Mipcom 2015, more fiction and genre twists

More fiction? Reed Midem will offer in 2016 for the first time, a pre MIPTV event called MIPDrama Screenings, expecting 250 buyers and focused on European products. Giorgi Lominadze, head of acquisitions Rustavi Channel 2, Georgia: ‘This Mipcom we are buying scripted formats for the first time, to adapt in a Georgian way: telenovelas, soaps and TV series’.

Mike Beale, EVP of Global Adaptations and Formats, ITV Studios (UK): ‘We’ve launched four new fictions last MIPTV, and five – six new ones this Mipcom. We continue as usual with entertainment, but we have a dozen of high-end brand new scripted products on the top of our offer now’.

Genre twists? These days there are many cooking shows, real time date shows, ‘back in time’ shows; game, quiz and any shows with physic, very visual tips. New combinations of realities, series and docs, appear every time. Michel Rodriguez, CEO at The Format People (Canada): ‘This is a very good moment for cooking shows, Masterchef led the way. We have Chef in your ear, where a chef helps participant to cook just by phone’. 

Maurice Boucher, marketing director at Canadian Media Found: ‘We want to stress Canada as a referent in digital content, but also in edutainment and science fiction, genres where we have very good products. Both are direct for digital, at the same time’.

Short content business? Yesterday we told Disney focus on Maker on demand. Cisneros Group (USA) launched this week Mobius.lab, a content generation platform to provide own and third-part videos to the international market, mainly digital and short. The expectation is to handle more than 50,000 videos, many in HD and 4K.

Market announcements and events yesterday? Turkish home of 'dizi' content shows on stage some of the most important Turkish talents, including script writters (Kerem Derem), actors (Tuba Buyukustun, 20 Minutes; Halic Ergenc, 1001 Nights) and producers (Ay Yapim, TIMS). 'Turkish TV sector is going through many challenges: production times, creative stories, talent and synergies between areas (production, actors, writters)', all agreed. 

ATV, one of the first private TV channels in Turkey that has sold contents in more than 60 countries, yesterday at noon held Turkish Drama Lunch, with more than 70 key executives from Turkey, Middle East, Europe, Asia and Latin America. 'We are targeting new drama productions, and Turkey is a good candidate to explore', said to Prensario a strategic Asian broadcaster that attended the lunch.  

Azteca (Mexico) and both Malaysian satellite platform Astro and producer Global Station, go deeper in their deal of producing Latin telenovelas in South East Asia, distributed internationally by Comarex. At this Mipcom it was announced the adaptation of Fierce Angel, the second one in two years. The first series adapted, Forbidden Love, improved Astro’s market share in a 42%. This is a very interesting cross-region local product experience.

Telemundo Internacional (USA) on Monday had taken the distribution of HBO Latin original productions. Yesterday added an agreement with the Chilean broadcaster Mega, to distribute its series (canned and formats) in all platforms. The deal begins with the comedy Pituca Sin Lucas, a huge rating success in Chile.

FINAS (Malaysia) announced a five co-productions deals (mainly animation) between Malaysian companies and companies from France (Zodiak Kids), Turkey (Semerkand TV) and South Korea (Grafizix). High Hill Entertainment (USA) announced the launch of Kill Carlos, (10’60) its first coproduction in English with the Italian company Samarcanda. The production of the series will begin in March 2016.

The same Cisneros Media Group and The Kitchen announced an agreement to provide enhanced dubbing, post production and media services to Spanish speaking territories in the world, synergizing Kitchen expertise + Cisneros production and post production facilities to take the combo to a new level, both in services and market expansion. 

Nicolás Smirnoff, Fabricio Ferrara and Rodrigo Cantisano