here

Transcription

here - TBI Vision

COUNTING CARDS
KEVIN SPACEY ON NETFLIX
ORIGINAL HOUSE OF CARDS
TBIvision.com
February/March 2013
0
#*$0'"%#
-++'11'-,#"$-0
1#!-,"1#0'#1@
'24123"'-1@!-+
TBI OFC FebMar13.indd 1
21/02/2013 18:34
pXX Globo FebMar13.indd 1
08/02/2013 11:26
p01 Contents FebMar13scFINAL copy
21/2/13
18:40
Page 7
TBI CONTENTS FEBRUARY/MARCH 2013
14
6
6 COUNTING CARDS: HOUSE OF CARDS BY NUMBERS
Netflix’s original series House of Cards is a landmark series in several respects. TBI runs the
numbers on the show and speaks to its star, Kevin Spacey, and writer, Beau Willimon.
14 FACTUAL CRIME PAYS
There is a rapid growth in true crime channels and programming. Tim Adler investigates the
trends in the genre and speaks to the major true crime channel operators.
20 GAME CHANGERS: PEOPLE TO MEET
Ahead of MIPTV, Gary Smith seeks out the Game Changers; the companies and people heading
to MIPTV that will connect with the industry in new and innovative ways.
20
26 MIPTV HOT PICKS
TBI profiles the very best drama and factual series launching at MIPTV and MIPDoc. From
high-end period drama and Nordic Noir, to blue-chip natural history, these are the best in class.
34 WESTERN EUROPEAN PAY TV DECLINE ANALYSED
TBI publisher Informa Telecoms & Media recorded a shock decline in pay TV numbers in
Western Europe last year. Informa’s Adam Thomas delves into the numbers.
26
CONTENTS FEBRUARY/MARCH 2013
REGULARS
2 Editor’s note • 4 Viewpoint: Tom Jennings, 1895 Films • 8 People • 10 Turner • 12 Diving Formats • 4o Last word: Caroline Stephenson, Optomen
For the latest in TV programming news visit TBIVISION.COM
TBI February/March 2013
1
p02 Ed Note FebMar13_taSCFINAL
21/2/13
18:45
Page 10
EDITOR’S NOTE
STEWART CLARKE
new Netflix series now creates more buzz than the latest procedural from one of the broadcast networks. However, finding out how a show has performed on Netflix is tricky as it
does not share any viewing data. As its slate of originals
ramps up that will only become more frustrating, assuming the same
close-lipped policy stays in place at the streaming service.
Netflix’s content boss, Ted Sarandos, says he will not even tell House
of Cards star Kevin Spacey its viewing numbers. It’s not about ratings, the
company argues. Of course, that’s correct. The return on the US$100
million investment in House of Cards is not measured in old-world
overnights. New subscribers, reduced churn and marketing returns are
the key metrics, but when you invest over US$100 million in a series the
number of people that watch it is also kind of important.
Not happy with Netflix’s unwillingness to share, TBI connected with
tech company Procera and managed to get viewing stats for the first
weekend of the political drama. What’s more, the numbers are impressive, as we detail in a news analysis piece on the show. Netflix would not
comment on the findings. “You might well think that; I couldn’t possibly
comment,” is a phrase beloved of the lead character in House of Cards
and, it seems, the Netflix press office.
While millions have seen House of Cards, linear TV is the bedrock of
all TV viewing according to, among others, free-to-air DTT service
Freeview and commercial broadcaster group Thinkbox here in the UK.
Thinkbox showed this month that in the UK average viewing time is
above four hours, down just one minute year-on-year. Furthermore, viewing on different devices was growing, but still limited.
A
Editor Stewart Clarke • [email protected]
Direct line +44 (0) 20 7017 4244
Contributing editor Stuart Thomson
While these stats and proclamations might reassure those with a vested interest in promoting linear TV – such as broadcasters reliant on
advertising dollars – they can’t disguise the fact that the TV industry is
changing at an unprecedented pace.
One example is that, for the first time ever, the number of pay TV customers in Western Europe has declined. The received wisdom up until
this point in time has been that people will forego nights out and other
discretionary spend, but keep their pay TV subscription, no matter how
bleak the wider economic conditions.
If, with an abundance of viewing options available and more launching each month, this is no longer the case then the research is a wake-up
call to the pay TV business. We delve into the data in an update on
Western Europe pay TV.
If pay TV is going to grow and prosper in mature markets, then mustwatch channels are a must have. Fitting squarely into this category are the
ever-increasing number of true crime networks. We investigate the phenomena of factual crime channels and look at how the genre is evolving.
And, as the TV world evolves faster and faster, we look at the Game
Changers heading to MIPTV: the companies connecting with different
parts of the industry in new and exciting ways. From second-screen specialists to multiplatform producers to digital distributors, these are the
people to meet in Cannes.
Published by Informa Telecoms & Media, Mortimer House,
37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH
Tel: +44 (0)20 7017 5000
e-mail: [email protected] web: www.tbivision.com
Printed in England by Wyndeham Grange Ltd, Southwick, West Sussex BN4 4EJ.
Contributor Andy Fry
Sales executive Kate Roach • [email protected]
Direct line +44 (0) 20 7017 5295
Art director Matthew Humberstone • [email protected]
Direct line +44 (0) 20 7017 5336
Publisher Tim Banham • [email protected]
Direct line +44 (0) 20 7017 5218
Television Business International (USPS 003-807) is published bi-monthly (Jan, Mar, Apr,
Jun, Aug and Oct) by Informa Telecoms Media, Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street,
London, W1T 3JH, United Kingdom. The 2006 US Institutional subscription price is
$255. Airfreight and mailing in the USA by Agent named Air Business, C/O Priority
Airfreight NY Ltd, 147-29 182nd Street, Jamaica, NY11413. Periodical postage paid at
Jamaica NY 11431. US Postmaster: Send address changes to Television Business
International , C/O Air Business Ltd / Priority Airfreight NY Ltd, 147-29 182nd Street,
Jamaica, NY11413. Subscription records are maintained at Informa Telecoms Media,
Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London, W1T 3JH, United Kingdom. Air Business
Ltd is acting as our mailing agent.
© Informa UK Ltd 2013 All rights reserved
Reproduction without permission is prohibited
@tbimagazine
2 TBI February/March 2013
#!2'$7
0-+2&#.0-"3!#01-$0#)',%"@
'24123"'-1@!-+
pXX ITV FebMar13.indd 1
19/02/2013 14:32
p04 Viewpoint - ta - FebMar13scFINAL
21/2/13
18:47
Page 26
VIEWPOINT TOM JENNINGS, FOUNDER,1895 FILMS
VIEWPOINT
TOM JENNINGS
THE DANCE OF THE INDEPENDENT NON-FICTION PRODUCER
f you Google the expression “Whirling
Dervish,” you’ll likely see a description
of someone whose behaviour resembles “a rapid, spinning object.”
It’s ironic how that term can apply to us
independent non-fiction television producers
in the US as well. We are known for the dance
for which many Dervishes are famous and
finding buyers for ideas has us constantly spinning, keeping up with networks that are moving targets.
Fortunately, for small-and-medium sized
independents, there are plenty of networks out
there. But it’s a double-edged sword. The tastes
of the networks are constantly changing.
Development personnel move from one
department to another – or from network-tonetwork without notice. Trying to keep up is an
exercise in whirling.
Many US cable networks built their audiences on the backs of non-fiction producers. It’s
no secret that many of those same networks are
now in a ratings race chasing the lowest common denominator. A majority of these shows
take on the mantle of laughing at their subjects
instead of laughing with them. It’s a shame.
No one can argue that the rush to find “big
characters” and“bigger situations” has not been
successful, but it’s left those of us who want to
produce programmes that entertain and educate an endangered species. There still are a few
slots here and there to sell quality program-
I
ming, but not in the numbers of ten years ago.
Besides constantly keeping your contacts upto-date, what’s a producer to do? Plenty. It’s a
big world out there. Outside the US there are
buyers waiting with open arms to welcome
those of us who still believe that quality non-fiction television has a vital and important place in
the world.
This I learned last fall, when I attended my
first MIPCOM. The breeze off the bay in
Cannes was not nearly as refreshing as the welcome my company received from international
buyers hungry for great content. The irony, as
most of them explained, was once they sell a
show to an international network, the producer
has a good chance of selling that same show
back into the US market. And keeping the
rights.
After years of hearing network executives in
the US kindly explain that keeping any part of a
rights package was non-negotiable, this new
way of looking at the world has me thunderstruck. Keep the rights? How can this be? It’s a
strange concept for those of us who have never
before heard that term.
This isn’t to say independent producers
should write-off US networks. Like the shifting
tides of taste enveloping these networks, we
must find our own ways to shift with them. It’s
not easy, but thinking one step ahead can do it.
For example, when a new 3D network, 3Net,
launched in the US a couple of years ago, we
It’s a big world out there. Outside the US there are buyers
waiting with open arms to welcome those of us
who still believe that quality non-fiction
television has a vital and important place in the world.
heard it needed content. My company knew
nothing about 3D but our background in history programming gave us knowledge about old
pictures called stereographs. These amazing
pictures go all the way back to the US Civil War.
We ran some tests and discovered that stereographs could work on television. For the first
time, classic stories from the past came to life
in a way never before seen. We pitched and
wound up doing four hours for the network last
year. We hope to do more.
Another classic storytelling tool for non-fiction producers is the use of archive footage.
Unfortunately, many networks now see the
word “archive” as something archaic, old-fashioned and a format which no one in their prime
demographics will watch.
We disagreed. We had an idea. What if we
used archival material – and only archival material – to tell a story? By incorporating all forms
of media, television broadcasts, radio, police
scanner recordings and photographs, we found
a compelling story could be told with an in-themoment feel. There are no interviews. There is
no narration. Instead, we immerse the viewer
as if they are living through the event in real
time. It’s a powerful format. Without talking
heads describing to the viewer what they are
seeing, or a Voice-of-God narrator booming in
with explanations, the audience becomes part
of the story.
Like the Dervish who seeks religious ecstasy
through his whirling dance, independent nonfiction producers today must continue to spin –
themselves, their ideas and their ability to deliver projects that rise above the din. If we do that,
it’s possible we will find our own euphoria –
another show that makes us proud and one
which we love to make. TBI
ORIGINAL.
BOLD.
CAPTIVATING.
Our innovative content pushes boundaries, crosses
borders and connects with audiences everywhere.
© 2013 A&E Television Networks, LLC. All rights reserved. 0193 D .
A+E Networks…we make life entertaining.
PAWN STARS® / 208 X 1/2 HOUR
MANKIND THE STORY OF ALL OF US™ / 12 X 1 HOUR
SHE MADE THEM DO IT / 1 X 2 HOURS
MIRACLE RISING: SOUTH AFRICA / 1 X 2 HOURS
DANCE MOMS® / 49 X 1 HOUR + 9 SPECIALS
DUCK DYNASTY® / 31 X 1/2 HOUR
THE MEN WHO BUILT AMERICA™
8 X 1 HOUR
LIFE IS ENTERTAINING.
aetninternational.com
DISCOP SCREENINGaetninternational.com
STAND ANADOLU 23
DISCOP SCREENING STAND ANADOLU 23
pXX A+E FebMar13.indd 1
19/02/2013 14:39
p06-07 House of Cards - ta - JanFeb13scFINAL
21/2/13
18:54
Page 14
MONITOR HOUSE OF CARDS
HOW HAS HOUSE OF CARDS
STACKED UP?
House of Cards launched February 1 and was the
most expensive series ever made for the internet. In the absence of any official numbers, TBI obtained data that indicates how
the show was received by Netflix’s subs and Stewart Clarke speaks to its star and
writer, Kevin Spacey and Beau Willimon, about how Netflix is rewriting the rules
of making content
etflix is not bound by overnights, but having invested over US$100 million in a
new show it will be poring over the numbers for House of Cards and looking for an
uptick in subscribers and reduced churn.
Chief creative officer Ted Sarandos says he has no
interest in revealing any numbers for the show. He
won’t, he says, even tell its star Kevin Spacey. All
Netflix will say publicly about how House of
Cards has performed is: “We are happy with
the reception the show has gotten in the
media, on social media, and from our members in reviews that you can read on
Netflix.com.”
Fortunately, the analytics division of US
networking business Procera Networks
has run the numbers on the series. In a
blog posting the company’s vice president, global marketing, Cam Cullen
analysed the traffic for House of
Cards a day after launch. Procera
subsequently shared updated viewing
data with TBI.
Procera monitors traffic at eight
of the top broadband providers in
North America. It drilled into
activity around House of Cards at
one of these operators, meaning
a relatively small sample, but
an interesting one given that
Cullen says activity tracks
at similar levels across
all of the networks.
Cullen says that somewhere between 5-to-10% of
Netflix US subs watched at least one
episode of House of Cards. In numbers,
that equates to between 1.35 million and
2.71 million viewers. By comparison, the
highest-ever rated episode of Showtime’s
Homeland was 2.5 million.
The numbers relate to the US-listed service’s
North American customers only, not the 6.12
N
million it has across Latin America, the Nordics and the UK
and Ireland (4.8 million of which are actual paying subs as
opposed to those taking a free trial).
Netflix rolled out all 13 episodes of House of Cards simultaneously and its lead star Kevin Spacey and writer Beau
Willimon are in no doubt that it has rewritten the rules of
making content.
The cast and crew were mindful that House of Cards was
ostensibly a web series. “It seems to be the direction it’s
going in,” Spacey tells TBI. “People are, for whatever reason, consuming large chunks of stories and plotlines [at
once] and getting really involved in these big story arcs.”
Steve Van Zandt (Lillyhammer, The Sopranos) says that
he was taken aback when he realised Netflix was releasing
Lillyhammer all at once, after he had spent months working on it. Netflix did not hedge its bets with its new show
despite the bigger budget and profile and released 13
episodes across North and Latin America, Scandinavia, the
UK and Ireland on February 1.
Spacey says: “I had the experience of working on a film
called Margin Call, which was one of the first to be released
on DVD and in movie theatres at the same time and it did
very well in both places. This is now one of the first series
ever that will give out the entire first season in one day.
Maybe the film and television industry is learning the lesson the music industry didn’t.”
Spacey and the show’s writer Beau Willimon agree that
part of the attraction was that House of Cards was not commissioned or run in the way a regular series would be: there
was no pilot, an unprecedented straight-to-two-series order
and no notes from channel execs, giving the producers and
actors free reign. Netflix also offered the most money.
“It’s not the first time I’ve been offered TV and not the
first time David [Fincher, director] has been offered TV, but
for whatever reason we both waited and that was because
maybe we were a bit nervous about the confines of some
kinds of television,” Spacey says. “It seemed like this was
the right moment and Netflix stepping up and outbidding
everybody and saying ‘We believe in you guys and you don’t
have to audition and do a pilot, but here’s 26 episodes.’ We
were like, ok, that’s pretty awesome.”
Willimon had not seen the original BBC show when
David Fincher asked to see him about a remaking it three
p06-07 House of Cards - ta - JanFeb13scFINAL
21/2/13
18:54
Page 15
MONITOR HOUSE OF CARDS
Sony deals House of Cards worldwide
While House of Cards launched on Netflix in the US and the
selected international territories in which it operates, Sony
Pictures Television sells the show to broadcasters. It has
concluded a raft of deals, selling it to broadcasters in
Belgium, France, Germany, Iceland, Portugal, Spain and
Turkey.
In Germany Sky Deutschland has picked up the series as
have its pay-TV compatriots Canal+ in Spain, Zon in Portugal
and Digiturk in Turkey. In France Canal+ has acquired rights
and, in French-speaking Belgium, Be-TV has acquired the
series, which has a budget of over US$100 million across
the two 13-episode series ordered by Netflix. In Iceland RUV
has bought the show.
A second tranche of sales saw the series picked up by
Russian broadcaster Channel One, Russian streaming service Yota and Israeli pay TV platforms Hot and Yes.
years ago. “Then I watched it and I could see the opportunity
to Americanise it and update it,” he says. “It’s a different political system in the US and a lot has changed since the original
including 9/11, the internet becoming mainstream and the 24hour news cycle.”
Meanwhile, the industry has been watching to see how people consume content when it is not drip-fed in a weekly pattern. Do they binge or do they ration themselves to TV-type
viewing?
Procera first looked at viewing patterns a day after the series
launched. That revealed that just over 2% of Netflix’s 27.15 million subs (25.47 million of which are paying) had watched the
first episode a day after launch and 0.6% had binged on the
whole series.
At the latest announced subscriber levels – and assuming a
similar usage level across all internet networks – that would
equate to 547,072 and 162,900 viewers respectively.
“We did another update taking in the Friday, Saturday and
Sunday, and after the weekend 3% of Netflix subscribers had
watched and 1% had watched episode 13,” Cullen tells TBI.
“That means that a third of people who had started watching
the series on Friday had reached the end of the series on
Sunday.”
Specifically, 3.1% of Netflix subs (841,650, assuming the
same proportion of usage across all networks) had watched
episode one, according to Procera, falling to 2.1% (570,150)
for episode two and 1.7% (271,500) for episode three.
By the final, 13th episode, the proportion of Netflix subs
watching was 1.1% (298,650).
Numbers aside, the creatives attached certainly like the
model.
“We never saw it as ‘TV’ or ‘streaming’,” Willimon says.
“People have been conditioned to thinking TV shows are
an hour or half an hour and come once a week, but the
distinction between TV and internet [shows] will
fall away in the next few years.”
The show is being well received critically
although Netflix has yet to release any information about how many new customers it
hauled in or how many of its existing
customers have watched it. Both will
help determine whether Frank
Underwood gets another outing.
Spacey says. “At the moment
we don’t know if there will be a
third season, but we’re open to
it.” TBI
House of Cards indicative numbers, episode by episode
3.5
ep. 1
% of Netflix subscribers
3.0
2.5
2.0
1.5
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
1.0
0.5
Source: Procera Networks
7
p08 People Monitor FebMar13scFINAL
21/2/13
18:56
Page 34
MONITOR PEOPLE
ON THE MOVE
TBI takes a look at the latest comings and goings in the international television business and
reports on who’s moving where.
PASCAL BRETON, the co-founder of Marathon, has stepped down as CEO of the French
production company. He will be succeeded at the Zodiak Media-owned firm by
Philippe Alessandri who is currently CEO of Tele Images Productions. Alessandri will
continue to run Tele Images.
LIAM KEELAN has opted to take a new role at BBC Worldwide over the position as
director of Sky1 he accepted late last year. Worldwide has appointed Keelan global
editorial director. He will report to chief content officer Helen Jackson and develop the
editorial and creative vision for Worldwide’s channels and services around the world.
Endemol has hired FOTINI PARASKAKIS as managing director of its Asian business.
She joins from FremantleMedia Asia, where she was director of content. The appointment comes amid wide-ranging management changes at Endemol. Martha Brass,
Edwin van Es and Boudewijn Beusmans have all been given new roles under a revised
management structure. COO and Endemol France boss Virginie Calmels is leaving.
HELEN THWAITES, a longstanding commissioner and buyer at Australian public broadcaster the ABC, has joined kids producer SLR. In a 15-year career at the ABC, Thwaites
was head of acquisitions and most recently business affairs manager, commissioned
[kids] content. Prior to the ABC she held several positions at Southern Star.
Former Channel 5 programming boss JEFF FORD has been recruited as head of content for Ireland’s largest commercial broadcaster TV3. Ford left Channel 5 late last year
and was subsequently replaced by Ben Frow. He will now join the broadcaster that
Frow left, albeit in an expanded role to that of his predecessor. He will oversee programming at the core TV3 channel as well as its digital sister service 3e.
Cineflix has hired KATE LAFFEY from ITV Studios Global Entertainment and she will
become director of acquisitions at the distributor. Kate is currently senior acquisitions
executive at ITV Studios Global Entertainment, responsible for acquiring scripted and
non-scripted content from third-party producers.
Production and distribution group Argonon has hired LAURA BESSELL-MARTIN as its
COO. Bessell-Martin’s previous experience includes stints at Shed Media and UK pay
TV operator BSkyB. The COO role is a new one at Argonon.
DLT Entertainment has hired GREG ROCCO as its US director of sales. Rocco will be
responsible for finished program sales to cable channels and PBS stations in the US for
the producer and distributor. He joins from Katz Media Group and will be based in
New York, reporting to DLT’s president Don Taffner.
ITV Studios Global Entertainment (ITVS GE) has appointed CRAIG BOHLAND as VP of
sales, USA and Canada. He joins from NBC Universal International Television
Distribution where he was sales planning and product manager. Bohland will be based
in LA in his ITV role and be responsible for managing existing broadcaster relationships in North America, as well as developing new business in the region.
p09 EOne FebMar13.indd 1
22/02/2013 09:57
p10 Turner FebMar13_taSCFINAL
22/2/13
10:59
Page 2
MONITOR TURNER
ALL CHANGE AT TURNER
Stock, Zeiler and Carrington
Turner Broadcasting is shedding one third of its staff in Europe, the Middle East and Africa and
reorganising its management structure as international boss Gerhard Zeiler makes his mark,
having joined last year. Kids creative boss Michael Carrington is leaving and Disney veteran
Giorgio Stock is coming in. TBI rounds up the news at the EMEA-wide channel operator
mid the news of large numbers of
job losses at Turner Broadcasting
System in Europe, there was a
high-profile new staffer brought in
in February. Giorgio Stock (pictured, above left)
will join Turner, which runs channels including
Cartoon Network and Cartoonito in the EMEA
region, in April. After 15 years at Disney he is
steeped in the kids content business and at
Turner he will run all of its entertainment and
kids networks across EMEA, and oversee the distribution of news channel CNN in the region. He
will also manage all licensing and merchandising activity in EMEA region.
At Disney, Stock was most recently executive
VP and GM, Disney Consumer Products,
Publishing and Retail, EMEA. He also headed
up the company’s content creation divisions.
Prior to these roles he was senior VP & MD of
Disney Channels Italy.
Stock joining was a coup for Turner, but his
entry comes amid a large number of exits.
Michael Carrington (pictured, above right) is
leaving his position as head of content at Cartoon
Network and Turner’s other kids channels in the
EMEA region to join Hit Entertainment in the
newly created position of head of content and
production, Hit Global Brands.
Carrington is a well-known figure in the kids
industry, having been controller of BBC kids
channel CBeebies prior to joining Turner. At Hit,
A
Carrington will be based in the company’s
London office. He will be responsible for
enhancing its current properties and its development slate and will report to senior VP, Edward
Catchpole. Marion Edwards will continue in her
role as executive producer of HIT’s brands, and
report to Carrington.
“Hit Entertainment has been a phenomenon
in preschool programming since the very start”
Carrington said after the news of his appointment broke. “As a broadcaster, I have long
admired the company for its creativity, innovation and sheer skill at knowing exactly what it is
that younger kids want. And now it’s got the
resources, the ambition and the know-how to
become bigger and better in a world where even
preschool children are demanding great characters and stories across an increasing number of
platforms.”
A date has yet to be announced for
Carrington’s arrival. He joined Turner in early
2010 after the departure of Finn Arnesen.
Stock coming in and Carrington exiting are
two high-profile executive moves. The bigger picture is that they come in the wake of Turner
announcing its intention to reduce the headcount across EMEA by about 30%. It employs
about 900 people across the region and about
250 positions will go.
The cuts follow a review of operations by
Gerhard Zeiler (pictured, above centre), who
became president of TBS International last year.
He has already announced a new organisational
structure that Turner said was designed to give
more operating power and accountability within
the regions. Following that restructure, the senior management team comprises Pete
Flamman, who oversees kids; Jaime Ondarza,
who runs Turner’s operations in Italy, France
and UK; Domingo Corral in Iberia; Hannes
Heyelmann in German-speaking territories; and
Rani Raad in Turkey, Middle East and Africa.
Speaking about the job losses, Zeiler said:
“This review required us taking some tough
decisions, but they are absolutely necessary to
put Turner International in the best possible
position for future growth. Greater empowerment and broader accountability for local management will lead to simplified processes
throughout the organisation, improved efficiency and reduced costs.”
A Turner spokesman told TBI that the company’s investment in content is not part of the
review and therefore no decision has been made
to reduce or increase the amount it spends on
programming across its EMEA footprint.
Turner will not share any details of where the
cuts would come in terms of job titles and territories while the consultation and redundancy
process continues. When the business review
was announced last year, the whole of Turner’s
UK staff was placed at risk of redundancy. TBI
p11 Televisa FebMar13.indd 1
21/02/2013 19:35
p12 Diving_ta_FebMar13scFINAL
21/2/13
18:58
Page 2
MONITOR DIVING FORMATS
Stars In Danger: High Diving
Celebrity Splash
DIVING FORMATS COMPETE TO
MAKE THE BIGGEST SPLASH
iving shows are hot in the formats world right now. They are
also a hot legal issue with two of the biggest formats firms in
the international space locked in a legal wrangle over Stars In
Danger: High Diving and Celebrity Splash.
In the blue corner is Banijay, which distributes Stars In Danger: High
Diving. The format originally aired on German free-to-air network
ProSieben in 2004, where it was known as TV total Turmspringen. It was
created by Brainpool, which is part of the Banijay Group. Banijay now sells
the format internationally.
In the red corner is Eyeworks with Celebrity Splash. It started out as
Sterren Springen (Stars Jump) on SBS 6 in the Netherlands The first
episode went out in August 2012, garnering a 24% share, more than double the channel’s primetime average.
Both the Banijay and Eyeworks shows revolve around the idea of celebri-
D
STARS IN DANGER: HIGH DIVING - BANIJAY
Territory
US
Argentina
Australia
Canada
China
Italy
Finland
France
Norway
Spain
Sweden
UK
Ukraine
ties taking part in physical competition.
TBI was the first to report, last October, that Banijay had recruited copyright lawyers to examine the legal situation regarding the two formats.
Eyeworks immediately refuted Banijay’s claims..
Legal action ensued and the finer points of whether one infringes the
copyright of another are currently being worked through by lawyers.
What is beyond doubt is that both distributors have a hit on their hands.
Both shows have already broken into the US and China as well as selling to
a raft of other territories.
Head-to-head dive-offs are in the works in the US, where major broadcast networks ABC and Fox have signed on, while both shows have also sold
into China.
Broadcasters in many territories have opted for one or the other, as the
table below illustrates.TBI
CELEBRITY SPLASH - EYEWORKS
Fox
n/a
n/a
V**
Jiangsu Satellite Television
Mediaset***
n/a
n/a
TV2
Telecinco*****
TV3*****
n/a
n/a
ABC
Telefe
Seven Network
n/a
Zhejiang TV
n/a
Nelonen
TF1
n/a
n/a
n/a
ITV
1+1
Local producer, where known: *Bunim Murray, **La Presse Télé, ***Ambra Multimedia, **** Cuarzo, *****Nordisk Film TV Sweden
pXX INA FebMar13.indd 1
20/02/2013 15:14
p14-16,18 True Crime FebMar13sc_ta_FINAL
21/2/13
19:06
Page 14
FACTUAL TRUE CRIME
CRIME, SEEN
INVESTIGATION
21/2/13
19:06
Page 15
FACTUAL TRUE CRIME
As factual crime shows go from strength to strength,
TBI takes witness statements from channel controllers,
distributors and executives. Tim Adler uncovers why crime pays
Cineflix Rights’ Murder in Paradise
ives With Knives. Born
to Kill. Surviving Evil.
All true-crime shows
whose titles could have
been ripped from the
headlines of this morning’s tabloids.
From serial killers bip-bopping around the
Midwest to an abused wife plunging a knife
between her husband’s shoulder blades, crime
always pays.
True-crime is one of the few genres so popular it can support its own pay TV channels.
Investigation Discovery (ID) has 60 million
W
subscribers outside the US in 138 countries
including Brazil, South Africa and the UK. The
original ID has been the fastest-growing cable
channel in the US for the past three years.
A+E Networks’ rival Crime & Investigation
Network (CI) has a reach of 52 million subscribers worldwide across territories including
the US, Australasia and the UK.
And RTL and Viasat have their own crossborder crime channels too. RTL Crime reaches
four million subscribers in the German-speaking territories of Austria, Germany and
Switzerland, while Viasat Crime Africa is avail-
able in Guinea, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania,
Uganda and the Central African Republic.
TBI understands that US channels Lifetime
and OWN are now considering moving into
true-crime programming, although both
declined to comment.
Broadcasters have launched true-crime channels seeing the popularity of forensic investigation shows such as CSI. At one point, the procedural was the most popular TV show in the
world and it remains a ratings winner for CBS
and numerous international networks.
Luis Silberwasser, chief content officer at
Discovery Networks International, says: “If you
look at fiction, a lot of the top-rated shows
around the world are in the crime genre.”
Foxtel, the Australian pay TV operator, first
launched CI in January 2005. Then channel
manager Christian Murphy realised demand
was there for a channel devoted entirely to reallife crime. CI launched in the UK the following
year.
Murphy says: “My thinking was that viewers
would like to know the real story behind the
[drama] series that were doing really well at the
time.”
Koulla Anastasi, head of acquisitions and
commissioning for CI UK, says she was taken
aback by how popular the channel was on
launch.
On average, pay TV viewers will watch a factual channel for between 40 and 45 minutes
each day. For CI UK that level of stickiness has
gone up to 71 minutes.
Murphy, who today is senior VP international programming for A+E Networks, says: “True
crime is the stickiest content for any pay television operator.”
Gary Lico, president and CEO of New Yorkbased distributor CableReady, which has about
1,000 hours of true-crime in its library, agrees:
“As a genre, true crime works in every medium
– I mean, even pornography didn’t work on
radio.”
Often true-crime programmes are non-fiction versions of whatever fiction shows are popular right now. CableReady is developing a new
show called The Real Walking Dead with
Canadian producer Partners In Motion, about
people who have gone missing and only reappear years later.
Women are the most avid viewers of truecrime. CableReady says viewership of its truecrime titles splits 65:35 women to men. The
demographic is the same around the world.
15
21/2/13
19:06
Page 16
FACTUAL TRUE CRIME
Investigation Discovery’s Stephen David Entertainment-produced Redrum
Sixty per cent of Viasat Crime Africa’s viewers
are older females. CI’s British viewers are also
typically 65% female and aged over 45-yearsold, which reflects the audience for fictional
crime shows as well.
So, what is it about true crime which appeals
to the older woman?
Ruth Clarke, director of acquisitions and coproductions for distributor ITV Studios, says
that “women read the most crime fiction, they
all want to be Miss Marple and solve the crime
themselves”.
Lico believes that is because a woman is the
victim in most true-crime shows while the perpetrator is a man. And yet the forces of good
win.
Chris Bonney, CEO of rights at distributor
Cineflix Rights, agrees. Cineflix has 500 hours
of true crime programming on its books, selling to all the major channels including
National Geographic and Discovery.
Bonney says: “A lot of storylines are centred
on couples. Women who commit violent
crimes against husbands and lovers are very
popular.”
Bonney adds that as women are often in
charge of the remote control, it is they who
decide which channel to watch. True crime
however is a genre that both sexes are happy to
view together.
He says: “It’s a co-viewing experience, but
one initiated by women. That is a pretty hard
audience to capture.”
ITV’s Clarke agrees: “The nice thing about
crime is that it becomes inclusive for men and
women.”
Of course, there are only a certain number of
cases that meet programme-makers’ needs
each year. ID maintains a database that tracks
suitably violent crimes, cross-checking to see if
any of them have already had shows based on
them.
The Hollywood influence
True crime is changing. Production values have
risen, and the true-crime genre has become more
subtle, looking more into the why rather than the
what.
Often higher-end shows include dramatic
reconstructions of crimes involving Hollywoodstyle storytelling.
CI UK’s Anastasi says: “What we’re seeing
much more from the States is drama re-con
taking the lead. What we’re looking for is new
ways to retell stories. The way we’re telling
these stories is becoming literally much more
dramatic. Producers need to think about how
they can use fiction techniques.”
RTL Crime general manager Klaus
Holtmann notes that often when recounting an
older crime, a TV producer used to only have a
single newspaper photograph of the killer. Reenactments get around that.
Holtmann says: “Traditionally, producers
had to rely on news footage, but now these
[new] shows really look like movies, closing the
gap between fact and fiction.”
There is also a move away from simple caseclosed, justice-was-served storytelling to more
nuanced and open endings.
Lico says: “There’s greater emphasis on mystery than everything being resolved, which
makes it more relatable to those who enjoy
good storytelling.”
Adds Silberwasser: “It’s not tabloid television
any more. It’s more personal, more dramatic.”
One example of this new trend is ID’s
Redrum (“murder” backwards), which begins
when the victim is dead and tells the story in
reverse, recounting what led up to the crime.
The US season premiere of Redrum was
watched by 3.5 million viewers in January, the
channel’s highest-ever rating.
UKTV’s documentary channel Really is airing new ABC show Final Witness on March 7.
It looks at crimes from the victim’s point of
view as viewers watch re-enactments voiced by
the victim.
Alexandra Finlay, head of acquisitions and
co-productions at UKTV, says: “We’ve moving
Wives With Knives has played on Crime & Investigation (CI) and Discovery ID
TVF International • +44 (0)20 7837 3000 • www.tvfinternaitonal.com
Breaking The Taboo
Freddie Flintoff: The Gloves are Off...
Episodes: 1x52’ / 1x74’• Genre: World Affairs/Crime
Broadcaster: Sky 1 • 3 x 60’ (HD) • Genre: Lifestyle & Leisure
Featuring Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter,
this groundbreaking documentary uncovers the
UN sanctioned war on drugs, exposing the biggest
international policy failure in the last 50 years.
For the challenge of his life, ex England cricket legend
Freddie Flintoff turns to professional boxing where he
will be put through the toughest physical training with
boxing icons including Mike Tyson and Amir Khan.
Commandos
Prison Families
Broadcaster: Nine Network • Episodes: 4 x 52’ (HD)
+ more episodes to come! • Genre: Crime
Broadcaster: TV3 • Episodes: 10 x 23’ (HD) • Genre: Crime
Australian Commandos rank in the world’s top three elite
military units. This series follows veteran instructors as
they select, punish and prepare the next generation.
A ground-breaking observational series following ten
families as they grapple with the challenges of living
with a loved one behind bars. Striking dramatisations
document each family’s story of crime and justice.
Fight Club: A History of Violence
My Brother The Serial Killer…
Broadcaster: UKTV • Episodes: 4 x 47 (HD)
Genre: History
Broadcaster: Investigation Discovery • Episodes: 1 x
88 / 2 x 46 (HD) • Genre: Crime
Organised fighting is the oldest form of entertainment.
This series places ruthless contests from the ages into
historical context with stunning reenactments.
Glen Rogers, America’s notorious serial killer, has killed
over 70 people. Now facing execution on death row, his
chilling story is told by Clay, his own brother.
p17 TVF FebMar13 v2.indd 1
22/02/2013 14:32
21/2/13
19:06
Page 18
FACTUAL TRUE CRIME
“True crime is the
stickiest content for
any pay television
operator.”
CHRISTIAN MURPHY, SVP, INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMMING, A+E NETWORKS
away from the more salacious approach and
going deeper into why these things happen.”
Christian Murphy of A+E Networks says
there are two kinds of true-crime programming: high-end, expensive-to-produce documentaries featuring reconstructions, and
ripped-from-the-headlines shows with sensational titles. These tabloid shows can be half as
cheap to make, he says.
CI is not averse to grabbing viewers by the
scruff of the neck with attention-grabbing titles:
shows making their MIPTV market debut this
year include Model Killers, Pre-Nup to Murder
and Deadly Wives.
What broadcasters look for
Dedicated true crime channels produce their
own programming as well as buying it in.
ID makes about 450 hours of true-crime programming each year, and plans to make more
overseas shows as the channel expands interna-
Twofour Rights-distributed Born To Kill
tionally.
A+E produces about 200-300 hours of true
crime programming each year, of which about
20 hours are made outside the US.
So far Viasat Africa Crime only acquires programming, half of which comes from the US.
However Viasat’s director of pay TV channels
Mette Kanne-Behrendsen does not rule out
making its own true-crime shows in the future.
Broadcasters say that producers are not making enough true-crime shows set outside of
America’s heartland, which, if true-crime
shows are anything to go by, must be the murder capital of the world.
Silberwasser says he tells producers to look
for great local stories.
So what kind of shows are broadcasters and
distributors looking for? What advice would
they have for indie producers pitching shows?
“I’ll tell you what I am not looking for,” says
Holtmann. “I am not looking for more fly-onthe-wall documentaries about police work.
There’s been so much of that, it all looks the
same.
“We’re really looking for crime stories with
an edge, something weirder. You would think
that all murders take place in the American
Midwest. Producers need to look further afield
for interesting stories in Asia or Latin
America.”
Cineflix Rights CEO Chris Bonney says he
looks for “a great title and a great title.”
In particular, Bonney wants to acquire longrunning returnable formats.
He says: “If you can sum up the format in
one sentence, that’s a great help. I am looking
for something returnable that is capable of
being sustained for volume.”
Finlay wants to see how Final Witness performs before acquiring any more true crime.
However, she has these words for any independent producers reading this piece: “We’re
looking for shows that have a fresh twist on the
genre, which deliver higher production values
and emotional resonance for the viewer.”
And if you can, pitch a returning series
rather than a one-off.
“One-offs are great when they have high production values,” says Maartje Horchner, head
of acquisitions at All3Media. “But you can only
sell them once.”
Horchner says that a broadcaster will spend
the same amount publicising a one-off as it
would for a long-running show, so returning
series make much more sense from a channel’s point of view.
All3Media has about 90 hours of true-crime
programming in its 3,000-hour library. One of
its specialities is what Horchner calls “bluelight shows” – tales of plucky heroism and derring-do involving emergency services, whether
it’s dog handlers, helicopter pilots or firemen.
Like everything else, the recession has
touched the true-crime genre as well.
Horchner says that today viewers want
upbeat endings. “People need uplift at the end
of the story,” she says.
The true-crime channels are cagey about
where they might expand to next. There are
rumours that CI is eyeing another Asia Pacific
territory, while ID says it will launch channels
internationally as-and-when.
What is clear is that there will never be a
shortage of true crime to base shows on.
“It says something about humanity that we
add about 500 hours of new programming
each year,” says Anastasi. TBI
pXX TwoFour FebMar13.indd 1
21/02/2013 14:32
p20-24 People_FebMar13sc_ta_Final
21/2/13
19:11
Page 20
MIPTV PEOPLE TO MEET
GAME CHANGERS
Even a cursory of glance at the current TV industry reveals that every aspect of it is evolving
rapidly. Video distribution is migrating online, with YouTube's Latin America director John
Farrell predicting that by 2020, 75% of audiovisual content will be consumed via broadband.
Production financing is increasingly sourced from advertising budgets: in 2012, 40% of global
ad spend went to funding content production.
On top of that the second screen is now mainstream with over 40% of viewers in its thrall.
Producers know more about the audience both collectively and individually than ever before.
Gary Smith seeks out the game changers: the companies attending MIPCube and MIPTV that
will connect with the industry in new ways and are changing the face of the business.
RED BULL MEDIA HOUSE • ALEXANDER KOPPEL, CHIEF COMMERCIAL OFFICER
Red Bull had 35 cameras on Felix Baumgartner when he jumped from
the edge off space. An audience of several million watched the event
live on YouTube, a piece of televisual history which the brand is keen
to build on.
Founded on the idea of a multiplatform approach as a reaction to a
segmenting market, Red Bull's content strategy goes straight to the
heart of today's youth, says chief commercial office Alexander Koppel
Red Bull Media House currently offers three dedicated TV
offerings: Red Bull TV, ServusTV, and Terra Mater Factual
Studios. But underlying that is the fact that we constantly
strive to create and distribute top-quality media assets that leverage not
only our own media brands, but also those of our third-party media partners.
The evolving TV/content landscape presents an outstanding opportunity for our multiplatform strategy – especially as the premium content
we own includes globally cleared rights, which helps us and our partners
to reach a young and dynamic target group across the planet.
At MIPTV this year we are particularly excited to be presenting our lat-
The evolving TV/
content landscape
presents an outstanding
opportunity for our
multiplatform strategy
est content and highlight products such as the documentary about the
Red Bull Stratos mission.
Red Bull Media House will continue to innovate in content development, delivery and marketing processes and is constantly expanding its
footprint as a global media player, so we will have some more
news for our global audiences to be announced at MIPTV.
Stay tuned.
21/2/13
19:11
Page 21
B-REEL • PETTER WESTLUND, CCO
Along with RSA Films, B-Reel made interactive short film The Inside
Experience for Toshiba/Intel. In the film, which is broken into segments
for Facebook, YouTube and other social media, Emmy Rosum plays a
woman trapped in a room with only her laptop and an unreliable internet connection. Viewers connect with the story on different platforms to
try and help her escape.
The company was involved in 150 projects in 2012 including the follow-up to The Inside Experience called The Beauty Inside, as well as
the Widerness Downtown advert for Google's Chrome Browser.
It’s about give the audience an experience, says chief creative officer
Petter Westlund
Whether we're making advertising or feature films, we are
always telling stories. It's the same approach across all our
work. We always worry a lot about whether we are doing truly
excellent work because we know that we have to create something that has
real value for people. And only when we believe that we have something
that delivers, do we start to talk to brands.
We don't produce TV content and we never have. Right now we are a
company that makes content for people who like to be in control of what
they watch, hence the intense focus on content that absolutely has to be
able to stand alone. Otherwise how will it attract or hold an audience?
Because we have always produced either commercials or arthouse films,
We don't produce TV
content and we
never have. Right
now we are a company that makes
content for people
who like to be in
control of what they
watch
this year will be my first visit to MIPTV, and the reason that I'll be there is
because multiple touch-points have been emerging between what we do
and what the media industries want.
I feel we have plenty to discuss, most specifically from the
point of view of digital distribution and second screen
experiences.
BASE 79 • ASHLEY MACKENZIE, CEO
YouTube publishes
more content in one
week than has ever
been made for TV
Base79 delivers 600 million views per month and manages 20 million YouTube subscribers. The French Football Federation was latest
signing and it also works with companies including BBC Worldwide,
Tiger Aspect, IMG Media and Simon Cowell’s Syco. Its primary purpose is adding value for IP owners, says CEO Ashley MacKenzie.
We improve views, increase advertising revenue, build audience and acquire customers for content owners. We are the
leaders in the YouTube platform and technology [space] and work
across all devices and content platforms.
YouTube publishes more content in one week than has ever been
made for TV, and that's where Base79 comes in.
Understanding how to navigate this deluge of content, be seen,
make money and acquire customers that keep coming back to your
offer takes more than just the creation of great content.
We have unique technology and unique relationships. We represent key influencers and the zeitgeist of digital video. We're consumer-focused, rather than content vertical-focused – this allows us
to understand the entire industry.
In a more general sense, we are in a golden age of creativity and
content, which means that consumers can find content that is created for their exact demographic and exact interests.
These two key insights are creating a 'lean-forward' approach to
video consumption and consequently the 'being broadcast to' model
is increasingly under threat.
Providing channels that appeal to specific and targeted groups,
and providing services that help these groups find their content
quickly and easily is a real opportunity.
We manage their international audience, stream their
matches, and manage their advertising.
21
21/2/13
19:11
Page 22
MONTEROSA • TOM MCDONNELL, COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR
At MIPTV, we will be launching the LViS
Producer Programme, which provides TV
production companies with free creative
support for their format development
and execution
Making second screen content deployment easy and cheap, Monterosa
was among the first companies to specialise in this area. Commercial
director Tom McDonnell says its LViS tool is becoming the standard for
second screen apps.
“After almost a whole year of closed-testing with partners such as Sky,
Shine and Endemol in the UK, this year we've launched our new second
screen product LViS to the US and European markets.
LViS is a
new tool that
lets producers,
broadcasters
and
brands create synched
second screen content
in either HTML5 or
native apps. What's
different about this is
that it's quick, cool,
highly economical.
It makes apps that
work on any device,
and it scales globally. It's becoming the new
standard.
BBC Worldwide is one of the first major LViS customers and it’s
recently launched a second screen game called Top Gear Bingo in 12 territories. It took just a few weeks from concept to global deployment, with
language translation and set-up devolved to the broadcaster, and taking
only minimal effort.
Sky 1 have used LViS to provide free second screen voting in their talent show Got To Dance, allowing the audience to interact with the show
on any device or platform, including Zeebox and Facebook.
At MIPTV, we will be launching the LViS Producer Programme,
which provides TV production companies with free creative support for
their format development and execution. Initially open to a select group
of international producers, this gives production companies access to the
team which designed Million Pound Drop's app – with which six
million people in the UK play along – and of which there have
been 1.5 million app downloads since last June.”
TRENDRR • MARK GHUNEIM, FOUNDER AND CEO
Not sure what to make of your data? Trendrr can give structure and
context to large data sets in real time, says its boss Mark Ghuneim
“In essence what we do is process the social data generated by TV
broadcasts in real time. This allows the broadcaster to harness that data
and unlock its real value in the form of business intelligence that can
then be used by the creatives and the marketing department.
We are seeing significant behavioural shifts in viewers, so the insight
that we offer, such as where a person is, how they are consuming their
content, if they are sharing or a passive viewer, ultimately means that
your TV knows you. What our processing stack does is to look for any
kind of insight that will help programmers, and it is language agnostic.
For example we recently worked on a couple of projects with TF1
[Dancing With The Stars] and Canal+ [Nouvelle Star] in France, and what
that experience proved is that the evolution of viewing habits is a global phenomenon.
21/2/13
19:12
Page 23
SPIRIT DIGITAL MEDIA • PETER COWLEY, CEO
I struggle with the idea of branded
entertainment, it's not a phrase we
use and it's certainly not
how we think of what we do
Spirit's central tenet is to go beyond mere fandom, creating a deeper
connection for the brands with which it works. Ex-Endemol executive
Peter Cowley says that its work with Storm and Hyundai shows how
it is moving beyond ‘branded entertainment.’
I struggle with the idea of branded entertainment, it's not a
phrase we use and it's certainly not how we think of what we do.
For example we were working with model agency Storm on I Am
Storm, a search for the next generation of top models using only social
media, because that's where the 16 year-olds are.
The idea was clearly a good one so we offered to find a sponsor in order
to grow the concept. Hyundai was a perfect fit because the brand knows
women play a big role in choosing the family car, and it wanted to be associated with the world of fashion.
So we filmed around London Fashion Week, posting short doc-style clips
of existing and aspiring models on YouTube and Facebook as teasers, leading up to the competition. We're asking each person who enters the competition to try to get at least 20
votes from family and friends
in order to progress to the next
round, and therein lies the viral
outreach, going beyond 'likes'
to start to create real brand
advocates.
From that round, ten girls
and ten boys are selected by a
panel of judges including
Storm founder Sarah Doukas.
Then for the following round a
social media vote chooses three of each, and at that point the final vote is a
mix of the judges plus social media.
As a consequence Storm gets to build its own social media audience,
Hyundai's Santa Fe gets great exposure and glamorous associations and
we collect a lot of data through which we are able to spot brand
ambassadors. They are then rewarded, and consequently do
even more to promote the brand.
Trendrr builds a narrative by going deep into the data to reveal the
pull factor, and we believe that all creative work needs to be there to
be pulled any which way the viewer wants to, because some of the
audience are smarter than you are.”
The insight that we offer, such
as where a person is, how they
are consuming their content, if they
are sharing or a passive viewer,
ultimately means that your TV
knows you.
23
21/2/13
19:12
Page 24
NICE ENTERTAINMENT GROUP • HENRIK
BISKJAER, HEAD OF ACQUISITONS AND
DEVELOPMENT
The last Nordic indie group left standing is keeping a tight rein on
quality with, according to head of acquisitions and development
Henrik Biskjaer, the aim of becoming even more profitable and creative.
ALL3MEDIA • ANDY TAYLOR, COMMERCIAL
DIRECTOR AND DIGITAL MEDIA DIRECTOR
A measure of just how seriously All3Media is about developing its
D2A services is that the company's international arm recently
poached digital specialist Gary Woolf from BBC Worldwide. He will be
responsible for researching and implementing new and innovative
commercial strategies in emerging and digital markets. Meanwhile,
the company has already teamed directly with Samsung to connect
with viewers in a new way. There is a vast and untapped audience
out there, says All3Media's commercial director Andy Taylor
We launched the All3Media app for Samsung Smart TVs eight months
ago and, although we regard a direct-to-audience (D2A) service as an
experiment, we do believe that ten years from now there is the potential to build a huge international audience through this kind of platform.
We first noticed the international potential for our scripted shows
when we licensed Skins to Netflix, Amazon and Hulu in the US. It
attracted a sizeable audience, especially considering that it's a show the
networks didn't want in its original form.
Since then we've also done very well over there with Midsomer
Murders and The Only Way is Essex, so we know there is considerable
interest in scripted series.
Our offer is a walled garden therefore we're no threat to broadcasters, plus, by developing an app for the Samsung TV, we avoided being
merely one more of a billion websites. In fact there were only about ten
apps in the Samsung eco-system when we launched, so we got some
attention without having to spend a fortune with Google Search.
The next factor was how many people bothered to download and
install the free app and many more than we expected did so.
We are currently trying out various price-points for 30-minute, 60minute and 90-minute shows.”
By developing an app for
the Samsung TV, we avoided
being merely one more of a
billion websites
We're Nordic so we're very good at working on limited
budgets while maintaining quality. And we are obsessed
with quality. We would rather create and pitch two great formats than four or five that are merely good, because the greatest challenge that any producer faces currently is finding an idea that really
clicks with the audience.
We prefer not to try adding an extra twist to an existing format idea,
because there is a real need in TV to get back to strong central ideas.
The other thing that makes Nice different is that we have a wellhoned system for sharing ideas and expertise across the group, which
again keeps costs down and also maximises creativity.
One example is The Hospital, which ran successfully in Norway,
Sweden and Denmark, but was produced separately. A potential next
generation of the series however, will be an amalgamation of all the best
aspects of those three versions.
It's about sharing local know-how and applying it to a broader vision
of the TV industry and its needs.
The biggest challenge of course is coming up with so much ourselves
and keeping the momentum going, but we're proud that more
than 65% of what we make is based on homegrown ideas.
Among our current slate are Babes On The Bus, The
Ultimate Entertainer, and Dinner Disasters.
We would
rather create
and pitch
two great
formats than
four or five
that are
merely good
Screening the Future
For 50 years, MIPTV has set the pace for TV producers and
buyers across the globe. MIPTV is the one place where you
can sell and source the freshest content worldwide, focus
on content development, and explore tech and creative
approaches to re-invent the content experience.
8-11 April 2013, Cannes, France
www.miptv.com
Discover some of the highlights of MIPTV 2013
Keynote: Sophie Turner Laing,
Managing Director, Entertainment,
News and Broadcast Services, BSkyB
Keynote: Felix Baumgartner
and Alexander Koppel,
Red Bull Media House
World Premiere Screening: Da Vinci’s Demons,
sold internationally at MIPTV by BBC Worldwide
Join the whole entertainment industry at MIPTV. Register now and save €200
Contact Peter Rhodes now and find out how to make MIPTV work for you:
[email protected]
pXX MIDEN FebMar13.indd 1
21/02/2013 10:40
p26-28,30-32 MIPTV Hot Picks - ta - FebMar13scFINAL
21/2/13
22:03
Page 26
MIPTV 2013 HOT PICKS
MIPTV HOT PICKS
THE SHOW: Rogue
THE PRODUCER: Entertainment One
THE DISTRIBUTOR: Entertainment One
THE BROADCASTER: DirecTV US
CONCEPT: A female undercover cop tries to find out who is responsible
for the drive-by shooting of her young son
In recent years, E1 Entertainment has carved
out a reputation as a top producer and distributor of US drama series. That will be further enhanced with Rogue, a new ten-part
series that will debut on US DTH satellite
platform DirecTV.
It stars Thandie Newton as an undercover
cop whose son is killed in a drive-by shooting. Her investigation into what happened is
complicated by the fact that she is romantically involved with a crime boss who may
have caused the death.
“Thandie Newton plays a dark, conflicted,
really multi-faceted character,” says John
Morayniss, CEO of eOne Television. “The
result is much more compelling than a
straight procedural.”
Morayniss says the fact that Newton is on
board will be a terrific lift for the show’s
international sales push. “We’re seeing more
marquee acting talent attracted to TV and
there are a couple of good reasons for that.
One is that serialised drama with complex
characters is making a comeback: because of
the growth in digital on-demand, networks
are no longer worried that audiences will
miss an episode and go away. This means
there are more interesting parts to play. The
other reason is that cable channels are commissioning shorter runs of ten episodes
instead of 13 or 22. This suits top actors better because it means bigger gaps between
seasons for other jobs.”
The show, created and written by Matthew
Parkhill, is DirecTV’s first original drama commission, something which bodes well for
companies like eOne. “DirecTV, like AMC,
HBO, Showtime, Netflix and all the other
leading US cable networks needs some level
of exclusivity because that’s how it stands
out. That’s positive for producers,” explains
Morayniss.
21/2/13
22:04
Page 27
THE SHOW: The Making Of A Lady
THE PRODUCER: Runaway Fridge
THE DISTRIBUTOR:
FremantleMedia International
THE BROADCASTER: ITV1
CONCEPT: An educated but
penniless woman marries a wealthy
widower and finds herself
embroiled in a psychological
drama
The Making Of A Lady is a 90-minute adaptation of The Making of a Marchioness, a
novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett whose
other work includes The Secret Garden and
Little Lord Fauntleroy.
It tells the story of Emily, a well-born, educated, but penniless woman who marries a
wealthy widower and finds herself embroiled
in a psychological drama related to the family inheritance. The show first aired on ITV in
the UK and is being distributed by
FremantleMedia International, whose CEO
David Ellender says: “It came to us via our
first-look relationship with Runaway Fridge,
the production company formed by David
Barron. David is well-known for his work on
the Harry Potter franchise but was keen to
develop projects for television.”
A one-off period drama is not an obvious
fit for FremantleMedia International, which
has been investing heavily in contemporary
dramas like The Wedding Band and Hit &
Miss in recent times. But Ellender says it is a
sub-genre in which his company has a strong
track record. “We’ve done well with bodiceripping period dramas like The Crimson Petal
and The White, Fanny Hill and Fingersmith in
the past and The Making Of A Lady fits into
that category.”
Being 90 minutes in length means The
Making Of A Lady will have to fight its corner against feature films, but in its favour is
the fact that it is scripted by Kate Brooke,
whose recent credits include Mr Selfridge,
another period piece doing decent business
internationally for ITV Studios Global
Entertainment.
“British historical drama is still benefiting
from the Downton [Abbey] effect,” Ellender
says. “Public broadcasters and commercial
networks are still interested in what UKbased producers have to offer. We’re planning on giving it a high-profile launch at
MIPTV.”
THE SHOW: Death Of A Pilgrim
THE PRODUCERS: SVT with DR, NRK,YLE and Chimney Pot with support
from Nordisk Film & TV Fond and the Nordvision Fund
THE DISTRIBUTOR: ZDF Enterprises
THE BROADCASTER: SVT
CONCEPT: A fictionalised crime investigation into the real-life unsolved
assassination of Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme in 1986
In February 2013, ZDF Enterprises (ZDFE)
secured international distribution rights to
Death of a Pilgrim, a four-part crime drama
from Swedish public broadcaster SVT. Aired to
great acclaim in Sweden during January, the
series will be introduced to buyers at MIPTV
with a full international launch at MIPCOM.
Fred Burcksen, chief operating officer of
ZDFE, says Death of a Pilgrim is a dramatisation of the events surrounding the assassination of Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme in
1986. Although the Palme case has never
been solved, Death Of A Pilgrim sees a fictional crime team revisit the killing to see if
they can shed new light on the story. “It’s still
a hot topic,” says Burcksen, “so we’re very
pleased to be representing SVT.”
ZDFE has a strong track record of selling
Scandinavian drama and Burcksen is confident Death Of A Pilgrim can sell as well as
other top Scandi titles: “Scandinavian crime is
a global asset that works well in markets as
diverse as the US, Australia and Asia. I can
see it fitting well into late-night free-to-air
slots or on pay TV. It could also have a life as
a scripted format.”
Asked why Nordic drama does so well, he
says: “The first key reason is the quality of
their talent – the writers especially. The next
is that they spend their money on quality and
give their talent time to do things properly;
they really believe in what they do. I also
think German companies like ZDFE have
helped by stepping in as partners, going back
as far as the Stieg Larsson trilogy.”
Proof that ZDFE really likes Death Of A
Pilgrim is that it has backed the project without a parallel commitment from ZDF. “Usually
we go into projects like this together. But
ZDFE was keen to speed up the process so
we have gone in alone, which means the
German market has not yet sold,” says
Burcksen.
Burcksen will be hoping that Death Of A
Pilgrim can do as well internationally as it did
at home. Premiering on SVT1 on Sunday,
January 13, it reached 1.8 million viewers, giving the show a 50% share.
27
21/2/13
22:04
Page 28
NATPE 2013 HOT PICKS
THE SHOW: Low Winter Sun
THE PRODUCERS: Endemol
Studios, AMC Studios
THE DISTRIBUTOR: Endemol
Worldwide Distribution
THE BROADCASTER: AMC
CONCEPT: A cop kills a fellow
detective and then starts to realise
that his reason for doing so may
have been flawed
THE SHOW: Rebound
THE PRODUCER: Haut et Court
THE DISTRIBUTOR: Zodiak Rights
THE BROADCASTER: Canal+
CONCEPT: A group of men and women return from the dead and attempt
to reclaim their place in the world of the living
Historically, French drama has not travelled
well. But recent successes such as Braquo
and Jo suggest this might be about to
change. Zodiak Rights head of drama Alex
Piel thinks so – and is backing big-budget
supernatural series Rebound to be the next
French drama to make its mark on the international stage.
Rebound is an 8x60mins series following
a group of men and women who return from
the dead and attempt to reclaim their place
in the world of the living. Their arrival coincides with a series of gruesome murders that
bear a strong resemblance to the work of a
serial killer from the past.
“It’s not a zombie drama,” says Piel. “It’s
more about the confusion that occurs
because no-one is expecting them. They
don’t understand that time has moved on
without them.”
Directed by Fabrice Gobert and Frédéric
Mermoud, the first two episodes launched on
French premium channel Canal+ on
November 26 and attracted 1.4 million view-
ers. This equates to a 23% market share for
Canal+ subscribers, beating the series two
launch of Braquo. It’s also the second best
launch for an original series ever on Canal+,
beaten only by Borgia.
Piel says Canal+ is playing a leading part
in the dynamism of the French scripted market by working with proven producers in a
narrative style more usually associated with
US drama. Rebound, for example, is an €11
million production from Haut et Court, the
company behind two acclaimed movies The
Class and Coco Before Chanel.
As for international interest, Piel says buyers in a number of major markets have
expressed an interest. Also worthy of note is
that UK-based showrunner Paul Abbott has
announced plans to make an English-language remake, They Came Back. Abbott has
a first-look arrangement with Fremantle
Media Enterprises, which closed the deal
with Haut et Court. No broadcaster is yet
attached.
US cable network AMC is home to hit shows
including The Walking Dead, The Killing and
Breaking Bad. So there are high hopes at
Endemol that its new 10-part show, Low
Winter Sun, will have a similar impact when it
debuts on the channel later in 2013.
“AMC has established a great pedigree,”
says Cathy Payne, CEO of Endemol Worldwide
Distribution, which has global rights to the
show excluding the US. “It’s great for us to get
a pick-up from such an interesting network
and definitely catches buyers’ attention.”
Low Winter Sun is a Detroit-based remake
of a 2006 UK miniseries that was produced by
Tiger Aspect for Channel 4. It tells the story of
a cop who murders a fellow detective and
then is put in charge of the investigation. As
the story unfolds, the cop realises his reason
for committing the murder may be flawed.
“It’s a classic dirty cop series,” says Payne, “I
don’t think there’s been anything like it on the
market since The Shield.”
The AMC connection isn’t the only promotable hook for EWD. The executive producer is Chris Mundy (Criminal Minds) and a quality cast is headed by Mark Strong (Tinker
Tailor Soldier Spy) and Lennie James (The
Walking Dead). “I also think the fact it is set
in Detroit is a selling point,” says Payne. “The
city’s attempt to reposition itself fits well with
the story’s redemption theme.”
In terms of sales, Payne has just sold a
global pay TV window to Fox International
Channels. Now she heads to MIP to focus on
free TV. “We’ll be showing the pilot,” she says.
“We’ll also have Chris, Mark and Lennie in
Cannes with us to help us give buyers some
idea of the direction of the story.”
One interesting footnote is that Strong was
also the lead in the UK version. “He did the
UK version with a Scottish accent and now
he’s reprising it with a US accent. So it’s an
interesting creative challenge for him,” says
Payne.
p29 Straz FebMar13.indd 1
22/02/2013 09:58
21/2/13
22:04
Page 30
THE SHOW: Da Vinci’s Demons
THE PRODUCER: BBC Worldwide
Productions for Starz Entertainment
THE DISTRIBUTOR: BBC Worldwide
THE BROADCASTER: Starz
CONCEPT: A historical fantasy
based on the inventions and
imagination of Renaissance genius
Leonardo da Vinci
In August 2011, BBC Worldwide and Starz
Entertainment announced a partnership to
develop, produce and distribute premium television series. The first project to emerge
from that alliance is Da Vinci’s Demons, an
eight-part historical fantasy that is loosely
based on the life of artist and inventor
Leonardo da Vinci.
BBC Worldwide director, drama, Caroline
Torrance calls it a “genre clash” drama, which
uses history as a jumping off point for a story
that turns Renaissance Florence into a fanta-
sy playground. “It uses a lot of amazing CGI
to help us get inside the thoughts and imagination of Leonardo da Vinci,” she says.
The production was shot in Swansea,
Wales with an English actor, Tom Riley, in the
lead role. But the overall creative vision has
been provided by US showrunner David S.
Goyer (Man Of Steel, The Dark Knight) who
says his Leonardo will be one-third Indiana
Jones, one-third Sherlock Holmes and onethird Tony Stark. “A lot of people think of Da
Vinci as the old guy who did the Mona Lisa,”
Goyer said recently, “but for most of his life
he supported himself as a war engineer.”
Torrance says the show will be one of
BBCW’s big launches at MIPTV, where potential buyers will be able to see a fine cut. Fox
International Channels has acquired pay TV
rights for around 120 countries in the biggest
distribution deal to date saw. However no
significant business has yet been done on
free to air rights.
THE SHOW: The White Queen
THE PRODUCER: Company Pictures for BBC and Starz
THE DISTRIBUTOR: Starz Worldwide Distribution
THE BROADCASTER: BBC (UK), Starz (US)
CONCEPT: Glossy period drama based on Philippa Gregory’s series of
novels The Cousins’ War
The White Queen has a built-in fan base
given the Philippa Gregory books upon which
it is based were best-sellers in the UK and
made it to second in The New York Times
best-seller list. The ten-part drama will debut
on the BBC in the UK and then on premium
US cable network Starz, whose shows include
Spartacus.
Its sales arm, Starz Worldwide Distribution,
will be launching the show internationally at
MIPTV with a premiere screening for select
buyers.
The series taps into a recent trend for highend period drama. Gene George, executive
VP, worldwide distribution at Starz says:
“There is a lot of epic, historical drama out
there at the moment and these shows resonate on a global basis.”
Unlike many macho cable series, The White
Queen has a strong female appeal while
offering enough action for male viewers.
Set during the War of the Roses in 15th
century England, it tells the story of three
women caught up in the conflict for the
throne: Elizabeth Woodville, Margaret
Beaufort and Anne Neville. The cast includes
Max Irons as Edward IV and True Blood’s
James Frain as Lord Warwick. Woodville and
Neville are played by newcomers Rebecca
Ferguson and Faye Marsay.
“This is a premium show for Starz and a lot
of international broadcasters in the premium
pay space will find this especially compelling,” George says. “But because it is less
edgy than, say, Spartacus it will also have a
real value in free-to-air TV.”
The series is being filmed in Belgium and
will be available for international broadcasters from September. It is made by Skins’ producer Company Pictures, which is part of
All3Media (All3Media International retains
sales rights in the Benelux region).
MIPTV presents Starz with a particular
sales opportunity because there are fewer
Hollywood studios there than at MIPCOM,
giving distributors more time for meaningful
buyer meetings.
21/2/13
22:04
Page 31
THE SHOW: Harry Bosch
THE PRODUCER: Fabrik
Entertainment, Red Arrow
International
THE DISTRIBUTOR: Red Arrow
International
THE BROADCASTER: TBA
CONCEPT: Detective stories about
a maverick cop who works for
Hollywood Homicide, based on
the best-selling books
In the summer of 2012, Red Arrow
International announced that it was teaming
up with Red Arrow-owned production company Fabrik (formerly Fuse) on a TV adaption of
Michael Connelly’s Harry Bosch detective novels. Now, on the eve of MIPTV, the company is
ready to meet buyers and explain why Bosch
can become an enduring TV franchise.
“One big thing we have in our favour is that
Harry Bosch books have a fan base all over
the world,” says Red Arrow International CEO
Jens Richter. “Michael Connelly has written 18
books so far and sold 40 million copies. He
hasn’t finished yet, which means we are talking about a living franchise.”
Why has it not been adapted before now?
“Michael regained control of the remake rights
last year after they’d spent ten years with a
movie studio,” explains Richter. “The TV market has changed a lot since then and now he
sees TV as the right platform for Harry Bosch.”
The writer-producer for the adaptation is
THE SHOW: Hidden In America
THE PRODUCER: Beyond Productions
THE DISTRIBUTOR: Beyond Distribution
THE BROADCASTER: Destination America
CONCEPT: An inside guide to strange US subcultures including doomsday
cults, biker gangs, fight clubs & suburban swingers
Beyond Distribution will be in Cannes with a
new 6x60mins series called Hidden In
America. Produced by Beyond Productions for
Discovery-owned Destination America, it goes
behind the doors on closely-guarded subcultures. From doomsday cults to biker gangs,
from underground fight clubs to suburban
swingers, Hidden In America shines a light
into the most secret corners of American society. Using expert analysis and unseen
archive, it claims to go where other shows
fear to tread.
Geoff Fitzpatrick, co-executive producer for
Beyond, says that the series came about
Eric Overmyer, whose credits include The Wire
and Homicide: Life on the Street. Also key to
the project is Henrik Bastin, CEO of Fabrik,
who will be executive produce the show
alongside Connelly and Overmyer.
The TV series will stick closely to the
books, which are based in LA. “The one difference is that Harry is a Vietnam vet in the
books. In the series, he will have served in
Afghanistan.”
The goal is to get a US channel on board,
with a view to entering production in late
2013. “But there is already a lot of interest
from international buyers,” says Richter. “If
you look at another of our drama projects Jo,
you can see that big free-to-air and pay TV
channels like TF1, ProSieben, RAI and Fox are
all keen to get involved early. And with the
growing involvement of subscription-video-ondemand players like Netflix, HBO Nordic and
Amazon, the financing of quality drama TV
series is very flexible now.”
when Destination asked “for an edgy take on
US culture… a look beyond the white picket
fence into fascinating subcultures.”
The series is currently running during
Sunday night primetime on Destination
America and has a target audience that skews
male, says Fitzpatrick. But why does he think
it will appeal to international audiences?
“The world remains fascinated by cultural
extremes created by America’s freedom and
openness. Only in America still resonates with
international audiences.”
The 60-minute format is also one that
Fitzpatrick thinks will appeal to buyers: “Sixty
minute documentaries are still in demand
because they are inherently sticky across the
hour,” he says, “They are more complex than
30-minute programmes. They need multiple,
strong story beats, which don’t just draw the
viewer along, but accelerate them toward a
conclusion and climax. It’s not like making
2x30mins. It’s more like a feature film dynamic, with multiple ‘satisfaction points’ along the
way.”
For Beyond Distribution, the next question
is whether Hidden In America is good enough
to get a second run on Destination America.
At time of writing that decision was in the balance: “Three episodes have premiered with
good results,” says Fitzpatrick, “but it’s still a
bit early for recommission news.”
31
21/2/13
22:04
Page 32
THE SHOW: Galapagos
THE PRODUCER: Atlantic
Productions
THE DISTRIBUTOR: Sky Vision
THE BROADCASTER: Sky 3D and
Sky Atlantic
CONCEPT: A David Attenboroughfronted exploration of the islands
made famous by evolution pioneer
Charles Darwin
genre but we had to make sure that we were
supporting the right project.”
The series is narrated by Scottish actor
Ewan McGregor. “Ewan wasn’t attached
when the production began,” says Hand,
“so he wasn’t the reason we became
involved. But having a big international star
attached is a help, particularly as he is
Scottish because that adds to the show’s
character.”
Selling the series doesn’t start until MIPTV
but Hand has little doubt it will attract interest: “Natural history continues to travel well
because it crosses cultural boundaries. I
think it will appeal to public networks and
genre-specific pay TV channels but also perhaps break out beyond those areas.”
Atlantic Productions has carved out a reputation for producing high-profile, high-end natural history programming. In the last couple of
years, it has focused a lot of its energies on
3D.
The latest title to come down this pipeline
is Galapagos, a 3x1hr series that looks at the
chain of islands made famous by Charles
Darwin. Fronted by David Attenborough, the
series explores the flora and fauna that make
the Galapagos so special, and investigates the
discoveries that scientists continue to make
on these remarkable islands.
Funding 3D continues to be difficult
because of the lack of outlets. Distributor Sky
Vision will be selling the 2D version to buyers
at MIPTV. “Atlantic have held on to the 3D
rights so they can explore theatrical opportunities,” says Sky Vision head of sales Leona
Connell.
She has no doubt Galapagos will do good
business: “Buyers are always on the lookout
for high-end natural history for primetime and
access primetime – particularly if it has David
Attenborough attached.”
just launched.
The show focuses on the day-to-day adventures of the Robertsons, a Louisiana-based
family that has become wealthy by making
products for duck hunters. The men in the
family, all of whom wear long-flowing ZZ Topstyle beards, self-depracatingly refer to themselves as rednecks, but are in fact much
smarter and funnier than the term implies.
“We saw there was potential for a great
comedy, which involved both the men and the
women in the family” says Elaine Frontain
Bryant, A+E senior VP non-fiction and alternative programming and co-executive producer
of the series. “That was much more appealing
for the network because we look for shows
that work for both genders.”
Series one ran in the spring of 2012 and did
moderately well. But a second season in the
autumn really took off, says Frontain Bryant.
“Between series, it generated a lot of interest
in social media because so much of what the
central characters say is quotable.”
Duck Dynasty is a brand of programming
that A+E knows well, following on from another reality-style sitcom, Gene Simmons Family
Jewels. And it couldn’t have come at a better
time, with the Simmons production ending in
2012 after seven seasons. But how well does
Frontain Bryant believes it can do at a market
like MIPTV? “Well I know that it is already
doing well on our international channels. The
point about Duck Dynasty is that the situation
is very local but the stories are universal.”
THE SHOW: Islands on the Edge
THE PRODUCER: Maramedia
THE DISTRIBUTOR: ITVS GE
THE BROADCASTER: BBC Scotland
CONCEPT: A 4x60mins natural history series looking at wildlife on the
beautiful Scottish Islands of the Hebrides
ITV Studios Global Entertainment has identified blue chip natural history as an area it
wants to be active in. So it comes to MIPTV
with Islands On The Edge, a Maramedia production for BBC Scotland that explores
Scottish islands The Hebrides.
Filmed over the course of a year, and shot
using ground-breaking techniques, Islands
on the Edge “reveals worlds and behaviours that are both fascinating and rarely
seen,” according to ITVS GE. Red deer,
otters, gannets, eagles, dolphins, basking
sharks and seals all feature prominently.
“It’s a beautiful show from a producer
with a great pedigree,” says Ronan Hand,
ITVSGE's head of factual and entertainment
acquisitions, “We wanted to get into this
THE SHOW: Duck Dynasty
THE PRODUCER: Gurney
Productions
THE DISTRIBUTOR: A+E Networks
THE BROADCASTER: A+E
CONCEPT: A reality sitcom that
follows the eccentric lifestyle of
Louisiana-based duck hunting
entrepreneurs the Robertsons
The A+E family of channels has had great
success with reality TV series in recent years.
The latest to emerge from the company’s hit
factory is Duck Dynasty, a 2012 debutant
which became A+E Network’s top-rating show
ever in December when the Christmas special
scored 6.5 million viewers. Season three has
FPO
SAVE THE DATE
DISCOP AFRICA
6-8 NOVEMBER
2013
SANDTON CONVENTION CENTER
JOHANNESBURG
SOUTH AFRICA
discop.com
facebook.com/discopafrica
[email protected]
pXX Discop Africa FebMar13.indd 1
21/02/2013 15:51
p34-36,38 W Europe data FebMar13SCfinal
21/2/13
19:32
Page 34
SECTOR UPDATE DATA
New research conducted by TBI publisher Informa Telecoms & Media spells bad news for pay
TV operators in Western Europe. Informa’s data shows that pay TV subscriber numbers in
Western Europe went into decline in 2012, marking the first drop since pay TV launched in
the region in the 1980s. Informa’s research manager Adam Thomas says the numbers should
provide a wake-up call to the pay TV industry.
HISTORIC DECLINE HITS PAY
TV IN WESTERN EUROPE
21/2/13
19:32
Page 35
SECTOR UPDATE DATA
et pay TV subscribers in
Western Europe fell by
380,000 in 2012 leaving the
year-end total at 92.6 million. When the US experienced a similar drop in 2010 thoughts
inevitably turned to ‘cord cutting’ and whether
online-delivered video is being used as an
alternative to a traditional pay TV subscription. The growth of services like Netflix is
inevitably having some impact but, as was the
N
case in the US, this still appears to be having
a relatively minor influence.
Much more significant are macro-economic factors. This is demonstrated by the fact
that some of the heaviest subscriber losses in
2012 were experienced in territories including
Germany, Italy and Spain – where the
Eurozone crisis was felt most forcefully.
The good news is that although these fiscal
difficulties are still present, there is evidence
that they are lessening in intensity and a move
towards economic recovery is anticipated in
2013. Informa is forecasting pay TV subscriber numbers to return to growth as a
result, with the end-2013 total forecast to be
back up to 93.9 million.
The 2012 decline is, however, a wake-up call
of sorts.
Pay TV has often been thought of as being
somewhat insulated against economic fluctuations. The narrative assumed that in good
times the public had plenty of disposable
income to expend on pay TV, so subscriber
numbers would increase. And, in bad times,
subscriber bases would remain stable, with
customers staying in and watching pay TV,
while reining in other areas of expenditure.
That scenario no longer applies and this will
make subscriber growth even harder to come
by going forwards.
This situation is exacerbated in Western
Europe, with several pay TV markets now at a
mature stage of development, with some of
them reaching saturation point. In 2012 the
impact of the mature environment was further intensified by the final switchover to digital terrestrial TV. The switchover process
inevitably put further pressure on pay TV, as it
generated a good deal of publicity for a sometimes attractive, and often free, alternative
platform. And even where pay DTT is available, this tends to be at the lower end of the
scale, putting downwards pressure on revenues and ARPU.
With free and low-cost options increasingly
forcing premium pay TV services to justify
their subscription prices, the economic downturn presents a further challenge for pay TV,
as it bids for diminishing consumer spending
power against a range of alternative entertainment options. There is still little evidence that
over-the-top TV services are taking significant
numbers away from pay TV. But as OTT
improves its offering pay TV operators are
sensibly adapting to changing consumer
tastes with new initiatives such as multiscreen
strategies.
In mature markets the strategy has
changed from subscriber growth to upselling
more services to existing clients, whether this
35
21/2/13
19:32
Page 36
SECTOR UPDATE DATA
WESTERN EUROPE, PAY-TV
SUBSCRIBER GAINS/LOSSES,
2012 VS. 2011
Territory
France
Germany
UK
Italy
Spain
Gain/loss
-3,403
-179,442
189,596
-800,000
-260,757
Source: Informa Telecoms & Media
involves enhancements to the TV experience
– HD, 3D, multi-room and DVRs for example
– or the adding of broadband/telephony subscribers via bundling.
The next stage of this service enhancement
is seeing some operators’ position themselves
as offering a ‘next generation’ entertainment
service – as Virgin Media in the UK and Ono
in Spain are doing with TiVo and Liberty is
doing with its Horizon box.
BATTLE OF THE PLATFORMS
In Western Europe there has been a ‘battle of
the platforms’ played out in recent times. In
2005 analog terrestrial TV was the primary
TV service in almost 60 million TV homes
across Western Europe – making it the leading platform. In 2007 cable overtook analog
terrestrial, with its 51 million homes taking
first place.
However, the state of flux was emphasised
still further when cable was itself overtaken by
digital terrestrial in 2009 with 51 million
homes – giving it 30% penetration of TV
homes. DTT is now expected to remain the
leading platform for the next five years,
although will decline a little from its peak year
of 2012, which was boosted by the region’s
final switchover from analog terrestrial.
Having fairly recently overtaken cable as
the region’s primary TV platform, DTT is a
technology on the rise. It often provides a similar channel line-up to analog cable, usually
for no monthly fee, so is benefiting from
churning cable customers. IPTV, meanwhile,
is using attractive triple and quadruple-play
bundles to tempt cable subscribers to its services.
But, despite these challenges, cable still
remains easily Western Europe’s leading pay
TV platform, although its dominance is waning.
There is generally good progress in analogto-digital conversion across the region, particularly in light of analog terrestrial having
become obsolete during 2012. Digital cable
will be the primary TV service in 21% of TV
households by end-2017, with DTT and pay
DTH at 38% and 16% respectively. At that
time IPTV subscribers will be the main TV
service in 11% of the region’s TV households,
with free-to-air digital satellite taking 10%.
Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands,
Norway, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland and the
UK are expected to have 100% digital penetration to the primary set by 2017.
Western European digital TV household
numbers are expected to record 19% growth
between 2011 and 2017. Having achieved the
10 million digital households mark in 1999
and 20 million in 2001, the region passed the
50 million barrier in 2006. It went past 100
million digital subscribers in 2009 and
passed 150 million during 2012.
Despite an impressive 95% regional penetration by 2017, the ingrained nature of some
analog cable subscribers means digital TV will
still have a little potential for growth after the
forecast period. Analog cable is now a mature
platform and in decline in all countries, but by
end-2017 will still be the primary service in 8.5
million homes.
Operators are focusing on the upgrade to
digital, giving them easier access to new revenue streams from telephony and broadband
Internet services. Most MSOs are also adopting triple- or quadruple-play models – which
have emerged as important business models
to remain competitive.
TV PLATFORM
BREAKDOWN 2011
TV PLATFORM
BREAKDOWN 2017
IPTV
7%
Satellite***
25%
Cable**
28%
THE MOVE TO DUAL, TRIPLE
AND QUAD PLAY
With growing competition from a number of
sources, operators are increasingly being
forced to find compelling reasons to encourage their subscribers to upgrade or risk losing
them to rival services. The increasing necessity to push digital means that only a small
minority of digital cable subscribers will be
TV-only subscribers, with most signing up for
their TV in dual- or triple-play bundles. The
bundled subscribers will be attracted to the
service, in part, by lower rates for TV services,
meaning the multi-play subscribers will generate proportionately less TV revenues than
standalone TV subscribers.
One of the main difficulties facing operators is the fact that consumers in some of the
more established cable countries, such as
Denmark and Germany, remain unconvinced
of the need to upgrade to digital. Even so,
IPTV
11%
Terrestrial
40%*
Satellite***
26%
Terrestrial
38%
Cable**
26%
Note: All figures refer to primary services at year-end.
Numbers may not equal 100% due to rounding
* includes analogue terrestrial **analogue and digital ***includes free-to-air satellite
A
F
MI
the
r
o
f
t
e
k
r
top ma
ess
stry
indu
m
l
i
f
n
o
i
animat
sin
d’s
The worrelativity turns into bu
g 12 - 14
Where c
cy.or
e
n
n
a
.
w
ww
UCE
CO-PROD
FINANCE
BUY
TE
DISTRIBU
PITCH
RECRUIT
DEVELOP
R
DISCOVE
pXX MIFA_Annecy FebMar13.indd 1
June
2013
g
The leadin lm event
fi
animation
10-15
ANNEtiCvY
ne
Fes al J u
a
if
M
2013
ferences
Con
elegates
ǵ7,000 d
tries
ǵ 80 coun
ompanies
ǵ 1,910 c
ers,
ǵ 300 buy rs and
t
distribu o
investors
20/02/2013 15:16
21/2/13
19:32
Page 38
SECTOR UPDATE DATA
WESTERN EUROPE, PRIMARY TV PLATFORM PENETRATION 2012-2017
40
Digital terrestrial
35
30
25
Cable
DTH
20
15
10
5
Other
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
while digital cable has been a little slower to
take hold than expected in those markets, it
now appears well placed to make up for lost
time as ownership is typically consolidating
into a smaller number of affluent companies
that are committed to digital.
Pay TV revenues passed the US$20 billion
mark in 2002. The US$25 billion milestone
was reached in 2006, followed by the US$30
billion mark in 2008. But growth thereafter has been slower as the value of pay
TV is affected by an increasing
reliance on multi-play bundles. The
US$35 billion mark is not therefore
expected to be reached until 2015.
By end-2012 all of the analysed
countries had switched-off analog terrestrial, so terrestrial delivery is now
entirely digital. This confirms that the
Western European states met the
European Commission 2012 target for
switch off although some Eastern
European states have failed to do so.
DTT penetration as a primary platform
is now approaching its peak and 38%
of Western European TV households
are expected to receive DTT as their primary TV signal by 2017.
In many territories low-cost settop boxes
mean that cable and satellite homes have routinely been adopting the technology for use in
secondary viewing locations such as bedrooms and kitchens. When these homes are
included, DTT penetration will rise to 63% some 111 million households.
The capacity freed up by the turning off of
analog transmissions (to create the muchvaunted ‘digital dividend’) will be exploited
by a variety of different services, with
HDTV via DTT and mobile TV two of
the likely beneficiaries.
FORECASTING THE
FUTURE OF PAY TV
Cable will comfortably remain
Western Europe’s leading pay TV platform throughout the forecast period to
2017. But its lead is not as strong as it
has been historically and by end-2017
it will command less than the majority market share it currently holds.
DTH has been the leading beneficiary of cable’s declining share led by
some major players such as Sky
Digital, CanalSat and Sky Italia
although its market share will now remain
steady as IPTV and DTT gain ground.
IPTVwill potentially challenge DTH for second place shortly after the five year period
Informa is forecasting across.
DTH’s much higher ARPU levels, meanwhile, mean it overtook cable TV in revenue
terms in 2006.
Cable has also lost its position as the primary TV platform, with digital terrestrial TV
(DTT) overtaking it in 2009. DTT often provides a similar channel line-up to analogue
cable, usually for no monthly fee, so is benefiting from churning cable customers. IPTV
is using attractive triple- and quadruple-play
bundles to attract cable subscribers to its services.
DTH, IPTV and DTT will be most popular in
countries that have low cable penetration. DTT
roll-out has been slow in several countries,
although is accelerating in most territories.
However governments’ stated analog switchoff dates may not all come to fruition. TBI
The full report is available now from Informa
Telecoms & Media https://commerce.informatm.com/reports/main/western-europe-tv16th.html
cartoon
digital
n
, Germa
h
c
i
n
u
M
e 2013,
n
u
J
7
2
25
y
nd
a
a
i
d
e
m
s
s
o
r
t
C
n
e
m
n
i
a
t
r
e
t
n
e
ve
interacti
To p sp ea ke rs
pXX Cartoon Digital FebMar13.indd 1
•
M ar ke t tren ds
•
Cas e st ud ie s
•
N et w or ki ng
www.car toon-m
edia.eu
21/02/2013 14:42
p40 Last Word - ta - FebMar13scFINAL
21/2/13
18:51
Page 4
CAROLINE STEPHENSON, DIRECTOR OF SALES, OPTOMEN INTERNATIONAL
LAST WORD
CAROLINE STEPHENSON
YOU CAN’T BEAT OLD-FASHIONED HOMEWORK
hat do Serbia, Croatia
and Estonia have in
common? Fortunately
for you, dear reader,
I’m not about to start
telling bad jokes — meet me at MIP for those.
The answer is that they are all pioneers in television. Each one has taken a risk and launched
a brand new food programme in markets
where, historically, shows about food have
been seen as a daytime proposition rather than
access primetime or primetime fare.
They also represent one of the most powerful positive influences on TV distributor
Optomen International’s 500% revenue
increase in the last five years, which this year
breached the £10 million turnover mark.
Imperative for the growth of any distribution business is that all territories, however
small, are seen as equal. Time pressures and
ambitious sales targets mean that the bigger
players are invariably the focus of the sales
team’s love and attention. But by the same
token, the big markets have suitors aplenty
and can afford to pick and choose. The smaller territories, by contrast, are less overwhelmed with attention — and from this,
opportunities arise.
I’ve been fortunate enough to work for a
W
company that supports and believes in my
strategy of approaching the global sales
process as exactly that, a global process. For us,
it starts with a root-and-branch analysis of how
one territory influences another and ends up
with us identifying how this can be worked to
everybody’s advantage.
In my experience, motivating your team to
take on the smaller territories is definitely
worth the time and effort. The importance of
market intelligence cannot be stressed enough
and face-to-face meetings are essential. We’ve
never been precious about where we do business as long as our partners are passionate
about our programmes. It’s a case of every little helps. Cumulatively, the small deals can
make all the difference.
None of us can predict the power of cultural
influence and why a show will work in one territory and not another. In Latin America, for
example, it’s received wisdom that, if you can
sell a show into Mexico, the bigger markets of
Brazil and Argentina are more likely to follow
suit, which will in turn open up the rest of the
continent. It would be useful to understand in
greater depth why this should be.
The economic climate also plays a part. In
tough times, the ‘lipstick factor’, people satisfying their craving for luxury with little treats
Imperative for the growth of any
distribution business is that all territories,
however small,are seen as equal...We’ve
never been precious about where we do
business as long as our partners are
passionate about our programmes.
rather than big, expensive ones, has a measurable effect on the popularity of certain genres.
Eating, cooking and talking about food definitely falls into the lipstick category.
The successful launch of a format in a
smaller market can result in a rapid diffusion
across borders as the buzz spreads to neighbouring territories with similar tastes and cultural values. Even as recently as 2008, there
was a lot of nervousness around investing in
food formats, the view being that a cooking
show’s success was entirely down to the talent
attached. Our experience of seeing 30 new
Gordon Ramsay formats launched in local
markets around the world contradicts this.
But there’s no question that talent like
Heston Blumenthal and Gordon Ramsay are
major marketing tools. In the smaller Central
and Eastern European markets, for example,
the success of Gordon’s finished shows has led
to widespread format sales for the same shows
in other, bigger markets. Poland and the Czech
Republic have gone to five local series of
Kitchen Nightmares, Croatia has gone to three,
Slovakia to two, and Serbia, Estonia and
Ukraine one each. And I believe this irrefutable
evidence that strong food formats work for the
region’s audiences, broadcasters and advertisers is the reason that we’re on the cusp of signing our biggest ever deal in the CEE.
The final piece of the jigsaw is what I call
“creative licenseering.” This entails finding
workable VOD opportunities that do not erode
the value of the linear broadcast rights in the
eye of the local broadcaster. It’s not an easy task
and it varies from territory to territory. Giving
the broadcasters enough to make their licence
deals attractive without bundling potentially
valuable VOD rights into the package requires
tact, diplomacy and, again, in-depth local market knowledge. In the end, you can’t beat good
old-fashioned homework. TBI
NATPE Triumphs!
“
“
Can’t wait for next
year...great from a TV perspective,
and it was the center of the YouTube
content universe .
- Mark Cuban, Chairman, AXS TV
”
As the linear and digital
businesses start to blend,
NATPE becomes more
and more valuable.
- Larry Tanz, CEO, Vuguru
“
Best NATPE
”
”
conference in years!
- Thomas Vitale, Executive Vice
President of Programming & Original
Movies for Syfy and Chiller
“
The market delivered
“
The NATPE Legacy Award was a
exactly what we expected in terms
of exposure and business
opportunities.
- Antonio Barreto, CEO, DLA
”
wonderful experience
which I will remember for the rest of
my days!
- Herbert G. Kloiber, Chairman,
Tele München Gruppe
”
Thank
h k you to all
ll who participated and contributed. Join us:
May 9-10, 2013
SLS Hotel, Los Angeles
www.pitchcon.org
pIBC NATPE FebMar13.indd 1
June 24-27, 2013
Sofitel Chain Bridge Hotel, Hungary
www.natpebudapest.com
January 27-29, 2014
Fontainebleau Resort, Miami Beach
www.natpemarket.com
22/02/2013 09:56
pOBC Keshet FebMar13.indd 1
21/02/2013 12:57

here - TBI Vision

Transcription

Similar documents

Alphonse Bertillion - Hicksville Public Schools / Homepage

P-1612 - Polk County Sheriff`s Office

silly cable tech terms

TBI VOCATIONAL CLASS LESSON PLAN Module 1

Page 40

982 FILM FUND - Investor Relations

www.vecsupply.com

Safe City Monitoring System

here - Heidi Kingstone

View - Prince George Digitization

Traumatic Brain Injury - Brain Injury Association of Canada