MIPDoc 2013 PREVIEW

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MARCH 2013

mipdoc

www.mipdoc.com The official MIPDoc magazine

®

preVieW MIPDOC KEYNOTE

MEET THE COMMISSIONERS

FACTUAL CONTENT

Tangled Bank’s Michael Rosenfeld

Including France Televisions’ Ann Julienne

Product for sale in Cannes

SEE PAGE 4

SEE PAGE 4

SEE PAGE 8

Also inside: • Fresh Factual TV • CCTV Doc • Trends in factual • Docs on OTT • Factual coproduction • MIPDoc events and conferences • And more ...


MIPDoc 2013 Conferences & Events Programme 6-7 April 2013 – Martinez Hotel, Cannes, France

A two-day programme to stimulate and energise factual and documentary co-production and co-financing. “Reinventing Science Television”

Brand New! The Commissioners’ Meet-up

Award-winning science documentary-maker, Michael Rosenfeld is Head of Television and Film at the brand new Tangled Bank Studios, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s US$60-million film and television initiative, set to produce up to 10 hours of science programming annually for TV, cinemas and digital media.

A new event gathering leading commissioning editors to discover the newest factual and documentary projects of the MIPDoc Catalogue.

MIPDoc KEYNOTE Michael Rosenfeld Head of Television and Film Tangled Bank Studios (Howard Hughes Medical Institute-HHMI)

Jenny Westergard, YLE Finnish Broadcasting Company; Olaf Grunert, ARTE; Marijke Huijbregts, AVRO Independent Broadcasting Association; Ann Julienne, France Télévisions; Barbara Biemann, NDR; Laurent Sicouri, Canal +, PLANETE Channels; Axel Arno, SVT-Sveriges Television; Tore Tomter, Norwegian Broadcasting Corp., and more.

SATURDAY 6 APRIL 9.15-9.45

SUNDAY 7 APRIL CONFERENCE ROOM

Making it at MIPDoc Hints for first-timers & for perfecting your pitches

9.15-10.00

CONFERENCE ROOM

Fireside Chat: Discovery Communications & National Geographic Channels Followed by Meet the Speakers

10.00-10.30

CONFERENCE ROOM

10.15-10.45

The Funding Workshop Do’s & Don’ts to get the right partners on board 11.00-11.30

CONFERENCE ROOM

New Frontiers in Archival Footage

11.00-11.40

COMMISSIONERS’ CLUB

Commissioners’ Talks International execs share their editorial strategy for 2013 and beyond

11.45-12.30

CONFERENCE ROOM

The Buyers’ Summit: Leading international buyers reveal their programming strategies

The Factual Case Study Girlfri3nds In partnership with KESHET INTERNATIONAL

11.00-11.40

MARTINEZ BEACH

The MIPDoc Networking Lunch

The Monster is Real Sharing Insights from International Success Stories

CONFERENCE ROOM

The MIPDoc International Pitch The global pitch for factual & documentary programming 16.10-16.40

CONFERENCE ROOM

The Commissioners’ meet up Register your projects in the MIPDoc digital library and get the chance to pitch your programme to a selection of leading commissioning editors in Cannes! 10.30-11.30

Commissioners’ Meet Up: France

15.00-16.00

CONFERENCE ROOM

New Takes on Factual Content

11.45-12.45

16.30-17.00 CONFERENCE ROOM

COMMISSIONERS’ CLUB

Commissioners’ Meet Up: Europe 14.00-15.00

Presented by The WIT

COMMISSIONERS’ CLUB

Sponsored by INCAA

Be inspired by the new breed of content creators

Fresh Factual TV From Around The World

16.50-17.30

CONFERENCE ROOM

BRAND NEW!

Snack & Screen Discover Argentina’s Vibrant Documentary Production Market

Sponsored by CCTV Documentary Channel

14.45-16.00

CONFERENCE ROOM

Co-Production Case Study: Giant Squid

12.30-14.00

13.00-14.30

CONFERENCE ROOM

COMMISSIONERS’ CLUB

CONFERENCE ROOM

All you Need to Know about VOD Dealmaking

Commissioners’ Meet Up: Europe

17.15-17.45

16.00-17.00

The MIPDoc Keynote: Michael Rosenfeld Head of Television and Film, Tangled Bank Studios (Howard Hughes Medical Institute-HHMI) 17.40-18.20

CONFERENCE ROOM

Reaching New Funding The Foundations’ Case Study

17.40-18.20

COMMISSIONERS’ CLUB

Commissioners’ Talks International execs share their editorial strategy for 2013 and beyond

From 19.00

CONFERENCE ROOM

The Canadian Co-Production Case Study Sharing insight from international success stories

Commissioners’ Meet Up: Asia, Canada & Middle East

MIPDoc thanks its Sponsors & Partners

MARTINEZ BEACH

MIPDoc & MIPFormats Opening Cocktail Party Sponsored by INCCA

As of 22nd February 2013, subject to change.

COMMISSIONERS’ CLUB

Visit mipdoc.com for detailed programme.


COntents i nEWs

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Tangled Bank’s Michael Rosenfeld; meet with producers; The WIT’s Virginia Mouseler on fresh factual TV

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Factual content for sale

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Factual programming 16 Broadcasters and commissioners are always looking for the next big thing in factual. And as Andy Fry surveys the latest trends in factual programming, he discovers there is a wide choice out there

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Co-production 21 Broadcasters are still hungry for big-hitting documentaries that can stand out in the schedule, but factual production can be an expensive business and many high-end series would simply not be made without a creative approach to funding. Andy Fry looks at the latest developments in factual co-production OTT 26 OTT is booming and the big players are now investing in original programming. But how much of that investment will be in factual, and what role does the genre have in the brave new world of OTT? Bob Jenkins investigates

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26 mipdoc preVieW The official MIPDoc preview magazine March 2013. Director of Publications Paul Zilk Director of Communication Mike Williams ®

EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT Editor in Chief Julian Newby Technical Editor in Chief Hervé Traisnel Deputy Technical Editor in Chief Frédéric Beauseigneur Graphic Designer Carole Peres Sub Editor Clive Bull Proof Reader Debbie Lincoln Contributors Bob Jenkins, Andy Fry Editorial Management Boutique Editions PRODUCTION DEPARTMENT Publishing Director Martin Screpel Publishing Co-ordinators Nour Ezzedeen, Emilie Lambert, Amrane Lamiri Production Assistant, Cannes Office Eric Laurent Printer Riccobono Imprimeurs, Le Muy (France) MANAGEMENT & SALES TEAM Director of the Entertainment Division Jérome Delhaye Director of the Television Division Laurine Garaude Director of Market Development Ted Baracos Sales Director Frédéric Vaulpré Conference Director Lucy Smith Marketing Director Stéphane Gambetta Programme Director Karine Bouteiller Director of the Buyers’ Department Bénédicte Touchard Sales Manager Europe excluding Scandinavia & Eastern Europe, Buyers Cyriane Accolas Sales Manager Latin America, Middle East, Africa, Buyers Andry Ramilia Sales Manager Eastern Europe, Oceania, Asia excluding Japan & Korea, Buyers Yi-Ping Gerard Managing Director (UK / Australia / New Zealand) Peter Rhodes OBE Sales Manager David Hedges Vice President Sales and Business Development, Americas Robert Marking Sales Director Latin America José-Luis Sanchez Vice President Business Development, North America JP Bommel Sales Executive Panayiota Pagoulatos Sales Managers Paul Barbaro, Nathalie Gastone Regional Sales Director Fabienne Germond Sales Executives Liliane Dacruz, Cyril Szczerbakow Sales Manager Samira Haddi Digital Media Sales Manager Nancy Denole New Media Development Manager Bastien Gave Australia and New Zealand Representative Natalie Apostolou China Representatives Anke Redl, Tammy Zhao CIS Representatives Alexandra Modestova, Igor Shibanov English Speaking Africa Representative Arnaud de Nanteuil India Representative Anil Wanvari Israel Representative Guy Martinovsky Japan Representative Lily Ono Middle-East Representative Bassil Hajjar Poland Representative Monika Bednarek South Korea Representative Sunny Kim Taiwan Representative Irene Liu Germany Representative (Digital Media Sector) Renate Radke Adam Reed MIDEM, a joint stock company (SAS), with a capital of €310.000, 662 003 557 R.C.S. NANTERRE, having offices located at 27-33 Quai Alphonse Le Gallo - 92100 BOULOGNE-BILLANCOURT (FRANCE), VAT number FR91 662 003 557. Contents © 2013, Reed MIDEM Market Publications. Publication registered 1st quarter 2013. ISSN 1963-2258.

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i nEWs MIPDOC KEYNOTE

Rosenfeld set to untangle the mysteries of science TANGLED Bank Studios is the newest producer of science programming for the factual market. Founded in November of last year by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute — and headed up by former National Geographic executive Michael Rosenfeld — Tangled Bank Studios is an extension of the Institute’s longestablished science education mission, and aims to produce programmes that tell stories across all areas of science. “It’s about getting ideas about science out to the general public rather than just to schools and teachers,” said Rosenfeld, who gives this year’s MIPDoc keynote address. “We think it’s an important time to do that. Science is more crucial than ever to understanding the planet and the problems the planet is facing, and our goal is to illuminate the important new ideas that are coming along.” Tangled Bank — its name taken from the final paragraph of Charles Darwin’s On The Origin Of The Species — plans an initial roll-out of 10

hours of programming in its first year. “They will be very ambitious hours,” Rosenfeld said. “These will be entertaining and commercial enough that they will succeed on commercial networks, but at the same time I also think there is a natural fit with the public broadcasting world. I hope it’s both. Certainly in our early conversations there has been interest from a wide variety of international broadcasters.” Rosenfeld said that he believes MIPTV delegates will be encouraged to know there is a new player in the field. And he added that he hoped to meet with producers as well as broadcasters while in Cannes. “It’s surprising how often producers have a passion for a project that they have been carrying around a while and have wanted to get off the ground. I always like to hear about those. I think when a producer is really passionate about something and has been thinking about it for a while, they can really turn out to be the worthwhile projects.”

Michael Rosenfeld: looking for producers with passion Michael Rosenfeld’s MIPDoc keynote address is 16.50 on Saturday, April 6, at the Hotel Martinez

COMMISSIONERS’ MEET-UP

BROADCASTERS MEET PRODUCERS AT MIPDOC THE MIPDOC Commissioners’ Meet-Up is a four-part event designed to bring together factual commissioners and producers.

Some 20 commissioners from around the world will meet the producers of what they believe to be the most promising

Commissioners and producers get the opportunity to network at the MIPDoc Commissioners’ Meet-Up

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projects in development, selected from around 130 entries. During the event the producers will get the opportunity to meet potential broadcast, co-production and finance partners, while commissioners will be looking for the next big documentary or factual project. Participating commissioners include Ann Julienne of France Televisions, Catherine Olsen of CBC Canada, Jackie Murphy of Aljazeera English, and Osnat EdenFraiman of Israel’s yes-DBS Satellite Services. “Attending this event is an opportunity for yesDocu to find projects in early stages of development in order to be a part of them and to secure the broadcasting rights,” Eden-Fraiman said. “It enables commissioners to find projects before they appear on the market, and producers to find ways to finance their content.” “MipDoc and MipTV offer the best opportunities to network, screen, and be

abreast of market developments and trends at this time of the year,” said Barbara Biemann of Germany’s NDR Dokumentation & Reportage, another of the participants. “The benefit of this for producers and commissioners is to be able to get to know each other and to find out which projects meet which needs, to work on creative finance models and cooperations, to come to terms with budgets and programming needs, and to work on ways in which artistic filmmaking and television can come together.” She added: “Documentary television makers and commissioners are a tribe that comes together at events like these mainly to do business, but also to create new visions.” The Commissioners’ Meet-Up comprises four one-hour sessions and is held at the Commissioners Club in the Martinez Hotel, April 7, from 10.45



i nEWs NEWS IN BRIEF

FRESH FACTUAL TV

CCCTV DOC SEEKS GLOBAL PARTNERS

The Wit calls for a fresh look at factual programming

CCTV Doc, the documentary channel offering of China’s national broadcaster, China Central Television plans to build on its debut appearance at MIPTV last year with a series of sponsorships and events aimed at highlighting the channel’s success since its launch in January 2011. Established for just two years the CCTV has already established a number of collaborations and partnerships with international broadcasters. CCTV Doc announced itself to the global television industry at last year’s MIPTV with a sponsored lunch, conferences, as well as a troupe of Chinese acrobats flown in especially for the event. “CCTV Doc is pleased to continue and expand on its activities at MIPDoc and MIPTV, as they provide a great platform to work with broadcast and production partners from all over the world,” CCTV Doc’s Liu Wen said. CCTV Doc now reaches an audience of 700 million. The broadcaster has completed a number of co-production deals since its launch with partners including the BBC, National Geographic Channels, France Televisions, NHK, KBS, RAI. At MIPTV, CCTV Doc will directly be sponsoring a number of events aimed at highlighting the work it has done with its international partners so far, as well as outlining some of the new projects it is seeking.

CCTV Doc’s Liu Wen 6I

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IRGINIA Mouseler, CEO of Paris-based international research company The Wit, will present a special Fresh TV session at MIPDoc, where she will show examples of “ground-breaking factual programming” from around the world. “We’ve identified two types of documentary that sell on the international market — one to mainland European audiences, and the other to the British and the Americans,” Mouseler said. ”The British and the Americans prefer a style of documentary where the author is more present and there is an element of subjectivity from the author, while the European style is to focus more on the object. What we plan to do is to try and identify a style of documentary that appeals to both audiences.” Mouseler will also attempt to identify what kinds of topics appeal to the two audiences she has identified. “And I’m going to track the documentaries that have made the biggest buzz around social media. This will show that documentary can appeal to young audiences. Because the genre has a reputation for being unexciting, even boring, but in fact there are documentaries that have had a big response The Wit CEO Virginia Mouseler on social media which mean they appeal to a younger or broader auwill be factual as opdience. So I plan to anposed to reality.” alyse those documenta“I’m going to track Mouseler says that the ries, to determine what pressure on documentatypes of subjects do apthe documentaries ry filmmakers and schedpeal to people who are that have made the ulers, from the factual reactive on the social netbiggest buzz around ality formats which have works, and this could social media” dominated the schedhelp producers to spiceules in recent years, still up the genre.” Virginia Mouseler exists. And while there But she stresses that is no crisis in the genre, the aim is to maintain she says that documena clear distinction betary producers should “take into account this tween documentary and reality formats. “The style of writing” in order to protect their primeshows I will present at MIPDoc will be pure doctime slots. umentary and not formats. The programmes Fresh Factual TV From Around The World is at 16.10 on Saturday, April 6, at the Hotel Martinez

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THE WORLD IS WATCHING PUSSY RIOT -

WHICH WAY IS THE FRONT LINE FROM HERE? THE LIFE AND TIME OF TIM HETHERINGTON

A PUNK PRAYER

52 & 86 mins

78 mins Director: Sebastian Junger (Academy Award® nominee Restrepo)

Directors: Mike Lerner, Maxim Pozdorovkin

From Liberia to Libya, where he was killed in a mortar blast in 2011, Award winning photojournalist Tim Hetherington’s images convey a rare sense of intimacy in contrast to the violence surrounding him.

The incredible story of three young women whose protest inside Russia’s main cathedral culminated in a trial that has reverberated around the world.

Sebastian Junger weaves footage of Tim at work and moving interviews with his family and colleagues to capture his friend’s unique curiosity.

With unparalleled access behind their famous colourful balaclavas we learn what transformed these women from political activists in to modern icons. Are you a ready for a Pussy Riot?

THE SQUARE

SMASH & GRAB THE STORY OF THE PINK PANTHERS

52 & 90 mins Director: Jehane Noujaim (Control Room)

52 & 90 mins Director: Havana Marking (Sundance Award Winner Afghan Star)

BACKGROUND IMAGE: THE SQUARE, PHIL GRIBBON

An immersive story of the struggle of the Egyptian Revolution. Beginning in the tents of Tahrir we follow our characters on their life-changing journey through the euphoria of victory into danger, where everything they fought for is under threat from the new military regime – a force that has been in power longer than the dictator that they removed.

In their own words and with unprecedented access, the most successful jewel thieves of all time take you into their world. But as the thieves brazenly commit their crimes across the world, Interpol and global police forces are tightening their grip. Is this the end of the Pink Panthers?

F I L M S

I N T E R N A T I O N A L

VISIT US AT OUR NEW MIPTV STAND 14.19 www.goldcrestfilms.com

sales@goldcrestfilms.com


PrOductnEWs The MIPDoc Preview highlights some of the content on sale from around the world at MIPDoc and onwards at MIPTV... PBS DISTRIBUTION

TRICON FILMS & TELEVISION

PRODUCED to coincide with the 50th anniversary of his assassination, JFK (2 x 60 mins), a new biography of President John F Kennedy provides a fresh look at the enigmatic man who has become one of the US’ most beloved and mourned leaders. The distribution arm of the US pubcaster also brings two specials covering contemporary issues. Guns in America (1 x 60 mins) traces the evolution of guns in the US, from the beginnings of the JFK (PBS Distribution) country’s history to the atrocity in Newtown last year, and the clash of cultures that reflects competing visions of America’s identity. Rise Of The Drones (1 x 53 mins) explores how these unmanned robotic airplanes fly, sense, and kill.

ZDF ENTERPRISES (ZDFE)

LAST Secrets Of The Third Reich (6 x 50 mins/HD) explores previously inaccessible archives and newly found documents. Produced under the supervision of Guido Knopp and the ZDF Contemporary History Dept, the programme exposes the unknown inner workings of Hitler’s regime. Did Hitler fear he had Jewish blood? What did his architect Albert Speer really know about the Holocaust?

POIGNANT series I Didn’t Do It (7 x 60 mins) exposes the untold stories of wrongful convictions. Narrated by actor Chris Noth, the series looks beyond the investigations to reveal the harrowing personal stories and long-awaited redemptions of victims of an imperfect justice system, using re-enactments and interviews with the accused, investigating officers, jurors and prosecuting attorneys. Also new at MIPTV from Tricon is Birth Of A Car (2 x 60 mins) that looks at the innovative design and manufacturing operations that build the world’s most advanced motor vehicles.

PEACE POINT RIGHTS

ULTIMATE Fighting Champion (UFC)’s reigning welterweight world champion, Georges St-Pierre (known to his fans as GSP) is the subject of a new feature-length documentary, The DNA Of GSP, brought to MIPTV by Canada’s Peace Point. As part of the fastest growing sport in the world — comprising mixed martial arts, boxing, wrestling and kickboxing — GSP has evolved into a sports superstar.

I Didn’t Do It (Tricon Films & Television)

COMPAGNIE DES PHARES & BALISES

TWO DOCUMENTARIES top the MIPTV slate for Paris-based Compagnie des Phares & Balises. The Legend Of The Tour De France (2 x 52 mins) traces the history of the iconic cycle race, using colourised archive material, and timed to coincide with the 100th edition of the race this year. Secondly, Jews And Muslims, So Far, So Close is a 4 x 52-minute that explores a historical connection between the two groups, using archive material, interviews and animation. The programme is supported by the UN.

Last Secrets Of The Third Reich (ZDFE)

FLAME DISTRIBUTION

DINOSAURS In The Outback (1 x 60 mins) is an exploration of the scientific evidence of the great numbers of dinosaurs that once roamed the outback of Australia. The special is brought to MIPTV by Australia’s Flame Distribution. The DNA Of GSP (Peace Point Rights) 8I

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The Legend Of The Tour De France (Compagnie des Phares & Balises)


THE ULTIMATE REFERENCE IN DOCUMENTARY DISTRIBUTION

© BEA MÜLLER

W W W. A R T E P R O.CO M /SA L E S

CASTLES AND PALA A CES OF EUROPE CHILDREN 10x 10x13 x13’ - 2012 2012 The perfect documentary series for inquisitive boys and girls aged 8 to 14 years. It depicts and explains the world: from the nucleus to the Big Bang, from children in India to the Amazon jungle or to polar scientists in the eternal ice of Antarctica.

THE KING OF MONT VENTOUX SPORT 52’ - 2013 2013 At the top of Mont Ventoux hangs a huge poster with the names of all the cyclists that won Tour o de France stages on the summit of this “Giant of Provence”. Which one of these past winners would be the gr g eatest climber of them all today?

GASTRONOMY GA STRONOMY 5x52’ - 2013 2013

DISC DISCOVERY OVERY 5x52’ - 2 2012 012

5 markets, 5 complex systems that play a crucial role in their city: Barcelona, Budapest, Vienna, Lyon and Turin. They all have a vast belly: the city food market that nourishes a large part of their population.

No other part of the world boasts as many castles and palaces as Europe. A breathtaking aerial view leads us through the Loire Valley in France, to southern Germany, the southeast of England, the Piedmont in Italy and along the coast of Portugal.

THE MY YSTER RY OF DARK A MA ATTER T SCIENCE 52’ - 2 2012 012 You, o me, the stars, the sun - the entire universe is made of atoms. At least that’s what we think… But today, scientists believe that the reality is quite different. t IIn ffa act, t atoms may make up only 5% of the universe. The remaining 95% is believed to be a mysterious form of matter: dark matter.

©DERALF F/STORY BOX PRES P

GEOLINO

IN THE HE BELL LY OF THE CITY

KARL A LAGERFELD SKETCHES HIS LIFE FASHION F ASHION 52’ - 2013 2013 No official biography has ever been published, and the most eccentric figure in the world of fa ashion has always been discreet about his personal life. This is the film in which Karl Lagerfeld draws his life.

WORLD MEDICINE ©SCHUCH PRODUCTION

DISCOVERY DISC OVER RY 20x26 20x26’ - 2013 2013

Bernard Fontanille is an emergency doctor used to operations in difficult conditions. During his various missions he travelled all over the planet to cure, shield, heal, take care of people and to ease pain. Led by his strong sense of humanity and his curiosity, he makes us discover and shares with us the live of women and men caring for others, saving lives, and sometimes inventing new ways of treatment.

BUDDING STARS A PERFORMING ART ARTS S 7x 7x26 26’ - 2 2013 013 The most famous dance school in the world, where the greatest “étoiles” or principal dancers are trained. Over the course of one year there, what lives, breathes, changes and emerges among the future chosen few, who are still just teenagers?

CONTAC T: ALEC H E RRMAN N a-herrmann @ar tefrance.fr

CONTACT HE AD OF SALES

WWW. ARTEPRO.COM/ /SALES

CÉDRIC HAZARD c-hazard@artefrance.fr

ARTE BOOTH #C1- 01


iproductneWs ARGONON

IMAGINE… A Beauty Is Born: Matthew Bourne’s Sleeping Beauty is the series finale of the BBC One arts series Imagine. It follows the creation of choreographer Matthew Bourne’s latest offering, Tchaikovsky’s’ The Sleeping Beauty, and is brought to MIPTV by the UK’s Argonon. The show follows the production from the first workshops to final rehearsals, and presenter, Alan Yentob, profiles Bourne’s career as a choreographer and director, with interviews with Bourne, his biographer Alastair Macauley and theatre producer Cameron Mackintosh.

ACCENT FILMS INTERNATIONAL

BEYOND DISTRIBUTION

SWISS factual specialist Accent Films is prioritising current affairs and history titles at MIPTV. Forbidden Voices portrays three women bloggers in Cuba, Iran and China whose voices are suppressed but who still find a way to raise important issues about human rights. In A Home Far Away the career of the pioneering American journalist Edgar Snow is profiled. He was the first foreign journalist to interview Mao Tse-tung and his connections to China resulted in him being on the McCarthy blacklist.

FACTUAL titles from Beyond include: Mother Of The Bride, a look at the dramas that occur when as brides get dressed for weddings; Hidden In America, going behind the doors of closely guarded subcultures, from doomsday cults, biker gangs, underground fight clubs to suburban swingers; BBQ Crawl, that travels the BBQ competition circuit with Canada’s BBQ Champion; and home design show Love It Or List It: Vancouver.

Forbidden Voices (Accent Films International)

Mother Of The Bride (Beyond Distribution)

Imagine...A Beauty Is Born (Argonon)

SI ENTERTAINMENT DRG

BRIZE Norton is a British RAF base, and for the first time it has granted round-the-clock access to a documentary crew. The HD observational series, Brize Norton (8 x 60 mins), sets human dramas against the background of military activity and international emergencies. The series was made by Dai4films for Sky1, and is brought to MIPTV by the UK’s DRG.

IT’S ALLt About Me (1 x 60 mins/feature length), brought to MIPTV by Canada’s Si Entertainment, looks at how generations have evolved over the past 60 years and how history and culture have influenced the traits, trends and expectations of people today. At a time when high self-esteem is encouraged from childhood and young people have more independence than ever; at a time when social media, reality television, and body image modification, combine to draw more attention than ever to ordinary individuals, the HD documentary asks: ‘Are we heading down the path of extreme narcissism?’

ZED

HEADLINING the slate from French producer and distributor ZED is The Vaccine According To Bill Gates, the story of the search to find the first vaccine against malaria. The company also brings: U-455, The Mystery Of The Lost Submarine (52 mins/HD), a marine-archeological investigation of a German submarine lost during World War II, and recently discovered off the coast of Italy, 120 metres deep; and Game Over (52 mins/HD), the story of video games, one of the most important cultural phenomena of the past 40 years. Brize Norton (DRG) 10 I

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U-455, The Mystery Of The Lost Submarine (ZED)



iproductneWs AB INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION

DIRECTED by Jean-Louis Molho, and narrated by Andre Dussolier and Francis Huster, Napoleon (10 x 52 mins) charts the destiny of Napoleon I. After reaching supreme power, Bonaparte moulds a new Europe before his decline. The series is brought to Cannes by Parisbased AB International Distribution.

TELEWIZJA POLSKA (TVP)

SECRETS Of Love (1 x 90 mins/2 x 45 mins) follows a series of romantic relationships developing in various corners of the globe. The documentary is brought to MIPTV by TVP. Two other priorities for the Polish company are: Entangled (1 x 50 mins), which looks at the complex morals and emotions that come to the surface when a victim of pedophilia becomes the aggressor; and Free The Butterfly (1 x 45 mins), about a woman with multiple sclerosis who’s goal is to cheat death.

OFF THE FENCE (OTF)

OTF BRINGS a wide range of factual titles to MIPTV including: Wildest Latin America (5 x 60 mins), celebrating the region’s locations, animals and people; Incredible Flying Cars (1 x 60 mins), which looks at inventors trying to produce the first commercially successful car plane; Tribal Pursuits (5 x 60 mins) follows a man in search of the world’s most isolated tribes; I Was A Jet Stewardess (1 x 60 mins) looks at the golden age of jet air travel in the Sixties; and Great Dreamers (6 x 60 mins), a drama-documentary series devoted to thinkers and pioneers in science and the arts.

NHK

Napoleon (AB International Distribution)

Secrets Of Love (TVP)

EARTH TOUCH

SOUTH Africa-based wildlife and factual producer Earth Touch is debuting a raft of new natural history programming at MIPTV. Crocodile Labyrinth, (1 x 50 mins/HD) features underwater cameraman Brad Bestelink who films Nile crocodiles. In this film he returns to Botswana to explore this formidable predator. In Mystery At Shark Beach (1 x 50 mins/HD), a forensic shark scientist looks at five shark attacks in the past three years at a remote surfer’s paradise in South Africa. Earth Touch also brings: Dinofish (1 x 50 mins/HD) about the rare coelacanth fish; Blood River, about the migration of wildebeests across the Mara River in Kenya; and A Dog’s Tale about a wild dog.

COMPLETED projects from Japan’s national broadcaster NHK include: Secrets Of The British Museum (3 x 52 mins), that uses special access to the museum’s researchers and collections to explore ancient civilisations in Egypt, Greece and Japan; and The Kamaishi Miracle (1 x 49 mins) which looks at the extraordinary story of a group of school children who survived the devastating tsunami in Japan by courageously looking after each other. NHK is also at MIPTV seeking production partners for Human Life: Our Amazing Cells, which looks at cellular activities that trigger changes in our bodies, and 100 Years Of Tokyo In Color, which traces the city’s history.

Secrets Of The British Museum (NHK)

AVALON DISTRIBUTION

Crocodile Labyrinth (Earth Touch)

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A TOWN And Country Murder, a Flame TV production for the Crime and Investigation network, makes its debut at MIPTV. The series recounts shocking crimes that took place in the seemingly calm rural areas of the UK. From execution-style murders to crimes of passion, the programme examines each case from the discovery of the body through the investigation until the perpetrator is caught and convicted.


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iproductneWs CINEFLIX RIGHTS ABC COMMERCIAL

THE UK’s Cineflix Rights brings more than 200 hours of new programming to MIPTV. Heading the slate is The Day Kennedy Died (1 x 60 mins/HD), which includes exclusive interviews with the journalist who was with the Kennedy family for the whole of that day, and the nurse who checked his vital signs at the hospital, alongside rare archive footage. Cineflix also brings Surviving Evil (10 x 60 mins/HD), about victims of violence who have fought back against their attackers and survived against the odds.

AUSTRALIA’s ABC Commercial returns to MIPTV with a full factual slate, including: Shark Girl (1 x 57 mins/HD), the story of Madi Stewart, a young woman with a passion for sharks; Stone Age Mystery (1 x 60 mins/HD), looking at remains that scientists believe to be a new human species; Bench To Bedside (12 x 25 mins/ HD) follows the stories of people and animals living with serious illnesses; and Licence To Kill (1 x 57 mins/HD) profiles police officers who have the right to kill.

Shark Girl (ABC Commercial)

JANSON MEDIA

RESONANCE: Beings Of Frequency (1 x 88 MINS) uncovers the way mobile phone technology may cause cancer, by suggesting that the planet is filled with a natural frequency in which life has developed. With mankind surrounded by an ocean of artificial frequencies, the harmony has been disturbed. The US’ Janson also brings The Afghan Solution (1 x 60 mins), a film that documents the challenges and possible solutions to the Resonance: Beings Of Frequency (1 x 88 mins) conflict, as told by Afghans themselves.

AMPERSAND

AFTER 12 months of dives and using macro lenses, two new one-hour films give a close-up look at the world of crustaceans, their flamboyant colours, unexpected shapes and extraordinary behaviours. The Secret World Of Mollusks and The Secret World Of Crustaceans are brought to MIPTV by France’s Ampersand.

CINEXPORT

PARIS-based Cinexport brings Black Really Suits You (1 x 88 mins/HD) to MIPTV. The programme follows Cobra, a young woman who leaves her family home veiled every morning, but changes her clothes in a bar before she goes to work. She wants to keep her freedom but when she falls in love with a bar employee her father does not understand. Also on the MIPTV slate are: Lost Civilisations (26 x 52 mins); The 100 Wonders Of The World (13 x 52 mins); Chateaux Of The Loire Valley And Ile De France (11 x 52 mins); The Most Beautiful Towns Of The World (8 x 52 mins); and Paris Out Of The Way (4 x 26 mins).

Surviving Evil (Cineflix Rights)

ZODIAK RIGHTS

ZODIAK Rights, the international division of Zodiak Media with offices in London and Paris, brings new programming from French production company Mona Lisa Productions to MIPTV. Lengguru: The Lost World is a 90-minute special follows a major scientific expedition into the Lengguru mountains in New Guinea. Also set to go into production is Life On Us (1 x 90 mins), looking at the weird and wonderful organisms who live, breed and die on our bodies. Zodiak also brings Sharks In The Mediterranean (1 x 60 mins) and Planet Ice (4 x 60 mins).

Black Really Suits You (Cinexport)

The Secret World Of Custaceans (Ampersand) 14 I

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Lengguru: The Lost World (Zodiak Rights)


iproductneWs LAGADERE ENTERTAINMENT RIGHTS

CARGO FILM & RELEASING GLOBO

BRAZIL‘s Globo brings a documentary series to

PARIS-based distributor Lagardere Entertainment

MIPTV that crosses 18 countries and all continents. The Diaries Of Lawrence Wahba (10 x 23 mins) explores wildlife in oceans, jungles, mountains, glaciers and savannahs. Extreme Planet (Season One, 1 x 40 mins/3 x 25 mins; Season Two 4 x 30 mins) covers a desert marathon, climbing ice walls and riding rapids, among other extreme adventures. Other titles include: Heir To The Crown (1 x 40 mins), about footballer Neymar; and The Andean Connection (1 x 30mins), about the Southern Interoceanic Highway.

Rights is launching Dallas: A Special Day, at MIPTV. Fifty years after Kennedy’s assassination the event is still shrouded in mystery. This documentary explores the personalities of Jackie Kennedy and soon-to-be President Lyndon Johnson, as well as anonymous onlookers whose witness accounts thrust them into the spotlight.

US DISTRIBUTOR Cargo brings to MIPTV the intriguing life story of Iceberg Slim, a man who went from pimp to author of seven books. Iceberg Slim: Portrait Of A Pimp (1 x 85 mins) includes interviews with Chris Rock, Henry Rollins, Ice-T, Quincy Jones, Snoop Dogg and Iceberg Slim. Cargo also brings: Men At Lunch (1 x 55 mins/75 mins), about the iconic photo from 1932 of workmen taking their lunch while perched on a girder above New York; and Uprising (1 x 84 mins), a behindthe scenes account of the Egyptian revolution.

TERRANOA

FRENCH distributor Terranoa is at MIPTV with new releases and projects seeking pre-buys. Looking For Picasso commemorates the 40th anniversary of the artist’s death and includes access to family archives and interviews with family members. Killer Drones And Secret Wars (1 x 52 mins) investigates the impact of drones on warfare. Swimming Beyond Borders (1 x 52 mins) tells the story of Philippe Croizon who had both arms and legs amputated yet aims to swim across four straits joining the five continents. Super Fungi (1 x 52 mins) explores how important fungi is in sustainable agriculture, green chemistry and as a source model for engineering the networks of the future.

GOLDCREST FILMS INTERNATIONAL

THE UK’s Goldcrest Films’ documentary slate for MIPTV includes: Pussy Riot — A Punk Prayer, which chronicles how the Russian punk band became a household name; The Square, following young activists in the struggle for Egyptian democracy; Which Way Is The Front Line From Here?, a portrait of photojournalist Tim Hetherington, who lost his life in Libya; Smash & Grab — The Story Of The Pink Panthers, about successful jewel thieves; and A Whole Lott More, about Lott Industries’ quest for a dynamic working environment for disabled employees.

Pussy Riot — A Punk Prayer (Goldcrest Films International)

© RMN-Grand Palais, photo: Jean-Gilles Berizzi

Dallas: A Special Day (Lagadere Entertainment Rights)

Iceberg Slim: Portrait Of A Pimp (Cargo Film & Releasing)

FIRST HAND FILMS

THE DEFECTOR (1 x 71 mins/58 mins/46 mins) follows the journey of Sook-Ja and Yong-hee who escape from North Korea with the help of a broker. Filmed undercover, the filmmaker speaks to all three about human rights and freedom. The Swiss distributor also brings Shadows Of Liberty (1 x 53 mins/93 mins), about the darker side of the American media, where global conglomerates call the shots, with contribution from journalists, activists and academics.

Looking For Picasso (Terranoa)

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i feature TRENDS Passion’ Distribution’s Ghost Adventures — sold into France, Sweden, Italy, Australia and Canada

The search is on Broadcasters and commissioners are always looking for the next big thing in factual. And as Andy Fry surveys the latest trends in factual programming, he discovers there is a wide choice out there

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HE FACTUAL programming business is in great of new shows for both the international divisions of these shape. It doesn’t matter where in the world you US heavyweights and third-party distribution outfits. go, you’ll find factual output holding down slots in One company that has ridden the wave of this expandaytime, access primetime and primetime. From one-off sion is UK-based distributor Passion Distribution. Recently acquired by indie stuspecials to high-volume returnadio Tinopolis, the company has ble franchises, this endlessly inseen its revenues grow from zero ventive genre is equally effective “We’ve had a lot of to £15m in just five years — priacross free-TV, pay-TV and onsuccess selling US marily because of its strong slate line platforms. What’s more, it factual content pretty of US-originated factual enterhas proved itself to be a big hit in much everywhere” tainment shows, distributed on international distribution. behalf of various US-based caPerhaps the biggest factor in Emma Simpkins ble channels. the genre’s success is the voraPassion sales director Emma cious demand for fresh content Simpkins says: “We’ve had a lot of success selling US facfrom US cable channel owners such as A+E Networks, Discovery, National Geographic and Scripps Networks tual content pretty much everywhere. It’s very character Interactive (SNI). With hundreds of hours of factual en- led, which gives it universal appeal. Buyers also like the tertainment originated each year, there’s a steady supply fact it is good quality and comes in high volumes. We

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The search is on

“A show like Pawn Stars now runs to a couple of hundred episodes, which is good news both for our international networks and buyers” Christian Murphy

often license multiple seasons of these shows at one time.” Recent deals prove her point, with large volumes of lifestyle programming from SNI and Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) selling to networks in Asia, Latin America, Africa and Europe. There has also been a lot of business around shows from Sundance Channel and The Weather Channel (TWC): “TWC’s dangerous jobs series (eg. Iron Men) do very well and so does the Sundance series Iconoclasts.” Other strong shows on the Passion slate include Ghost Adventures from SNI’s Travel Channel, which has sold into markets including France, Sweden, Italy, Australia and Canada, and Food Network’s Cupcake Wars (also SNI), which has been snapped up by networks in territories as varied as Norway, Poland, Ukraine, Korea, and Australia. There’s a similar message from Christian Murphy, senior vice-president, international programming and Fatal Vows (Beyond Distribution)

Ewan McGregor in All3Media special Battle Of Britain

marketing at A+E Networks: “The areas where we have seen huge interest in the last three to four years is reallife character driven series like Pawn Stars, Storage Wars and Duck Dynasty, all of which debuted in the US on History. These work all round the world because they are not contrived. What audiences respond to is the authenticity of the situations. Even when the situation is local, these shows work because they tap into universal themes that audiences recognise.” Not only is the narrative approach appealing to audiences, but, Murphy says, the format is perfect for buyers. “A show like Pawn Stars now runs to a couple of hundred episodes, which is good news both for our international networks and buyers. They’re also very repeatable and have shown great versatility around the schedule. Our own networks have been scheduling established shows so as to help give a lift to new shows.” While US lifestyle and factual entertainment shows tend to grab the headlines, Cineflix Rights has also had a lot of success selling Canadian-originated shows to the global market. In Latin America, vice-president of sales and acquisitions Sabrina Ayala sold Property Brothers to TLC while Fox Latin America picked up Property Virgins. It’s a similar story in Central and Eastern Europe where sales manager Caroline Hurmson licensed titles such as Property Brothers, The Unsellables and Conviction Kitchen to Chello Central Europe. Cineflix Rights senior vice-president of acquisitions Noel Hedges says: “What the Canadians are good at is producing shows that have the same kind of quality and rhythm as the best US shows. They manage to produce shows efficiently without affecting the quality.” Like Passion, Cineflix is finding buyers for a wide range of shows. “We benefit from having a balanced slate of www.mipdoc.com I preview magazine I March 2013 I 17


i feature lifestyle, ob-docs and crime. Some of our most successful titles are crime series like Cold Blood. We’ve now added to that area of our slate through our output deal with US producer LMNO, which brings us titles like Hollywood & Crime and Unusual Suspects.” Deals for more maleskewing shows in the catalogue include Cold Blood to TVN Poland, Mayday: Air Disaster to CCTV China and Wives With Knives to Investigation Discovery LatAm. A+E continues to do good business with ‘dangerous jobs’ shows like Ice Road Truckers and Ax Men, which (between them) have sold to broadcasters such as La Sexta in Spain, Fox 8 Australia and DR in Denmark. So does Discovery, which continues to sell series such as Deadliest Catch, a strong performer on TF1’s DTT channel portfolio in France. Others to have had success in this space include Australiabased Beyond Distribution, which sold trucker show Highway Thru Hell to National Geographic Channel US. Highway Thru Hell is a Canadian-originated show, as are some other headline titles on Beyond’s slate. Particularly fruitful has been a partnership with Quebec-based producer CMJ, which has brought titles like Fatal Vows and The Will: Family Secrets Revealed into the Beyond catalogue. The former is a show which looks at spouses who kill their partners while the latter looks at conflicts surrounding the estates of dead celebrities. One of Cineflix’s top shows is Border Security, which launched in Australia on Seven Network before being reinvented for the US and Canada (the Canadian version is on its way to MIPTV 2013). “You get a similar kind of quality and pacing with Australian and New Zealand shows,” Hedges says. “In my view, what matters is not the country of origin, but the access and the uniqueness of the situation, it’s got to be something that buyers can’t find anywhere else.” Not to be forgotten either is the UK, one of the pioneers in the reality-TV space, which continues to feature strongly on buyers’ shopping lists. FremantleMedia International has had great success selling food shows hosted by Jamie Oliver in recent times. At the start of 2013, for example, it licensed more than 50 hours of content to Globosat and Fox Life for use in Brazil and across Latin America respectively. Zodiak Rights also continues to do well, having sold 120 hours of UK-originated factual to Discovery for broadcast in Central and Eastern Europe. Titles included Big Fat Gypsy Weddings, Thelma’s Gypsy Girls (both from Firecracker) and Embarrassing Bodies (Maverick). Other Embarrassing Bodies buyers include RTL4 Netherlands, NRK Norway, Fox Finland and TV2 Denmark, which has singled out Embarrassing Bodies as one of its most successful shows. Zodiak Rights CEO Matthew Frank says: “UKoriginated IP remains in high demand around the world. We definitely find it helps when pitching to US cable networks if we can show them an episode that has already been aired on British television.” For Frank, a big strength of the UK output is that “it works as a completed show and as a format. One of our 18 I

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Big Fat Gypsy Weddings (Zodiak Rights)

“What matters is not the country of origin, but the access and the uniqueness of the situation, it’s got to be something that buyers can’t find anywhere else” Noel Hedges

Beyond Distribution sold trucker show Highway Thru Hell to National Geographic Channel US


The search is on biggest franchises is Wife Swap, which sells around the world in its UK, US and Australian forms. Fans of a show will tend to watch it regardless of where the episode originated. A great example is Secret Millionaire which started in the UK, then went to the US and Australia. Now, the Aussie version is airing on UK television.” Interestingly, all of these Zodiak-distributed titles aired on Channel 4 UK (C4)— and there are further examples of C4 shows being snapped up by buyers. A case in point is One Born Every Minute, a C4 show produced by Dragonfly and distributed as a completed show and format by Shine International. A breakout hit in the UK, the UK version has sold in 140 territories and format deals have been done with Lifetime US and TF1 France as well as with leading broadcasters in Sweden and Spain. “This strand of C4 shows have the right ingredients to do well internationally,” Frank says. “Areas like health, lifestyle, fitness and food are universally popular which is why they are so good for distributors. That said, C4 is currently moving away from this kind of heavily formatted show towards less constructed more local ideas. These are tougher for us to sell and harder for us to protect from an IP rights point of view.” Channel 4’s impact on the international market was also spotted by National Geographic (NG), which appointed C4’s former head of documentaries Hamish Mykura as executive vice-president and head of international content for National Geographic Channels International (NGCI) in early 2012. In this role, he is responsible for commissioning almost 30% of the shows that appear on NG’s international channels (the rest come from the US mothership or via acquisition). “What this means is that I am looking for shows that are equally accessible to audiences whether they are in Buenos Aires, Warsaw or Hong Kong.” So how does he do that? “The starting point is that you need effortlessly international subjects that can be enjoyed right around the world. Examples of established shows that work for us are Air Crash Investigation and Banged Up Abroad, so that’s the kind of subject matter that I’ve been focusing on.” The first show to emerge from Mykura’s slate is a 10-part series about Dubai Airport from indie producer Arrow Media which is “a cross between a docu-soap and a big engineering show”. In terms of trends, the Dubai Airport series is significant for a couple of reasons, Mykura says. “Firstly, it’s an example of how we are moving away from single films towards series that have the potential to develop as longrunning, returnable franchises. Secondly, linked to this, is the fact we are introducing more of a factual entertainment sensibility to the schedule. All of the evidence supports the idea that character-based series do well for channels like ours and have more scope for renewal than the kind of shows being commissioned five or 10 years ago.” The trick is to inject this editorial approach without undermining NG’s core appeal: “I’m still looking for classic NG subject matter such as adventure, environment and human endeavour because that’s what gives us our

“We definitely find it helps when pitching to US cable networks if we can show them an episode that has already been aired on British television” Matthew Frank

distinctive appeal. But it’s the style of the programing that is evolving.” Long-running factual entertainment series do a great job of holding on to audiences. But there’s another positive which broadcasters are starting to take advantage of — the potential for product placement. A good example is Jamie’s 15 Minute Meals, a Fresh One cookery show for Channel 4 UK. In this case, the subject and format were such that Uncle Ben’s rice and Yeo Valley Yeogurt were both tempted to sign integration deals. Significantly, the rise of the returnable series hasn’t killed demand for singles or short-run programming. Even

Wills & Kate: Baby Fever (Electric Sky)

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i feature

The search is on

Cineflix has sold Mayday: Air Disaster to CCTV China

though A+E has pushed towards the former, Murphy says there’s still an important role for events that channels can promote. In the US, History has just aired Mankind: The Story Of All Of Us, an epic 12-parter which looks at great human achievements. Another A+E project in this part of the spectrum is Miracle Rising: South Africa, a two-hour doc which tells the story of South Africa’s transformation, culminating in the first free elections in 1994. There are two additional points worth making about this project. Firstly, it was produced by Combined Artists of South Africa for History UK, underlining the quality of content available outside the US. Secondly, it is being positioned by A+E’s distribution division as a one-off special that can be played at the time of Nelson Mandela’s 95th birthday in July. The point about singles and short-run documentaries is that they work best when they have some kind of hook that can be used to market the show, Zodiak’s Frank says. Documentaries linked to anniversaries are a classic example. All3Media International, for example, has been racking up sales on 90-minute factual special The Battle Of Britain, presented by actor Ewan McGregor and his brother Colin. Celebrating the 70th Anniversary of the event, the special has sold to AK Entertainment Korea. Also doing well in Asia is another All3Media International war-related special, Churchill’s Traitors, which has sold to Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific and NHK in Japan. “Our factual specials and series are consistently popular with broadcasters in Asia,” Stephen Driscoll, senior vice-president international sales at All3Media International, says. Explaining why, he cites a combination of “high production values, expert insight, unique presentation and compelling real-life stories”. 20 I

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Better even than anniversaries is unique access. HBO, for example, recently signed up feted movie director Martin Scorsese to direct a documentary about 42nd US president Bill Clinton. In a different field of endeavour, Zodiak came to MIP 2012 with a film about iconic Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt. According to Frank, “the combination of great access and the proximity to London 2012 made it a big hit with buyers”. The need for stand-out stories also underpins the rise of the fast-turnaround documentary. These days, pretty much any high-profile human-interest news story will be the subject of a factual special within weeks. Recent examples include BBC Worldwide’s Space Dive, a film charting Felix Baumgartner’s record-breaking skydive, and a spate of projects about the fact that Prince William and Princess Kate are having a baby. Within weeks, Spun Gold TV’s Secrets Of The Royal Nursery had aired on A+E-owned Lifetime in the US. At the same time, distributor Electric Sky has sold an ITN Production called Wills & Kate: Baby Fever to channels such as ZDF in Germany, M6 in France, Sky TV in New Zealand and CBC News in Canada. Zodiak is also circling, Frank says. “We’ll be looking to do something about Kate Middleton as the baby’s due date gets nearer.” Another sub-genre that seems to be benefiting from the need for stand-out shows is ‘big engineering’ or ‘mega-science’. Cineflix Rights, for example, is distributing Windfall/Handel’s Strip The City, in which a city is stripped right back to see how it was created. All3Media International, meanwhile, has sold BBC Knowledge Asia a three-parter called Engineering Giants which gets under the skin of constructions like oil platforms and airplanes — by investigating them during the process of decommissioning.


i feature CO-PRODUCTION

Making the right partnerships Broadcasters are still hungry for big-hitting documentaries that can stand out in the schedules, but factual production can be an expensive business and many high-end series would simply not be made without a creative approach to funding. Andy Fry looks at the latest trends in factual co-production

C

O-PRODUCTION continues to play a crucial role in factual film-making. Specialist factual events can help define a channel’s brand, but to make them happen, the financial burden usually needs to be shared out between three or four well-resourced partners. At the high-end of factual film-making, this risk-sharing “is because producers are looking to innovate,” according to BBC Worldwide’s director of factual Mark Reynolds. “They want to keep delivering landmark programmes and it’s the job of companies like BBC Worldwide to help them put together the finance they need.” A case in point is Africa, a sumptious six-part natural history series which has just aired to great acclaim on BBC One. “Africa involved the BBC, BBC Worldwide (BBCWW), Discovery, France TV and CCTV-9,” Reynolds says. “In that case, BBCWW sat down with the BBC Natural History Unit to work out a detailed funding plan for the series.” Working out how to finance the show is only one part

of the puzzle for execs like Reynolds. “One of the biggest challenges is making sure all the partners get what they want. For example, France 2 doesn’t have a weekly slot for this kind of show. So it ran a 90-minute special. Afterwards France 5 ran the full Africa six-parter.” This tailoring of requirements has become a bigger issue in recent years because broadcasters increasingly want

“We regularly meet up on the eve of MIP to talk business. Getting the likes of ZDFE, FRTV, NHK and National Geographic together is a way of preparing everyone for new developments in the sector” Nikolas Huelbusch

Africa, aired to great acclaim on BBC One

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i feature their shows to have a local feel. “We had an interesting situation with How The Earth Made Us, a co-production with ZDF. The BBC double-shot the series so that there was one version with a presenter and one version without. A year later, ZDF went out to the same locations and shot additional sequences with their own presenter.” The BBC has a rock solid co-pro alliance with Discovery that goes back to the 1990s. However this doesn’t preclude the involvement of new partners, Reynolds says. “We’ve now done three deals with CCTV-9 in China — Africa, Wonders Of Life and Generation Earth. We also Doomsday World War 1, a co-production with ZDF, Discovery Europe and France recently did our first-ever co-production with RTL on a Television series called The Hidden Kingdom (3 x 60 mins). That’s a good illustration of how broadcasters are looking to get ZDFE also applies the same kind of co-pro model to event factual programming at an effective price.” series with a more scientific slant. “We’ll be at MIPTV Co-production also continues to play a key role in the way with a three-parter looking at catastrophes caused by ZDF Enterprises (ZDFE) conducts its business. “Co- storms, volcanoes and earthquakes,” Huelbusch says. productions are complex so they “That’s the kind of project that only really make sense for big will have very international approjects,” Nikolas Huelbusch, peal so we’ll be looking for some “By sharing the vision project manager of factual copartners.” and goal of the productions and development, Like Reynolds, Huelbusch says says. “For us, it would usually be project, the parties there are not a lot of broadcaston major history productions like ers in the co-production busican ensure a good end Doomsday World War 1, a series ness, so it is relatively easy for result for everyone” which looks at WW1 as a prelude them to keep up with each othSayumi Horie to WW2. In that case we have er. “We regularly meet up as a two major partners, Discovery group on the eve of MIP to talk Europe and France Television.” business. By getting the likes of Echoing Reynolds, Huelbusch says that this kind of pro- ZDFE, FRTV, NHK and National Geographic together ject requires tailoring to different markets. “The ZDF it’s a way of preparing everyone for new developments in version of Doomsday is for Germany, so it focuses on the the sector.” way German soldiers felt in the trenches. For the inter- An example would be rights. “With the rollout of DTT, national market you need a version with a broader range online TV, VOD and other non-standard platforms, of examples and archive.” co-production has got more complex,” Huelbusch says. ZDFE is at MIPTV with a couple of ancient history pro- “You need to differentiate strictly between all the rights jects that need partners. One of these is a new look at to make sure everyone gets what they need. Who has first great cultures such as the Greeks, Romans and Vikings. use? How long is the window? Is it exclusive or non-exThe other, Carthage’s Lost Warriors, uses a DNA analy- clusive?” Such questions become ever more difficult now sis to explore the theory that Carthaginian sailors crossed that the US-backed thematic channels are operating in the Atlantic and helped contribute to the development of the same geographic footprint as their historic partners. pre-Columbian culture in Latin America. Sayumi Horie, senior producer of international co-pro-

NHK’s Legends Of The Deep: Giant Squid, a co-production with Discovery Channel in association with ZDF and ARTE 22 I

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duction, at Japan’s NHK, has a number of examples of how co-production has helped the broadcaster achieve its editorial goals. Top of the list is Legends Of The Deep: Giant Squid, a co-production with Discovery Channel in association with ZDF and ARTE. “This is our latest coproduction project in which the team’s four-year mission was rewarded with the success of capturing the world’s first-ever image of the living giant squid,” Horie says. “It’s a good example of successful co-production, where both parties contributed not only to the financing of the expedition but also brought together talent and expertise. Scientists from Japan, the United States, and New Zealand came together with their own ideas and techniques. NHK developed a special ultra-sensitive HD camera that can withstand filming in the deep sea and a special light invisible to squid. But NHK alone could not


Making the right partnerships have achieved this great success.” Other projects show the kind of partners that NHK typically works with. The Cosmic Shore, for example, is a co-pro with WGBH’s NOVA and France 5 while The Next Megaquake is a co-pro with National Geographic Channels International. Women, Keeping The World Turning, meanwhile, is a co-pro with Point du Jour and France 5 which portrays 10 women in different countries with different backgrounds. The latter is an interesting project because it shows that The Hidden Kingdom, the BBC’s first-ever co-production with RTL two broadcasters can decide to back the same creative execution. “Often, in a documentary like this, broadcasters into history. prefer to concentrate on one protagonist from their own While the above examples focus on the dynamics of country, resulting in various versions of the documen- broadcaster-broadcaster co-productions, there’s also tary,” Horie says. “However, on this project, we worked a lot of activity at producer-level, as companies seek to very closely with our co-producers from the early stages get their projects made without losing all of the valuable of the development and managed to agree on characters back-end rights in the process. and storyline from the getA key trend here is for highgo, thereby resulting in one end factual producers to eicommon version for both ther become part of bigger France and Japan.” cash-rich entities or to build “More TV stations have A key message from Horie is alliances that will allow them their own editorial niche, that no two co-productions to share the risk and reward which means we need to are the same. “We engage in on their projects. all types of co-pros. In prorespond with versions that A n example of the forjects such as Life Force II mer is leading French prowill work for their market” (co-production with NHNZ, ducer Mona Lisa, which is Anthony Geffen an exploration of evolution part of the Zodiak Media through the fusion of bluegroup. Currently, rights dichip natural history and scivision Zodiak Rights is ence) and Women, Keeping The World Turning, NHK is pitching for co-pro partners on Lengguru: The Lost involved in all aspects of the creative process from script World, a 90-minute special, commissioned by ARTE development to actual filming, as well as in contribut- and co-produced with France’s Institute of Research for ing to the promotion and distribution of the programme. Development (IRD). NHK may also contribute to the co-production by pro- Andreas Lemos, vice-president, factual acquisitions viding special technical equipment developed by NHK’s and programming Zodiak Rights, explains the attracrenowned technology lab. At the opposite end of the cotion: “Mona Lisa is at the centre of pioneering technopro spectrum, NHK may also take on a minor role as a logical advances that have revolutionised the way we co-financier.” While co-pros are invariably different, there’s a comSpace Dive, a co-production with mon factor in their success, Horie says: co-operation. the BBC and National Geographic “We work closely with our partners to share information and footage so that all parties will be satisfied. Although collaborative work can often require much time and patience, by sharing the vision and goal of the project, the parties can ensure a good end result for everyone.” The Smithsonian Network, a joint venture between the Smithsonian Institute and Showtime Networks, is now providing an alternative entry into the US market for European partners. A good illustration was the project 9/11: Day That Changed The World, produced by Brook Lapping Productions for Smithsonian Channel in association with ITV. Interestingly, that project was also picked up by France 3 and NHK with BBC Worldwide taking the remaining international rights. Another recent example was Beauty, The Beast And The Truth, a co-pro involving Smithsonian Network, ARTE and ORF subsidiary Universum, which is expanding out of natural history www.mipdoc.com I preview magazine I March 2013 I 23


i feature see the natural world. From Environmental Scanning Electron Microscope (ESEM) photography which reveals the ‘invisible’ world of microscopic organisms, to CGI techniques that render that world’s creatures every bit as thrilling as anything found in a wildlife documentary. Their current slate provides spectacular opportunities for this technology to be put to use.” In the case of the Lengguru project, Mona Lisa was granted permission to visit the region in 2010 and came back having discovered 40 brand new species. It has now been given permission to go back with even more kit in the hope of massively increasing the new species count. Leading the hunt for partners is Zodiak Rights CEO Matthew Frank. “Zodiak Rights is better-known for its factual entertainment. But when the opportunity arises we like to have special events for the catalogue. What makes this interesting to us is the technology and the access. We know that there aren’t a dozen other producers in Lengguru because Mona Lisa is the only one that has access.” Another project which underlines Mona Lisa’s unique capabilities is Life On Us (1 x 90 mins). Commissioned by ARTE/SBS Australia and co-produced with Smith & Nasht, this film is set to take “a microscopic safari around the human body to meet the weird and wonderful organisms who live, breed and die on our bodies”. An example of an indie that hasn’t become part of a bigger group is Atlantic Productions, a pioneering factual producer that has pushed back the boundaries of both 2D and 3D filmmaking, winning award after award with productions like David Attenborough’s First Life (2D) and Kingdom Of Planets (3D). Atlantic CEO Anthony Geffen says the company’s track record has enabled it to maintain its independence, but he acknowledges that getting the commercial side of the business right is crucial. For this reason, he has hired rights veteran John Morris as commercial director in order to make sure that Atlantic is maximising the revenues it can achieve across media platforms. In the case of 3D, Atlantic secured itself a level of stability by forming a JV company with Sky called Colossus which has resulted in acclaimed series like Galapagos 3D. But even so, “the market is tough because there aren’t a lot of players to sell to”, Geffen says. “Our approach is to release projects to iMax and then create 2D and 3D versions of the shows. This increases the number of potential customers. I also think new distribution outlets like apps will ultimately help make the market in 3D more sustainable.” As for 2D, Atlantic is following up hit series First Life with a new Attenborough project called The Rise Of Animals. As with First Life, the main co-pro partners are Discovery, the BBC and ABC Australia. There was some competition around the Australian rights but Geffen wanted to work with ABC for a couple of reasons. The first is good old-fashioned loyalty. The second is that working with the same partners takes some of the pain out of the complicated co-pro process. “More TV stations have their own editorial niche, which means 24 I

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TALES OF SIX CITIES INDIE producer Windfall Films has just completed a big-budget six-part factual series called Strip The City. It uses the kind of CGI seen in the movie Inception to peel back the layers of six iconic cities, uncovering their inner workings. Cities covered include Dubai, San Francisco, Sydney, Toronto, London and Rome. The scale of the series meant it needed co-producers to get it off the ground, says Carlo Massarella, Windfall’s resident co-pro expert. “If you want to do things like this properly, you need the budget. In this case, we were fortunate because The Science Channel, Discovery Canada and Discovery Networks International all committed at about the same time. We were then able to get a financial top up from Network Seven Australia and France 5.” Getting three partners to greenlight at the same time was critical says Massarella. “We’ve had a number of projects which have fallen through because we only had one backer and couldn’t get the others. The idea itself isn’t enough, it has to have current value to appeal.” The six cities have been chosen because they are world-famous and they tell distinctive and interesting stories. But it’s not an accident that four of them are also directly relevant to the funding partners. “Everyone wants their own version, and those versions need to have some elements that work for their audiences.” Windfall’s partner Handel has been working in the co-production space for decades. Right now, Handel is as busy as it has ever been – working on projects like Inside The Mind Of Leonardo (with IWC), Brave New World With Stephen Hawking (IWC), Ultimate Tutankhamen (with Blink Films), Scam City (with Zig Zag) and Aliens – The Definitive Guide, a project destined for Discovery Canada and Discovery Science In the US. “It’s an area we’re embraced because it’s how you get the budgets for ambitious productions,” Founder and CEO Alan Handel says: “That’s more true now because of the need for elements like CGI and dramatic reconstruction to make productions stand out.”

Strip The City (Windfall Films)

we need to respond with versions that will work for their market. But in the case of The Rise Of Animals we start with a good understanding of what the channels want.” The increasing complexity of buyer demands also explains why Geffen doesn’t like to have too many co-pro partners involved. “My main concern is always storytelling, so I try not to have too many partners in case it starts to compromise the narrative.” One way of controlling the number of broadcasters involved is to lay off some of the rights to a distributor. So it’s noticeable that a number of Atlantic projects have FremantleMedia International (FMI) on board — examples being Dino Gangs, Engineering The Impossible (both Discovery Channel/FMI) and Rome Unwrapped (National Geographic Channel, Channel 5, La7 and FMI). Like Zodiak, FMI has made a point of adding factual events to its catalogue, the most recent example being Half The Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity For Women Worldwide. Aired on PBS last autumn, worldwide distributor FMI has just sold the series to


Making the right partnerships Discovery Networks Latin America/US Hispanic for use documentaries,” Stehmeier says. “We will raise co-production finance and distribute the films internationally.” in 44 countries. Bo Stehmeier, managing director, distribution at lead- “Our goal is to capture the adventure and excitement of ing factual specialist Off the Fence (OTF) says much of science and share that with mass audiences via great enthe co-production in the factual sector is actually taking tertainment, anchored by great science, ” says Tangled place at the next tier down — and is driven by commer- Bank CEO Michael Rosenfeld — this year’s MIPDoc cial rather than creative imperatives. “Where OTF does keynote speaker. He has already announced the stuwell is acting as a broker between producers and broad- dio’s first slate of titles, which are expected to weigh in casters. The key is helping channels to buy into the pro- at around $1m per episode. Both will air on PBS in the US and include: Your Inner gramme supply line.” Fish, a scientific adventure Stehmeier paints a picture in story which travels from which reduced budgets mean “Our goal is to capture the Kenya to the Arctic Circle that broadcasters are more adventure and excitement to uncover the 3.5-billionreliant on co-production to year history of the human secure single films and shortof science and share that body (produced in collaborun series in the field of spewith mass audiences via ration with Windfall Films); cialist factual. But at the great entertainment” and The Quest To Map The same time, there are fewer exMichael Rosenfeld World, a three-part series ecutives in-house to manage that tells the story of the scithe co-production process. entists and explorers who “Broadcasters will always insist on close involvement with the auteur projects that will risked their lives to map the planet and changed our unbe crown jewels in their schedules. But most are not re- derstanding of the world we inhabit (produced in consourced to do the same with the new level down in terms junction with National Geographic Television). of budgets. This is where OTF steps in,” Stehmeier says. Still on the subject of non-standard partners, “Because we have a long track record in selling genres BBCWW’s Reynolds also has an interesting example in like natural history, we can alert broadcasters to others the shape of Space Dive, a co-production with National that are looking for a similar show and manage the pro- Geographic which looked at MIPTV keynote speakcess. We can also help producers that have a commission- er Felix Baumgartner’s record-breaking skydive from the edge of space. That project, which also involved ing channel but need a pre-sale to go into production.” While Stehmeier is right to stress the downward pressure Baumgartner’s backer Red Bull Media House, was one on factual budgets, he is also able to report a more up- of the hits of the year — selling to more than a dozen beat trend — the ability to access funds from non-broad- broadcasters worldwide within six weeks of the jump. cast sources. “We are working with the Howard Hughes “What it showed,” Reynolds says, “is that co-production Medical Institute, which has launched Tangled Bank can also play its part in fast-turnaround documentary if Studios, a producer that wants to make high-end science you have great access.” David Attenborough’s First Life from Atlantic Productions

www.mipdoc.com I preview magazine I March 2013 I 25


i feature OTT

Docs go over the top OTT is booming and the big players are now investing in orgininal programming. But how much of that investment will be in factual, and what role does the genre have in the brave new world of OTT? Bob Jenkins investigates

Iron Men (Passion Distribution)

N

ETFLIX recently announced it now has 4.89 million paid subscribers internationally in addition to 25.47 million in the US. A new deal with Warner Bros. which sees Netflix licensing content directly from the studio rather than the networks on which the shows are aired was swiftly followed by a commitment to invest more in original content. Impressive though the boom in OTT undoubtedly is, it would be a mistake to think that the giant aggregators — Netflix and Hulu for example — are the only game in town. In fact the first factor impacting the future of factual on OTT services,

26 I

preview magazine I March 2013 I www.mipdoc.com

is the nature of the OTT service itself. Merrick Kingston, senior analyst at research house IHS, says: “The business model used in OTT largely depends on the type of company concerned, and this breaks down into four main categories; the studios, which are not of interest to factual because they produce very little of it, and very few studios have any kind of direct billing arrangement with the public; pure play OTT aggregators such as Netflix and Hulu; pay operators; and established FTA channels.” Feeding OTT offerings is a tricky issue for pay channels because, as Kingston says, pay TV operators and pay TV


Docs go over the top

Morgan Spurlock’s Failure Club (FremantleMedia International)

channels exist in a kind of symbiotic equilibrium. “The operators furnish the channels with a mass audience, and also pay them for their content. In return they benefit from the pull that content exerts, allowing them to attract and retain subscribers. The promise underpinning this exchange is, ‘I give you an audience, and pay you for it, but you agree not to cherry pick the households to which I can sell a full subscription’. This is why we have seen the emergence of ‘authentication’ models requiring evidence of a subscription to a pay platform before access is allowed.” “But,” Kingston says, “in the case of FTA services, the model is almost always advertising based — certainly this is true for the catch-up services, although some, notably BBC’s Global iPlayer, are looking to monetise library content on a subscription basis.” A recent report by UK OTT site Oric underlines the point Kingston makes as to the significance of the nature of the operator of the OTT service and the role factual

Toy Hunters (Passion Distribution)

plays on it. It found that, of 210 series available on both Netflix and LoveFilm in 2012, only one, The Secret Life Of Birds, was factual. By contrast, Aaron Bhamra, editorial and content manager, BBC Global iPlayer, says: “Factual represents our third largest genre behind crime/ thriller and comedy. The Louis Theroux shows are one of the most successful brands on the app, and we have seen strong performances from quick turnaround current affairs titles such as Panorama.” The significant popularity of factual on catch-up and other free OTT services provided by FTA channels is also evident in the catch-up on demand service offered by Japan’s public service broadcaster NHK. Junko Ogawa, NHK’s head of global content marketing says: “Factual ranks alongside drama as the two most popular genres on our NOD (NHK On Demand) service, with history and science being especially popular.” As a recent example of this, Ogawa points to Legends Of The Deep: Giant Squid which, following a primetime airing on Sunday 13 January in which it doubled the slot average with a 16.8% share, also recorded eight times the usual number of hits on the NOD service, making it the number one ranked programme of its week on that service. There is also evidence that factual’s appeal is spreading to other parts of the digital world, where support is being offered for factual projects that might have struggled to find a home on a more traditional outlet. Jeff Tahler, senior vice-president acquisitions and development, FremantleMedia International, cites Morgan Spurlock’s Failure Club as a prime example. “The only way to accurately produce that show,” Tahler says, “was to follow the group of people for an entire year. We wouldn’t have found the support necessary to do that from a www.mipdoc.com I preview magazine I March 2013 I 27


i feature

Off the Fence’s Bo Stehmeier

Wildest India (Off the Fence)

traditional network, but Yahoo! stepped up and gave Morgan the time he needed to create a truly unique piece of programming.”

“Factual is here to stay on OTT” Bo Stehmeier

And, it seems, factual’s OTT appeal is even beginning to spread to the large aggregators. Bo Stehmeier, managing director distribution at Off the Fence says that, “while it is too early to know for sure how factual will deliver over a long period in this area, we are definitely seeing spikes in certain content, for example Cosmic Vistas scheduled by Alliant Content on Hulu”. Rebecca Thomas, sales manager digital services and Africa at Passion Distribution, says: “OTT services are becoming more and more open to factual content — as their audiences and businesses grow so they want to expand the scope of their offer. In the US Netflix is looking to add, not just lifestyle, but also documentaries, especially history and crime, alongside their drama and feature films, and we are seeing this trend emerge internationally as well.” This is a trend also noted by Stehmeier: “Factual is here to stay on OTT, and at the moment it offers OTT programmers the opportunity to negotiate competitive terms on libraries which will deliver very specific audiences. Every emerging OTT service is finding their sweet spot in their broadcasting ecosystem — the question is, how will that change as the system matures?” It is difficult to imagine any broadcasting ecosystem devoid of a place for sport, and, while this is true of OTT, 28 I

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Laurent Dumeau, CEO Trace Sports, cautions: “Sports factual works extremely well on services such as BBC iPlayer, but you cannot make valid comparisons with premium services like Netflix.” He also endorses Kingston’s point about the caution pay channels such as Trace have to exhibit in the OTT sphere in regard to their larger, and much more valuable, pay platform partners. “The first and most important issue surrounding sports on OTT is monetisation. It doesn’t make sense to sacrifice a large number of dollars in pay TV for just a few cents on OTT. Certainly at Trace we are very protective of our pay TV partners, only making very short clips available for OTT.” Dumeau also points out that the OTT market is still very much evolving: “The market for free OTT services, those other than the subscription services such as Netflix and Hulu, is currently very fragmented and only YouTube has anything like a dominant position. It is possible that, maybe two years or so down the line, they will want to have content on an exclusive basis and that would suggest an entirely different business model.” The current rapid evolution of the digital world, especially in regard to the place of factual in it, is also very much at the forefront of Tahler’s mind. Despite, or perhaps because of, the success of Failure Club he believes “one of the characteristics of the digital market, which is still very much an evolving market, is that you have to produce content that is both credible with the digital audience and also not available elsewhere”. Tahler insists this is important because factual is readily available, in all its forms, on broadcast and cabsat, making it difficult to persuade an audience to look for, and then pay for, content broadly similar to what they can get for free, or are already paying for via a different platform. Although, in one way, Tahler considers this to be one of two advantages factual, as a genre, has in the world of OTT: “If you

FremantleMedia International’s Jeff Tahler

IHS’ Merrick Kingston


Docs go over the top

Trace Sports app

look at the US broadcast and cable market, factual budgets range down from the highs of Discovery to some very low numbers indeed, and that has to be a significant advantage in a world in which most people are trying to figure out how to monetise content adequately.” The other advantage Tahler sees factual having in the OTT world is that he believes it is much easier to adapt to shorter lengths, and these often work well in the digital space, especially on tablets.

“Sport is either a live event or it is news, and there really isn’t anything else” Laurent Dumeau

Despite these perceived advantages, Tahler still insists that “factual hasn’t really found its digital voice”. One of the challenges Tahler perceives on the newly emerging digital platforms, not only for factual, but for content in general, is getting the right mindset. “Content producers for digital platforms have to think not only like producers, but also like network executives. One of the things they will have to bear in mind, which wasn’t always previously the case, is the difficulty audiences will have in finding content.” Both Dumeau and Thomas agree that OTT platforms themselves have a key role to play in connecting audiences and content. And, not just in terms of traditional

‘promotion’, shouting loudly about the content their platform has available, but also in how they enable that content to dovetail with itself, and other relevant content. “It is important that platforms properly highlight and promote programming they are carrying,” Thomas says. “It is clearly in their interests to do that. But over and above that, a number of the platforms with which we work have also done great work encouraging viewers who have watched one episode of a factual series to immediately follow on and watch another, and then another.” Similarly, Dumeau believes one of the important factors in the development of sports factual lies with decisions these services make as to how they promote the content. “In terms of linear broadcast, sport is either a live event or it is news, and there really isn’t anything else. I think there is an important opportunity for OTT services to fill this gap by offering viewers/subscribers/fans an insight as to how major players live their lives, where they go on holiday, how they train, who their partners are and what are they like; generally how these icons live their everyday lives.” Dumeau also says that sports programming can be very parochial: “Such content about, for example, Jessica Ennis would do very well in the UK but not anywhere else. In order for sports factual to succeed on OTT it has to either have names that are genuinely strong internationally or else to be very localised — just like sport on linear.” To an extent this seems to be true of content on OTT services in general. “We do see regional variations in the appeal of content on OTT services,” Thomas says. “In the US and Asia, for example, audiences for factual on OTT tend to be very much co-viewing, with perhaps a slight tendency to skew female, whereas in Germany the audience is very male, and in the UK very female. However, in terms of age it seems to be true, pretty much everywhere, that factual on OTT skews older, and is markedly in the 24-50 demographic.” Thomas suggests that this might be partly because younger audiences are so well catered for elsewhere, and partly because the selection of programming is driven by advertiser demands. Two things seem to be clear about the present place of factual on OTT services and also its future. Firstly, we are talking about a very fluid market that is evolving rapidly, and that firm predictions are the preserve of the very brave, but, secondly, that said, the future may well be about targeting niche groups. As Stehmeier puts it: “Special interest factual has a huge future on OTT. The opportunity is there to produce ever more specialised or niche content for large enough interest groups. For example, successful publications might see the opportunity to cater to their existing readership in an audiovisual space.” Whatever the future of factual on OTT services proves to be, FremantleMedia’s Tahler is almost certainly right when he says “the challenges facing factual in the newly emerging OTT environment call out for creativity which is, after all, what the content business is, and always has been, about”.

Trace Sport’s Laurent Dumeau

Passion Distribution’s Rebecca Thomas

NHK’s Junko Ogawa

www.mipdoc.com I preview magazine I March 2013 I 29


tips & serVices Welcome to MIPDoc! Thank you for attending the show this year. There is much to think about to be fully prepared, so we’ve designed this kit to help you make the most out of your show. To ensure you start off with a bang, please refer to our Quick Checklist

INSIDE:

Things to do before the Show: Have you prepared your transportation? Have you arranged your transfer to Cannes? Have you booked your accommodation? (If not, call our accommodations department for preferential pricing on your lodging: +33 (0)1 79 71 99 43 / 94 54) Remember to print out your e-ticket before the show to save time on your badge collection at Registration. Have you visited the Online Database on my-mip.com to find out in advance who else is attending the show, to set up meetings and discover projects? Have you checked the show programme to plan the week around events not to be missed? Find answers to all those questions on the following tips & tools section. For more details please refer to my-mip.com.

GETTING TO CANNES BY AIR: The nearest airport is Nice Côte d’Azur International (NCE), which provides direct flights to many cities around the world. Book your flight with Air France and KLM Global Meetings and benefit from preferential rates using discount code 17899AF www.airfranceklm-globalmeetings.com BY TRAIN: The Cannes train station is a short walk away from the Palais des Festivals. Book your tickets or check departure times at www.tgv-europe.com or by calling +33 (0)8 92 35 35 35.

The journey takes around 30 minutes and fare varies between €70 and €90. Fare includes motorway taxes, but baggage charges must be added to the driver’s meter reading. It is normal practice in France to tip the driver (about 10%). Please note that a night rate applies between 19.00 and 7.00. If you have a query or concern about your taxi journey, please note the taxi licence number and contact our customer service helpdesk upon arrival with your receipt.

s "53 You have several options for bus travel, but you must buy tickets beforehand. Where to get tickets:

GETTING TO CANNES FROM THE AIRPORT

Desk at Terminal 1: outside arrivals, Gate A0. Opening hours: 08.00 – 20.00

You have six options: s 4!8) Taxis are available at the Nice Côte d’Azur International Airport.

Desk at Terminal 2: outside arrivals, between gates A1 and A2. Opening hours: 08.00 – 20.00

Where to catch one: Terminal 1 (Gate A1) and Terminal 2 (Gate A3)

Reserve a taxi in advance at no extra cost: call +33 (0) 8 90 71 22 27 (24 hours) or +33 (0) 492 99 39 23 or send an email to taxi.allo@wanadoo.fr

30 I

s 4HE .ICE !IRPORT8PRESS line to Cannes (bus N°210)

goes to and from Nice Côte d’Azur International Airport and the Cannes bus station via Le Cannet everyday from 8.00 to 20.00 every 30 minutes. Journey takes 50 minutes. A one-way ticket costs €17,60 and a return ticket costs €28,50.

preview magazine I March 2013 I www.mipdoc.com

s '%44).' 4/ #!..%3 s '%44).' 4/ #!..%3 &2/- 4(% !)20/24 s 3(544,%3 4/ /52 0!24.%2 (/4%,3 s 50/. 9/52 !22)6!, s #/,,%#4).' 9/52 "!$'% s 0,!. 9/52 3(/7 "% 352% 9/52 3#(%$5,% )3 3%4

s /. 3)4% 3%26)#%3

Where to catch it: Terminal 1: gate A0, platform 3 Terminal 2: between gates A1 and A2, platform 3 s Bus N°200 also goes to Cannes from Monday-

Saturday at 20.45 and 21.55. Where to catch it: Terminal 1: platform 3

s .OCTAM "US . will get you to Cannes in the evenings. It is available Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights and travels from 23.30 to 04.10 every hour and a half. Where to catch it: Terminal 1: platform 3

s 42!). To get to the Nice train station from the airport, go to Terminal 1, gate 6, take bus 23, direction Vallon des Fleurs (€1). Buses depart every 5 to 12 minutes. Disembark at Gare SNCF Saint Augustin (second stop) and walk to the station. Trains for Cannes depart every 5 minutes. A one-way train ticket costs from €6.40. Book your train tickets at www.tgv-europe.com or by calling +33 (0)8 92 35 35 35.


s #!2 2%.4!, If you wish to rent a car, our partner Sixt Rent a Car can provide you with preferential rates mentioning promotion code 9963828. Book in advance at www.sixt.com or call +33 (0)8 20 00 74 98. Where to rent (Nice Airport): Terminal 1: arrivals, Gates A1/A2 Terminal 2: arrivals, between gates A2 and A3 Motorway toll from Nice to Cannes: â‚Ź2.70. Visa cards accepted.

s (%,)#/04%2 !ZUR (ELICOPTĂĄRE is available at the Arrivals #ONCOURSE in both Terminals 1 and 2. The ight duration is 6 minutes to Cannes. A free shuttle service is available in Cannes for transfers between the Palm Beach heliport and your ďŹ nal destination downtown. A one-way ticket costs roughly â‚Ź99 per person for Reed MIDEM event participants (+15â‚Ź heliport tax). Note that there is a 2-person minimum for helicopter service.

s ,)-/53).% 2%.4!, Le Privilège Limousine is a Reed MIDEM preferred partner. The company specialises in airport transfers as well as charters for private or business engagements. A one-way journey from Nice Airport for 1-3 people costs approximately 90â‚Ź. For 4-8 people, it will cost around 130â‚Ź.

Contact StĂŠphanie Plot: Tel: +33 (0)6 25 75 34 54 Email: stephanie@le-privilege.com Website: www.le-privilege.com

AND THE DIGITAL LIBRARY BUYERS ONLY DURING OPENING hours. Please carry it at all times, and be ready to show it at entry points and security points around the area. $O NOT EXCHANGE YOUR BADGE WITH ANYONE Even if your photo does not appear on the badge, it will appear on security guards’ monitors when they scan it. Shared badges will be conďŹ scated and not returned.

COLLECTING YOUR BADGE s 2%')342!4)/. All participants & Press representatives can pick up their badges at the Registration Desk. If you are a buyer or a company presenting programmes in the digital library, don’t forget to pick up your smartcard with your badge to access the screening rooms or check the list of buyers who screened your contents. Important: E-ticket holders: E-tickets will be sent to you via email a few days before the show. They include a barcode for ID recognition. Don’t forget to print it out to save time at the Registration area.

s 2%')342!4)/. /0%.).' (/523 s &RIDAY !PRIL s 3ATURDAY !PRIL

Buyers Access the screening library with your smartcard, distributed at Registration. If you don’t have your smartcard, please request your viewing smartcard at Registration. You can review a LIST OF THE CONTENT YOU HAVE SCREENED during the event. This list is available at the Networking Lounge. Post market, a ďŹ nal list of the CONTENT YOU HAVE screened during the event will be send to you by email as from Tuesday 9 April 2013. Sellers To view a LIST OF THE BUYERS WHO HAVE SCREENED YOUR PROGRAMMES, please request your COMPANY smartcard at Registration. This list can be printed in the Networking Lounge. Post market, a ďŹ nal list of the buyers who screened your programmes will be send to you by email as from Tuesday 9 April 2013. your programmes during MIPDoc and Content lists for buyers will

3s -!2+%4 /0%.).' (/523

April (18.00), at the Palais des Festivals (Help desk – Level 0).

s 3ATURDAY !PRIL s 3UNDAY !PRIL

PLAN YOUR SHOW BE SURE YOUR SCHEDULE IS SET

MIPDoc offers you free shuttle service to and from your hotel if you are staying outside Cannes during the market.

Pro tip: Connect to the Online Database, the best way to schedule meetings in advance! Visit MY MIP COM to: s Identify and contact the right people to meet among all attendees s Increase your own visibility by completing your company and personal proďŹ les s Showcase and identify projects of interest s Schedule and plan meetings s Select the conferences and events you want to attend

s 9/52 "!$'% Access to MIPDoc: Your Badge is your primary means of identiďŹ cation during the market. It provides access to the conference sessions, networking events

s 3ATURDAY !PRIL s 3UNDAY !PRIL

be available by request as from Monday 8 April (14.00) to Thursday 11

s -!+% !00/).4-%.43 !.$ #/.4!#43 "%&/2% !22)6!,

s 53%&5, ).&/2-!4)/. !"/54 #!..%3 The Martinez Hotel is on the famous Croisette Address: Martinez Hotel 73 La Croisette 06400 Cannes TĂŠl: +33 (0)4 92 98 73 00, or visit www.hotel-martinez.com #OUNTRY DIALLING CODE +33 Time zone: GMT +1 %LECTRICITY 220 volts AC, 50 Hz. Round two-pin plugs are standard -EASUREMENT SYSTEM Metric #URRENCY Euro

3CREENING HOURS

Important: At MIPTV, ďŹ nal lists of buyers who have screened

s 3UNDAY !PRIL

SHUTTLES TO OUR PARTNER HOTELS

UPON YOUR ARRIVAL

individual screening booths.

s %6%.43 &/2 !,, $%,%'!4%3 s 4HE -)0$OC ,UNCH SPONSORED BY ##46 3ATURDAY !PRIL n -ARTINEZ BEACH s -)0$OC -)0&ORMATS /PENING #OCKTAIL 0ARTY SPONSORED BY ).#!! 3ATURDAY !PRIL n -ARTINEZ BEACH s 4HE -)0$OC 3NACK 3CREEN SPONSORED BY ).#!! 3UNDAY !PRIL n #ONFERENCE ROOM

ON-SITE SERVICES s $)')4!, ,)"2!29 The Digital Library for international documentaries via

s #,5"3 #/.&%2%.#% 2//-3 .ETWORKING ,OUNGE Open to all participants. Features include a meeting area, Wi-Fi access and email points 2EGISTRATION ,OUNGE Open to all participants. Features include a meeting area & Wi-Fi access #ONFERENCE 2OOM see schedule #OMMISSIONER S #LUB see schedule 3CREENING "OOTH for buyers only s &!#),)4)%3 s "USINESS CENTRE Provides a complete range of secretarial & administrative services (fax, printing services) located in the ďŹ rst oor facing the reception. s "AR Snack & beverages at the Martinez bar located in the lobby. s #ONNECTIVITY Wi-Fi Free Wi-Fi is available in the Registration Lounge, Networking Lounge, Commissioner’s Lounge and conference venues. Connect to: mipdoc_wiďŹ Emails stations Features computer access to check and send emails free charges. Located at the Networking Lounge. Mobile rental If you wish to rent a smartphone, SIM card or 3G data card during MIPDoc, please contact Cellhire at www.cellhire.fr/reedmidem

www.mipdoc.com I preview magazine I March 2013 I 31


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