Mipcom 2017: big entertainment shows are back

This recovery was mentioned last MIPTV, with ITV/Talpa ‘Five Gold Rings’, Lionsgate’s ‘Candy Crush Saga’ and Endemol Shine’s ‘The Wall’, but now it is involving more products at many more markets. Fremantlemedia has added ‘Lost in time’, where technology changes audience experience; Talpa added ‘Lost in transition’, with people trapped together speaking different languages, ITV ‘Love Island’, a new dating reality show. ‘Master of Dance’, from Keshet, is mentioned as the new ‘Rising Star’ with interactive playground.

Game, physic, talent shows are mostly preffered. Yesterday, Leslie Van Diepen from Sony told Prensario: ‘Entertaintment is the new Black’, stressing this emergent moment. To gain creativity, format titans are working paper formats, looking for new origins —Japan, Israel, Australia, etc.— or even redesigning old formats with a new look & feel. ‘Survivor’ and ‘The Crystal Maze’ are two examples from Banijay this Mipcom. 

Japanese TBS announced yesterday that physical game show ‘Ninja Warrior’ has been licensed to 19 territories, with four of them launching news seasons. There is also a return of classical titles from the ’80 and ’90: TBS’ ‘American Funniest Videos’ (27 seasons in USA) and ‘Takeshi’s Castle’ (to be launched in Comedy Central UK this month). Turkey, fiction titan, is strongly betting on entertainment formats. 'The Wit' has selected Turkish Inter Medya’s ‘Money Monster’ for the ‘Fresh TV’ format conference.

The entertainment new picture doesn’t mean fiction falls down. The main event on Monday night was the launching of ‘Deep State’, the first prime time own produced TV series of Fox Networks Group in Europe and Africa. Part of the cast and 150 buyers were present.

MENA has started to produce high-budgeted dramas, with Egypt being the main hub for melodrama, followed by Syria, specialized on Bedouin drama and Lebanon, where Sabbah Bros. is producing S2 of ‘Al Hayba’, the most successful drama of 2017. More than 100 pan Arab channels broadcast in the region; 90% of the population has access through satellite channels, and only 10% to Pay TV. Social drama is the leading genre with 45% of total production.

Nippon TV (Japan) is targeting Turkey to continue developing the scripted format business after the success of ‘Mother’ (Medyapim/Star TV/Global Agency) and ‘Woman’ (Medyapim/FOX/Calinos). It is seeking new production and distribution partners there to create Western versions of its dramas in order to reach new markets worldwide. It has also announced a 3-year investment program valued at USD 450 millions to acquire different kind of companies.

About Latin America, the two main Monday announcements were about fictions. Dopemine, the innovative-independent content venture launched on Sunday by Benjamin Salinas Sada at the 25th anniversary of TV Azteca dinner, has shown yesterday its first product: ‘Maria Magdalena’ a 60-episodes biblical TV series co-produced with Sony Latin America, to be launched on 2H 2018. It reinforces the biblical drama trend in the region. Fidela Navarro was announced at new CEO at Dopemine.

Also, Disney Media and Turner Latin America have announced ‘Monzon’, a new 13-episode biopic series about the famous Argentine worldwide boxing champion Carlos Monzon, which was accused of murdering his wife and sent to prison. The series will be aired in Turner’s pay TV channel Space, while other alliances are planned. It is the third original production of the US studio in Latin America these two years, all biopics.

The CanneSeries Festival in April? Fleur Pellerin, president, Benoit Louvet, managing director, and Albin Lewi, artistic director of the International Cannesseries, gave more details about the event that will take place on April 4-11 2018, divided in: Miptv (April 9-12), Addict (April 4-11), with 53 free and open screenings; Digital, official selection focused on short formats; Competition (April 7-11), where 10 long form projects from all regions will be selected and showcased, In Development (April 10-11), designed as an accelerator for writers and producers to pitch, and the Institute, where 8 selected residents will work for from 4 to 5 weeks in the development of pre bibles of dramas.

Nicolás Smirnoff, Fabricio Ferrara and Rodrigo Cantisano