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TV REAL
A+E Networks www.aetninternational.com Duck Dynasty
• Liz & Dick • Duck Dynasty • The Men Who Built America
Approximately 500 hours of new programming is being launched by A+E Networks at this year’s MIPCOM. Among the offerings is a new season of Duck Dynasty, which is a hit reality series for A&E in the U.S. The show is also performing well in the international market, according to Marielle Zuccarelli, the managing director of international content distribution at A+E Networks. “What’s unique about this show are the characters,” she says.“Broadcasters are looking for content with a strong ratings track record, and our character-driven series always deliver.” A+E Networks also highlights The Men Who Built America, from HISTORY, and Liz & Dick, a TV movie from Lifetime. The latter is a bio-pic starring Lindsay Lohan and Grant Bowler that follows the explosive love affair between Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. Zuccarelli says that A+E Networks is eager “to bring more awareness at the market to our format catalogue. We want broadcasters to look at us as a one-stop shop for all genres of programming.”
“ Character-driven shows are generating high ratings for broadcasters and are very much in demand internationally.
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—Marielle Zuccarelli
AFL Productions www.aflproductions.com
IN THIS ISSUE
Star Gazing Celebrities are becoming more open to participating in reality programs 28
Past Perfected Producers of historical programming are breathing new life into the genre 34
Interviews David Attenborough Michael Palin Christiane Amanpour
38 42 44
Profile National Geographic Channel 46
• Painfully Funny • Shelarious • 2Rude4UTube
While Scott Hanock may be new to AFL Productions, he is no stranger to selling the type of hidden-camera comedy programs that the company is known for. “I have specialized in home-video clips, comedy-blooper shows and hiddencamera comedy series for the past 12 years,” notes Hanock, a VP and the international sales manager at AFL.“I have found that many broadcasters and cable and satellite networks find [that this] programming really works for various time slots during the day. Comedy bloopers with either no dialogue or strong visuals with well-written voice-overs make people laugh all the time. Adding in another layer of edgier clips for more of a mature audience allows us to play to later nighttime slots, too.” AFL’s 2Rude4UTube is one of those edgier shows, a clip collection showcasing real people behaving badly on camera. The company also has comedy series to offer, among them Painfully Funny, Crazy TV Pranks and Shelarious.
Crazy TV Pranks
“ We have different kinds of series that can work in so many parts of the world.” —Scott Hanock