Mipcom 2013: deals and announcements fever

‘We are also making focus on formats. Revenge is being produced in Turkey, Desperate Housewives has a new version for the fist time in Africa, with Ebonylife TV in Nigeria’, he added.  Mo Abudu, CEO of Ebonylife, told: ‘Africa is evolving fast. With the right partners, every international format can be made and have a successful business’.

Fremantlemedia announced that currently has more titles in production than ever before, with a massive 217 productions at the same time across 117 territories. The game show Family Feud is now the leader with 60 productions worldwide, including in 2013 Germany (RTL) UK (ITV) Russia (RTR) and Indonesia (IVM). Idols, X Factor and Got Talent are other top shows. In dramas, Wentworth and Confrontation are the most produced formats.

Across regions: Red Arrow International (Germany) agreed with Fremantlemedia France to produce a French version of House Rules, the successful Australian Seven Network hit. Telefe (Argentina) announced that its telenovela Resistiré and its TV series Heart stories will be adapted for Middle East and Northern African territories, by producer Beelink.

Malaysia is considered one of the most attractive creative and production hubs of Asia. Yesterday its communications minister Dato’ Seri Ahmed Shabery Cheek announced 13 new deals worth over 50 million dollars. Brand-new production facilities have been introduced --Pinewood Iskandar Malaysia Studios, with 100,000 square feet-- and for the foreigner projects held in the country, the Malaysian Government is affording 30% of the total production costs.

Sony Pictures Television big new hit TV series The Black List, reached 15 million people in its debut, 10 million at the live premiere on linear TV and 5 million more through DVR devices and catch up services, the following three days.

Alfred Haber is celebrating 42 years in the industry. He says: ‘When we were beginning in the industry, just few companies and countries provided contents to the international market. Now, you can find good products everywhere. In this new world I prefer to be a distributor than a producer, you can make a better difference in the market. If you are a good distributor, good products come to you’.

Argentina is having a good performance as Country of Honour 2013. With many conferences, match-makings --yesterday with France and Canada, today with Spain, tomorrow with Brazil, UK and Hollywood studios-- screenings and party sponsorships, most of Mipcom participants checked by Prensario, agree that the awareness generated around the country is sensibly much stronger than previous honorable nations.

Buyer testimonies? Conrad Heberling, CEO at broadcaster DAF (Germany): ‘This is a good moment for linear television in our country, I agreed with Prensario about YouTube is a complement, not a replacement of TV. Our channel sees strong potential in documentaries, and scripted docudramas’.

Eliana Felman, programming & acquisitions manager at ChelloZone, UK: ‘We are very pleased with our current ratings, they grew up this year. People like well-being programming. With both Food Network and lifestyle, we are successful in UK, EMEA and Poland’.

Andrea Zaras, program acquisitions manager at MTVA, Hungary: ‘The kids cable TV channel we launched one year ago is having good results, and this December we will launch another new channel, based on 70’s TV series, etc. In Cannes, though, I am buying prime time TV series for our top channel m1, and kids programming for m2’.

Cecilia Gómez, programming manager at Frecuencia Latina Peru: ‘We have been very successful with The Voice, we are now the channel of the entertainment formats in Peru. With this plus good fictions, we are approaching the audience leadership in our country’.

Nicolás Smirnoff and Fabricio Ferrara

Full Story October 7 | October 6 | October 5

See Mipcom 2013 Videoconferences