy skits and will probably last for 35 episodes, due to its good start on truTV in the U.S.” Miniseries, such as ‘Impact’ (to be presented by ABC in primetime in the US) and ‘Seawolf’ are also very popular. In February and in Argentina, the company began production of ‘Bondi Band’ (52 x 15’, 26 x 30’), an animated series that is co-produced with Exim. “Exim’s 35 years and Ledafilms’s 35 years come together to make a product tailored for merchandising, licensing and theatrical performances.” The project seeks to conduct some sort of partnership with each channel where the material’s coverage and penetration are associated with performance of licensing, merchandising and theatrical performances within its territory. “The production will be completed by late 2010, it will be available in 2011 and we already have an European partner: Rome-based Mondo TV, which participates in the production’s financing, and will distribute the product in some European and North African countries,” Leda concludes. ttv
EXECUTIVES
Sebastian Darcyl, Ambassador for Latin America’s Emmy Awards, presented his companies at NATPE’s lastest edition in Las Vegas. With ADM TV Creativa, his distribution company, Darcyl is defining the catalog he’ll present in upcoming Hollywood LA Screenings.
Sebastian Darcyl,
Founder and General Director of ADM TV Creativa, Dharma Producciones and ClickStudios By Diego Alegre
fter Telefilms Group’s company share sale in 2009, Sebastian Darcyl has remained heading the three companies officially presented to international markets at the recent NATPE 2010 convention in Las Vegas.
A
Group’s development, growth and promotion for over 20 years, Sebastian Darcyl continues to thrive in the market with his own audiovisual content distribution company (ADM TV Creativa) and his pay TV format production company (Dharma Producciones).
Counting with great industry experience and having actively participated in Telefilms
Dharms Producciones produces more than ten series broadcast on Latin American cable
Click Studios’ Sebastián Darcyl, Guillermina Valdez and Sebastian Ortega, during the launch of ‘Alguien que me Quiera’
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systems, including shows such as ‘Volcánica Hunter’, a documentary recorded in Hawaii for LifestyleTV, and ‘Estudio F’ about art, design, fashion and photography for Turner Broadcasting System Latin America’s FTV. Productions for Playboy TV Worldwide and U.S.’s Lifestyle are also in the works. Darcyl simultaneously launched ADM TV Creativa, a new company focused on movie and TV series distribution and cross-platform format developing, such as successful ‘Alguien a Quien Querer’, which aired for six months leading its timeslot on Argentinean channel Telefe. He also continues to lead ClickStudios, a production, post-production and production services studio for audiovisual and advertising sectors. “I have been in the market for 22 years and apply that know-how to these new businesses,” the businessman told todotv. The businesses found in his companies as a whole make up a significant package for an industry that had the opportunity to see ADM TV Creativa’s library, plans and projections in detail. “This company was born last year...we officially presented it at NATPE. Today, we are holding negotiations with major players to complete the catalog we’ll present at LA Screenings,” Darcyl said. As for Dharma Producciones, Darcyl is offering multi-platform ‘Alguien a Quien querer’ in format and adaptation versions. The program is an innovative dating show that integrates TV and the Internet (alguienaquienquerer. com) with the purpose of connecting people who are alone. “We are currently developing seven productions with Dharma, including some for Playboy TV Worldwide and Lifestyle in the U.S.,” Darcyl advanced. ttv
Alquien que me Quiera Dating show Telefe - 2009
America the Story of the U.S.
Police Patrol: The Movie
Most Shocking
AETN International
AFL Productions
Alfred Haber Distribution
Booth: G3-18
Booth: A0 13
Booth: 22.02
Executives attending
Executives attending
Steve Ronson, Executive Vice President, Enterprises, A&E Television Networks Sean Cohan, Senior Vice President, International, A&E Television Networks Christian Murphy, Vice President, International Michael Katz, Vice President, International Programming & Production Will Harrison, Vice President, International Business Development & Branded Distribution Jonathan South, Senior Director of International Content Sales, EMEA Joss Duffield, Program Sales Executive, EMEA Joanne Lim, Content Sales Executive, Asia A&E Television Networks Fabienne Fourquet, Senior Director, International Digital Media Rod Caird, Acquisitions Executive
Yuri Volodarsky, Head of Development & Distribution Lana Berezovsky, VP Acquisition Julia Belova, Sales Director
Police Patrol: The Movie
(16 x 104 min)
When Partnered Up - Bad Guys Don’t Stand A Chance!
Naked & Funny
Executives attending
Alfred Haber, Founder Andrew Haber, Vice President, International Sales Adam Haber, Vice President, International Sales Edward O’Donnell, Vice President, International Sales Christopher Brouder, Vice President, International Sales Steven Weiser, Vice President, Domestic & International Sales Jennifer Askin, Director, International Sales Patricia Villagran, International Sales Executive
Most Shocking
(180 x 30’)
(Reality - 87 x 60’)
Hidden camera with an erotic twist.
Funny, But Not Naked
Breathtaking ‘caught-on-camera’ reality series about the heartpounding world of law enforcement featuring shocking, neverbefore-seen, action-packed crime footage.
America the Story of the U.S.
No dialogues - Just pure gags.
(Reality - 14 x 60’)
Camera of Laughs
The extraordinary story of how America was invented, looking at the moments where Americans harnessed technology to advance human progress- from the rigors of linking the continent by transcontinental railroad, the internet of its day, to triumphing over vertical space through construction of steel structured buildings to putting a man on the moon.
(100 x 30’)
Twenty unbelievable videos in every action-packed episode hook viewers in this ultimate, fast-paced hour of addictive television.
(Documentary HD - 12 x 60’)
(75 x 30’)
Top 20 Countdown
Over 300 clips of hidden camera.
Be Kind To Me The Search for El Dorado Undercover Boss USA
ALL3MEDIA International Booth: LR 3.22
Executives Attending
Louise Pedersen, Managing Director Rachel Glaister, Head of Press and Marketing Maartje Horchner, Head of Acquisitions Stephanie Hartog, Executive VP, Format Sales Selma Turajlic, Head of Interactive Media and Licensing Stephen Driscoll, VP, International Sales Liza Thompson, VP, International Sales Peter Grant, VP, International Sales Nick Smith, VP, Format Sales Sina Skrypzak, Sales Coordinator
American Cinema International Booth: 17.21
EXECUTIVES ATTENDING
George O’Shamieh, CEO Chevonne O’Shaughnessy, President
The Search for El Dorado
(Action/Adventure - 90’)
When the clues to an ancient Inca prophecy fall into the hands of archeologist Jack Wilder, he embarks on a life long journey to find the legendary city of gold, El Dorado, hidden deep in the harsh landscapes of Peru.
Stay Cool
Undercover Boss USA
(Comedy/Drama - 90’)
Delivering the largest audience ever for a US premiere of a reality series, this new series, follows high level executives as they take the extraordinary step of going undercover in their own companies to ensure they are fighting fit for the future.
A successful author returns to his home town to give a commencement speech, only to fall in love with his old crush, but is asked to the prom by a sexy high school senior. When Principle Marshall gives advice on love things start to become hilariously entertaining.
(Factual Entertainment - 9 x 60’)
Artear Booth: 20.18
EXECUTIVES ATTENDING
Mariana Fernández, Sales Manager, International Sales Luciana Egurrola, Senior Sales Executive, International Sales Walter Sequeira, Acquisitions Manager Bernardette Delmas, Acquisition Executive
Be Kind To Me
(Series - 37 x 60’)
After 22 years of marriage, Jose and Sonia are having a midlife crisis and to make things a bit more appealing their two kids are caught between whether to make it out there in the complex adult world and grow up or simply linger on as teenagers.
Left on the Shelf
(Series - 35 x 60’)
A biting, sarcastic sitcom which confronts the prevailing topic of the day; the fragility of forming a close personal relationship, the lack of commitment and paranoid phobias and fears which surge when you are on the verge of committing to that special someone.
TTV MAGAZINE 73
The Frame
Producing Parker
Tony Awards
Armoza Formats
Breakthrough Entertainment
CABLEready Corporation
Booth: LR2.05
EXECUTIVES ATTENDING
Booth: R31.17
EXECUTIVES ATTENDING
Avi Armoza, CEO Mihal Brezis, VP Anat Lewinsky, Sales, Europe Kelly Wright, Sales, Americas, Asia, Africa Metin Bilman, Head of Development
Ira Levy, Executive Producer Nat Abraham, Head of Distribution Marina Cordoni, Head of Sales & Business Development Kate Blank, Sales Executive Joan Lambur, Executive Producer, Animation, Live-Action, Family and Children
Producing Parker
The Frame
(Animation - 13 x 30’)
The next generation of Reality TV - eight couples reduce their living space to just one camera frame and must compete to be the last couple standing.
An adult primetime series that is an edgy send-up of the daytime talk show genre that follows the outrageous adventures of Parker, an overworked and underpaid television producer as she manages her boss’s delicate ego along with the quirky production crew.
(Cross Platform Reality - 60’ / bi-weekly / 24-hours online)
The Bubble
Tooned
Executives attending
Gary Lico, President/CEO Lou Occhicone, Senior Vice President of Operations Sabrina Ayala, Vice President of Sales and Marketing Liz Tobias, Director of Program Development Tatiana Figueiredo, Sales Representative
Tony Awards
(Live event - 1 x 60’ / 1 x 90’) This prestigious and star-studded award show recognizes achievement in live theater, celebrating the very best of Broadway.
Intersections
(Game Show– 60’)
(Factual - 13 x 30’)
(Factual - 13 x 30’ HD)
Three contestants are isolated in ‘The Bubble’, and then flown back into the studio to be quizzed on what they missed in this comedic game show.
A live-action factual entertainment series about the world of television animation that takes viewers back to revisit the Saturday morning animated programs that defined our popular culture.
As man and machines intersect, we go inside the technology and break down what makes it all possible.
World Party
(Lifestyle - 8 x 30’ HD) Hosted by Guad Venegas, an inside guide to some of the world’s biggest festivals, parties, and events.
All I need is Love
NCIS: Los Angeles
Booth: 09.24
CBS Studios International Booth: R30.01
EXECUTIVES ATTENDING
EXECUTIVES ATTENDING
Caracol Television
Fearless In The Kitchen
Angélica Guerra, International VP Lisette Osorio, International Director Camila Reyes, Sales Executive for Eastern Europe Berta Orozco, Sales Executive for Western Europe. Alejandro Toro, Sales Executive for Asia and Africa.
Armando Nuñez, President, CBS Studios International Barry Chamberlain, EVP, Sales Stephanie Pacheco, Managing Director, Latin America Eric Mueller, Executive Director of Sales, Latin America
CCI Entertainment
All I need is Love
NCIS: Los Angeles
(Drama - 24 x 60’)
Arnie Zipursky, Ceo & Co-Chairman Jill Keenleyside, Executive Vice President of Distribution Rekha Shah, Director of Sales Federico Vargas, Sales & Acquisitions Executive
(Telenovela - 120 x 60’)
Juanita is a Singer who plays the guitar on public transportation to earn her living. In her struggle to help her brother and her mother ahead, she unfortunately meets Alejandro, a widow who is determined to make her become a great star.
Mariana & Scarlett
(Telenovela - 120 x 60’)
Mariana and Scarlett are two sisters that succeed in the fashion world. In their way up to stardom, they fall in love with the same man. After the confrontations and many conflicts, they will understand that they must work together to get around the obstacles that life has put them.
Armed with the latest in high tech gear and sent regularly into life-threatening situations, this tight-knit unit relies on each other to do what is necessary to protect national interests.
The Good Wife
(Drama - 23 x 60’)
Pushing aside the betrayal and crushing public humiliation caused by her husband, Alicia Florrick starts over by pursuing her original career as a defense attorney. For the first time in years, Alicia trades in her identity as the “good wife” and takes charge of her own destiny.
Melrose Place
(Drama - 18 x 60’)
An elegant Spanish-style apartment complex in the trendy Melrose neighborhood of Los Angeles where the lives and relationships of a diverse group of 20-somethings intertwine to form a close-knit surrogate family.
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Booth: 2.10
Executives Attending
Fearless In The Kitchen
(Lifestyle Series - 26 x 30’)
Celebrity chef Christine Cushing transforms terrible cooks into savvy, fearless chefs who can prepare tasty meals for family and friends.
Colour Confidential
(Lifestyle Series - 91 x 30’)
With a fresh approach to home design, Jane Lockhart uses everyday items to inspire homeowners in their selection of colors and sense of design. Every episode demonstrates how the character and mood of a room can change dramatically with a simple change of hue.
Around The World in 50 Years 3D
Wild Soccer Bunch
CDC United Network
Comarex
Booth: 04.14 - 06.13
Booth: LR 2.06
EXECUTIVES ATTENDING
Erik Jensen, Managing Director Aranzazu Ibañez, Acquisitions Executive Jimmy van der Heyden, Sales Executive
Around The World in 50 Years 3D
(Animation movie)
As he scrambles to the sea shortly after his birth on a beach in, Sammy the sea turtle finds and loses the love of his life, a pretty hatchling called Shelly. On the epic journey across the oceans, Sammy dodges every danger in the hope of meeting Shelly again.
Frozen
(Thriller)
Featuring some of Hollywood’s hottest up and coming actors follows three skiers who are stranded on a chairlift. They will be forced to make life-or-death choices that prove more perilous than staying put and freezing to death.
EXECUTIVES ATTENDING
Marcel Vinay Hill, Vice President International Sales Marcel Vinay Jr., CEO Comarex Carmen Pizano, Sales, Latin America & Spain Ana Z. Sánchez, Head of Operations Martha Contreras, Sales, Asia Adela Velasco, Sales Europe & Africa Maxim Slavik, Sales, Europe
Wild Soccer Bunch
(Film - 1 x 94’)
School’s out and for a motley crew of care free six-to-ten-year olds soccer rules and there’s nothing more they love than kicking it up a notch as the kids are convinced they’re the local dream team.
Saint Seiya: The Lost Canvas
(Animated Film - 13 x 30’)
Metajets
Cookie Jar Entertainment Executives attending
Toper Taylor, COO & President Jean-Michel Ciszewski, SVP, Television & Home Entertainment Alison Warner, VP, Distribution, Broadcast Sales for UK and Scandinavia Wiebke Hoefer, VP Sales, Eastern Europe Nadia Chevallard, Sales Manager, Europe
Metajets In a world where aviation is paramount, young flying aces compete on the Aeronautical Racing Circuit while secretly waging a high stakes battle for air supremacy.
Kung Fu Dino Posse A pre-historic battle between good and evil had been frozen for millennia. Now that the evil Skor has thawed out, it is up to the heroic, recently defrosted, Kung Fu Dino Posse to stop him and his bumbling brother from destroying the city.
The stories of Pegasus Tenma, King Hades and the Goddess Athena will merge together and through the twist of their three fates will unfold the prologue to the original “Saint Seiya.
XXS Sorry I’ve Got No Head
Digital Rights Group Booth: LR4.23
EXECUTIVES ATTENDING
Patrick Roberts, Senior VP International Sales Chris Bartlett, VP International Sales Carolina den Baas, Senior Sales Executive Jeremy Fox, CEO
Sorry I’ve Got No Head
(39 x 30’)
Innovative and laugh out loud live action sketch show for kids. Created by some of the UK’s leading comedy writers and performers this sketch show format means it’s a truly flexible show that can be run as half hours, 11 mins or even broken up into shorts of between 30 seconds and 1 minute 40. It is also ideal for on-line and mobile exploitation.
Jinx
(Live Action - 26 x 30’) Lulu Baker may look like your typical teenager but she has a very cool secret - she’s the proud owner of a magic cookbook. Life would be perfect for this modern-day Cinderella if it weren’t for the guardian of the book: Cookie. She’s no sweet fairy godmother - she’s a capricious, mischievous, pleasure-seeking jinx!
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Ladronas
Dori Media Group Booth: 12.02
EXECUTIVES ATTENDING
Nadav Palti, President & CEO of Dori Media Group Michal Nashiv, President & CEO of Dori Media Distribution Argentina; CEO of Dori Media Contenidos Elena Antonini, VP of Sales, Dori Media Distribution Argentina Andres Santos, VP of Sales, Dori Media America Juan Fernandez, VP of Sales, Dori Media America Ehud Levi, CEO, Novebox.com Dalia Mestechkin, Head of acquisition & Director of Viva channel, DMG Revital Basel, CEO, Dori New Media Tali Fink, Director of Marketing, Dori Media Group
Ladronas
(Action Series - 26 X 60’) Determined to right her husband’s wrongs, Emma Blinder recruits 3 attractive, professional women-thieves to help her. In each episode, the women embark on risky yet comical tasks, using all of their abilities to get justice done.
Date Blind
(120 X 60’) (Coproduced with Rosstoc) 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.
Endemol Group B.V. Booth: H4.32.
Executives attending:
Ana Langenberg, Senior Licensing Manager Evert Larooi, Senior Licensing Manager Ingrid Akkerman, Senior Licensing Manager Bastiaan van Dalen, Licensing Manager Tanja van der Goes, Licensing Manager
XXS Set on an epic obstacle course within a giant house, three families vie for a cash prize by taking on the larger than life course. Filled with objects that are 100 times bigger than they are, the families must complete the course in the quickest time in order to win the prize.
101 Ways to Leave a Gameshow The action takes place on the monolithic “tower”, a purpose-built venue rising 100 feet in to the sky. From human cannon and catapults to bungee cords and parachute jumps, the only thing the stunts have in common is that contestants don’t know they have lost until they’re flying through the air - and off the show.
The Marriage Ref
Married life takes centre stage as opinionated celebrities, comedians, sports personalities and international A-list stars candidly comment, judge and offer different strategies to real-life couples in the midst of a classic marital dispute. The Marriage Ref vows to look at relationships unlike anything you’ve ever seen on TV.
Extreme Weight Loss/Obese
Eyeworks Distribution Booth: R27.03
Executives attending
Dorothy Crompton, Senior Vice President, International Sales Marco van Reenen, Sales Executive, International Sales Jeff Goldman, Director of Business Development Ross Weintraub, Managing Director
Extreme Weight Loss/Obese
Swindlers
Flor Latina Entertainment Group Executives attending
Silvana D´Angelo, CEO Carolina del Valle García, VP, International Sales & Production Nora Seoane, VP, International Sales Patricia D’Agrosa, Sales Assistant
Swindlers
(Reality/Lifestyle - 6 x 60’)
(Series - 13 x 60’)
Each week an epic transformation will reveal the nine-month journey of a single individual’s monumental struggle with weight loss under the guidance of super-motivator and weight loss expert Chris Powell.
Intrigue series with high dose of humor; the story of Alex, a master in the art of deceiving, calm, organized, meticulous, and Vicky, an explosive and irresistibly charming woman. Together they are a couple of professional swindlers; an unbeatable duet, a perfect team. Except for one detail: they hate each other.
The OCD Project
(Reality - 8 x 60’)
Six Patients with severe OCD move into a treatment center for 3 weeks of intensive treatment, where the patients will face their irrational fears head on- with guidance from our Psychologist.
Heads Or Tails
Dromo, Nothing is What it Seems
(Unitary – 13 x 60’)
A universe where everything becomes strange. In each program, the viewer will find extraordinary stories, far from ordinary, truly challenging their capacities of amazement. The stories are related to the genres of sci-fi, terror and suspense.
(Gameshow/Lifestyle - 8 x 30’ / 8 x 60’) Aa simple game of 50/50 chance that’s known the world over, and now one lucky person will have the chance to flip their way to one million dollars.
The Timers
Frecuencia Latina International Executive attending
Miki Ivcher, CEO Patricia Jasin, International Sales Director
The Timers
(Series - 3 Seasons, 150 X 30’) (Program & Format) A group of children who travel through time with a mission to save the world, living an unforgettable story of adventure, action and fantasy.
The Secret 8
(Series - 3 Seasons - 115 X 30’) (Program & Format) A group of eight talented children participate in a confidential mission to solve the most incredible mysteries in a way that only they can do.
Deus
(Series - 2 seasons, 98 x 30’) (Program & Format) A thriller series for children and teenagers, which deals with the most significant social revolution now facing humanity: the computer and the internet. In contrast to adults, children of the digital age were born into a world saturated with computers, which play a central role in their lives.
Kell on Earth
FremantleMedia Enterprises Hot Import Nights
The Fremantle Corporation Booth: R35.14
Executives Attending
Randy Zalken, President (Toronto) Marshall Kesten, CEO (Toronto) Irv Holender, Principal Director (Los Angeles) Lisa Dunn, VP Sales and Acquisitions (Toronto) Paul McConvey, VP Production (Toronto) Diane Tripp, SVP, International Sales (New York) Sharon Beverly, Administration Sales (Los Angeles) Wayne Broun, Managing Director (Australia)
Hot Import Nights
(Lifestyle - 22 x 30’ - HD)
Accompanied by a bevy of gorgeous models, viewers are taken in, outside and under the cars to see what it takes to make it in the world of building and racing the hottest imports.
All My Children
(Drama HD - Over 10,000 - 60’) ABC celebrates its 40th anniversary of the day time drama hit. ‘All My Children’ is based in a small town called Pine Valley, a quiet suburban community, where everybody knows just about everything about everyone else.
Booth: RB1, Riviera Beach
EXECUTIVES ATTENDING
David Ellender, Global CEO FremantleMedia Enterprises Mel Alcock, CEO FremantleMedia Enterprises EMEA Keith Hindle, CEO FremantleMedia Enterprises Americas Jon Penn, CEO FremantleMedia Enterprises, Asia-Pacific Lisa Honig, SVP Program Distribution - North America Sheila Aguirre, SVP Sales & Development Latin America & Hispanic USA Jeff Siegel, VP Home Entertainment, The Americas Gordon Craig, Head of Archive Sales Mary Beer, Director of Marketing Lisa Lazure, Head of Communications
Kell on Earth
(Entertainment - 8 x 60’) Public relations guru Kelly Cutrone gives her guide to the highpowered and fast-paced world of fashion PR. Kell on Earth takes a no holds barred look into the life of one of America’s most legitimate tastemakers as she balances running her wildly successful fashion PR Company, People’s Revolution, juggling Fashion Weeks in New York and London, with being a single mother and one of New York’s most notable women about town.
Push the Button
FremantleMedia Limited Booth: RB1, Riviera Beach
EXECUTIVES ATTENDING
Tony Cohen, CEO, FremantleMedia Group Wolf Bauer, CEO, UFA Film & TV Produktion Gary Carter, COO, FremantleMedia Group Rob Clark, President, Worldwide Entertainment Simon Spalding, Regional CEO, Europe & Asia Pacific Monica Galer, Head of Northern and Southern Europe Daniela Matei, CEO Nordics, Central Eastern Europe & Balkans Patrick Schult, CEO, FremantleMedia Asia
Push the Button
(Gameshow)
UK’s 2010 prime-time hit. Super-sized and revitalised, the traditional family gameshow will never be the same again.
Young Professionals of the Year
(Reality)
From the BBC, a talent competition that celebrates young workers. Real emotion from real people, striving to be the best in real jobs.
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India - A Love Story
Scarlet Shore
Globo TV International
Imagina International Sales
Booth: A0.01
Booth: R32.31
EXECUTIVES ATTENDING
Raphael Correa, Head of International Sales Marcelo Mattar, Sales Manager Western Europe Gabriel Rohonyi, Sales Executive Center Europe, Scandinavia and Baltic Republics Hugo Aloy, Sales Manager Portugal and Asia Pacific João Fonseca, Sales Executive Africa, Middle East and Asia Pedro Dombrasas, Sales Executive Eastern Europe, Germany, Turkey and Greece Alejandra Moreno, International Marketing Manager Vinicius Pagin, Marketing Coordinator EMEA Fernanda Vio, PR Coordinator
India - A Love Story
(160 x 45’)
Set in contemporary Brazil and India, and filled with swirling color, music and movement, ‘India - A Love Story’ is gripping tale of tradition facing a new era and the power of love to overcome all obstacles. “2009 International Emmy Winner” for Best Telenovela.
EXECUTIVES ATTENDING
José Huertas, CEO Géraldine Gonard, Sales Director Laura Miñarro, Sales Manager Barbora Susterova, Sales Executive Iván Agenjo, Sales Executive Lorena Molloy, Marketing Manager
Scarlet Shore
(Mystery TV Series – 12 x 50’/ 9 x 70’) A past and tragic murder revives with the premonitions and visions of Lucía, who has a gift that will start an intense police investigation.
The South African Story
(Documentary – 12 x 26’/ 1 x 50’)
A journey across a fascinating land that will host 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Huaiquiman Y Tolosa
Latin Media Corporation / Worldwide Rights Corporation Booth: 05.19
Executives attending
Farid Khaleeque Ahmad, Director of WRC Jose Escalante, Director of WRC Azi Shafian, Assistant Manager of Sales, WRC
Huaiquiman Y Tolosa
(Series - 24 x 60’)
Comedy/Action/Telenovela
Cuenta Conmigo
(Series - 100 x 45’)
Drama/Love/Telenovela
Amango
(Series - 32 x 50’) Teen Drama/Love/Musical Telenovela
The Ricky Gervais Show
Intelligence
Lionsgate
Mediaset Distribution Booth: R 32.07
Booth: RB 40 (Riviera Beach)
EXECUTIVES ATTENDING
EXECUTIVES ATTENDING
Steve Beeks, President Kevin Beggs, President, TV Programming & Development, Sandra Stern, EVP, COO Lionsgate TV Peter Iacono, Managing Director, International TV, Rand Stoll, EVP, Domestic TV Sales Amanda Cordner, VP, International TV Sales Tim Stuart, VP, Asia Pacific TV Sales Hana Zidek, Director, Central & Eastern European TV Sales Priscilla Pesci, SVP, TV Marketing Tori Crotts, Director, TV Marketing Wendy Reeds, VP, International Sales and Home Entertainment Paul Presburger, Head of Corporate Development, Tigergate
The Ricky Gervais Show
(Comedy/Animation- Season 1: 13 x 30’) An Internet phenomenon since its first podcast in 2005 and the most downloaded podcast at 2 million worldwide, the free form comedic conversations between Ricky Gervais, Steve Merchant, and Karl Pilkington is now the basis for a new animation series on HBO. Each episode contains two 10-12 minute hilarious vignettes sourced from original material as well as newly produced content. Subjects range from Karl’s Diary, animals, philosophy, and letters from non-existent fans.
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Patricio Teubal, Mediaset Distribution’s Head of Sales, Clare Mc Ardle, International Sales Manager, Manuela Caputi, International Sales Manager Paola De Santiago, International Sales Executive
Intelligence
(Action Miniseries / Series – 6 x 100’ or 12 x 50’) Inspired by features such as the Bourne trilogy, the latest James Bond and Mission Impossible films, ‘Intelligence’ is the first series dedicated to espionage and secret services produced by Italian television.
Crime Squad
(Police Series – 44 x 50’) The internal dynamics of a new police station in the centre of Naples where two different strategies for fighting crime have to live side by side, criminal investigations and the personal lives of a squad of police officers are at the centre of Crime Squad.
About my Brother
(Scripted Format – Soft Crime Series – 6 x 100’) After the death of their mother, Stefano, a 30 years old lawyer and Filippo, his autistic brother, are forced to live together. Option: U.S.; Adaptation: Portugal
Big Time Rush
MTV Networks International Booth: R38.05
Executives Attending
Steve Grieder, Executive Vice President, International Programme Sales Caroline Beaton, Senior Vice President, International Programme Sales
Big Time Rush
(Live Action – Tweens - 40 x 30’) Already premiered in the US as the highest rated live-action series premiere of a Nickelodeon show, Big Time Rush is the brand’s newest Live Action series produced for tweens. Big Time Rush is produced by Scott Fellows (Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide) in partnership with Sony Music. The show features four hockey-loving teenage best friends, Kendall Schmidt (Al, Gilmore Girls), James Maslow (iCarly), Logan Henderdon (Friday Night Lights), and Carlos Pena (Ned’s DeClassified School Survival Guide), who move from Minneapolis to Hollywood after Kendall is discovered by an eccentric record executive during a nationwide casting call for the next big talent. Kendall refused to go without his friends, and so the foursome moves to a swanky housing development in Hollywood forming a new boy band and aim to ‘live the dream’. They soon quickly realise, however, that they have a short window to prove to themselves and their record label that they are serious about their new career choice.
Sidekick
Nelvana Enterprises Booth: N6.04
EXECUTIVES ATTENDING
Colin Bohm, Vice President and Managing Director Lynn Chadwick, Vice President, Worldwide Sales and Distribution Peter Maule, Vice President, Worldwide Home Entertainment and Digital Media Antoine Erligmann, Vice President, Licensing, Europe Sylvie Didierjean, Director, Sales, France, French-speaking Europe and Africa, Italy, Scandinavia and Benelux Jaap Joost (JJ) Breijinck, Sales Representative, Germany and Eastern Europe Kerry Novick, Sales Representative, Southeast Asia Jerry Diaz, Sales Representative, L atin America and Iberia Bonnie MacVicar, Senior Manager, Home Entertainment and Digital Media
Sidekick
(52 x 11’)
Follow the misadventures of sidekicks-in-training, Eric and Trevor, as they try to figure out girls, life, junk, school, girls and oh yeah saving the world. There’s a chance these notorious second-besters will learn a thing or two at the Academy for Aspiring Sidekicks … but these best buds truly just want to hang out, play video games and have fun until their super powers kick in so don’t hold your breath. No really, don’t hold your breath. For kids 8 to 11.
PopCorn TV
Novavision Promotion Internationale Booth: 1013
EXECUTIVES ATTENDING
François- Xavier Poirier, President Marine Launier, Sales Executive for the European and African market Charlène Calmano, Sales Executive for the American continent, Russia and CIS
PopCorn TV
(Hidden camera / sports bloopers - 200 x 26’) Exciting new graphics depicting a variety of favourite gags from ‘ZeZe Hidden Camera’, ‘Mad Boys hidden camera’, ‘Junior hidden camera’, ‘Hilarious home video’, ‘Extreme sports bloopers’.
Crazy Hidden Camera
(Hidden camera compilation - 100 x 26’) Compilation show, for those broadcasters who want candid camera, but do not require funny home video clips. This family orientated show features our favourite world renowned candid camera gags.
The law and the crime Free as the Wind
RCTV International EXECUTIVES ATTENDING
Marcel Granier, President Daniela Bergami, CEO Guadalupe D’Agostino, Vice President and General Manager Haydee Pabon, Director of International Sales Marc Paneque, Director of International Sales Laura Mejias, Director of International Sales
Free as the Wind
(Telenovela - In production 120 hours) After the death of her wealthy father, Fabiola, a rebellious and beautiful college student must strive to keep her family united while discovering that her childhood friendship with Miguel Angel has blossomed into the greatest love of her life. A love so strong, it will move mountains. Together, they will embark on an amazing journey that will put their love to the test as they share a passion for ideals of justice and liberty for their fellow man.
Extreme Challenge
(Reality Show - 26 x 60’)
Intelligence, ability and endurance will be the key to go over the extreme challenges that each team must face.
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Record TV Network Booth: 05.02
EXECUTIVES ATTENDING
Delmar Andrade, International Sales Director Edson Mendes, International Sales Coordinator
The law and the crime
(Series 21 x 60’)
‘The Law and the Crime’ shows the shock between violence on every social class. 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.
Ugly Bela
Ice
Power Booth: H4.27
Executives attending
Justin Bodle, Chairman and CEO Eloise Tooke, Managing Director Randall Broman, President, Worldwide Sales Ewa Radwanska, Head of Drama Sue Green, Managing Director, Power Local Mark Dineley, VP, Digital Media Sales and Strategy George Sakkalli, VP, Sales and Distribution, Asia Eric Muller, VP, International Sales Andrew Whiteman, Sales Controller Natasha Jenkins, Executive Assistant to CEO Julia Cafferkey, Marketing Executive
Ice
(Miniseries - 2 x 120’) With power-hungry oil giants exploiting the world’s limited fuel supplies against the advice of staunch environmentalists, the collapse of a rig in the Arctic causes global panic. Devastating weather patterns emerge and plunge the world’s temperatures into steep decline. The entire planet is left to contemplate the dawning of a new ice age. Starring Richard Roxburgh, Francis O’Connor, Stephen Moyer, Claire Forlani, Simon Callow and Ben Cross.
Seven Deadly Sins
RHI Entertainment Booth: R30.09
EXECUTIVES ATTENDING
Jeff Sagansky, Chairman Robert Halmi Jr., President & CEO Peter von Gal, COO Joel Denton, President of Production and Distribution John Alexander, SVP, International Sales & Worldwide DVD Distribution Torquil Macneal, SVP, International Sales Michael Oesterlin, SVP, International Sales Alan Zapakin, SVP, Marketing and Promotion Todd Sokolove, Director of Marketing
Seven Deadly Sins
(Soap opera – on air)
(Lifetime) (4 Hours/Thriller/Drama )
Because of her appearance, Bela is mocked by everyone, but being in love with Rodrigo, she makes everything to not disappoint him. Verônica sets up a plan so unmask them in front of everyone, but her evil plan fails. Rodrigo will get recovered and will be ready to restart their professional lifes and remake a real relationship.
In this miniseries event, Gossip Girl’s Dreama Walker stars as Harper Grace, the center of a very exclusive, and very wicked circle of high-school friends. What transpires in this clique, in time for graduation, is a heady game of deception reflected from each of the Seven Deadly Sins-Envy, Pride, Wrath, Sloth, Gluttony, Greed, and Harper’s personal favorite, Lust.
Abby’s Flying Fairy School
Sesame Workshop
The Frontier
Booth: Riviera R30.24
SevenOne International
Executives Attending
Stand: H4.12
Terry Fitzpatrick, Executive Vice President, Distribution Scott Chambers, Vice President and General Manager, Worldwide Media Distribution Renee Mascara, Vice President, International Television Distribution Susanna Phillips, Director, International Publishing, Home Video and Audio Celia Schneiderman, Manager, International Television Distribution
Abby’s Flying Fairy School
(Children - 13 x 9’)
Everybody’s favorite fairy-in-training, Abby Cadabby, is getting a new look – a 3D animated look – in her new series ‘Abby’s Flying Fairy School’. The characters for the 9-minute CGI-animation series were designed by Peter De Séve, character designer for ‘Ice Age’. Each segment is created to foster preschoolers’ critical thinking skills to solve problems. Abby Cadabby, along with an eclectic gang of new friends - fairies, trolls and a part gerbil part unicorn called Niblet - attend Fairy School with Ms. Sparklenose. Abby and her friends use rhyme, reason, and cooperation – plus a helping hand (or wand) from viewers at home to solve problems.
Executives attending
Jens Richter, Managing Director Caroline Kusser, Senior Sales Executive Yan He, Senior Sales Executive Axel Boehm, Senior Sales Executive Bodo Braun, Sales Executive Zasha Robles, Director Spiral International Fabiola Flores, Sales Director Latin America / US Gillian Kirby, Sales Director Pan Regional Latin America
The Frontier
(Action Thriller - 1 x 120’) It’s the global financial crises on steroids: in the gripping event thriller ‘The Frontier’ terrorist attacks on all oil reserves intensify the global financial crises, causing a civil war scenario.
The Resistance
Telefe International Booth: RSV14
Executives Attending
Alejandro Parra, Director, International Business Area Michelle Wasserman, Head of International Distribution Programming, Formats & Production Services Diana Coifman, Senior Sales Executive Programming & Formats Guillermo Borensztein, Sales Executive Programming & Formats Guillermo Henrich, Sales Executive Programming & Formats Meca Salado Pizarro, Head of Marketing
The Resistance
(Teen Telenovela - 150 x 60’) In confusing, skeptical, cold and materialistic times a group of young people fight for a Better World. On one side, the Corporation makes the inhabitans of the “NE” (New Era) believe that they live in a perfect and happy world, but they are totally manipulated. On the other side, those who resist, the rebels, who know the truth. Between both worlds there is a wall which is real and impossible to jump. The challenge will be to cross and pull down that wall that separates them and confronts them.
Missing
Telemundo Internacional Booth: A0.21
From Paris With Love
Telefilms Booth: 1316
EXECUTIVES ATTENDING
Tomás Darcyl, President Ricardo Costianovsky, CEO Alfredo Andreotti, Sales Manager Humberto Delmas, Sales Manager Alejandro Carballo, Sales Manager
From Paris With Love In Paris, a young employee in the office of the US Ambassador (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) hooks up with an American spy (John Travolta) looking to stop a terrorist attack in the city.
A Single Man Set in Los Angeles in 1962, A Single Man is the story of George Falconer, a British college professor (Colin Firth) who is struggling to find meaning in his life after the death of his long-time partner, Jim (Matthew Goode). We follow George through a single day, where a series of encounters, ultimately leads him to decide if there is a meaning to life after Jim. George is consoled by his closest friend, Charley (Julianne Moore), a 48-year-old beauty, and is stalked by one of his students, Kenny (Nicholas Hoult).
EXECUTIVES ATTENDING
Marcos Santana, President Esperanza Garay, Senior VP Sales & Acquisition – Latin America Luis Daniel Capriles, VP International Digital Media Sales Karina Etchinson, VP Sales-Europe, Africa & Middle East Melissa Pillow, Sales Director Central & Eastern Europe Joysette Rivera, Sales Manager, Central America & The Caribbean Karen Barroeta, VP Marketing & Promotions Ana Pinos, Sales Manager-Asia
Missing (¿Dónde está Elisa?)
(Telenovela – 90 x 60’)
The disappearance of a teenager will change the life of a family forever. Elisa Altamira, daughter of Mariano Altamira and Danna Riggs, was last seen on her father’s birthday, when the whole family gathered to celebrate at their Malibu beach House. That night Elisa’s cousins-Santiago, Flor, and Eduardo, invited her to a nightclub and after a great deal of begging her parents allowed her go. When Danna and he sister-in-law Cecilia went to pick them up, all of them started showing up except for Elisa. As the hours passed, her parent grew more and more desperate and it was then when they decided to call the police and file a missing report. At first the police was skeptical about the disappearance because they thought Elisa was just staying out past her curfew, but after investigating further they concluded that there had been foul play. They began suspecting everybody, even her family. Cristobal Rivas and Gisela Cruz will be the detectives in charge of the case. They will come across many theories about Elisa’s disappearance. Did somebody kidnap her to get back at her father? Did her secret relationship with her cousin Santiago turn bad? Did she run away from my parents because they were abusing her? Was her cousin Flor jealous of her? Or was it just a random crime?
A Woman of Steel
Televisa Internacional Booth: RSV.02
EXECUTIVES ATTENDING
Fernando Perez Gavilan, Vice President of Televisa Internacional Carlos Castro, General Director of Sales Ricardo Ehrsam, General Director, Europe & Asia Claudia Sahab, Director for Europe Elsa Garcia, Business Manager, Spain & Portugal Patricia Porto, Business Manager, Central & Western Europe Beatriz Rodriguez, Business Manager, Eastern Europe Manola Martin, Business Manager, Eastern Europe & Nordic Region Pedro Font, GMD Asia, Africa and Middle East Silvia Garcia, GMD Asia, Africa and Middle East Mario Castro, Director of New Business Claudia Silva, Director of Sales for Licensed Products Jose Luis Romero. Director of Formats and New Content Cecilia Rivera, Director of Marketing
A Woman of Steel
(Telenovela - 150 x 60’)
Valentina Villalba is a woman that has it all: beauty, a significant fortune that she inherited from her parents, a successful career and a man she adores. Years later, she meets Jose Miguel who can’t help falling in love with her striking beauty and strong character, and he decides to win her over
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Operation Victoria: The Fall of Shining Path
Sailor Moon
Torn Apart
Televix Entertainment
Toei Animation
TV Azteca
EXECUTIVES ATTENDING
Booth: R36.12
Booth: LR 2.06
Operation Victoria: The Fall of Shining Path
Kanji Kazahaya, Director of International Department Kenji Ebato, Chief Manager of International Department Ryuji Kochi, Vice president, Toei Animation Europe
Hugo Rose, CEO Katherine Kaufman, VP Sales
(Documentary Drama - 60’)
During the 1980s, Abimael Guzman led Shining Path into being one of the most brutal terrorist groups of the 20th century. Over 20,000 people died. In April 1990, the Peruvian Secret Service assigns police officer Benedicto Jimenez to form a secret unit to capture Guzman. With limited resources; one car, four radios, two old desks, and a typewriter, Jimenez and his team overcome limitations to capture the most wanted Latin American terrorist in September 1992. The documentary has first time interviews with those involved in the capture of Guzman, it contains never before seen and recently de-classified photographic and video elements, and contains recreations of the events. The documentary is in postproduction, and it will be ready in June 2010. I’ve attached some images from the film, as well as our logo. The images are smaller than the size you’ve requested, so I’ve attached one enlarged version of our primary image. Let me know if the images will not work, or if you need anything else for the listing.
EXECUTIVES ATTENDING
Sailor Moon
(Action - 200 x 30’)
One day on the way to the school, a young girl helped a black cat bullied by children. The strange black cat who had a crescent patch on his forehead told her that she is a Sailor Moon to protect the earth and the moon.
One Piece Strong World
(Action - 120’)
Luffy and his crew are sailing seas looking for the One Piece, the legendary treasure, and facing tough pirates. The toughest of them, Shiki the Golden Lion, supposedly dead, comes back twenty years after having disappeared. He wants to take revenge on the whole wide world.
Executives attending
Marcel Vinay Hill, Vice President International Sales Marcel Vinay Jr., CEO Comarex Carmen Pizano, Sales, Latin America & Spain Ana Z. Sánchez, Head of Operations Martha Contreras, Sales, Asia Adela Velasco, Sales Europe & Africa Maxim Slavik, Sales, Europe
Torn Apart
(Telenovela- 120 x 60’) Identical twins Luz and Laura who as victims of their Grandmother Maria Julia’s ambition and evil have been separated at birth. While Maria Julia raised Laura as her own daughter in the city, Luz was saved from death and adopted by a country couple from humble origins. Now, twenty years later the sisters are living their lives unaware of each other’s existence. When Martin a handsome businessman comes into their lives he is unaware that he will become the only tie between the twins. When the truth comes back to haunt Maria Julia she will do whatever it takes in her power to keep her catastrophic secrets buried. Both sisters will fight for Martin’s love and eventually he will have to decide between the innocent and noble Luz and the whimsical and spoilt Laura. Torn Apart is the story of a bountiful and celestial love that has to face a wicked past and defeat the very devil in order to find eternal happiness.
Intelligence Woman’s Sacrifice
Venevision International Booth: 14.02
EXECUTIVES ATTENDING
Manuel Pérez, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Venevision International Cesar Díaz, Vice President of Sales Cristobal Ponte, Exclusive Independent Representative for Europe, Africa & M.E. Miguel Somoza, Sales Director for Asia and North America Daniel Rodríguez, Sales Director for Latin America
Woman’s Sacrifice
(Sacrificio de Mujer) (Telenovela – 120 x 45’) Clemencia’s life was shattered 20 years ago when she was abandoned by the man she loved and her newborn baby was abducted. Now a successful, yet bitter, businesswoman, she is harshly confronted by her past - discovering that the young woman she is bent on destroying is none other than her long-lost daughter and the love she once felt for the man who deceived her is still very much alive.
Salvador: A Knockout Lover
(Salvador de Mujeres) (Telenovela - 120 x 45’)
When his boxing license is suspended and he is faced with financial ruin, Salvador reluctantly starts a new career as an escort, becoming not only the most desired lover but also a savior of lonely women… adored by all, except by the one woman he truly loves.
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Vision Films Booth: R29.33
Valentina
(Family Animation – 65’) Valentina invites her fans to share the wonderful experience of her first love and growing up with her friends.
Great Destinations of the World
(Travel Documentary - 80 x 60’)
Travel to some of the most exotic, remote locations and incredible cities of our world.
Earth Report
(Documentary - 74 x 30’) Longest running environmental series of global importance covering the current state of our world and the timeliest ideas that will transform our future.
World B-Boy Championships
(TV Special - 10 x 60’)
Hosted by LL Cool J, over two hours of uncut, breathtaking, intense competition that took place at London’s Wembley Arena.
Behind the Video: Lights, Camera, Action
(TV Series - 20 x 30’)
Behind the scenes with some of today’s biggest music stars as they create their music videos from concept to the screen.
One World
Zodiak Entertainment Booth: LR4.02
Executives Attending
Marco Cordeddu, Managing Director Matthieu Porte, Head of Format Sales Emmanuelle Bouilhaguet, Scripted Sales Director Alexandre Piel, Head of Documentaries Acquisitions & Co-Productions
One World
(9 x 90’)
‘One World’ is a brand new primetime entertainment show which merges the current trend of flash mobs and street art with big scale studio entertainment. It celebrates the power of imagination and surprise. Celebrities are challenged to impress and capture audiences with surprising and innovative acts of entertainment –using their own unique skills and expressions.