THE MAGAZINE OF INTERNATIONAL MEDIA • JANUARY 2010
www.worldscreen.com
NATPE Edition
contents
JANUARY 2010/NATPE EDITION
Publisher Ricardo Seguin Guise
departments WORLD VIEW
6
Editor Anna Carugati
A note from the editor. UPFRONT
Executive Editor Mansha Daswani
8
New shows on the market. SPOTLIGHT
10
Fox Television Studios’ Emiliano Calemzuk. NETWORK SCORECARD 175
The top 50 shows in the U.S. WORLD’S END
178
In the stars.
8
12
Managing Editor Kristin Brzoznowski
16
Production and Design Director Lauren M. Uda Editor, Spanish-Language Publications Elizabeth Bowen-Tombari
special report
12
Online Director Simon Weaver
THE SHOW MUST GO ON
Are the broadcast networks a dying breed or can hit shows ensure continued success? —Bill Dunlap
Art Director Phyllis Q. Busell Sales and Marketing Director Tatiana Rozza
one-on-one
16
Executive Editor, Spanish-Language Publications Rafael Blanco
Sales and Marketing Manager Kelly Quiroz
A&E TELEVISION NETWORKS’ ABBE RAVEN
As president and CEO, Abbe Raven sits at the helm of a company that is home to some of the most recognized brands in television, including A&E, History, Bio, and the most recent addition, Lifetime. —Anna Carugati
Business Affairs Manager Rae Matthew Sales and Marketing Coordinator Cesar Suero Senior Editors Bill Dunlap Kate Norris Jay Stuart George Winslow Contributing Editors Grace Hernandez José Miguel López Gerry Regan Contributing Writers Dieter Brockmeyer Chris Forrester Elena Mora David del Valle David Wood
Ricardo Seguin Guise, President Anna Carugati, Executive VP and Group Editorial Director Mansha Daswani,VP of Strategic Development
WORLD SCREEN is published seven times per year: January, April, May, June/July, October, November and December. Annual subscription price: Inside the U.S.: $70.00 Outside the U.S.: $120.00 Send checks, company information and address corrections to: WSN INC. 1123 Broadway, Suite 1207 New York, NY 10010, U.S.A. For a free subscription to our newsletters, please visit www.worldscreen.com.
WORLD SCREEN is a registered trademark of WSN INC. 1123 Broadway, Suite 1207 New York, NY 10010, U.S.A. Phone: (212) 924-7620 Fax: (212) 924-6940 Website: www.worldscreen.com
12 THE LEADING ONLINE DAILY NEWS SERVICE FOR THE INTERNATIONAL MEDIA INDUSTRY. For a free subscription, visit www.worldscreen.com
1/10
World Screen
3
©2010 WSN INC. Printed by Fry Communications No part of this publication can be used, reprinted, copied or stored in any medium without the publisher’s authorization.
contents
JANUARY 2010/NATPE EDITION
These targeted magazines appear both inside World Screen and as separate publications. FREE TV The dominant terrestrials are adapting to new viewing habits 88…HISPANIC BOOM Trends in the U.S. Hispanic market 94…MADE IN COLOMBIA The country has become a key production center 98…ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL Televisa celebrates 60 years of broadcasting 152… INTERVIEWS Globo’s Octavio Florisbal 117…Univision’s César Conde 120…Telemundo’s Don Browne 124…Caracol’s Paulo Laserna 128…HBO’s Gustavo Grossman 130…Telefe’s Alejando Parra 132
CHANNEL SURFING Buyers of children’s content are looking for standout shows 22…INTERVIEWS ZDF’s Nicole Keeb 28…Al Jazeera Children’s Channel’s Mahmoud Bouneb 31…PROFILE PBS KIDS 32
GAME ON Game-show formats remain in high demand worldwide 110…INTERVIEW Screenwriter Gustavo Bolívar, who penned the hit Colombian format Without Breasts There is No Paradise 112
TELEVIX ANNIVERSARY REPORT Televix Entertainment has been selling kids’programming to Latin America for two decades 134
World Screen Distributors Guide The World Screen Distributors Guide provides comprehensive information on the top distributors in the entertainment industry. Space Reservations . . . . March 5 Ad Materials . . . . . . . . March 11 For more information, please contact Ricardo Guise (rguise@worldscreen.com)
world view
A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR ANNA CARUGATI
Looking Back to See Forward In an interview not long ago I heard a phrase that really struck a chord with me: “You have to know where you came from in order to know where you are going.” This is the kind of sentence that would give me pause for reflection under any circumstance. But lately, as I’ve been witnessing fixtures of the world I was born into— newspapers, radio and broadcast networks—become endangered media species almost overnight, knowing where we come from in order to navigate the changes ahead rang particularly true to me. I recently traveled to Italy with the desire to spend time with my mother and revisit locales that were important to me when I was growing up there as a child.We rang in the New Year in the company of relatives in my mother’s hometown. Nestled in the hills of Emilia-Romagna, a province adjacent to Tuscany, Santarcangelo is a gem that openly displays her rich and varied past. Remains from the Bronze Age and ancient Rome have been found in the foundations of nearly every home built there.The town is poised on a hill, on the top of which stands a castle erected by the powerful Malatesta family, ruled the region in medieval times. One THE CHALLENGE who of the town’s residents became Pope Clement the XIV in 1769 and he had a beautiful and triFOR MEDIA umphant arch built in the main square, Piazza Ganganelli, named after him, which provides a monumental entranceway into town. COMPANIES IN 2010 Underneath the town runs a complex labyrinth of hundreds of caves and tunnels IS...TO FIND carved out of limestone. While their origins remain a mystery, it is thought that they date back to the Etruscans, who lived in the area NEW WAYS TO before the Romans ruled. The caves have served multiple purposes: homes to the storage areas and escape routes for MONETIZE Etruscans, the Malatesta family, and during World War II, Santarcangelo’s residents, including my aunt, THEIR CONTENT. lived in them for months at a time when the Allied front passed through Romagna not once, but twice. Santarcangelo also boasts the oldest fabric printer in Europe, dating back to 1633.Today the same hemp and cotton fabric and the same method of printing are used, but 21st-century marketing helps sell the beautiful house linens to a wide clientele. Throughout the town and the region there is a pervasive reverence for tradition while acknowledging progress. Houses that date back hundreds of years have been refurbished respecting their original architecture, but a satellite dish is never lacking. Cafés maintain their turn-of-the6
World Screen
century atmosphere but offer wireless Internet access. Even among my relatives, men and women alike had spent days preparing for NewYear’s Eve making handmade pasta,pickled vegetables,pastries and fruits preserved in rum,following recipes that had been passed down from generation to generation. All examples of Italian culture that I have always found so fascinating—the juxtaposition of the old and the new, respect for the past with a view to what is coming. Witnessing this blend of tradition and innovation I was reminded of another sentence, “You have to know who you are before you can become something else.”There is a lesson here that can be applied to the media business as well. As “old” media continues to grapple with and even compete with “new” media, the debate over whether content is still king rages on. The challenge for media companies in 2010 is not only to complete their transition to the digital world, but to find new ways to monetize their content. Many are betting on consumers’ willingness to pay for content they want. Comcast, while still believing in the prowess of cable television, set out to acquire NBC Universal to improve its on-demand services with more movies and TV programming. John Malone’s Liberty Media is also betting on the subscription model. It recently hired the former HBO chief Chris Albrecht to boost original programming at Starz. Barry Diller’s IAC is investing in multiplatform content in an effort to create subscription and premium advertising revenue. The Walt Disney Company is looking to create more franchises that can be exploited across several platforms, generating multiple revenue streams. These companies know what the strengths of their core businesses are and are trying to adapt to a new media landscape, which reminds me of still another sentence I heard, this one from Luis Torres-Bohl: “In order to become something, you have to know where you come from.” He’s the founder and president of Castalia Communications and the owner of Mexicanal, just one of the players in the U.S. Hispanic market serving the rapidly evolving Spanish-speaking community in the U.S., which we examine in this issue of TV Latina. World Screen looks at how the American broadcast networks are working to remain competitive and relevant. And we have an interview with Abbe Raven, the president and CEO of A&E Television Networks, whose portfolio of channels includes History, which can help us learn about the past in order to understand the future.
1/10
Bandeirantes TV International www.band.com.br/international
Highlights
“ Our focus will always be
In the Heart of Brazil
• E24 • Africa World Cup Countdown • Carnaval • Parintins • In the Heart of Brazil
the ‘tailor-made’ concept, which will help our clients to save time and costs, provide them with creative tools and maximize the usage of our products.
In the Brazilian market,Grupo Bandeirantes de Comunicação is a recognized leader in supplying content from various genres, such as news, sports, music, reality shows, travel and adventure, and popular events. Its Bandeirantes TV International division is bringing a host of programs to NATPE, including the reality series E24, set in a hospital emergency room. “Reality shows are very popular at the moment in many countries,” says Elisa Maria Botelho Ayub, the director of international content for Grupo Bandeirantes de Comunicação. Ayub points out that sports programs, travel series, music and popular parties also fit well on many different platforms. In the Heart of Brazil falls in the travel-andadventure category, while Africa World Cup Countdown is one of the sports offerings.The catalogue also includes coverage of major events such as Carnaval, showcasing the Brazilian street celebration, and Parintins, featuring another large-scale festival.
”
—Elisa Maria Botelho Ayub
CABLEready www.cableready.net
Highlights
“ We see great potential
• Forensic Files/Medical Detectives • Hollywood Dailies • Into the Wild • What I Learned from the Movies • Wine Portfolio
to expand our business in [Latin America], specifically with free-TV broadcasters and local cable channels.
”
CABLEready is returning to NATPE with its broad slate of factual fare, led by a new high-definition season of the longrunning true-crime series Forensic Files/Medical Detectives. “It is a versatile and reliable series that has delivered on all different platforms, time slots and demographics all over the world,” says Tatiana Figueiredo, a sales representative at the company, who adds that the show is available in Spanish. There’s also entertainment content on offer, with CABLEready representing the rights to titles from ReelzChannel, including Hollywood Dailies, which features trailers, star interviews and gossip, and What I Learned from the Movies. On the lifestyle end, the company is showcasing Wine Portfolio, while in wildlife there’s Into the Wild. “The series, which is now available in Spanish, works well for all audiences as a family series and can also be a great live-action addition to a children’s programming block,” Figueiredo says.
—Tatiana Figueiredo
8
World Screen
1/10
Into the Wild
Claxson www.claxsonmedia.com Sounds of Freedom
Highlights • Volcano Hunter • All That Show:The Trip • Cour Stephanie • In the Deep • Sounds of Freedom
Travel and adventure are the themes for Claxson’s portfolio of content for NATPE; from the photographer Carsten Peter’s journey across Hawaii in Volcano Hunter to a young actress’s trips to the theater capitals of the world in All That Show:The Trip. In Sounds of Freedom, the Putumayo Production Company travels to several American cities to put its own spin on the blues, while In the Deep sees the diver Gianluca Genoni exploring underwater depths. Capping off the highlights for NATPE is Cour Stephanie. “Claxson is proud of creating a wide range of formats within the docu-soaps category,” says Ariel Taboada, the head of programming, production and operations at Claxson.“The immense flexibility with which Claxson can produce around the world, at low costs, and still find unique stories to tell under a fresh look and feel, makes the production company a pioneer in creating international content.”
“ Claxson offers a wide range of different programs at a competitive price and at a quality level that attracts buyers around the world regardless of their origin or culture.
”
— Ariel Taboada
Dori Media Group www.dorimedia.com
Highlights • • • • •
Date Blind Mia: My Invisible Friend Money Time Pilots’Wives Split
“ Dori Media tries to produce a variety of products, so that buyers from all over the world can find the perfect product suiting their needs.
”
—Nadav Palti
In Dori Media Group’s new series Date Blind, a single woman has 258 days to find a boyfriend before her younger sister’s wedding day.“It’s what we call a ‘new-vela,’ as it contains all the basic elements of the traditional telenovelas but with an edge—its story line is more updated and unique, its pace is faster, and the way it is shot and edited is innovative,” says Nadav Palti, the president and CEO of Dori Media. Continuing its tradition of producing successful teen novelas, Dori Media is also showcasing Mia: My Invisible Friend, and the vampire-themed Split. Rounding out Dori Media’s highlights are the classic novelas Money Time and Pilots’Wives. “We believe that at NATPE we will witness high interest from buyers for the telenovela and daily drama genres,” Palti says.“Since we are producing for one singular territory—the world—our productions tend to appeal to a wider target of potential buyers.” 1/10
Split
World Screen
9
spotlight
A LOOK AT INNOVATION IN THE TELEVISION INDUSTRY BY ANNA CARUGATI
Profitable Partnerships
Fox Television Studios’ Calemzuk From the acclaimed U.S. cable series Burn Notice and Saving Grace to co-productions such as Mental, Fox Television Studios (FtvS), headed by Emiliano Calemzuk, is developing innovative, successful business models that are cost-effective and involve international partners.
WS: Tell us about your production slate. CALEMZUK: It’s been a good year for us.We
launched three dramas under our co-production model: Mental on FOX, Defying Gravity on ABC, and we are waiting to launch Persons Unknown on NBC. We launched another great show on USA Network called White Collar, which is performing extremely well. It’s our second show on USA after Burn Notice. We are also prepping a show for FOX called Jack and Dan, with Bradley Whitford and Colin Hanks. It’s a great cop show that will probably launch in late spring of 2010. It’s been a really good year. We’ve continued to develop our cable scripted-drama business in addition to the international co-production model for broadcast. WS: How did your co-production model evolve, and why is it of benefit to broadcasters all over the world? CALEMZUK: One of the things that we tried to figure out was whether we could bring more than one broadcaster to the pool of investors to produce a drama whose quality was good enough to play in the U.S. but do it in a way that we could avoid participating in the piloting and development process. Studios spend between $50 million and $100 million a year just in developing and piloting projects. We wanted to avoid that expense and also be able to test production locations around the world where we could save money and produce at equal quality. So we embarked on this idea. We raised financing from partners around the world, such as RAI, ProSieben,Televisa, Fox International Channels, CTV and the BBC, and we put these initiatives together and they really turned out great. The quality is fantastic, the shows have American show runners and American casts. We shot some of them in Canada; in Bogotá, Colombia; and in Mexico. So it was an innovative way to get foreign broadcasters involved from the get-go in the production of a show for the world market. WS: Quality programming at low cost seems to be in
demand nowadays more than ever.Was 2009 a good year for you even though it was not a good year in general? CALEMZUK: It was very good, and I think it’s going to get better for companies that are looking into ways of 10
World Screen
producing high quality at a lower cost because the economics that underpin the television industry are changing very fast. New distribution [outlets] and technology are causing significant disruptions, the price that networks can pay for content is going to continue to change, and clearly the days of paying in excess of millions of dollars in license fees are gone. 2009 was a very, very tough year for broadcast networks, and they are looking for alternatives. As a company we want to be there with our bag of ideas and projects that we can deliver in a way that they can make money and we can make money. WS: Where do you see the future of the television industry? CALEMZUK: It’s very difficult to predict where the industry is going, but I think we can definitely look at some trends, some of which are not necessarily coming from the television business. Digital distribution systems have allowed people to choose what they want. Look at the music business, where before you had to buy a full CD just for one song—now people can buy a song for 99 cents and the value of music content had to find a different parameter. Now, arguably, a song in the minds of people costs 99 cents, provided you do the legal thing and you buy it. Something like this may be happening in the television business or in the movie business.There are different options to get your hands on a piece of movie or TV content. And while [today you have to] buy a $100 cable subscription, in the future that may change. What is clear is that the value of intellectual property in the minds of consumers keeps changing given the changes in technology. We are going from a world of limited choice to a world of infinite choice, and when there are cheaper or free alternatives, certain content is worth different things to different people. I don’t know what the future will bring, but clearly the value and the costs related to how certain content is produced needs to be reflective of the value in the minds of the consumer, and today it’s not very clear that there is a causal relationship between A and B. In the future, before you start shooting a movie or a TV show, you need to know, How much am I going to get from a broadcaster or a cable system, and how is the consumer going to pay for it—whether it’s on demand, on DVD or whatever—and just make sure that those numbers add up and you can still make money. That is going to be the most radical transformation of this business, because some of the underlying assumptions belong to the past and not to the way we will be living in the future. 1/10
Th
w o h S e
FOX’s Glee.
Must Go On
Are the broadcast networks a dying breed or can hit shows ensure By Bill Dunlap continued success? As 2009 was drawing to a close, it was a little hard to get a good handle on the state of broadcastnetwork television in the U.S. Most of the attention and big headlines were concentrated on NBC, but questions about the company also suggested more widespread problems in the industry. First, the network’s decision to turn five hours a week of prime
time over to the former late-night star Jay Leno for a relatively lowbudget comedy-variety show seemed to suggest that it was getting too difficult to make money on the scripted dramas that used to occupy many of the 10 o’clock time slots. Then, in December, when control of NBC Universal was acquired by the dominant U.S. 12
cable provider, Comcast Corporation, the real prize seemed to be the various NBC Universal-owned cable channels, with the studio coming in second and the TV network coming in a distant third. (It was pointed out in several places that the 2,742-word announcement of the long-anticipated deal didn’t mention the broadcast network until word 2,170.)
World Screen
1/10
Lost in headlines like “An Unsteady Future for Broadcast” in the November 21 New York Times and “NBC-Comcast Deal Puts Broadcast TV in Doubt” in the December 7 Times is the fact that the four top U.S. networks are, collectively, having a pretty good season—at least better than the 2008–09 season. “It’s better than last year,” says Brad Adgate, the senior VP and director of research at Horizon Media.“There are some hits across the board. They had a full year of development this season. Last year there was a lot of discontinuity with shows not being on for months and months. But I think it’s a blip and a slight one at that. The long decline continues.” Adgate sees much of the improvement so far coming from FOX, which normally has been a weak performer in the early part of the new season. “FOX is really doing well this year,” he says. “Typically they’re kind of in a hole by the end of December and then American Idol comes on. This year, they are stronger in fourth quarter. I would expect once American Idol starts that FOX will again be the top network in adults 18 to 49 when it’s all said and done in May.” Marc Berman, the media critic for The Programming Insider, is more upbeat about this season. “I think this is a turnaround season for the broadcast networks. You still have huge successes in scripted and non-scripted. You still have the CSI franchise, Desperate Housewives, Grey’s Anatomy, House, the reality shows. A lot of those shows are working. Late in November, you had football on NBC and the 2009 American Music Awards. Combined, the two shows brought in over 30 million viewers. You’re not going to get that same reach anywhere else. I’m optimistic. The audience still wants to laugh, to watch good dramas.There’s been a lot of stuff this season that’s working successfully.” Robert Thompson, a professor of television and popular culture at
A rich season: The CW continues to lure in young-adult viewers with its buzz-generating drama Gossip Girl, which is currently in its third season.
the Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, says more current series are of a high enough quality to attract healthy audiences. “If you put good stuff on the air, it doesn’t always work, but generally people will find it and watch it,” Thompson says.“We’ve had a slight but significant resurgence in halfhour comedies. Modern Family, Cougar Town and three or four new comedies have done well. Scripted dramas are doing OK, but there aren’t many breakaway hits. In some ways it does seem back to normal.” Speaking from a network perspective, Jeffrey Bader, the executive VP of planning, scheduling and distribution for the ABC Entertainment Group, also points to the quality and appeal of new shows. “There are good programs on now, and that’s what drives ratings,” he says. “HUT [households using TV] levels have been pretty consistent. More people are watching television than ever before. The fact that the broadcast networks have as many successful shows as they do is a testament to the programming. The new shows that people are watching are high quality, high concept for the most part. V and FlashForward for us, and Glee on FOX, which is kind of high concept. Modern Family is working well for us, but I think it’s the quality that’s making it work.”
At the UBS Global Media & Communications Conference in New York last month, CBS Corporation’s president and CEO, Leslie Moonves, was typically upbeat. “Life is so much better for us than it was a year ago,” he told the investors’ confab. “I’m tired of reading how network television is down,” he said. “Network television still is pretty darn strong.” QUESTIONABLE MOVES
The UBS conference also focused sharply on the Comcast deal.There and elsewhere in early December, network and Comcast executives stressed that NBC remains a big player in the network business. Steve Burke, the COO of Comcast, who is charged with running the new entity, has deep roots in broadcasting. His father, Dan Burke, ran the Capital Cities TV station group that acquired ABC and later sold the company to Disney. Steve spent 12 years in various top jobs at Disney before joining Comcast in 1998. At the UBS conference, Burke said it was a top goal to get NBC out of the ratings cellar. He added that NBC had a valuable role since many of the most popular shows on its sister outlet USA Network, the top cable network, came from NBC. The company sees a much bigger use of NBC for promoting its cable assets. 1/10
“There is tremendous financial leverage in having NBC go from fourth to third to second to first,” he said. A few days earlier, Brian Roberts, Comcast’s chairman and CEO, said in an interview on the cable business channel CNBC that while the deal for NBC Universal was cable-driven, the broadcast network was a big part of it. “The future of broadcast television continues to be a big part of NBC Universal,” Roberts said. “NBC Universal’s success in cable, I don’t think, would be quite as great [without promotion on NBC]. Being part of a family of content is better than stand-alone.” But Roberts made it clear that it was cable that drove the deal: “We feel strategically complete. [NBC Universal has] about 50-percent margins on their cable channels…. We don’t have the scale. We have wonderful brands. You put that together, you end up with a company where 97 percent of the new Comcast will be either cable operations or cable content, and these two do work together. It gives us scale in cable programming.” That being said, he reiterated that the broadcast network is a big part of the picture and that the traditional network structure would remain. “We want to keep the affiliate structure. It’s been robust and successful for many
World Screen
13
years. All businesses change, but we believe that NBC is just fine. There’s more upside than downside. A lot’s been written and said about what’s happened in broadcast, particularly at NBC, but coming in at this point means there is more opportunity.” Much of what has been written and said about NBC involves its decision this season to launch The Jay Leno Show at 10 p.m. Monday through Friday, a move openly acknowledged to be based on the relatively low cost of the show when compared with conventional programming. Most of the criticism, though, has been more about the quality of the show than about the strategy. “It’s not a good show,” Marc Berman says. “I think it’s one of the worst moves in the history of television. It’s a colossal mistake. They took what he was doing in late night and put it in prime time. If there is a lesson to be learned, it’s that you can’t do that. Late night and prime time are two very different day parts. The comedy is juvenile and it isn’t funny. Five nights a week of sketch comedy is a lot and it’s very hard to do. People sampled it in the first week and they didn’t come back.” Berman is critical too of the rationale for the show. “The message was sent out that NBC’s biggest concern was saving money,” he says.
CBS went from a 2.62 live rating (3 million) to a 2.79 rating (3.2 million). NBC’s 1.79 live rating (2 million) increased to a 1.91 rating (2.19 million) with the three-day results. Last month a survey of DVR ratings found that Grey’s Anatomy posted the largest DVR boost, 1.4 ratings points in 18 to 49, or 28 percent. Other big gainers in the sevenday playback period after airing were The Office, House, Big Bang Theory, V, The Mentalist, Private Practice, Glee, CSI and FlashForward. Men of action: CBS’s NCIS: Los Angeles, a spin-off of the long-running drama NCIS, has emerged as the highest-rated new show of the fall season.
“They didn’t do it because it’s a great competitive move.They did it because it was the easiest way to save money and fill the airwaves. [NBC has] a lot of rebuilding to do. Even if you move Law & Order: SVU back to Tuesdays at 10, chances are you won’t have the same size audience. They’ve alienated some viewers.” Thompson, who teaches broadcast history at Syracuse, finds it especially poignant that NBC would abandon a time slot it has used to launch some of the best dramas on television. “During the 1980s, NBC matured television into a place where serious, artistic, visual expression could be had,” he says.“This isn’t just any network. The 10 o’clock slot included L. A. Law, Homicide, Hill Street Blues and St. Elsewhere, some of the most extraordinary, groundbreaking stuff. On the other hand, before Leno those slots were being filled by some pretty weak stuff.” Thompson expected NBC to be patient with Leno. “Their justification would be how long it took Leno to overtake Letterman back in the Tonight Show days. They see Leno as a sort of long-distance runner who can maintain and produce over a long period of time.They are doing approximately what they promised their advertisers. If they’re delivering what they promised, they’re OK. But some of those shows that were playing at 10 o’clock aren’t doing as well at 9. It’s one thing to be patient with Leno.
It’s another thing if that means you’re allowing erosion in other time slots that you may never get back again.” Indeed, in response to low ratings and mounting pressure from affiliate stations, which were concerned about the poor lead-in for their 11 p.m. newscasts, NBC announced this month that The Jay Leno Show would move to 11:35 p.m. following coverage of the Winter Olympics. SEIZING THE MOMENT
ABC’s Bader is reluctant to criticize the Leno show, but he does say that his own network sees it as an opportunity.“We’ve been trying to build up our 10 o’clock for years and it has been a struggle for us,” he says. “Now Private Practice is doing very well at 10. And Castle. Brothers & Sisters does very well. If NBC had a prime-time drama there, would we be doing lower numbers? Absolutely.” Adgate is also reserved in his comments because NBC is a Horizon Media client, but he points out that 10 p.m. is a difficult time period because of cable competition at that hour and because many viewers with DVRs play back earlier shows at that time. “Cable suddenly has been very aggressive putting original series on at 10 o’clock,” he says. “They can get a little more gritty with their content, especially FX.” 14
These days, about a third of the households in Nielsen’s national people-meter panel have DVRs, and many users are playing back shows the same day they are recorded. “The 10 o’clock shows are competing against the 8 and 9 o’clock shows as much as they are with other 10 o’clock shows,” Adgate says. “It’s a tough time period in which to launch a drama that’s going to cost two or three million dollars an episode.” While DVRs may be making the 10 p.m. hour more difficult, they are helping a lot of the 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. shows build their ratings, especially with the most attractive demographic, adults 18 to 49. In that demographic, FOX showed the biggest DVR bump earlier this season, from an average rating of 2.39 (or about 2.5 million viewers) for its initial airings to a 2.71 rating (about 3.1 million viewers) when the three-day DVR playback results are added in. ABC went from a 2.5 rating (2.87 million viewers) to a 2.81 rating (3.27 million). Talk of change: NBC relinquished the weeknight 10 p.m. slot to The Jay Leno Show.
World Screen
1/10
THE RATINGS GAME
Ratings are measured four ways now—live, live plus same-day playback, live plus three-day playback (known as C3) and live plus seven-
Entry points: ABC’s updated V is among the shows that experienced considerable gains when DVR playback within seven days of the live broadcast was factored into the ratings.
day playback.Advertisers buy on the C3 rating, which can be frustrating for a network executive. “I was looking at the second week of V,” Bader says. “Live plus same day I think did a 3.6, and it was a 4.6 [for], live plus seven.There’s a pretty large jump for some of our shows. Liveplus-seven ratings are dramatically different from C3. It’s fantastic that viewers are watching the show, even if it’s over seven days, but it’s a frustration because we need to figure out a way to monetize that. Advertisers buy C3.They don’t buy days four through seven.” But after all the analysis of why the broadcast networks are having a pretty good season, the bottom line is based on what they are putting on the air, and this season many returning shows are strong and new series are managing to survive well into the fall. “Modern Family is a very funny show,” Adgate says. “Community is pretty good. FOX has Glee and The Cleveland Show, which are not only doing well but are bringing in younger viewers, which is harder and harder to do in broadcast television.” Berman for the most part likes what he sees. “If you look at the 22 shows that were launched, I would predict eight or nine or ten of them coming back next season, and that’s pretty positive. There are still some problems, but the good news is that people are still watching network
television. It’s still the best arena to get the most number of eyeballs.The icing on the cake is that a lot of the new shows are working.” Berman cites such shows as ABC’s Modern Family and CBS’s The Good Wife and NCIS: Los Angeles as strong first-season performers. “NCIS: Los Angeles is doing very well out of NCIS.That’s no surprise. The Good Wife is working. The CW is getting some mileage out of The Vampire Diaries. Glee is working for FOX.The main strengths of the prime-time lineups are the established shows, the CSI franchise, Grey’s Anatomy, Desperate Housewives, shows like that.” Berman also notes that the socalled second season holds a lot of promise. “We have at least 14 shows that are returning at midseason,” he says. “Shows like Chuck, Friday Night Lights, Celebrity Apprentice, The Bachelor, Lost, Scrubs, American Idol, Hell’s Kitchen, 24. The networks are saving more stuff for midseason. I think it’s paid off. It’s worked very well for 24, American Idol and Lost. It gives the viewers something to look forward to.” BRAND MATTERS
Adgate notes that franchises seem to be working. “If you had called NCIS: Los Angeles something else I don’t think it would have resonated as much with viewers,” he says.“In an increasingly cluttered environ1/10
ment, it helps brand the show. It gives an identity to the show. For the most part the CSI franchise has worked pretty well. [In November] they pulled a stunt where they all were on everybody else’s show.They combined the three shows together.” In December, Lisa de Moraes, The Washington Post’s TV writer, rated the 22 new series as follows: • Safe for the season: NCIS: Los Angeles (CBS), The Good Wife (CBS), FlashForward (ABC), Glee (FOX), The Cleveland Show (FOX), Cougar Town (ABC), Modern Family (ABC), The Middle (ABC), V (ABC), Community (NBC), Mercy (NBC), The Jay Leno Show (NBC) and The Vampire Diaries (CW). • Tepid endorsement (additional episodes/scripts ordered): Melrose Place (CW), The Forgotten (ABC), Accidentally on Purpose (CBS) and Trauma (NBC). • Awaiting verdict: Brothers (FOX). • Dead: The Beautiful Life: TBL (CW), Eastwick (ABC), Hank (ABC) and Three Rivers (CBS). That more than half the new series seem likely to last the full season makes this an impressive fall for the networks. The real question remains, though, that if network audiences resume their downward trend after this year and program costs continue to rise, how do the networks stay solvent? Bader is one of many network executives to have given the question
World Screen
15
considerable thought. “Everyone’s schedule is a balance of expensive shows and shows that aren’t that expensive,” he says. “We know people come to broadcast television for high-quality programming. The bar is higher than for cable,and our audiences are [larger],but advertisers actually pay premium CPMs to broadcast because of the quality of the shows.” The balance these days is mostly between reality and scripted shows, but Bader doesn’t anticipate a major swing toward more reality in the belief that it is cheaper.“Some alternative series are just as expensive as scripted dramas,” Bader says.“CBS is very good about having these procedural self-contained hours that they can repeat, which makes them much more financially responsible. For our serialized dramas, the bar is higher because they are really one-run shows. We repeat them but they don’t repeat at the same level as the procedurals. Alternative series like Survivor, Dancing with the Stars, Idol, they don’t repeat.They’re less expensive for the hour, but you only get one run out of it.” In Bader’s eyes, NBC has gone too far in seeking a lower cost balance. “What I will say about Leno is that it doesn’t help network television for them to be doing that poorly five nights of the week at 10 o’clock,” he says.“We need NBC to be a healthy network to keep broadcast television healthy.”
one on one ith its mission statement, “Every day, we grab people everywhere with our entertaining take on life,” A&E Television Networks (AETN) serves viewers in more than 125 countries with channels and programming in the drama, reality and factual genres. The company has some of the most recognized brands in television, including A&E, History and Bio, and last year it acquired Lifetime Entertainment Services, adding strong female-skewing channels and websites to AETN’s portfolio. Abbe Raven, AETN’s president and CEO, began her career in cable television in 1982 in the production department of Daytime and Arts, a precursor to the A&E network. She went on to head The History Channel and then A&E. In 2005, Raven took over as president and CEO of AETN from Nickolas Davatzes, just as viewers were starting to take control of their entertainment experience with their preference for watching programming at their convenience. She understood the importance of staying ahead of this trend and has not only ensured the robust development of AETN’s websites and online content, she has also made sure that viewers can access AETN programming in a variety of ways.
While always watching out for the distribution opportunities offered by new screens and devices, she never took her eye off the company’s core strength—programming. History continues to be the leading destination for viewers who want original nonfiction series and event-driven specials, such as the ten-hour series WWII in HD and the upcoming America: The Story of Us, from the acclaimed Emmy Award-winning producer/director Jane Root. A&E offers a diverse mix of quality entertainment, ranging from the signature “Real-Life” series franchise, which includes Intervention, The First 48 and, more recently, The Jacksons: A Family Dynasty, to critically acclaimed original movies, dramatic series and the most successful justice shows on cable. AETN’s other brands include Bio, History International, Crime & Investigation Network and Military History. Raven also oversees teams that have launched many of these brands around the globe, that sell AETN programming internationally and that develop and market consumer products. An anomaly in an industry that is constantly changing, Raven has been with AETN her entire television career. She talks to World Screen about her passion for the company, its programming and its people.
Abbe Raven
A&E Television Networks
WS: A&E Television Networks (AETN)
recently acquired Lifetime Entertainment Services. What can you tell us about the combined company? RAVEN: It’s a very exciting time for us. AETN has been a leading global media company with quality programs. Our advantage has been that we have always owned the majority of our programming. We, therefore, have been fortunate enough to control our own destiny as a content provider, both domestically and internationally. So with the combination of AETN and Lifetime we now have the potential to expand even further. The Lifetime brands really present us with new opportunities and new potential for growth in the international marketplace. Lifetime has begun to build a strong library of great original programming, and what this all does is make the new AETN a content powerhouse. We now have a strong portfolio of brands, and by pulling together under one roof more creative thinking and a broader platform [we] really increase our opportunities with our advertisers and with our affiliates. 16
World Screen
1/10
WS: How do the brands complement each other? RAVEN: The brands truly complement each other because History attracts upscale men, Lifetime is a strong female brand and A&E goes after a dual audience. So the beauty of this is we are not cannibalizing our viewership but actually offering a very strong portfolio of demographics. In many ways, we’ll be one-stop shopping. We have always attracted women to A&E and to The Biography Channel, which we call Bio, but now we’ll have a very strong direct connection to women. We will have a great deal of cross-platform marketing opportunities between A&E, Lifetime and Bio.We will have the opportunity to reach women across our 20 websites and all of our domestic channels. WS: AETN makes its programming
available to viewers in a variety of ways. Why is it important to get the programming on a lot of platforms? RAVEN: We have worked very closely with our distribution partners to strike the right balance.We believe in delivering programming to our viewers on the platform of their choice. It’s a great marketing
one on one opportunity for us.When we put out our programming on iTunes or on DVD we find that really does bring people’s interest back to the core channel—it brings them back to the TV screen. The other thing about iTunes is that it attracts a younger audience to our brands and builds the relationship we have with them and ultimately brings them back to the television screen. WS: How does VOD play into your
strategy? Some people say that eventually everything will be on demand. RAVEN: We happen to have been one of the very first to the table with our distribution partners on VOD—they came to us and we were very responsive. As a content company our strategy has always been to provide our viewers with programming on the platforms that they enjoy, and VOD clearly is a model that really works for them. So we have embraced it. I think it’s too early to declare linear channels going away. I still absolutely believe that appointment television is here to stay.We just had an overwhelming success with WWII in HD for five nights; people came to it. It was a subject that people were interested
in and they clearly made the time to find it and watch it. WS: Cable channels in the U.S. have
weathered the advertising downturn better than the broadcast networks. How have you been working with advertisers? RAVEN: Cable has always been about innovation, so for the past 20 years cable has been driving the TV business in creativity. We have been working with our advertising partners to find creative ways to get their messages across. The beauty of our relationship with advertisers, especially in the cable universe, is that we can clearly identify our audience and target a demographic that advertisers want. So whether advertisers are looking for the upscale men that History provides, or a pure female audience that Lifetime delivers, we have the ability to customize spots, create integration opportunities, share creative execution and deliver a message on multiple platforms. So we’ve continued to nurture that special relationship with the advertiser—make it easy for them and provide the right platforms. It’s all about branding and quality and to also deliver on what you
Men in black: History has broadened its audience by taking a new approach to the genre, with new offerings that include the reality show Pawn Stars.
promise. Our relationship has always been one of integrity and honesty, and that goes a long way. WS: What opportunities do you see
for growth in international markets? RAVEN: There are multiple oppor-
tunities. One, our channels and our sales have grown significantly over the past few years and I believe we still have considerable growth ahead of us in the international marketplace. Lifetime clearly represents one key opportunity, taking this brand and its content out globally.We have seen strong interest in the Lifetime brand and in the women’s category since we announced the merger. History continues to be a powerhouse—not only our existing channels but also our content sales efforts around the globe. But I think there is still an upside and we are seeing demand from the international marketplace for our newer brands, like Crime & Investigation Network, Military History and all of our HD channels. Our goal is to expand to a full bouquet of channels in every territory along with branded services like VOD, broadband and mobile, and we look forward to those opportunities in the year ahead. WS: What has been driving His-
tory’s success? RAVEN: Number one, it’s a great
A new sheriff in town: A&E’s “Real-Life” slate includes Steven Seagal: Lawman. 18
platform. If you look across popular culture, history is everywhere, it’s the subject of films and novels, and
World Screen
1/10
History has been at the forefront of that. It’s still extremely popular around the world [and offers] programs that can attract millions of people on a given night or over the course of a week. I think we’ve hit the nail on the head with the brand. History is all around us. History is made every day. And we’ve embraced so many stories under the History umbrella, and that has called out to a broader audience. WS: How have DVDs and con-
sumer products been performing for AETN? RAVEN: We’ve been lucky because our strategy has been to offer appropriate products to a wide consumer base. This also includes collectors who want to delve deeply into a subject, more so than a casual buyer. So that approach has been very successful during these challenging economic times. Consumers are looking for the best value for their dollar so that the collections have been an advantage for us.We’ve also been able to ramp up more of our DVD sales internationally. This year, for example, we established direct DVD distribution in the U.K. and Australia, and that’s been helpful.We’ve also seen a very healthy increase in our sellthrough business: iTunes, Xbox and PlayStation. So having a more diversified distribution strategy has allowed us to handle a little bit of the slowdown that we have seen at the retail marketplace.
american network scorecard Source: Nielsen Media, September 21, 2009, to December 27, 2009. A rating point represents 1,149,000 TV households; shares are the percentage of sets tuned to a particular program or station. Courtesy of ABC.
Rank Program
Network
Distributor
Average Share
Kids
Teens
M18–49
F18–49
M25–54
F25–54
M50+
F50+
1
NCIS
CBS
CBS Studios
12.7/20
1.2
2.0
4.0
5.2
2
Dancing with the Stars
ABC
BBC Worldwide
11.17/17
1.8
1.6
2.2
5.6
5.6
7.0
13.7
15.7
3.0
7.3
7.5
17.0
3
The Mentalist
CBS
Warner Bros.
10.7/18
0.8
1.5
3.4
5.0
4.5
6.6
9.8
13.2
4
NCIS: Los Angeles
CBS
CBS Studios
10.3/16
0.8
1.5
3.4
4.3
4.7
5.9
10.9
12.0
5
Dancing with the Stars: Results
ABC
BBC Worldwide
10.3/16
1.4
1.5
2.2
4.8
3.0
6.3
7.0
14.7
6
Grey’s Anatomy
ABC
Disney-ABC
10.1/15
1.2
1.8
3.2
9.0
3.8
9.5
4.1
9.5
7
CSI
CBS
CBS Studios
10.1/15
1.2
1.7
3.4
4.9
4.4
6.5
9.0
12.0
8
Desperate Housewives
ABC
Disney-ABC
9.7/14
1.4
2.3
3.3
7.6
4.2
8.8
5.4
9.8
9
Criminal Minds
CBS
Disney-ABC
9.2/14
0.9
1.2
3.2
5.0
4.2
6.4
7.8
10.8
10
60 Minutes
CBS
CBS Studios
9.1/15
0.8
0.9
3.0
2.7
4.0
3.7
10.6
10.7
11
Two and a Half Men
CBS
Warner Bros.
8.9/13
1.0
1.8
4.6
5.2
5.8
6.4
7.5
8.1
12
CSI: Miami
CBS
CBS Studios
8.9/15
0.9
1.4
3.3
5.0
4.1
6.3
6.7
9.7
13
CSI: NY
CBS
CBS Studios
8.9/15
0.8
1.1
2.7
4.3
3.5
5.5
7.6
10.7
14
The Good Wife
CBS
CBS Studios
8.9/15
0.5
0.8
1.9
3.9
2.8
5.5
7.2
12.0
15
House
FOX
NBC Universal
8.5/13
1.5
2.5
5.2
6.5
5.6
7.0
5.4
6.7
16
The Big Bang Theory
CBS
Warner Bros.
8.4/12
1.1
2.1
5.1
5.7
6.2
6.7
6.2
6.8
17
V
ABC
Warner Bros.
7.9/12
1.3
1.7
5.1
4.3
6.1
5.1
5.9
6.3
18
Survivor: Samoa
CBS
CBS Studios
7.7/12
2.0
2.1
3.7
4.9
4.5
6.1
5.6
7.7
19
Brothers & Sisters
ABC
Disney-ABC
7.4/12
0.7
1.0
2.1
5.4
2.6
6.5
3.2
8.0
20
Amazing Race 15
CBS
Disney-ABC
6.8/10
1.8
2.1
3.1
4.4
3.8
5.4
4.8
7.1
21
Private Practice
ABC
Disney-ABC
6.8/11
0.7
1.0
1.9
6.0
2.2
6.4
2.5
6.6
22
Bones
FOX
Twentieth Century Fox
6.7/11
1.0
1.5
2.7
3.9
3.2
4.6
5.4
6.8
23
FlashForward
ABC
Disney-ABC
6.5/10
0.9
1.3
3.1
4.0
3.7
4.7
4.5
6.2
24
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
ABC
Endemol
6.5/10
1.3
1.7
2.4
4.2
3.1
5.1
3.7
7.2 8.1
25
Castle
ABC
Disney-ABC
6.5/11
0.5
0.9
1.8
3.4
2.3
4.2
4.6
26
Cold Case
CBS
Warner Bros.
6.4/11
0.5
0.6
1.5
2.9
2.2
3.9
5.7
8.4
27
Biggest Loser 8
NBC
Shine International
6.3/10
1.9
1.7
2.9
5.4
3.3
6.2
2.5
5.2
28
Law & Order: SVU
NBC
NBC Universal
6.3/10
0.7
0.9
2.3
3.9
2.8
4.5
4.1
6.4
29
Ghost Whisperer
CBS
Disney-ABC
5.9/10
1.2
1.2
1.5
3.5
2.0
4.8
3.7
7.3
30
The Office
NBC
NBC Universal
5.8/9
0.8
2.3
5.5
5.2
5.4
5.2
2.3
2.5
31
Modern Family
ABC
Twentieth Century Fox
5.7/9
1.2
1.5
3.2
4.4
3.7
5.0
3.1
4.8
32
How I Met Your Mother
CBS
Twentieth Century Fox
5.5/8
0.9
1.1
3.5
3.9
4.0
4.3
3.3
3.9
33
Three Rivers
CBS
CBS Studios
5.5/9
0.5
0.7
1.2
2.7
1.7
3.5
4.3
7.4
34
Numb3rs
CBS
CBS Studios
5.4/10
0.5
0.7
1.6
2.4
2.2
3.3
4.9
6.7
35
Medium
CBS
CBS Studios
5.3/9
0.8
1.0
1.4
2.8
1.9
4.0
3.6
6.8
36
Law & Order
NBC
NBC Universal
5.3/9
0.4
0.5
1.5
2.2
2.0
2.8
4.9
6.6
37
Cougar Town
ABC
Disney-ABC
5.2/8
0.8
1.1
2.7
4.1
3.2
4.6
2.7
4.0
38
Glee
FOX
Twentieth Century Fox
5.0/8
1.2
2.9
2.8
5.1
2.9
4.8
2.0
2.8
39
Accidentally on Purpose
CBS
CBS Studios
5.0/7
0.7
1.0
2.6
3.4
3.2
3.9
3.3
3.9
40
The Forgotten
ABC
Warner Bros.
5.0/8
0.4
0.7
1.4
2.6
1.9
3.3
3.7
6.0
41
Dateline
NBC
NBC Universal
5.0/9
0.5
0.4
1.3
2.1
1.7
2.8
3.9
6.4
42
Family Guy
FOX
Twentieth Century Fox
4.9/7
1.8
4.1
5.5
3.4
4.8
3.0
1.4
0.8
43
Mercy
NBC
NBC Universal
4.9/8
0.6
0.6
1.3
2.7
1.7
3.3
3.5
5.8
44
20/20
ABC
Disney-ABC
4.9/9
0.6
0.5
1.3
2.6
1.6
3.3
2.9
5.9
45
Lie to Me
FOX
Twentieth Century Fox
4.8/7
0.7
1.3
2.7
3.4
3.0
3.8
3.4
4.1
46
Hell’s Kitchen
FOX
ITV Studios
4.7/7
1.5
1.9
3.5
4.5
3.9
4.9
1.9
2.4
47
The New Adventures of…
CBS
Warner Bros.
4.7/8
0.7
0.6
1.8
2.6
2.4
3.4
3.5
5.0
48
The Simpsons
FOX
Twentieth Century Fox
4.6/7
2.3
3.1
4.8
3.1
4.5
2.9
1.9
1.1
49
30 Rock
NBC
NBC Universal
4.5/7
0.5
1.2
3.9
3.7
4.0
3.9
2.1
2.3
50
Gary Unmarried
CBS
Disney-ABC
4.5/7
0.8
0.7
2.2
2.6
2.8
3.3
3.3
4.3
For a complete list of the top 100 shows, visit www.worldscreen.com.
1/10
World Screen
175
world’s end
IN THE STARS
Almost every national constitution forbids the establishment of an official state religion. But this secular bent doesn’t stop people from looking to the heavens for answers to life’s most troublesome questions: Will I succeed? Will I find love? Will I have an affair with Tiger Woods? Every day, papers and magazines worldwide print horoscopes—projections for people born in a specific month, based on the positions of the stars and planets. While many people rely on these daily, weekly or monthly messages for guidance in their lives, some readers skip over them entirely. The editors of WS recognize that these little pearls of random foresight occasionally prove prophetic. But rather than poring over charts of the zodiac to predict world events,
Tiger Woods
Paris Hilton
Mel Gibson
Tiger Woods
Kate Moss
Global distinction: Professional golfer. Sign: Capricorn (b. December 30, 1975) Significant date: November 25, 2009 Noteworthy activity: Woods is caught in an infidelity
Global distinction: Stick-thin model. Sign: Capricorn (b. January 16, 1974) Significant date: December 30, 2009 Noteworthy activity: The international supermodel
scandal, with multiple women claiming to have had an affair with the married sports star. The U.S. telecom giant AT&T is one of several sponsors to sever ties with the embattled golfer following the tabloid maelstrom. Horoscope: “Prevent a potential problem by staying close to the ones you love.When faced with hard times and difficult decisions,these are the people who will keep you on the right path.” (0800-horoscope.com)
postpones a trip to Thailand after falling ill, claiming she ate too much and drank too much during the holidays. Moss is unable to get a refund on the four first-class flights she had paid for, or for two nights of unused accommodation. The overindulgence reportedly costs her around $36,000. Horoscope: “Capricorns are determined managers, adhering to high standards of self-discipline. They are the major finishers of most projects started by the ‘pioneering’ signs, with firm stick-to-it-ness to become a pillar of reliability.” (astrology-online.com)
Kate Hudson Global distinction: Hollywood actress. Sign: Aries (b. April 19, 1979) Significant date: January 2, 2010 Noteworthy activity: The blonde ends her eight-month
consult their horoscopes on signif-
relationship with baseball star Alex Rodriguez. A source close to Hudson reveals that A-Rod’s obsession with his ex Madonna is the reason for the breakup, and says that the Yankees player wouldn’t stop calling the singer. Horoscope: “When it comes to your personal affairs, it is less about being competitive and more about being practical. If you know in your heart something isn’t quite right, it is best to give it up than to fight it out.” (homepagers.com)
icant days, they could have avoided
Paris Hilton
a few surprises.
Global distinction: Hotel-fortune heiress. Sign: Aquarius (b. February 17, 1981) Significant date: December 30, 2009 Noteworthy activity: The popular Hollywood party
our staff prefers to use past horoscopes in an attempt to legitimate the science. As you can see here, had some of these media figures remembered to
Kate Hudson
girl is being sued for trademark and patent infringement by a Seattle shoe company, which claims that she stole the heart-shaped design that is on the insole of their product. The design was copyrighted back in 2007 by Gwyneth Shoes, and appears in Hilton’s shoe line that launched in February 2008. Horoscope: “The symbol for Aquarius is the WaterBearer.Your water of life is the flow of ideas coming from your unrestrained mind. Tap into this creativity and always dance to the beat of a different drummer.” (horoscopes.aol.com) 178
World Screen
Mel Gibson Global distinction: Tantrum-prone actor. Sign: Capricorn (b. January 3, 1956) Significant date: December 29, 2009 Noteworthy activity: The Hollywood heavyweight is
starting production on a new flick in Mexico, and one of the locations is a prison in Veracruz.The inmates will have to be transferred to another facility during filming, and as a result, more than 300 relatives of the prisoners stage a protest in an attempt to stop the movie from being made. Horoscope: “If something seems illogical to you, many others probably share your sentiments. Align your actions with these thoughts.” (cafeastrology.com)
Jennifer Lopez Global distinction: Pop-music diva. Sign: Leo (b. July 24, 1969) Significant date: November 22, 2009 Noteworthy activity: The singer attempts to jump
off a dancer’s back but winds up falling onstage while performing her new song, Louboutins—named after the iconic shoe line—at the 2009 American Music Awards. She recovers quickly from the spill. Horoscope: “Your energy levels are off the charts, but can the rest of your mind and body keep up? Remember to pace yourself, and not take things ‘over the top.’” (cafeastrology.com)
1/10
Celebrate our th Anniversary
25
at MIPTV
SERIES / FORMAT
A NEW
TV PHENOMENON THAT HAS
PARALyZED A COUNTRY
50 RATING POINTS
Worldwide Distribution by