Discop Istanbul 2015: new players, fresh business on board

The event has become a key show in the calendar for two main reasons: the strength of the Turkish TV market, which represents over 75% of Discop, and the possibility to meet TV channels and producers from regions that usually don't attend the big shows, such us the MIPs in Cannes.

An example of the first reason is the attendance of good Turkish new players, especially production companies such as Mediasat Production, who held yesterday a Gala Dinner at the Hilton Hotel; TV channels attending the show for the first time, as Dynamico Radyo TV-Kanal 24 and Sinema TV, a pay TV programmer who manages 10 networks; and licensing companies, as Giochi Preziozi, buying properties to produce toys.

The second reason is wider: at Discop it is possible to reach buyers from Palestine (Hona Al Quds), Tajikistan (Jahonnamo), Libya (AMG Agency) or Congo (Communication Na Lingala), among many others that are in the market acquiring all types of content. Prensario also noticed the attendance of key global acquisitions executives from Endemol, Fremantle and Zodiak who are looking for formats for international adaptation. 

Trends? According to many participants, fiction is taking the scene in most of the Eurasian territories. 'Fiction is the best way to succeed, no matter if it is foreign or local. Entertainment is doing well, but when we need to generate loyalty in the audience, fiction is better', some broadcasters agree. So, Fction formats are heavy demanded at this Discop. Not only the Middle East is seeking scripted series to adapt, but also Turkey, and some North African and CIS countries. 

In this race, Latin American distributors take advantages, as they are keen on selling formats, while Turkish prefers to bet on selling the ready-made versions. 'While Turkish product, which is consider local production for us, is becoming expensive, we are exploring other alternatives on fiction', notes a TV channel from MENA. For instance, Caracol TV (Colombia) has sold The Voice of Freedom format, which is being produced by Beelink Productions for MBC, the main group of channels in the Middle East, to be premiered on the second half of the year.

Among the new "fiction players" is Arab Media Telemedia (Jordan). 'We are developing the first sci-fi series of our region, called Medinah (20x'45). It has a multi-national cast and will cost USD 70 million, founded by Arab companies. We expect to launch it on 1H 2016', explains Fadi Maurice Al Shwaihat, chief business development. 

On the broadcasters side, 1TV Media (Afghanistan) is the second largest TV station of the country with over 50% of its grid with original production, including magazines, music and cooking shows. 'We also have slots for Turkish and Latin series, as well as we are releasing in mid-July local versions of The Money Drop (Endemol) and Got Talent (FremantleMedia)', says Karim Salem, CEO. 

From CEE, Antenna Group (Greece) shows the evolution of the companies from this region: on one side, Nick Pawsey is at Discop buying for four channels of the group in Greece, Serbia, Montenegro and Slovenia, while Tatjana Pavlovic, head of sales and acquisitions, is distributing the company catalogue of more than 9,000 hours of Serbian and Greek series. 'The Greek product is the best combination of Turkish series and Latin telenovelas: Brousko (195x'45) was sold in 25 territories, including Middle East', highlight the executives.

Fabricio Ferrara, from Istanbul