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NEWSLINE REPORT INTERNATIONAL

MIPCOM 2018

OCTOBER 2018

MIPTV 2017

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OCTOBER 2018 YEAR XXVI /SPECIAL EDITION MIPCOM www.newslinereport.com

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NELVANA ENTERPRISES

The need for alliances in an increasingly proliferated industry

How could you describe the current situation of the Kids’ industry and the expansion of content internalization? Over the last couple of years, there’s a globalization of content that I ube and that distrithink that really comes from the expansion of YouT ouTube MIPTV 2017

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Nelvana is the distribution and animation studio of Corus Entertainment Entertainment, one of the largest media companies in Canada, but we are its international arm, and people try to monetize our content internationally, outside of Canada. We are focusing on two different areas in order to evolve the revenues of the company. One is to be a licensing agency in North America and in France. We have eOne properties associated in ‘PJ Masks’ and ‘Sesame Street’, and the most recent addition of Mattel’s ‘Thomas & Friends’ into our licensing agency portfolio. We also are embarking into several strategic partnerships. The one that was recently announced is the one with Discovery Kids Latin America America. This is going to be a joint-venture that will open the doors of Latam to us, so we’ll be joining different points of view in order to develop new IPs. We’ll be announcing soon our first project, as well as the name of the joint-venture.

bution platform that has reached across the traditional broadcast boundaries. I think that the Kids’ industry is now dealing with an audience that can see content from all different parts of the world and they’re no longer bound to their own culture and broadcasters restrictions. I think this is a very exciting time for us, so as to look at content from any part of the world and how we can adapt it for many different audiences. For example, we have just closed a deal with UP Studios in China for the distribution of their first show ‘Super BOOMi’.

Pam Westman, Head of the Company Company,, announced a new jointventure with Discovery Kids Latin America.

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How has evolved the business of Nelvana over the last months?

Which is the influence of technology in the way that children consume the content, and in the kind of content they watch? The new platforms that we’ve embraced - both Netflix and YouTube - have changed the way kids consume content. They definitively want to see the content when they want it, and they have such a huge variety of productions to choose. It has allowed us to tell stories in many different ways and lengths. We have created content specifically for YouTube, and with SVOD platforms, and we create content for the traditional lineal platforms. This is the way that we can tell different stories, perhaps that we couldn’t have told in a traditional

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Nelvana has closed a Canadian licensing and broadcasting partnership with renowned toy and entertainment company Mattel for its iconic ‘Thomas & Friends’ property. Nelvana becomes the exclusive Canadian licensing agent for Thomas & Friends across multiple merchandise categories excluding toys, which are manufactured and marketed by the master toy licensee. Treehouse, the country’s #1 preschool channel*, becomes the new hub for the long-running Thomas & Friends series, which will be available across the network’s traditional and non-linear platforms, including Treehouse on Demand, Treehouse Classic, and the TreehouseGO App. * Source: Numeris PPM Data, BY17-18 (Aug 28/17 – Aug 26/18), confirmed data, M-Su 2a-2a, K2-11, K2-5, AMA (000, CDN SPEC DIG ENG – Kids SPEC only, Total Canada.

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ries ‘Esme & Roy’; we are working with Sony Pictures to create ‘Hotel Transylvania, Season 2’. We are really looking for partnerships on a global point of view and trying to bring the best studios creative talent and stories on board.

Which are your goals for the last term of the year? After MIPCOM, we’ll be focused on the holiday season in retail in Canada, France and the United States for all our licensing partners. We are also trying to make sure that we are setting the stage for a successful 2019. We have three major productions that are greenlighted and that we’ll be delivering next year, and we are really excited of what 2019 is offering us.

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For us, partnerships are extremely important, not only does it allows us to get some great creative talent for different parts of the world into our productions, but it also mitigates the financial risks in a very expensive kids’ series, which is really important in today’s world. So you get great talent and both share the risks and the profitability. Aside the joint venture with Discovery Kids Latin America, we are working with Sesame Workshop Workshop, on creating the animated se-

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How are you expanding the strategic partnerships all around the world?

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Agent Binky’, a 3D pre-school production, and we are also creating a 2D show called ‘Mr. King’, both based of very well-known books. We are working on expensive stories to be able to tell stories in different ways. For us, the availability of many platforms that exploit content, allows us to be absolutely on board to create some amazing shows to put on those.

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We have on our Original Programming slate different programs that we’ve put into production worldwide. We need to try to maximize the different platforms, and the different looks-and-feels of our productions. For example, we have one of our shows ‘P.U.R.S.T.

The alliance with Mattel goes beyond

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How will you be driven your Original Programming strategy for 2019?

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I think that monetization with digital platforms is difficult and very challenging, as they certainly don’t pay the same as a production for the lineal channels. So, what happens is that you have to make content in a very creative way to make it expandable, with special qualities that will allow kids to engage. YouTube doesn’t pay and monetize content in a way that allows us to keep the traditional ways of doing it.

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Do you consider that the proliferation of new platforms makes easier the monetization of content worldwide?

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format of half hour. This is also a huge way of increasing our production slate. We have launched our show ‘Miss Persona’ and we developed it for the digital platforms, and it is now on YouTube, with more than 20.000 views on its first couple of days. Also, when it comes the time to expand our slate, every single production that we start developing has a digital strategy and support the brand with different ways of storytelling on the different platforms, as kids want to see content everywhere.

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‘Hotel Transylvania’ expands its brand experience The animated series renewal and upcoming home entertainment release of ‘Hotel Transylvania 3’ builds on Sony Pictures Entertainment’s commitment to make the brand a 365 day experience. The second-season of the hit animated comedy will be available at Disney Channel in the U.S. and their global territories, and TELETOON Canada, a network owned by Nelvana parent company Corus Entertainment. In its first season, Hotel Transylvania: The Series was among Disney Channel’s top three animated series among Kids 6-11 (340,000/1.4 rating), Girls 6-11 (221,000/1.9 rating), Kids 6-14 (430,000/1.2 rating) and Girls 6-14 (285,000/1.6 rating). Hotel Transylvania: The Series is currently available on Disney Channels Worldwide, TELETOON Canada and Super RTL in Germany. The series’ first season also premiered on Netflix in the U.S. in June and will continue to roll out throughout the world starting fall 2018.

MIPCOM 2018

INCOMPANY

STAFF Year XXVII MIPCOM 2018 Edition

Mauricio Correa joins Mediapro in Latin America. With experience in Win Sports, Sky Latin America and Telmex, the executive will be in charge of the Rights Management in the region. On this role, Correa will “support the networks in the Latin American region, besides working also on the consolidation of the Group in the continent”. ○

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MGM Worldwide Television Distribution hired Tomas Davison as Senior Vice President, International Television Distribution, Latin America and U.S. Hispanic. Based in Miami, Davison will be responsible for sales in Latin America and U.S. Hispanic, reporting to Matt Vassallo, Senior Vice President, International Television Distribution, Latin America, Asia Pacific & Global Formats. ○

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A+E Networks has named Patricio Teubal as the new General Manager of A+E Networks Italy, starting in December. In his new role, Teubal will oversee A+E Networks Italy and its three channel brands History, Crime+Investigation, and Blaze and lead the growth of the SKY Italia partnership, while developing new opportunities in Italy. ○

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James Baker is the new COO of Red Arrow Studios. The executive will oversee the operations of the company, and every division of distribution. The Group is compound by 20 production companies on six territories. Based in London, Baker will report directly to Jan Frouman, chairman & CEO of the company. ○

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Starz, a Lionsgate company, adds Darren Nielson and Jeff Cooke to International Digital Networks team. Nielson will have the position of Senior Vice President of Distribution and Business Development while Cooke assumes the role of Vice President of Programming to the International Digital Networks team led by Executive Vice President Superna Kalle. ○

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MIPCOM 2018

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Autentic Distribution announced the hiring of Mirjam Strasser as Sales Director. With experience in companies like Sky Vision, Parthenon Entertainment, Telcast or Discovery, she will strengthen the team from Munich and will oversee the GST region in particular. ○

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ITV Studios Global Entertainment (ITVS GE) has appointed NBCU’s David Wilcox as Senior Vice President, Sales, EMEA. Wilcox returns to ITVS GE, having spent nine years with the company prior to being appointed by NBCU in 2014. Wilcox will report in to Greg Johnson, EVP, EMEA & Americas, who completes his senior team after taking up the role at the beginning of the year. ○

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Christie Fleischer joins Netflix, as Global Head of Consumer Products, overseeing retail and licensee partnerships, publishing, interactive games, merchandising and experiential events. In her role, Fleischer leads a team focusing on developing the consumer products portfolio across all categories for Netflix original series and films. ○

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Mattel, elected Adriana Cisneros, CEO of Cisneros Group, and Roger Lynch, President and CEO of Pandora Media, to the company’s Board of Directors. “As we continue to transform Mattel into an IP-driven, high-performing toy company, we are also taking action to further strengthen and develop our Board of Directors,” said Ynon Kreiz, Chairman and CEO of Mattel. ○

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Editorial Departament Aldo Bianchi Pablo Garcia Rocío Scapolan Commercial Departament Rafael Aboy Javier Fiorellino Design ADNOW

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Laura Miñarro joins Atresmedia Studios as responsible of the International Business. The executive came from Eccho Rights, and will report directly to Ignacio Corrales, General Director of the Company. Sonia Martínez, also director of fictional of Atresmedia, will be in charge of the editorial direction of Atresmedia Studios; while Nacho Manubens assumes the role of Content Director of the company. ○

Editors • Directors Rafael Val María Pía Pazzaglini

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VIMEO

Apple concluded the purchase of Shazam Apple now owns the Shazam application, which plans to make the music recognition service available without ads to consumers soon. “Apple and Shazam have a long history together, Shazam was one of the first apps available when we launched the App Store and it has become a favorite among music fans around the world,” said Apple’s VP of music, Oliver Schusser. “With a love shared by music and innovation, we are delighted to bring our teams together to offer users even more fantastic ways to discover, experience and enjoy music.” Apple announced its intention to acquire Shazam at the end of last year and although the amount has not been confirmed, it would have paid an amount of USD 400 million, according to some reports. The European Union gave Apple the green light for the acquisition of Shazam, based in the United Kingdom, earlier this month. Shazam was founded in 1999 as a mobile music recognition service. After initially requiring users to call a certain number to identify a song, the company finally launched a mobile application that has since been downloaded more than a billion times. The application is still used to identify songs more than 20 million times a day.

“With the worldwide launch of Watch, we support publishers and creators worldwide in two critical areas: helping them make money with their videos on Facebook and better understand how their content is performing. Watch’s internationalization action also generates new opportunities to expand the Ad Breaks service to monetize content. The service is already available in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand; besides the United States; and in 21 other countries, including France, Germany, Spain, Argentina, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala and Thailand. This is a really important moment for us. It has been a year of real progress for Watch. Each month, more than 50 million people in the United States go to Watch, and the total time spent on the service has increased 14 times since the beginning of 2018". Fidji Simo VicePresident, Video of Facebook

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For several years, Vimeo tried to make a place in the industry as a new online video service. However, in recent days, Anjali Sud, CEO of the company, announced that this strategy was left aside, so as to focus on the sale of software tools to its huge community of creators. For the executive, the market for video consumption platforms became saturated, turning too competitive, so they decided to bet on a simpler market and where new opportunities could arise, such as software as a service (SaaS). Oriented originally to independent filmmakers, Vimeo came to analyze the possibility of contributing on original content and even launch a subscription model similar to YouTube Premium. But this initiative was discarded after assuming that the company could not offer the same values as YouTube or Facebook to invest in original content and compete for the attention of viewers. Now Vimeo will focus on generating revenue through ‘Vimeo Stock’, a software tool for creators, similar to Getty or Shutterstock; which includes a vast video library; in addition to content optimization tools that allow uploading videos to different social platforms.

I T

abandons the competition against YouTube

Comcast acquired the 100% of Sky Comcast surpassed 21st Century Fox in the auction for the acquisition of the European company, Sky. In the operation mediated by the UK Acquisition Panel, Comcast offered around USD 39 billion, which represents USD 22.57 per share, against the USD 15.67 offered by Fox. Both companies fight for 61% of Sky, from which 21st Century Fox owned the remaining 39%. However, the day after the operation was announced, 21st Century Fox declared that it would sell to Comcast its 39% stake in Sky. In this way, the US giant will control the entire British company. The day of the announcement, Sky shares on Monday climbed up to 9%, placing it near the Comcast offer. However, Sky’s board recommended its shareholders not rush to make decisive decisions.

MIPCOM 2018

KIDS BBC STUDIOS

“We need to build new ways to tell stories” Henrietta HurfordJones, Director of Children’s Content, tells that CBeebies will expand its presence thanks to a recent deal with iQiyi in China.

How has the business of BBC Studios - Kids evolved over the last months? With the continued growth and success of our key children’s brands, such as Hey Duggee and Go Jetters, there is an increasing focus on children’s titles within BBC Studios this year to bring additional ambition to our portfolio of award-winning content. We also continue to increase the reach of our CBeebies branded services globally and commission content that supports these unique pre-school brands. At MIPJunior and MIPCOM we are launching Kit & Pup, Yakka Dee and My World Kitchen. We will also be launching Bluey, our new co-commission with ABC Australia, from Ludo Studios in Brisbane. In the age six to twelve space we are premiering Logan High. How could you describe the current situation of the kids industry and the expansion of content internationalization? Audiences worldwide expect to find their shows when and where they want, be that on CBeebies, iPlayer Kids, Netflix or YouTube. Great shows, like Hey Duggee, will continue to cut

MIPCOM 2018

through but to truly succeed the industry increasingly need to think beyond the broadcast window and meet the expectations of audiences across an increasing number of touchpoints and platforms. What is the influence of technology in the way that children consume the content, and in the kind of content they watch? We look for a breadth of ideas and experiences in everything we do and all of our content is available across multiple platforms and formats. With children consuming content in so many ways, it is important that as creators, broadcasters and distributors we take advantage of this and build new ways to tell stories alongside our core content offering. Our most successful brands are based on creator driven concepts with distinctive design, strong characters and compelling storytelling, and that will never change whatever the technological advances. We are looking to new digital platforms and formats to grow these worlds. With both HeyDuggee and Go Jetters we are developing short-form content that remains true to the spirit of the long-form series but which allows us to tailor content for particular markets,

develop back-stories, further develop characters and give our audience more of what they love. How are you expanding your partnerships all around the world? The launch of Bluey marks a new partnership for us with the ABC Australia and Australian producer Ludo Studios. Whilst we already partner on a number of our titles, this is our first full partnership together and we are thrilled with the initial response to Bluey, which premiered in its home market this month. We continue to work with several studios from around the world in developing content but are also very focused on working with BBC Children’s, our in-house partner, in providing global brands such as Go Jetters and core content for our CBeebies international branded services. Additionally we are looking to build the reach of those branded services by expanding platform partnerships such as our recent deal with iQiyi in China, bringing a CBeebies branded area to the digital platform. Which is going to be your strategy of business for next year? We will continue to work toward strengthening our content and IP pipeline, build and grow our key franchise brands Hey Duggee, Go Jetters and Sarah & Duck as well as successfully land our new franchise brand BLUEY internationally. What are your goals for the end of 2018? To drive the reach and revenue for our franchise titles as well as look to increase the reach of our CBeebies branded services globally and commission content that supports this unique pre-school channel brand.

KIDS

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MIPCOM 2018

KIDS RAINBOW

“We must adapt to the new entertainment landscape” Iginio Straffi, CEO, wants to transform the company into an international content provider with a 360° reach.

How has evolved the business of Rainbow over the last months? Over the last few months, we have continued to put greater focus on expansion into international markets, by delivering more quality content to more territories through a multimedia and multi-genre strategy. This has been enabled through our acquisition of Bardel and Iven Group, which have significantly boosted our production capacity. We are now able to take a production from initial sketches right through to the final frame, and produce different types of content, genres and target demographics. All this while retaining quality. Having Bardel as part of Rainbow Group means we now have a strong presence in the North American animation services business and further afield – as this is a company with a formidable international reputation for innovation and quality, which in turn gives us greater power in targeting global markets. With Iven Group, we have invested in a group that takes in film and TV production, as well as artistic management and talent management. Combined with Rainbow’s own strengths, thus has created an entertainment giant that can make and distribute quality content to all demographics – from pre-schoolers up to adults. Thanks to this new alliance, we are planning more investment in the live action sector – building on the success we have already enjoyed with Maggie and Bianca Fashion Friends. How could you describe the Kids Industry? Do you think that technology has influenced on the way kids consume the content, and in the production of that content? The rise of multichannel content and SVOD has had a massive effect on the kids’ entertainment industry, as it has completely changed the way children access and consume content. Gone are the days when broadcasting schedules

MIPCOM 2018

dictated kids viewing habits. Instead, kids have huge choice – in both the content they choose to watch and when they choose to watch it. The effect of this is to create a more fragmented audience, which makes it more difficult to produce shows that really grab kids’ and persuade them to watch for the whole episode, or more. As a content creator, we must adapt to this new entertainment landscape, whilst not forgetting that quality content based on solid concepts is vital in a multiplatform world. How has it worked your property ’44 Cats’, launch next year; and the evolution of ‘Maggie & Bianca’ with its concerts? 44 Cats was first revealed to the industry at a MipJunior screening last year, and since then partnerships have been agreed across the world, with many major broadcasters. The show will debut in Italy in November on Rai Yoyo, and then worldwide from 2019. A licensing programme is also underway, with Toy Plus signed up as master toy partner, whilst global baby care leader Artsana will develop a range of 44 Cats-themed educational toys, as well as apparel, an accessories collection, and a nursing line. Maggie and Bianca Fashion Friends is a major global success, reaching millions of fans, through TV broadcast in Italy, Russia, Brazil, France, Germany, Greece, Poland and

KIDS

Benelux, and on Netflix worldwide. A new series will enter production soon. Also, the live concerts featuring The MoodBoards – the band from the show – sold out across all dates, so we are now planning a new tour. Why do you think that Rainbow titles are so wellknown all over the world? Our overall content strategy is to keep our brands fresh and relevant, as it is vital to develop new content to maintain fans’ interest. We devote a huge amount of time and resources to production, as we know that we can’t just sit on our laurels and expect existing content to do the job for us. This requires a lot of hard work and attention to detail, but this is what is needed to keep a global audience interested and engaged. Which are the main features you take into account when it comes the development of a new brand? The biggest factor is to look at the target market and assess what will appeal to it. With 44 Cats, for example, we concentrate on the key themes of friendship and altruism – as well as using lots of music - as young children can easily relate to this and it gives the show strong appeal. And these are universal themes, so the show can work in any territory across the world. Which is going to be the business strategy for next year? This will see us building on the potential offered to us by our acquisitions of Bardel and Iven Group. This has expanded our reach across Europe, Asia and North America and we will be building on this next year with a string of new properties, as well as exploring production opportunities across live action, animation, comedy and drama.

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We will also be exploring multiple co-production opportunities, as we see partnerships as a strong method of developing global TV series and brands. The combination of two major partners – and all the experience, innovative thinking and resources that results from it – can lead to the creation, distribution and licensing of even stronger content than would be possible individually. Which are your goals for the last term of 2018? We are working towards our ultimate goal of becoming an international content provider with a 360° reach – delivering shows to all age groups and through many formats, including animation and live action, and through both TV shows and films. So the last few months of this year will see us working towards the global growth of Rainbow.

Rick Mischel is the new CEO of Bardel Entertainment

Rick Mischel is a renowned industry professional, with a strong background that includes executive positions at some of the world’s bestknown companies in animation, games and family entertainment. As the new CEO of Bardel Entertainment, Mischel will build on the company’s strong reputation for quality, creativity and innovation to develop a new business strategy by exploring new opportunities.

MIPCOM 2018

KIDS 9 STORY MEDIA GROUP

Looks for the expansion of its business in China Federico Vargas, Senior Director, Distribution, explains that the company has some of its shows dubbed into over 20 different languages.

How could you describe the expansion of content internationalization on the kids industry? Kids content, and animation in particular, has always travelled well internationally and it continues to do so. Several of our shows have been sold to over 150 countries and have been dubbed into over 20 different languages. 9 Story Distribution specifically looks for programs which will have a universal appeal. What has changed has been that some of the global OTT players are snapping up a given program across all territories, meaning you don’t always have first window rights available to sell territory by territory anymore. 9 Story tries to balance off the number of shows that get made this way with ones that are commissioned by one or a handful of linear broadcasters, for example our new shows Let’s Go Luna! and Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum which were both commissioned by PBS KIDS in the U.S. and are now available for the rest of the world. Which is the influence of technology in the way that children consume the content? Technology has had a huge impact on how and where kids are watching their favorite shows. They might be watching it on lineal TV, via DVR, on YouTube, or OTT. On YouTube and other online plat-

MIPCOM 2018

forms, short form content is incredibly popular and kids are not just watching scripted high end television, but also lower budget productions like game play and unboxing videos. Watching digitally often means less opportunity for co-viewing, so the parents don’t always have the same degree of input into what their kids are consuming. Digital trends can also affect our acquisitions strategy. 9 Story’s recent acquisition of the app based series Dr. Panda is an example of capitalizing on digital trends in new ways. The 2D series is based on a successful global app franchise that has already seen over 95 million downloads. How is 9 Story expanding its partnerships all around the world? When searching for the best quality content that will complement 9 Story’s library and appeal to an international audience, our acquisitions team has acquired content from all over the world. Examples of content partnerships far and wide include deals with China (Luo Bao Bei, Dr. Panda), Spain (The Diary of Bita & Cora), Australia (Guess How Much

I Love You, Grace Beside Me), Italy (Monica Chef), Brazil (Haunted Tales, Vivi), Canada (Nerds & Monsters, My Friend Bubbles, Finding Stuff Out, Anne of Green Gables) and the U.S. (Kiss & Cry, Garfield and Friends, Barney). In terms of broadcast partnerships, we have direct relationships in almost every territory in the world and service over 200 broadcasters and digital platforms worldwide. We have longstanding relationships with global players in the kids and family space including Discovery Kids, Disney, Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon. We also have direct relationships with key digital platforms including Netflix, YouTube, Hulu, Amazon, Alibaba and Youku. How will you be driven your strategy for 2019? 9 Story is looking to produce more of its own IP, which we can then distribute internationally and manage global M&L rights. For distribution we are focused on a few key growth areas, including expanding our business in China, and building momentum in growing territories like Russia and India.

KIDS

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MIPCOM 2018

KIDS CYBER GROUP STUDIOS & BEE PROD

Start developing new IPs for the international market Under a new partnership, the companies expand the slate of properties with the studios in France and USA. Pierre Belaisch

Pierre Sissmann

Under the terms of a signed partnership, Pierre Belaïsch founder of Bee Prod, will supervise the creative department of Cyber Group Studios in France, and will also work with Cyber Group Studios USA development team to create joint global properties. Both Cyber Group Studios’ development units are currently working on a slate of over fifteen new IP’s. From preschool to kids & family, these prop-

erties will be targeting various potential clients and consumer segments on all continents. Together with the Studio division of Cyber Group, headed by Olivier Lelardoux, Cyber Group Studios’ development teams and Bee Prod are committed to bring ground-breaking stories and images to an always more demanding public throughout the world. “I’m very proud of this partnership with

Pierre Belaïsch and join our talents for the development of new international IP’s, as we have worked together already for over ten years in the past, developing award-winning properties. With this innovative partnership in France and Ira Singerman in the US, Cyber Group Studios is clearly well positioned to address the creative future of the animation industry”, declared Pierre Sissmann, CEO of Cyber Group Studios.

MATTEL

Launches New Theatrical Film Division Mattel has created Mattel Films, a new division of the Company focused on developing and producing motion pictures based on the Company’s iconic and globally-recognized franchises. Academy Award-nominated producer Robbie Brenner has been appointed to lead Mattel Films as Executive Producer, reporting to Ynon Kreiz, Mattel’s Chairman and CEO. “Mattel is home to one of the world’s greatest portfolios of beloved franchises, and the creation of Mattel Films will allow us to unlock significant value across our IP.

MIPCOM 2018

Robbie Brenner joins as Head of Mattel Films. Robbie is a gifted storyteller and a highly respected filmmaker with deep relationships in entertainment. She is the perfect leader to bring our celebrated brands to life”, said Mr. Kreiz. “Generations of children around the world have grown up with deep emotion-

al connections to Mattel’s brands and characters. There are so many stories to be told and so many imaginations to be captured by these iconic brands, and I look forward to working with Ynon and his team to do so”, concluded Brenner.

KIDS

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SQUEEZE STUDIOS

“Technology has empowered the audience” Denis Dore, CEO & Founder, describes the relationship between tech and the consuming behavior of children. “Technology has empowered the audience, and especially kids who quickly adopted the digital world, by giving everybody the power to choose what they want to watch and how and when they are going to watch it. And this is good news. Because when people got to choose the content, then they stick to it and want more. Our challenge is to provide the content that they want,” establishes Denis Dore, CEO & Founder of Squeeze Studio. However, the executive admits that technology also gave the

ability to get in touch directly with audiences through online platforms such as Youtube. Being connected to audiences provides us invaluable data that “we couldn’t even dream of a few years back. A true dialogue can take place between the fans and the creators which is great. Knowing what the fans think of each story and character and why is a precious chunk of info that we add in our ‘creative mix’ when we start brainstorming for new episodes or new shows”, confirms Dore. Continuing on the relationship between technology and consuming behavior, Dore explains that “the major digital plat-

forms like Netflix, Amazon and Hulu are now well-established and they are forcing traditional broadcaster to innovate in order to please the audience that now has the power to choose. New players (and not the least) like Apple and Facebook are joining the battle for content. The appetite for kids’ content is huge. That means a lot of new opportunities for us to form win-win partnerships. But at the end of the day, the quality of the content is all that really matters”. Regarding the strategy of business for 2019, Squeeze Studio will be focused more and more on world-class projects requiring top-of-the-line CGI animation, mainly feature films, high profile TV series and theme park animated content. “And we intend to do just that with our very own original creations as well. More Cracké crazy slapstick content is coming next year along with some groundbreaking actionadventure cg animation with our new show Jax. A show that we promise to be nothing but outstanding,” concludes Dore.

DHX MEDIA

Licensed 10 Kids’ shows to Amazon Prime Video DHX Media signed a new agreement providing Prime Video’s U.S. streaming service with Spanish versions of 10 kids’ shows, including Strawberry Shortcake: Sky’s the Limit, Bob the Builder, Fireman Sam, Busy World of Richard Scarry, Sonic the Hedgehog, Super Mario World, Madeline and more. The new content was launched for U.S. Prime Video members on October 4, 2018. “We’re delighted to provide Amazon Prime Video with Spanish versions of these popular kids’ shows,” said Jerry Diaz, VP of Distribution at DHX Media. “With our deep library and strong pro-

duction capabilities, DHX Media continues to be a one-stop-shop for streaming platforms looking for both original and classic content that kids’ and families love to watch.” DHX Media titles newly available on Amazon Prime Video in the U.S. in Spanish: ‘Bob the Builder, season 2’ (52 x 11’); ‘Bob the Builder: Mega Machines’ (movie) (1 x 60’); ‘Fireman Sam, season 7’ (13 x 11’); ‘Strawberry Shortcake: Sky’s the Limit’ (movie) (1 x 70’); ‘Sonic the Hedgehog, season 1’ (13 x 30’); ‘Super Mario World, season 1’ (7 x 30’); ‘Busy World of Richard Scarry, season 5’ (13 x

30’); ‘Madeline, season 1’ (6 x 30’); ‘Paddington’s Birthday Bonanza’ (special) (1 x 30’); and ‘Sabrina, the Animated Series, season 2’ (13 x 30’).

MIPCOM 2018

KIDS MONDO TV IBEROAMÉRICA

Focused on the Mexican & Caribbean market Maria Bonaria Fois, General Manager, announces the launch of a new series, with a target audience different from what they are used to. How has evolved the expansion of your brand ‘Heidi Bienvenida’? Our flagship product, Heidi Bienvenida, is evolving very well. The first season was broadcast on the main international channels and operators with a great reception by the audience. We are about to launch the second season (Heidi, Bienvenida al Show) and we have a great expectation due to the great results we are getting in the Italian market, where the audience of the RAI Gulp channel is very positive and we have an extensive licensing program in progress. Other agreements with some of the main international players are under negotiation; very soon we can announce a major issue agreement for Heidi. Thanks to the television exhibition we are able to build a solid licensing and merchandising program to ensure the strength of the brand. Following the good reception of the series and to give continuity and time to the licensing program to develop, we decided to launch a film based on Heidi under a co-production partnership, announced the past MIPTV. Which are Mondo TV Iberoamerica main titles for this MIPCOM 2018? Our main focus is to continue making original, attractive series, proposing a great innovation in the formats, as well as in the content that is what our partners are looking for. We are currently very excited about a special project that we are announcing during the days of MIPCOM. It is a fiction series that has a high quality production, in collaboration with international partners of the caliber of VIP 2000 TV and Casablanca, destined to a target quite dif-

MIPCOM 2018

ferent from the usual for us, which is a major challenge. As a Group, Mondo TV is also presenting MeteoHeroes, the latest 2D animation series in co-production with prestigious partners such as the Italian meteorological society MOPI (Meteo Operations Italia). Obviously, we are also focused on leading titles in our animation catalog like ‘Invention Story’ (104x11'), a co-production between Mondo TV and York Animation, and the third season in 3D of ‘Sissi, The Young Empress’ (52x11'). Another title is Robot Trains, an animation series produced with CJ E&M of Korea. Mondo TV Iberoamérica manages television distribution in the Iberian market, and the first season, already released throughout Europe, has 32 episodes of 11 minutes, and it is expected that the 52 episodes of the second season will arrive at the beginning of 2019. The series has recently made its entry into the market of Portugal (Canal Panda) and Spain, where it is being broadcast on Clan TV since last August. Internationally, we also highlight YooHoo to the Rescue, a Netflix original series. Also, ‘The Treasure Island’ is attracting great interest in several operators of public television in LATAM, as it is high-level co-production between Mondo TV and RAI Fiction. Which are the advantages of children’s content when it comes the time to commercialize it? Children’s content seems to travel more

easily internationally. Always interesting, always challenging, the animation market continues to attract many of the biggest international players every year, who bring their own approaches and influence both trends and styles. This makes us always attentive and sensitive to new trends. What are the goals of Mondo TV Iberoamérica for this 2018? Our goal for the rest of the year and for the future is to generate new alliances in the region of Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, strengthen the existing current, and to be well positioned

in the market as a strategic partner for original productions, as well as increasing the distribution of the rich Mondo TV catalog, which has around 2000 hours of programming. One of the most interesting news for 2019 will be our intention to expand the target of our productions to intercept new audiences and new market dynamics. I think we have to adjust to the new patterns of consumption by producing more and more original content and acquiring it.

KIDS

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MIPCOM 2018

KIDS GLOOB/GLOOBINHO

“Remaining relevant as a content producer is a major challenge” Paula Taborda dos Garanys, Director of Content and Programming, assures that it is a challenge to create a narrative that will travel among linear and nonlinear. How do you describe the current situation of the kids industry and the expansion of content internationally? In a scenario of high competition in the audiovisual industry, especially in the children’s segment, with new players and business models emerging every year, remaining relevant as a content producer is a major challenge, but it also brings opportunities. Today, producing successful content requires not just an excellent capacity to narrate and create good stories, but also a global perspective that broadens possibilities for the returns from this investment. Which are the key features for global content? It is essential for content to be viable in multiple countries, but it also needs to transit perfectly across all content windows currently offered to end consumers. Developing projects in partnership with international players with different business model (broadcast TV, PayTVs, OTTs, digital media) could be a smart solution for attaining this fundamental diversity of perspective. In the end, the content comes to life in complementary windows and countries that do not compete with each other. The Children’s Unit of Globo Group has been creatively opening up

MIPCOM 2018

new business opportunities, both locally and internationally, through coproductions and partnerships such as these. Gloob has made several coproductions since its debut in 2012 and we are proud to bring Gloob’s premium content to countries such as Sweden, China, Uruguay, Angola, Italy, Israel and to regions such as the Middle East. Which is the influence of technology in children’s behavior towards global content? Children have a huge variety of entertainment options and they can consume content through all screens and devices they have. You need to offer a great storytelling considering all available touch points. It is a challenge to create a narrative that will travel among linear and nonlinear. Technology is out there. Our target is digital native. No one would be surprised to see a kid sliding his or her finger on the TV screen. This October 17th will be the first anniversary of Gloobinho? How do you analyze this year of your latest bet on pre-school kids? Gloobinho continues to grow in terms of distribution and programming lineup. We expect it to reach the relevance of Gloob in a short time, within the target of two to five years.

The major challenge is that while Gloob communicates directly with children, Gloobinho talks to parents and caregivers. What both have in common is depicting children as protagonists in all our stories. Which is going to be your strategy of business for next year? Gloob’s strategy will be focused on the consolidation of its growth which has achieved 49% of audience CAGR since its launch. We need to pursue our track of great storytellers, amazing Brazilian stories, which are made to work globally as laugh and kindness will always remain global. Original premium content is on the rise and we are looking for innovation. Gloob is setting a trend within Latin America. We were able to generate a huge impact in our audience through liveaction shows, animations, CP and digital content. We want to grow our audience and firmly establish Gloob as the second favorite among children by the end of 2018. To achieve that, we continue to invest in strong brands such as Miraculous and Blue Building Detectives, which in addition to the new episodes, will gain a sequel for the big screen scheduled for the holiday season. We will also have the debut of our new major production, ‘Genius School’.

KIDS

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MIPCOM 2018

KIDS EONE

“Traditional TV remains as the key platform for driving preschool awareness” Monica Candiani, EVP Content Sales, Family & Brands, launches ‘Ricky Zoom’, as the heir of ‘PJ Masks’. to PJ Masks and we hope audiences will love our new properties too.

How has eOne Family & Brands evolved the business over the last months? This year we’ve seen huge success for our preschool property PJ Masks which was introduced to the market on Discovery Kids two years ago and launched at retail in the LATAM market in 2017. Series 1 heads to Netflix in December this year and we’re celebrating great sales figures. Our new series Cupcake & Dino is set to launch on Disney Channel in Brazil in November following the global launch on Netflix earlier this year. Peppa Pig is maturing into an evergreen preschool property which led us to open a dedicated office in São Paulo to strengthen our business in Brazil and maximise long term opportunities for growth. We’re now launching a new preschool property called Ricky Zoom which comes from the producers behind PJ Masks and it will begin airing on Discovery Kids in Latin America in 2019. We are really pleased with how the market has taken

MIPCOM 2018

In your opinion, what is the most influential factor of technology in the way that children consume content, and the kind of content they watch? As is true for technology globally, digital platforms and mobile devices have had a big impact on consumer behaviour and as kids viewing habits have

become more sophisticated, so too has the way they engage with brands. Traditional TV remains the key platform for driving preschool awareness but we have to think beyond that and new media can be a very effective way to offer new content and to support existing content. We’ve never had so many touchpoints for kids to access our content and that’s a huge advantage. However, there’s also a proliferation of content so it’s important we anchor our properties with robust marketing and digital support to cut through the noise. We have a strategic focus on live events and experiential to drive fan engagement and redirect interest back to broadcast. Fresh content is also key to maintaining interest as kids consume content at a much faster rate on VOD platforms. Both Peppa Pig and PJ Masks have new episodes in production that will ensure there is a pipeline of fresh content for several years to come.

KIDS

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THE JIM HENSON COMPANY

Appoints Claudia Balzer Scott-Hansen for the Global Distribution As Senior Vice President, the executive will lead Global Sales of the Company’s Titles Across all Platforms and Genres.

The Jim Henson Company has appointed Claudia Balzer Scott-Hansen to the role of Senior Vice President, Global Distribution, reporting to Chris Lytton, the Company’s COO & Executive Vice President of Strategy and Business Affairs. “Claudia has a rich knowledge of the media landscape and a deep understanding of the ever-changing opportunities for innovative content producers like The Jim Henson Company,” commented Lytton. “Her expertise in the global market with both traditional and new outlets will be extremely valuable as we continue to reach international audiences with classic and contemporary award-winning programming Including educational, fantasy, and primetime genres.” “The Jim Henson Company has built a robust and diverse library of new and established properties, and there is tre-

mendous interest worldwide to exploit them across multiple platforms,” commented Scott-Hansen. “In particular, the all-new season of the iconic Dinosaur Train, a favorite of mine and my own children, as well as children and families around the world, is sure to be a hit at MIP Junior and MIPCOM.” Scott-Hansen and her team - including veteran Henson executive Anna Moorefield, Vice President of Global Distribution - will focus their efforts on licensing television, digital and DVD rights across the Company’s classic and more recent offerings of children’s, fantasy and sci-fi programming that collectively have amassed over 50 Emmy Awards. Headlining the slate is the new Season 5 of the six-time EMMY®-nominated and Parents’ Choice Silver Honor series Dinosaur Train, to air in the U.S. on PBS KIDS®. The new season’s 11 colorful CG-animated half-hour episodes (or 22 x 11’ episodes) continue the exploration of natural science with an emphasis on adventure, discovery, new inventions and traveling outside our comfort zone with Buddy the young tyrannosaurus and his adoptive family of Pteranodons. Additional titles include Dot., the digital citizenship series for preschoolers about to debut its second season in the U.S. on Universal Kids and Hulu; the marine biology-themed animated series

Splash and Bubbles, airing in the U.S. on PBS KIDS; Doozers, a Hulu original series (also available on Universal Kids in the U.S.) featuring the wildly popular characters from the classic Henson series Fraggle Rock; and the Emmy®-nominated Sid the Science Kid, airing in the U.S on PBS KIDS. Classic television productions include the internationally beloved Fraggle Rock, now available in HD for a whole new legion of fans, Jim Henson’s popular The Storyteller, and the sci-fi cult classic series Farscape. Claudia Scott-Hansen is an accomplished media professional with over 20 years-experience in media rights distribution and global franchise development. Since September 2015, Claudia served as Vice President, Business Development, at 9 Story Media Group. In that role, she led the company’s global partnerships, as well as the strategic management of the Digital and Consumer Products divisions and worked to align development and co-production partners to finance the production of new properties. Previously, the executive was SVP/Group Director Broadcast, Americas and EMEA at HIT Entertainment (owned by Mattel since 2012). Prior to joining HIT in 2006, Claudia was the Head of Formats and Head of Southern European Distribution at BBC Worldwide, based in London.

MIPCOM 2018

KIDS IMIRA ENTERTAINMENT

Launches ‘Mondo Yan’ for the international market Paul Robinson, CEO, is looking for new agents and partners for markets with specific local needs. lona, Telegael, and Toonz and together we have created something special. It is also wonderful to see Spanish writers and creators crafting something that will delight kids around the world. How has evolved the ‘Mondo Yan’ project? Mondo Yan is a fantastic show that has heart, great story telling and characters that kids’ will relate to. We have got much closer to our partners on the show, TV3 Barce-

Which is the influence of technology in the way that children consume the content, and in the kind of content they watch? The availability of connected portable devices (tablets and smart-

phones) has revolutionized the access that kids have to content and rendered the TV remote and the family TV in the living room increasingly less and less important. Kids now have the ability to watch whatever they want, at anytime, anywhere, which puts a new responsibility on platforms and content producers and distributors to provide wonderful entertaining and educational content for kids that is also age appropriate and encourages positive behaviors.

How are you expanding your partnerships all around the world? We are also looking for new agents and partners to help with the distribution of content, particularly in markets where there are specific local needs and building partnerships with broadcasters and the new non lineal and digital platforms to meet their increasing and changing needs. Which are your goals for the last term of the year? Our goals are to secure lots of partners for our new shows, including Mondo Yan, Miniforce X, Sindbad & the 7 Galaxies, Bookwork GoGo, Dee Dee the Little Sorceress and Spy Penguin and to have a fantastic end to the year that we can celebrate.

XILAM

Celebrates the 20th anniversary of ‘Oggy and the Cockroaches’ Leyla Formoso, SVP Media Distribution at Latin America, MEA & Southern Europe, admits that the renewal of classic IPs allows the success of brands. “We are producing new seasons of our globally successfully series Oggy and the Cockroaches and Zig & Sharko. In addition, we’re continuing to diversify our portfolio and have recently added our first series for preschoolers, Paprika , which will launch in Latin America this October on Disney Junior. We are also in production of a new series, Coach Me if You Can, that is in the same humorous vein as our other TV shows,” explains Leyla Formoso, SVP Media Distribu-

MIPCOM 2018

tion at Latin America, EMEA & Southern Europe of Xilam. On the expansion of its animated series, the company is licensing ‘Mr Magoo’, based on the hugely successful 1960s cartoon. Xilam has already secured over a dozen of presales worldwide for the new series, which will be fully delivered for July 2019. Continuing on classic IPs, the company has ‘Oggy and the Cockroaches’ that continues to achieve huge figures on social media. The

Hispanic Facebook page launched in August 2017 has already notched up almost 120k fans. There’s also been more than 6.5m impressions and 230k likes on the page. The Hispanic community of the brand on YouTube and Instagram is also rising significantly increasingly. Thanks to the brand’s success on Facebook, the public broadcaster in Peru, IPE, acquired Oggy and the Cockroaches for its kids’ channel. Boosting the brand’s digital presence, Nazara

launched the first Oggy mobile game that has notched up over 3.9M downloads across India, Latin America and Southern East Asia. “It’s also a hugely exciting time for Xilam as we celebrate Oggy’s 20th anniversary this year. Starting from this October, we have a fantastic line-up of activity planned in France – the brand’s home territory – that includes the opening of a branded escape room, museum partnerships, a road show across France and social media campaigns.

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MIPCOM 2018

PARROT ANALYTICS

by Alejandro J. Rojas Regional Director ale@parrotanalytics.com

IS YOUR CONTENT RELEVANT TO YOUR AUDIENCE? When it comes the time to choose programming, digital services and networks are looking at the prevailing themes of the local audiences that are being targeted. In the era of abundance of content where more TV shows are competing for limited attention, it is becoming crucial to stay relevant for audiences. This year we have seen some examples of how content creators are choosing to address themes that resonate with audiences. One strategy is to observe trends in adjacent areas, not necessarily entertainment, which may have an impact on pop culture: For example, take a look at the completed missions by SpaceX

Table 1. Chronology of completed missions by SpaceX Number of completed Missions by SpaceX

YoY Growth

2018E

67%

2017

125%

2016

33%

2015

during the last 3 years and the expectation for 2018 at the beginning of the year: A quick glance tells it all: â€œspaceâ€? as a theme is gaining traction given the explosive growth observed in 2017 and expected in 2018.

The explosive growth of space-themed TV This growth permeated to the TV industry as demonstrated by the amount of new productions about space premiered between the end of last year and the beginning of

Fig. 1. Demand for Space Related Content in the US

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this year. Monthly average demand for content related to space has quadrupled from January 2017 to April 2018. Another strategy is to look at the prevailing themes of the local audiences that are being targeted.

Fig. 3. Global demand for ‘Suits’ and ‘The Crown’ in May 2018

Local audiences reveal preferences for political drama in Brazil For example, in Brazil the “Lavo Jato” case created a political turmoil that extended well into this year, an electoral year in Brazil where political tensions were expected to rise. This expectation has also influenced the TV content that is being made available. Since early 2018, Brazilians have increased their demand for shows within the “Political Drama” genre, demand that peaked in late March with the premiere of “O Mecanismo”, a Netflix original series based on the “Lavo Jato” case. Since this premiere, monthly average demand for this genre has remained within a range that is two to four times as high as the range seen in 2017.

Brazil Demand for Political Drama Content in Demand Expressions A third strategy is banking on external events that can lead audiences to go after your content.

Banking on external events An example of this externality effect was observed during the royal wedding of Meghan Markle, now Duchess of Sussex. Given the notoriety of the event around the world,

Fig. 2. Demand for Political Drama Content in Brazil

global audiences flocked to content related to it. Meghan’s presence in “Suits” led to a 60% global increase in demand during the day of the wedding on May 19, 2018. Similarly, the same day, global demand for The Crown, a Netflix original series about British Royalty, jumped 46%. The question of staying relevant for audiences is gaining significance as TV industry players reassess the value that original content brings to their business. And as major content IP owners like Disney move to target consumers directly, the rest of the industry is on a quest to find the right balance between investing in and strengthening its distribution or increasing its original content. Achieving the right balance will require a deeper and broader understanding of what makes audiences tick and new metrics and analytics to foresee market dynamics, ahead of the competition.

PRODUCTION HBO LATIN AMERICA

“Genuine and quality content tends to be universal” Roberto Rios, CVP, Original Productions, explains which are the key factors for the creation of original content in the region, and the celebration of 15 years since the launch of its first title. was already happening; to 4K, UHD and HDR that provide more colors and contrasts. How has evolved HBO’s arm of original Productions over this 15 years? During this time, HBO has been by side of the industry since we went out to look for several formats for the original production in Latin America, as in that moment there wasn’t any independent production company in the regional, as there was only content generated for Free TV channels. At the beginning, it was really hard to find this productive ability to develop very particular content, that didn’t look like a telenovela or any other format of the Free TV and that could be related to a theatrical experience, but divided into episodes. Since our first production: ‘Epitafios’, made in Argentina, or ‘Mandrake’ and ‘Hijos del Carnaval’ in Brazil, and ‘Capadocia’ in Mexico, we have made a great journey across Latin America, and came back now to Argentina to produce ‘Jardin de Bronce’ on its second season, and the production of our first title in Colombia: ‘Mil Colmillos’. We are also pioneers on the tech area as we evolved from the production of HD content when the migration of SD to High Definition

MIPCOM 2018

With several years since the production of some of your titles, they are still contemporaries, why do you think that this happens? Allowing myself a moment of modesty, it’s because of our concern on the quality of our elements. We don’t only have strong stories, but also directors, actors and process of scripts writing in which we put all our time and energy, particularly with original stories. Another very important component is the technology used to keep a same look-and-feel and sound that remains the transition. That’s why we want to stay a step ahead in technology, so as to avoid being obsolete immediately. This shows our commitment with quality and several elements in order to make HBO a wellknown company worldwide, as they add value to the storytelling, and turn it into more attractive to a wider and more universal audience. Which are the features that you look in a project so as to be part of the Original Productions of HBO? It has to be a unique and original story, with

complex, genuine and tridimensional characters. It doesn’t mean that the storytelling is aggressive or disorganized. But intense, real and genuine elements are the ones that add value to our audience. Which are HBO goals for this last part of the year, in terms of Productions? We are having a huge amount of original productions, beginning with the launch of the third and last season of ‘Magnifica 70’; finishing the shooting of ‘Sr. Avila’ and ‘Psi’ that will be launch next year, and in the middle of the shooting of ‘Mil Colmillos’, besides the second season of ‘Jardin de Bronce’ in Argentina. On the side of miniseries, we have just finished ‘Huésped Americano’, and we are finishing ‘Santos Dumont’. We are also beginning with the second season of ‘La vida secreta de las parejas’. During the next couple of months we’ll be announcing new projects. These 15 years have been a very important frame in the creation of Latin American content that it didn’t exist before and looking into the future, we’d like to have more products.

PRODUCTION

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MIPCOM 2018

PRODUCTION DICK CLARK PRODUCTIONS

Achieved significant milestones in China Mark Rafalowski, EVP International Distribution, analyses the success of the alliance with FIFA.

“Working on a long term relationship with FIFA, extending our business with Jukin Media and also extending relationships within China to produce localized programming. We need to find the right partners to fit the project. You have to be overly patient with all your agendas, the time is not always right to get what you want done when you want it, but with perseverance, you can ultimately achieve your goals,” explains Mark Rafalowski, EVP International Distribution, Dick Clark Productions. Describing the alliance with FIFA, the executive

assures that ‘The Football Show’ “is very well received, we announced at MIP, but realistically it was always a MIPCOM rollout, it launches on Sky at the end of September then will go out around the world after that premiere. It’s a very iconic show, a very positive take on football and footballers and the worldwide impact. Zig Zag productions delivered a beautifully shot show, we look forward to being able to expand on this in the future, potentially with FIFA involvement, maybe a bit similar to ESPN’s 30 for 30”. Regarding the influence of technology when it comes the time for the audience to consume its content, Rafalowski describes: “It was evident in China years ago that people were consuming

TV shows on their phones, they were ahead of the curve, and the rest of the world is following suit now. People lifestyles are on the move, so they are getting used to watching on devices. There will always be theaters and always big TV screens in homes, but people will watch more and more on devices”. Based on Dick Clark Productions’ plans for the future, the EVP International Distribution, concludes: “We’ll still be working on the continued growth which we have had since the inception of dcp international in 2014, with some significant milestones achieved in China this year after many patient years of foundation setting. We are looking at things now from a bit different viewpoint as we are part of Valence Media, which includes MRC (House of Cards, Ozark, Counterpart) and also Billboard/The Hollywood Reporter. This is a great combination of creativity and access to talent. We want to make the right moves, with process over speed, but Valence has great promise and we hope to be able to show that in 2019”.

SONY PICTURES TELEVISION LATIN AMERICA

“We continue to focus on development” How has the area of SPT Original Productions evolved in the last time? In Latin America, it has been a very fast growth. Last year there were about 1000 hours of content between Mexico and Colombia, which is a lot. Sony has managed to position itself in the market in a very strong way working with all the channels, relevant creators in the region, as well as growing local talent whether they are writers, directors, etc. Why do you think that SPT productions are so well-known in regional and international level? Sony’s productions in the region, regardless of gender, have always been characterized by high quality on screen, a very well achieved look and feel as a result of been seeking to have excellent production elements, equipment, directors and creators that take care of the product. Without a doubt it is all a team effort.

MIPCOM 2018

Ana Bond, SVP & Managing Director, International Production, says that during 2017, the company had produced 1000 hours between Mexico and Colombia. Are you considering the chance of continuing with the development of content for digital platforms, as they did with ‘El Rey de Valle’, for Claro Video? Yeah of course. In fact there are a couple of short projects that we hope to announce soon. They are project in a tone also of comedy or dramedy .

Which are SPT’s goals for this last quarter of the year? We continue to focus on development before anything else, continuing that work of ants to find the stories that the audience wants, relevant and varied content.

PRODUCTION

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ENDEMOL SHINE LATINO

Nowadays has 29 formats on air Michelle Wasserman, SVP, Format Licensing & Content Development, confirms that the company will have more than 40 formats in different LATAM territories. How has the business of Endemol Shine evolved over the last couple of months? How have your formats worked in the region? The 2018 was a great year. We will end the year having issued more than 40 formats in territories where we do not have a local operation. We currently have 29 formats on air in the region, not counting the contents originally produced by the production houses of Brazil (ESB) and Mexico (ESBoomdog), which will include more than a dozen additional shows, in addition to the tape shows distributed by Endemol Shine International. The main titles in Latin America during 2018 have been: ‘MasterChef’, ‘The Wall’, ‘Your face sounds Familiar’, ‘My name is’, ‘Money Drop’, ‘Family Food Fight’ and ‘Don’t lose the Money’. Why do you think Endemol Shine formats are so successful all over the world? I think the group has a unique formula. In fact, it was one of the things that most captivated me when they offered to be part of it. It has presence in 23 countries, with 120 production companies, 4,321 registered formats, and 2.7 million monthly views. These seems only numbers, but the most interesting fact is that they are built from a cooperative of associated producers whose creative assets are shared ideas enhancing the work in an incredible way. By exchanging ideas and improving them from the knowledge and experience of colleagues and professionals, these ideas may end up in a different place from where they are origi-

nated, or even end up mutating to even more valuable ideas. Particularly in the Latin American region, the Group has shown through its different local operations, and distribution arms to its local partners a strength as a company, consistency in the creation of new content and business opportunities, and has generated content that has triumphed by those results and loyalty to the viewer. The presence is precisely the result of this trajectory of content and professionalism with which the representative team in the region works and manages its assets: contents, relationships and what is generated from it. Are you thinking about producing special formats for digital platforms? Yes of course, we are not only thinking on it, but also we are already working on it. In the case of dedicated channels, such as MasterChef that has its exclusive channels and original content in Brazil, it is already a fact that has generated more than 2 million subscribers on Facebook and another 2 million on YouTube. We are currently working on original content for large digital platforms that we will soon announce. How will you be addressing your strategy for next year? Working on digital opportunities, although we are already traveling in an interesting way, there’s still much more to learn, and a lot of business to work with, not only at the economic level, but also at cross-promotions with other platforms, and to give more power and push to the scripted genre.

MIPCOM 2018

DISTRIBUTION DORI MEDIA GROUP

Offers a catalogue with more than 100 titles How have evolved the commercialization of Dori Media titles during the last months? 2018 was a great year for Dori Media in terms sales (scripted and non-scripted), production, co-productions and awards. Following are a few examples of the success: ‘The Road to Calvary’ is now streaming on Netflix following the sale to Greece, and is nominated to the Content Innovation Awards 2018. The second season of ‘El Marginal’, continues the success of the first one, reaching 24,4% share, increasing time slot by 500%. The show was sold to US, France (Canal+), Latin America, UK, Spain, Portugal, Israel, Poland, Uruguay and Turkey. Also, ‘Dumb’ became a huge success on HOT in Israel, with its third season in production for beginning 2019. On our entertainment format side, Power Couple is an international success. Its third season in Germany reached 17,5% on RTL’s prime time, and 2.8 million watched the final episode. The second season debut in Hungary was marked by a 24.1% share, and its final episode, 24.2% - that is a huge success, and so was the whole season, it never went below 20%, which is very good on the Hungarian market. In Brazil it was also a huge success reaching 12.6% share on TV Record.

Nadav Palti, President & CEO, explains that through its MeMeMe Studios, the company manages 15 channels reaching 440 million monthly views.

How have you been working at your MeMeMe Studios? We started our relationship with YouTube as early as 2009 when we uploaded our back catalog of Spanish telenovelas, establishing our status as a MCN and building our knowledge in the YouTube eco system. In 2014 we founded MeMeMe Studios as a classic MCN, managing third party content but very early we understood that without creating our own IP we will not build a lasting value. So we developed a new production pipeline to create content for USD 300-500 per minute, trying many ideas and kill those who don’t grow fast enough. Today we manage 15 channels reaching 440 million monthly views. After the success of the first season of ‘El Marginal’, and the recent finalization of its second season in Argentina, which are the next steps of your latest hit? As mentioned, season 2 continues the success of season 1, and the title is attractive for many reasons: the production quality is amazing, shot in a real jail, with huge actors, and remarkable directors and production team. It is violent, edgy, realistic, mixed emotions for the viewer that cannot relax at

MIPCOM 2018

all. Each episode takes you to a limit of tension and alert which is exciting. It is a glimpse to an outsider world, a jail, full of criminals, with their own stories in which the good or bad is no longer a discussion. Representing the invisible outsider people, in an outsider place, with outsider rules in which you have to decide whether to fight to survive, die, or kill. All decisions are to the limit. El Marginal is unique, is risky, it is a content diamond. Due to the success of season 1 and 2 we see a big interest in the title and therefore we have many deals in negotiation that we will announce when signed, for both seasons. Are you thinking on the production or co-production of content only for the digital platforms? Regarding the digital platforms we stick to two main rules, first to keep production low focusing on great ideas and talent and nor on production value, as in this way we can create a lot of content and still remain profitable. Second, try anything but kill all that is not bringing results. We don’t fall in love with our ideas if they don’t work even if we think they are brilliant.

How will you be addressing your strategy for the next year? Our goal for Q4 2018-2019 is to focus on production, coproduction and digital. We see a continuing growing trend for scripted shows, both for weekly prime time and daily shows. Because of the change in the way viewers watch the series, the demand for scripted shows is growing. Also, the new OTT platforms increased the demand for content, mainly scripted one. Therefore the key to success is to meet the market demand. This world trend has a good effect on Dori Media as a big producer of high quality content. We are also focusing on increasing co-productions and distribution collaborations worldwide, following the past years’ success. And last, the Dori Media sales team will continue to offer buyers a very strong and diverse slate, both scripted and non-scripted formats form our catalogue that consist of above 100 titles offering each client the best solution for his needs.

DISTRIBUTION

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MIPCOM 2018

DISTRIBUTION TALPA GLOBAL

“Our volume of distribution of formats tripled in the last three years” Annelies Noest, Head of Formats, describes the bet on Senior formats. have eye contact with their family member that is auditioning. Also we’re developing different digital spin-off formats related to the brand, that are available to our licensees.

How have evolved the business of Talpa Global? It has been a busy year so far with quite a few highlights. In June the first season of Utopia, the longest running reality show ever on Dutch televison, came to an end after being on air non-stop for 4-5 years. It was immediately followed by season 2 the next Monday with a news cast and on a new location, and again continues to be a steady pillar for the channel in the access time slot. With an average market share of 11.9% (20-49) and 504.000 viewers per episode, season 2 of Utopia is even outperforming Utopia series 1. And we just finished the first season of The Voice Senior in the Netherlands. The show consisted of just 4 episodes and scored stellar ratings each week in all age demos. People genuinely enjoyed the warm and positive vibe of the show. It has already been commissioned in several other territories. This proves again that the trend of featuring elderly in TV formats is working really well. Our formats ‘Around the World with 80-year-olds’ and ‘The World According to 80-year-olds’ have also scored well and have been picked up by several other territories. In Germany, the first season of Around the World with 80-year-olds scored fantastic ratings and has already been re-commissioned for a second season. It continues to prove that they are fascinating charac-

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ters with interesting life stories that appeal to a broad audience. And in Asia our business is booming. We are currently the number three player in the Asian format sales market. Our format distribution volume almost tripled over the past three years, with Talpa shows reaching new markets like Singapore, Malaysia and Mongolia to name a few. Why do you think that your formats are so successful on their local versions? We create content with a global appeal and a local relevance. Our formats are always evolving and are being adapted for local markets. With full focus and dedication, we continuously improve formats with new elements to keep it fresh and relevant, in order to guarantee the longevity of our formats. We have a team of flying producers, our Global Productions team, to look after this. We are involved in the entire process from start to finish of producing the shows. Looking at our flagship format The Voice, we always update this format with new elements to keep it fresh, like the recently introduced ‘Family room’. During the blind auditions the relatives of the candidate are standing behind a glass window (in the Netherlands) or under the stands (rest of the world) so they can see the performance and

Do you think that OTT platforms will affect the way audiences consume entertainment formats, like it did with the scripted shows? Yes absolutely. With the OTT platforms, audiences can then choose what they want to watch and when they will watch it. Watching a show on an OTT platform is a conscious decision of the consumer, rather than accidentally tuning into the show on linear tv. With some OTT platforms like Facebook Watch for example, there is also the opportunity to make the entertainment shows more interactive for audiences, which in turn is generating

(more) data for the OTT platforms itself that they can use for profiling. At the same time, we see that those few strong big family skewing shows like The Voice are stronger than ever all over the world. Apparently, there remains a strong appetite for this type of consuming entertainment on linear basis, as long as it is relevant.

DISTRIBUTION

How do you see the current situation of the industry? Digital is changing how and where people consume and create content, and it is causing advertisers to move a growing percentage of their advertising spend to digital and mobile platforms. Consumers need to be reached on different touchpoints, and the smaller media companies are facing heavy competition of the FAANG’s (Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix and Google) and their Asian counterparts like Alibaba, Line and Tencent. At Talpa Media we make big, premium content that activates and engages users across multiple touchpoints, while at the same time it triggers new revenue streams. In doing so, we cater to the needs of our clients. For example our latest new format House of Talent was created as a perfect solution for consumers in today’s media landscape. The show reaches the young audience with music, social and reality tv elements across all different platforms. It is not just enjoyed on the big screen, but will keep the audience engaged on all available screens. Social media is fully integrated in the format.

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Which is going to be the strategy of Talpa Global for next year? Our plans in general are always to grow, expand and continue to bring innovative new formats to the world! The media world is changing rapidly, which offers great new opportunities for us to work with new clients and new players in the market, parallel to growing our business with our existing network of clients. Which are your goals for the last term of the 2018? We are furthering our ambition to continue developing big content with global appeal and local relevance. We take good care of our existing brands, making sure they are refreshed with new elements and maintain a long life, while at the same time we bring new and innovative shows. Plus, we will continue to develop con-

tent across multiple platforms that connects the new masses. We want to create formats that everybody stays home for to watch, leading to a ‘Watercooler moment’; content that people will talk about the next day in the office.

Besides the linear platforms, we will also focus on the new players, the OTT players. We have high expectations for this market and are very excited to showcase our broad range of formats. From The Voice Senior to Dance as One, we’re launching formats from multiple genres targeting different audiences.

ECCHO RIGHTS

Multiplatform Turkish content Barbora Suster, Head of Latin America and Iberia,

Eccho Rights continues to be very strong in Turkish Drama. Representing over 20 hours per week of series on air this autumn, its catalogue from Turkey continues to grow and develop at a great rate. At the same time they are growing its business in Western Europe, and have a number of top premium titles from the region, including ‘El Accidente’ from Spain and ‘Conspiracy of Silence’ from Sweden. “We are also growing the number of adaptations coming from scripted formats we represent. In the past two years we have had 20 remakes of scripted titles from our catalogue and demand for formats from around the world continues to grow”, explains Barbora Suster, Head or Latin America and Iberia of Eccho Rights. On the success of its diverse portfolio, the executive assures

that “as an independent distributor we are able to choose carefully the projects that we want to work with, and at the same time we are lucky to be in a position to meet with many fine independent producers. We understand an increasing trend that a story can be successful regardless of where it comes from. As long as it speaks to people and their emotions then a series can find a home on channels and platforms anywhere in the world”. Regarding the business strategy for 2019, Suster admits that the company is “very focused on getting more content to global and regional OTT platforms. We have made a number of major deals with Netflix but we are also working with local players in Asia, Latin America and across Europe. While of course we will continue our very strong relationships with linear broadcasters providing them the top content”. At MIPCOM, Eccho Rights is offering a good stock of returning titles from Turkish producers, as the second season of Stiletto Vendetta, the third of New Bride and Prisoner of Love and the fifth season of Elif.

MIPCOM 2018

DISTRIBUTION MEDIASET DISTRIBUTION

“Scripted drama is our main focus”

How could you describe your alliance with MGE? We are very happy to share this important joint-venture since MGE choose us for the distribution of their long-running catalogue in Europe, recognizing the importance of the group in Easter Europe. We worked together developing the strong work made by Esperenza Garay in LATAM

and now Mediaset’s catalogue is in good as MGE is distributing our catalogue in LATAM and US Hispanic. Crime series ‘Code Name Solo’ has been optioned for a local adaptation in Turkey and police-series ‘Antimafia Squad’ will have its local version in Latam and US Hispanic by W Studios, the independent production arm of Televisa and Univision. We also sold MGE telenovelas ‘Forgive our sins’ to Poland to Pulse TV and there is a big interest for the unscripted reality ‘Would you take your ex back?’.

aired by Canale 5 next fall. The other title, over anticipated, is the second season of the crime series ‘ Code Name Solo’ (8x50’ produced by Taodue), in which the police agent Marco will continue with his undercover mission and will do his best to find the young boss’ daughter on the run at the end of season 1.

Where is focused the strategy of Mediaset Distribution? We have been focusing on drama and on the last series launched by our flagship Canale 5 in prime time. Good series with a high quality production value and big stars-actors. Now at MIPCOM we are launching the drama series: ‘Ultimo – Chasing Narcos’ (4x50’ produced by Taodue) as the new miniseries that will be

How will you drive the operations during 2019? Scripted drama is our main focus now and we have a very big range of dramas to offer by concentrating our efforts on this growing genre. Scripted drama has discovered an incredible explosion and it an important business for us. We are now concentrated on the possibility to sell the format rights or our series for other adaptions.

Manuela Caputi, Head of International Sales, describes the alliance with MGE.

KANAL D INTERNATIONAL

Distributes more than 100.000 hours of programs

Emrah Turna, Head of Sales and Business Development, assumes that Turkish series are still in the process of expanding into new territories.

Which is the reason why Kanal D dramas are so successful all over the world? Turkish series are still in the process of expanding into new territories. In most territories, like in LatAm our series are aired on prime time because of their success. They have become an important role player in their program scheduling.

Do you consider that language is no longer a barrier for productions? We as Kanal D International place importance to distribute universal content that global viewers can empathize with. Also dubbing overrides the barrier for productions. Kanal D International has over 100.000 hours of programs and 60.000 episodes, reaching audiences in more than 150 countries and territories, including Europe, America, Africa, Asia, MENA region.

How could you describe the current situation of the industry and the expansion of content internationalization? The current situation is, that nearly every broadcaster is trying to produce localized and global fitting content. The most important thing is to create or adapt series or formats to target multiple cultures. Transnational adaptation is important in the contemporary tv industry.

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DISTRIBUTION

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MIPCOM 2018

DISTRIBUTION FRANCE TV DISTRIBUTION

The expansion of French content worldwide Catherine Bernard, COO, and Julia Schulte, SVP International Sales, explain the new international strategy of the company.

How have evolved the business of France TV Distribution over the last months? With our strong new line-up of French Drama productions we are part of the growing success and increasing export market of French fiction first of all. There is a real dynamic and a new appeal of channels and platforms from Europe and from all around the world for the creative talent and the quality of the new French drama productions. As the latest study from the French distributors association TVFI shows, French drama export numbers increased by 28% between 2016 and 2017. At the same time our own export figures for French drama productions almost doubled. And the trend continues due to a strong lineup: our propositions like the new 6x52â€™ series Inside or our newly launched and highly successful daily drama series Chronicles of The Sun (260x22â€™) launched in access Primetime on France 2 are

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already creating a lot of interest. Other positive evolutions concern certain key territories, like China that that are incredibly increasing and where our local strategies start to pay, especially in our animation business. The documentary distribution has been taken to another level as well, with our key brand Apocalypse and the two new series: Apocalypse War of the Worlds and Apocalypse Never-Ending War presold in many territories and the continuation of Real War of Thrones. How can you describe the internationalization of French content? Did SVOD platforms help on this issue? The internationalization is of course first of all based on highly creative, ambitious French producers imagining new ways of story-telling, having new ambitions to propose interesting projects to their national broadcasters. But in the changing environment they are also more focused on international markets and international audiences to be able to close financial gaps and have a wider income perspective. The SVOD platforms have contributed to this dynamic in two ways in my opinion: They have

shown that European fiction can have the power to travel to markets all over the world, like it was the case with our drama series The Chalet and Call My Agent, two recent global releases. But they have also created the appeal of the consumers for this type of creative and ambitious contents, and this seems to put some pressure on any series creator in Europe. Which is the strategy for the commercialization of your content? As any distributor, we have to finely define our distribution strategy to each genre, each project and of course each territory with its culture and customs. The trend is to work earlier and closer with the producers, to advise early enough to be able to adapt each project to the different markets and media by proposing different versions for example. And to be a partner not only in distribution, but in financing, helping to find the right co-producers, the right pre-buyers or financers in every region based on the projects need. Which are your goals for the last term of 2018? We would like to continue in this dynamic of course, pushing the sales during the important markets like MIPCOM, ATF in Singapore, and starting to prepare the upcoming 2019 projects in terms of presales to international partners. We have high ambitions for the end of the year in each of the genre: fiction, animation, drama aiming continuous growth, so we also rely on developing new opportunities and business until the last months of 2018.

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GAUMONT

“We want to ramp up production of local drama content” Vanessa Shapiro, President, Worldwide TV Distribution and Co-Productions, admits that the company is able to get involved quite early in the process of local productions. How has Gaumont’s business evolved over the last months? Our strategy is to ramp up production of local drama content, including coproductions. In fact, Latin America is a prime focus for us. We have several TV co-productions in the works, and we expect to announce our first one in the coming weeks. Outside of the region, we have expanded our footprint in Europe. We opened our first UK and German offices this summer with Alison Jackson, serving as President of Gaumont UK, and Sabine de Mardt, serving as President of Gaumont Germany.

How are you expanding your partnerships all around the world? Having boots on the ground in the form of local offices lead by some of the industry’s top executives is a key focus for Gaumont. With offices in Paris, Los Angeles, the UK, Germany and Buenos Aires, we are primed and ready to take advantage of all possible opportunities. Agility is an important factor in any company’s ability to be successful. At Gaumont, given our global presence, we are able to get involved quite early in the process and have meaningful conversations in order to identify projects to develop, which makes us an optimal partner for local production companies who can attach top talent.

Now you have acquired the distribution rights of ‘El Chapo’, how will you addressing your narco-content strategy? Will you be selling the full package of content related? We now have four seasons of Narcos to present to our partners. The series overall looks at the rise and fall of the drug trade across multiple cartel factions lead by the most dangerous and powerful criminals in the world. The first two seasons highlighted Pablo Escobar’s Colombian empire which upon his ultimate demise, led to the rise of the equally violent Cali cartel, featured in season 3. And now in season 4, we explore the Mexican drug trafficking world. While the location has changed for the fourth season, the theme remains consistent to the DNA of the series. El Chapo, which is a three season Univision series produced in the Spanishlanguage is about the rise and ultimate capture of another of the world’s most notorious drug lords making it the perfect companion to Narcos. We believe the two shows exemplify our continued commitment to expand our efforts throughout the Latin American market through both the acquisition of high-quality Spanish-language series and upcoming co-productions in the market, the first which will be announced soon.

Which is the influence of technology in the way that people consume content? Platforms such as Netflix, Amazon and Hulu produced a new consumer – the binge viewer – moving the drama trend away from procedurals to serialized series. Add to that the multitude of devices that we can now view programming on – from mobile phones to Smart TVs, tablets, lap top computers, etc. — the industry is transitioning to an on-demand world, where viewers can watch programming whenever and wherever they want to.

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DISTRIBUTION ALL3MEDIA INTERNATIONAL

Scores early presales for ‘The Bisexual’ The comedy produced by Hootenanny will be available in Channel 4, Hulu, CANAL+ Group, Sky Network and Stan. The independent distributor all3media international has signed major presales for its new contemporary comedy The Bisexual. The six-part series is written, directed and stars IranianAmerican filmmaker and Sundance Grand Jury Prize Winner Desiree Akhavan. Produced by Hootenanny – a Sister Pictures company – for Channel 4, UK and Hulu in the USA, The Bisexual, which is currently in postproduction, has been secured by CANAL+ Group to be broadcast in France and all its territories, while Sky Network in New Zealand has acquired exclusive rights to the series.Stan, Australia also has exclusive rights. Set to debut on Channel 4 and Hulu, The Bisexual is a six-part comedy drama exploring the differences between dating men and women from the perspective of a person who finds herself – for the first time doing both. BAFTA-nominated Maxine Peake (Peterloo Three Girls, Funny Cow) and Brian Gleeson (Hellboy, Phantom Thread, Stonemouth) star alongside acclaimed screenwriter, director and actress Desiree Akhavan (The Miseducation of Cameron Post, Appropriate Behaviour) in her first television project. Naomi De Pear, Executive Producer, said, “Desi is a singular talent who has lent her distinct wit, authorial voice and unflinching director’s vision to the ‘last taboo’ – the result is The Bisexual, an intimate, funny and

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extremely candid portrait of sex and identity and we’re incredibly proud to be presenting her unique take on contemporary dating to audiences in France, New Zealand and Australia.” Louise Pedersen, CEO at all3media international, commented, “In The Bisexual, Desiree Akhavan gives us a unique and very honest view of contemporary dating. It’s a testament to the quality of the show that major broadcast partners CANAL+ and Stan have come on board at such an early stage alongside Channel 4 and Hulu, and we look forward to further deals over the coming months.”

Nick Forward, Stan Chief Content Officer said “Desiree Akhaven is an extraordinary talent, and her unique take on the complications of modern dating is incredibly timely. We’re looking forward to bringing The Bisexual to Audiences at the same time as its worldwide premiere.” The Bisexual also stars Eva Birthistle (The Last Kingdom, Brooklyn), John Dagliesh (Justice League, Sunny Afternoon, The Monuments Men), Naomi Ackie (Lady Macbeth, Yardie, Star Wars:Episode 9), Niamh Algar (The Virtues) and newcomers Saskia Chana and Michelle Guillot.

DISTRIBUTION TELEFILMS

“90% of what it works in the US also works in Latin America” Tomas Darcyl, CEO, maintains that the public recognizes quality products and attractive stories.

In which stage is your original production both of movies and series? While our core business is the 35 American films that are being distributed in the United States, today there is an explosion of production in our Group both of movies and series. In this sense, together with THR3 Media Group, we are producing five Mexican films per year and several series. This action will be replicated in the rest of Latin America, taking care of Brazil, Mexico and Argentina. Although we add much more work, this task is very interesting because we are in a process of rebirth in all this work and learning. THR3 Media will be dedicated to Mexican products, with the possibility of jumping to the Latin market in the United States; in the rest of the territories surely The Magic Eye will support us, as in Argentina and Brazil. Taking into account the giants and those companies established in the market, the only way to move forward in this business is to grow and also continue to invest in Hollywood. The combination of factors will allow us to survive and grow in the market. How could you describe the presence of the company in Mipcom? In the different markets of Television and Cinema we acquire films and make longterm agreements. The markets today are an excuse, since we don’t take some-

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thing specific, as we think about the future. Of the 35 films that we currently have, I can highlight the winner at the Toronto Festival (TIFF), Greebook, starring Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali, which is very commercial and will have its awards track. We also have Ben is Back, starring Julia Roberts; At Eternity’s Gate, where Williem Dafoe plays Vincent van Gogh. Among many films, we are premiering Mile 22 throughout Latin America with great success, exceeding one million spectators in Mexico. We have a lot of work and we already have over 200 people in the Diamond Group, which is expanding to Spain and Portugal to take all of Latin America. Are you looking for ways to co-produce originals to market them in the regions where they operate? The issue of co-production is delicate because of the combination since they must first work in the territories where it was created. It is difficult for a film made in a certain Latin American territory to travel to other places in the region. The impact is usually in the country where it occurs. In addition there are not many examples of co-productions of films between countries that work equally in the two territories. It’s something risky, as if we produce originally we do it for a certain market, and then it will be welcome if it travels to other places.

Which are the trends you’ve been watching in the different International Festivals? There is a lot of interest in the ‘Me-Too’, where women are protagonists. Also real stories like Greenbook, which continue to work great as they are relevant and interesting stories. Animation is also interesting as well as the genre of terror in Latin America. Even in the TIFF we acquired the film In Fabric, which is small but with a great potential. And we had good results with Hereditary, which will surely get an Oscar, like it happened with ‘Get Out’. The trends in cinema are changing very fast, with a great entertainment frontier. How would you define the characteristics of your titles so as to be recognize at the regional level, beyond international success? It is a combination. The success of the United States does not always augur a success in Latin America but it does in 90% of the cases. The public recognizes quality products and attractive stories. That’s why we believe in commercial films, pop-corn, with a high budget and script that is the structure and basis of the film. For this you have to read it and understand it, and then make the decisions. That’s why today our strategy is to produce the pending projects and acquire the best films. As a service company, we offer this explosive combination of the best original and Hollywood products to the big operators, solving the critical mass not only with Hollywood tanks but also with local production.

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SABBATICAL ENTERTAINMENT

More than 200 hours in less than 2 years Miguel Somoza, President & CEO, describes the evolution of Sabbatical Sports. A few months after the launch of Sabbatical Sports, how was the reception of the market to this new sports offer? Extraordinary Innovation has been the key to the success of our sports content, both at the conceptual and at an esthetic level. We created vignettes with impressive images, written by specialists in the subject, where information is condensed and presented in a very dynamic way, with an attractive and contemporary language. In addition, the first outreach platform that we used to attract consumer traffic to our channel was the social network Facebook, where we achieved high en-

gagement with sports fans, who were enthusiastic, participated and were redirected to our channel to have access to more information. So some of the capsules could be seen on FB, others on our channel, on mobile apps and even on TV channels where they were broadcasted. How have Sabbatical’s businesses evolved in the last time? Our evolution has been exponential in every way. Both in the creation and production of original content, since in less than 2 years we have made more than 200 hours of programming, as well as in sales and

distribution, since we have three children series on the air with E/I certification in Univision: Planet of children, The world is yours and Human Nature, as well as five exclusive documentaries that we have broadcast on CNN in Spanish, for all the Spanish-speaking public of the United States, as for the CNNE signal for Latin America, from Mexico to the Patagonia

How have Sabbatical alliances evolved in an international perspective? We firmly believe that borders do not exist thanks to technology, so we can work remotely with who we want. Our content is universal, so it is consistent that we join forces with teams in all parts of the world, from all disciplines and cultures. We are working with start-ups or Sabbatical Stations, as we like to call the production houses full of young professionals who are in different places: Barcelona, Bogota, Buenos Aires, Mexico, São Paulo. We have conceived an alliance model that allows us to associate with them in an efficient formula to win = win, which transcends the limits we had imagined.

TONDERO

Celebrates its first 10 years How has Tondero evolved in these ten years? Tondero started 10 years ago as a representation company of the most important actors in Peru. Then it went on to generate great shows for theaters, and in 2012 it made a great bet on films production, having created a great change in the production and commercialization of the Peruvian Cinema, with national cinematographic successes; as well as important author films of great success in international festivals. But in this time, the company went further more. It has added a strategic area, Tondero Distribución, and there’s when I joined the partnership, so as to expand the third parties and to start an interesting fiction co-production process for different platforms. This new company is in charge of the local distribution and international sale of movies, documentaries, series and novels of

Cecilia Gómez de la Torre, General Manager of the Distribution area, analyses the growth of Peruvian productions worldwide. ity to a world standard and to a specialization of the team. Nowadays, we are generating many innovative proposals on a creative level, and most importantly, and take the decision to open soon management in Mexico, Colombia and Spain. América TV of Peru, with great results in a short time. How did the company’s portfolio migrate with the incorporation of original productions and co-productions? This has been a great challenge, since it has led us to raise our qual-

Why do you think that Peruvian content grew so fast over the last couple of years? I think it has to do first with the proposal of original contents, then with the level of our productions, also the fact that the Peruvian accent is very neutral, that it collaborates a lot and finally a great

constancy in our production, as we are increasing the number of productions and the quality of them. Which are Tondero’s goals for the last quarter of the year? The main goal is to overcome the results of the previous year with the Premiere of Asu Mare 3 and generate through this a new paradigm in our Cinema. We are aware that the challenge is high, since it is not easy to get back 3 million viewers like the first two ones, but the whole team has been working on it and great strategies have been generated to achieve it.

MIPCOM 2018

DISTRIBUTION KESHET INTERNATIONAL

“Finished content sales is a growing part of our business” Kelly Wright, VP Distribution and New Business, boosts high-profile TV and film projects through the KI Content Fund. How have you evolved the business of Keshet International? This has been a big year for Keshet International across the globe. We acquired a majority stake in Greenbird Media guaranteeing us a new pipeline of English language finished tape and formats from some of the UK’s top indie producers, including Crackit Productions and Tuesday’s Child. Finished content sales is a growing part of our business and we have excellent titles on our slate from international dramas to high quality factual. We also launched our $55M KI Content Fund in March to bring more high-profile TV and film projects to the market, closely followed by our first project – Ecosse Films’ The Trials of Christine Keeler for BBC One. So, we’re really looking to deficit fund similar commissioned, high-end drama projects with global appeal this year. Why do you think that your formats are so successful in their local versions? I believe there are three factors, and the first is scalability. Israeli budgets sit in the middle, towards the lower end of global television budgets, and can be scaled up or down, which suits 95% of TV production models. The second thing is creativity. Being a nation of immigrants, Israelis have always had to contend with an audience that watches global content, with the challenge being to compete against content and strike a chord with local audiences. Those unique elements – whether humor, clever plot twists, or innovative storytelling methods – are not just unique in Israel, but unique in the global market, and therefore worthy of replication on a local level. The third factor is partnerships. At Keshet, we are quite flexible format owners, and we understand that partners need the freedom to adapt. We work hand-in-hand with partners on local development, ensuring a hybrid product that both retains the structural integrity of the original, but is imbued with the local flavor of the host country. How are you working with your drama strategy? At KI, we continue to develop, produce and acquire compelling dramas on both a local and a global level. Our viewers can easily escape into a fantasy of their choice, whether it’s a

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thriller such as When Heroes Fly, or a love story with a scripted ending such as Televisa’s current adaptation of Mythological Ex. It’s our job to keep exploring new worlds with viewers, exploring the boundary between local and global, and continuing to bring to the world an innovative new lineup of content each year, without losing what is familiar, popular, and beloved. How do you see the current situation of the industry? No matter in what part of the industry you work, we are all facing massive challenges to what has been the steady business model for decades. With technological growth comes both organizational challenges and global spread. We are all expanding our audiences from the borders of our own territories to the global stage, and how do you service such a massive global audience, while reflecting the local plots inside of the universal truths that make each series so unique and relevant? We’re facing a paradigm shift in perspective, and organizations need to work hard to make a tricky 180-degree turn from being inward-facing to outward-looking, while continuing to strengthen their core business pillars. Some will topple while making that turn, and they won’t be able to pick themselves up. Others will gracefully rebound, and they’ll thrive. The next 5 years will see a “natural selection” amongst competitors – the strongest will survive. Which is going to be the strategy of Keshet International for next year? An important message we want to get across this year and moving forward is that we are not just about formats, even though we’ve had huge success here in the past. We have production capabilities around the world and are also able to finance original properties we believe in. We are committed to creating a diverse slate of quality finished tape. From highend dramas like Autonomies, which premiered at Series Mania in May and Stockholm, which debuted to critical acclaim this month at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), to Crackit Productions’ docu-reality Bad Habits, Holy Orders, finished content sales across all genres are now as important to us as formats. One of our aims is to become a key destination for every buyer of finished content globally.

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MIPCOM 2018

DISTRIBUTION A+E NETWORKS

Launches its first programming event for Crime+Investigation Sean Cohan, President, International & Digital Media, explains that during seven days, the channel will have special productions all around the world. Building on its rich, 20+ year legacy in the true crime space, A+E Networks announces Twisted Faith, its first Primetime programming event across its global flagship channel Crime+ Investigation. The seven-day block will feature a strong lineup of original content, new season premieres of continuing series and locally produced longand short form content. Crime+Investigation channels around the world will kick off the event the week of November 18, 2018 on the 40th anniversary of the Jonestown massacre. The announcement was made by Sean Cohan, President, International & Digital Media, A+E Networks. “Twisted Faith was created for Crime+Investigation’s highly engaged, loyal viewers, many of whom represent life’s investigators – smart, curious students of human behavior,” said Cohan. “The event is an optimal platform to exploit the channel’s strong pipeline of cults and twisted faith related programming, while providing significant opportunities for localization as we present investigations of universal and broader themes across the week.” This first-ever global programming event created for

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Crime+Investigation channels focuses on cults and twisted faith around the world. The weeklong initiative will premiere new hours of programming headlined by A&E Indie Film No Greater Law; as well as new episodes of the original investigative series Cults and Extreme Belief featuring Emmy® Award-winning journalist Elizabeth Vargas; as well as local originals from Italy, Germany and the UK. The event will air in over 100 territories around the world including in the U.S., Canada, the UK, Poland, South Africa, Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Southeast Asia. In Germany, Twisted Faith will premiere on A&E Network. Headlining the event in the UK is a locally commissioned Special – Cults, Taboos and Twisted Faith – produced by Phoenix TV and bringing together British cult survivors, victims and family members, some of whom are talking for the first time about the trauma of indoctrination and escape from cults and fringe groups and how it’s impacted their lives. The special is produced by local UK production company Phoenix TV and Executive Produced for the network by Di Carter. Twisted Faith global premieres are compounded by ‘No Greater Law’ (120’) that explores Idaho’s Treasure

Valley, a pastoral and devout corner of what was once America’s western frontier, where worldly and fundamentalist ideas of faith clash. With some beliefs affecting literal life and death consequences, in a domain where church and state lines blur, child fatalities linked to faith healing and medical neglect occur largely without scrutiny. Parents who refuse medical care for their children in the name of God are immune from prosecution, and religious freedom is elevated above all else. ‘Cults and Extreme Belief’ (9x60’) features Emmy Award-winning journalist Elizabeth Vargas, who has traveled the world reporting indepth investigations and conducting newsmaker interviews. Now, in this explosive series, she lifts the lid on life inside some of the world’s most controversial organizations, exposing their manipulative tactics and destructive belief systems. From the

self-help group NXIVM and the Twelve Tribes to the United Nation of Islam, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and The Family, each episode takes an immersive look at one group through the eyes of past devotees and gets perspective from believers and leaders who are still inside. ‘Escaping Polygamy, Season Three’ (10x60’) begins more than 10 years after four sisters escape from “the Order,” a secretive polygamous cult in Salt Lake City. Now Andrea, Jessica, Shannell, and Kollene devote their lives to helping other young men, women, and children break free from polygamous groups and adjust to life on the outside. In Season 3, the women continue their

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dangerous mission, with Jessica even taking a public and political stance against polygamy in a controversial hearing before Utah’s legislature. Last but not least, ‘Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath: The Jehovah’s Witnesses’ (120’) features Leah Remini and Mike Rinder as they shine a light on the Jehovah’s Witnesses, giving voice to former members who share their stories of trauma and survival.

MISTCO

Shows two new drama series of TRT ‘Hold My Hand’ and ‘Two Parts One Love’ are destined to be the new flagship titles.

TRT and MistCo are bringing two new drama series to Mipcom this year. One of these series is named Hold My Hand, premiered on TRT this July, and remains as the N°1 TV show on Sunday nights in all target groups. Following two main characters, Azra and Cenk, the story focuses on the crossing lives of these two young people. Azra is a beautiful, welleducated girl who mysteriously loses her father and finds herself out in the streets with no money or shelter all of a sudden. Things get more complex when Azra’s brother goes missing. Cenk is a very handsome boy coming from a wealthy family. He rejects to live the traditional life his

grandma Mrs. Feride try to impose upon him. One day Mrs. Feride meets Azra and adores her, so she decides to assign Azra as her new and only heiress. That’s how the bound of Azra and Cenk starts to be formed. The second drama series to be launched is a family drama named Two Parts One Love. The series has a very emotional and entertaining story. Deniz and Zeynep are two young people coming from the most distant regions of the country. Zeynep is a newly graduated girl and she lives with her father. Deniz is a young man living with his mother and he wants to establish his business. However, Deniz and Zeynep start to work for the same company and their parents end up having two restaurants across each other as competitors in a small town. Aysegul Tuzun, VP, Sales & Marketing, MistCo, comments: “We are very honored to announce these two successful launches for

Mipcom this year. Hold My Hand adopts both a romantic and a tragic main story. And thus, we believe that the success it reached in Turkey will be reflected globally and the series will receive great interest from all around the world especially from Latin America. Right after the launch of the show, there are deals we are about to close. As the leader of family drama production, TRT produces the best family drama series and Two Parts One Love has proven to be one of them with its ratings result so far. It is a great choice for the global partners who are searching for fun on their screen.”

MIPCOM 2018

DISTRIBUTION BBC STUDIOS LATIN AMERICA - USH

“There is an enormous opportunity offered by new technologies” David Hanono, SVP, Sales & Digital, seeks to innovate in the region and its partners like the key players of Free TV and Pay TV.

Which was the reception of the market to BBC Studios’ main formats as is the case of ‘Bake Off ...’ in Latin America? How could you describe the success of the formats both as tapes and adapted local versions? The reception has been very good, Bake Off Brazil - Mão na Massa entered its fourth season in August, the first season of Bake Off Argentina, El Gran Pastelero was a success obtaining a growth of almost 35% in ratings week by week. The success of this format in Argentina opened the way to Bake Off Chile, El Gran Pastelero , the second adaptation of the format in Spanish, which also premiered in Chilevision in August and has caused a phenomenon in social networks and in the audience. The success essentially lies in the fact that a good story, of good quality always travels and especially this kind of format that touches audiences so personally with childhood memories of the kitchen, the challenges that we all live to make a cake and that in the background it reaches the hearts of the viewers. How have BBC Studios businesses evolved in the last time? The balance has been very positive, focused on supporting our partners by offering them the right content for their needs. Our team is divided to cover different genres and clients. In recent times, we have closed agreements with Discovery in Latin America, VTR in

MIPCOM 2018

Chile, Cablevisión in Argentina and Globo in Brazil so as to name a few. At BBC Studios our partners are instrumental and we always look for new opportunities while we follow up and continue to present businesses. Do you think that technological evolution influences the development and consumption of productions? Of course, as we know, the growth of the OTT is forcing the broadcasters to expand their catch-up and digital offer. In addition, there are many DDT that are emerging and looking for content that is not the traditional one. We offer content for all types of platforms and when we are in production we have already planned it in another way taking into account all the platforms. For example, our emblematic series that premiered this year, Blue Planet II, this series also had content in short format so that it can be used in mobile or online. This allows an optimization of the productions and the ability to link with our series in any environment. I see an enormous opportunity offered by new technologies. How do the alliances of BBC Studios evolve with their main international players? We continue working with the great international players like Netflix and Amazon of course, but we also seek to innovate in the region and our partners like the big ones of open TV and Pay. They

have evolved satisfactorily. We reached an agreement with Endemol Shine Brasil and MB Produções de Murilo Benício and Débora Falabella to produce a Brazilian version of Doctor Foster. This will be the debut of the BBC within the segment of dramatic series based on script in Brazil. We have established partnerships and worked very closely with our transmitting partners (Discovery, Globo, SBT, RecordTV, Univision) and our OTT partners (Netflix, Amazon, Sony Crackle, Claro Video, Looke, TV Cultura, Netflix, Enterplay, VTR, Antel , etc.). We support the development of innovative platforms for our clients, such as VTR Chile or the Cablevision Flow multiplatform service in Argentina, expanding and creating a dedicated offer of BBC On Demand. What are the goals of BBC Studios for this last quarter? We want to distribute the largest amount of BBC content on all existing platforms. One of the main focuses of attention are the telcos, they are requesting short and long term content. We believe that we will open new business models with companies such as Telcel in Mexico or Vivo in Brazil, for example. It is a fact that today audiences are seeing content in all kinds of devices, so you have to target those areas. We have to be creative and recognize all the opportunities we have for our titles to be consumed. Blue Planet II, for example, gives endless content that can be shared, arouses emotions and it is material that people want to share on their social networks or see on their cellphones.

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LEDAFILMS

Starts investing in co-production projects Which were the first results of ‘Everybody Knows’ after its premiere in the main cinemas? It has been a pride for us to have a title like ‘Everybody Knows’ of Asghar Farhadi, not only because this was the title that opened the last Cannes Festival but also because it is also reaping excellent reviews and very good results from viewers in the territories where it has released to date. In addition to the great director, the cast of luxury formed by: Penélope Cruz, Ricardo Darín and Javier Bardem are important attractions for the public in Latin America. How have the Ledafilms business evolved in the last time? We are very satisfied with the results we have had in the last time. Not only by agreements that we have specified and the attractiveness of the titles that have been incorporated into our catalog, but also by the new business units in which we are venturing. During the last years we have premiered a large number of titles in cinemas throughout Latin America in partnership with local partners and now we are going to venture into the North American market with the titles: Mia And The White Lion with Mélanie Laurent, Langley Kirkwood, Tessa Jubber about a girl who develops an incredible friendship with a white

Moira Mc Namara, Sales Manager, announces that the company is going to venture into the North American market. lion on a farm in South Africa and The Queen’s Corgi that tells the adventures of the favorite dog of the Queen of England when leaving Buckingham Palace must learn to be a true Top Dog. How would you describe the current situation of the content industry? The present is a great moment for content. The audience has shown like never before that when the content is good, it likes a lot. There is a great feedback of screens and social networks. People want to share their experience when they like content and that forces us to be in constant search and analysis of the tastes, themes, genres and trends that are being required by the viewer. In the current context it is very important to identify attractive content that can reach as many people as possible. You have to be very

attentive to the needs of different screens as not everyone is looking for the same content time. How do Ledafilms alliances evolve with you main international partners? Fortunately, we work with several of the largest and most recognized players in the industry. Each agreement is unique, but what we can discuss is that titles and projects of the highest quality are the tools that help us in the assembly of each of the negotiations with our different clients.

challenge today is that nothing is rigid anymore, it is impossible to speak of a standardization in distribution, each production, each negotiation is unique in itself and this permanent change requires a dynamic, proactive direction and is always oriented to create and develop new opportunities of business. What are the goals of Ledafilms for this last quarter? We have several co-production projects under development and we hope to be able to advance in them in the coming months to be able to comment on news about them soon. Go back to venture into production, as well as enter the North American market, is one of the objectives in which we are working at full speed. Also, we have several titles coming to premiere in cinemas like: ‘I Still See you’, ‘Replicas’ and ‘Playmobil: The Movie’.

How will be managed the Ledafilms operations for 2019? Ledafilms has more than 45 years of experience and throughout our history we have been characterized by our flexibility when dealing with the different changes in the industry. The

MIPCOM 2018

DISTRIBUTION SONAR ENTERTAINMENT

“Development is key to our strategy”

How has Sonar’s business evolved recently? Investment into our own development together with collaborating with third party content creators has enabled us to build a strong development portfolio of ‘high end drama’. These third party creative relationships vary from ‘first look’ deals with Smokehouse (George Clooney), Team Downey (Robert Downey Jr) and MTG (Geyer Kosinski) to a number of ‘multi project’ deals with the likes of Scott Free UK (Ridley Scott) and Monkey Paw (Jordan Peele) plus we are building additional relationships with creators in Europe, specifically UK & Italy, plus Asia. Development is key to our strategy as we are financing the option on IP rights, we then attach and fund a writer to execute a script and treatment then subsequently we package the project. In order to elevate the content above the surfeit of other competing drama projects in the marketplace we look to secure a ‘name showrunner’ or ‘feature director’ and then make the material undeniable with top level casting.

Andres Santos, VP, International Distribution, Latin America, Brazil & Hispanic North America, describes the different alliances established with several companies.

How would you describe the current situation of the content industry? The international distribution business in the last 24 months has changed immensely and that change is being felt nowhere more keenly than in the drama creation sector. Mass consolidation and the rise of streamers taking global licenses means there are arguably fewer sources of IP to draw from and a requirement to pay higher prices to buy into shows earlier in their lifecycle. Traditional deal structures are now outdated and business that once relied on sales of finished tape are having to move fast to adapt to the

How will Sonar’s operations be managed for 2019? We will continue to focus on finding great stories and storytellers plus finding brands, franchise and great talent – we are looking to create shows with market cut through. We will adapt to the needs of the market and the consumer. We are not part of a broadcaster/platform led vertically integrated structure (BBC Studios/ BBC, ITV Studios/ITV Network, All 3/ Liberty, Red Arrow/ProSieben, Studio Canal/Canal Plus, plus all the US consolidation Lionsgate/Starz, Disney/ Fox and Comcast/Sky etc.) so we have to maintain our focus on ‘high end

MIPCOM 2018

changing marketplace. Now as a producer/distributor you have to extract value from projects in different ways (through co-production, co-financing models, soft monies, tax funds) which then become more IP building investment and a production play. Being a relatively small indie we can be nimble, agile and flexible in responding to the shifts to the industry while continuing to be a collaborative partner to both creative partners and distribution platforms & networks.

drama’ that attracts great talent which is content that is most sort after by all platforms and networks. On the sales side we will continue to maintain and build closer relationships in all markets globally. What are Sonar’s objectives for this last quarter? Our objective, of course, in the last quarter is to meet our 2018 budget. Additionally, we will start the process at Mipcom, then Mip Cancun and in Singapore at ATF to engage with our buyers in early discussions about our new drama projects that will commence production in the next 6 months. It’s becoming increasingly important to have our clients involved with projects at the earliest possible moment as drama series take shape (we have an episode one script and series bible). Early engagement is now a necessity for both producer, distributor and platform partners.

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MEGA GLOBAL ENTERTAINMENT

“Digital platforms let us knock down barriers and reduce distances” Esperanza Garay, CEO, presents a different kind of content that could travel easily.

After the launch of MGE in LA Screenings, how was the reception of the industry towards this new distributor? The first experiences of MGE were satisfactory, thanks to having content that they like a lot and a different genre that can travel easily. The customers were very receptive with the strong content of Mega, especially because they were very impressed by the excellent performance in a competitive Chilean market. In addition to Mega’s portfolio, the company has the distribution of ATF Korea, which introduced Korean telenovelas in Latin America through “Escalera al cielo” that opened the doors to this genre in the region, and the catalog of short series from Mediaset, with whom we have a two-way relationship (MGE represents Mediaset content in Latin America, while Mediaset carries the MGE catalog to Europe). We also made a strategic alliance with Caracol to represent us in Africa and

other territories. We have an alliance with Zona A of Colombia, which provides formats and different genres of telenovelas, movies, and short and long series, besides several biopics. We have a portfolio that allows us to offer all our customers a variety of content. Which is the strategy behind the partnerships you have made? With globalization we intend to do a double-sided marketing. Just as we want our content to travel internationally, we bring foreign content to the

region because that distribution is exclusively for Latin America. In the case of Zona A, we have their formats available for everyone. But both Mediaset and ATF are destined to Latin America. The Koreans have offered the market a short novel format, which can include between 20 and 30 episodes.

How do you describe the moment of production in Latin America? Latin American production is growing and we have high levels of quality, so that we can’t envy any producer of the world. Today, Latin America has become a producer that supplies its own regional signals but its contents created in the region are being consumed internationally. Digital platforms allow us to break down barriers and shorten distances for globalization. This allows the content to travel without any restriction and has been very favorable for the industry. What will you be presenting during the last term of the year? At Mipcom we are presenting the contents and fiction formats of Mediaset for Latin America for the first time, as well as showcasing the latest products and launches we have to offer to the market. We will also attend MipCancun where we will focus on the Korean ATF product, heading the portfolio with Gift of God , and the Mediaset series. For Natpe Miami 219, we will be having an important launch with new contents of MGE and all our represented.

MIPCOM 2018

DISTRIBUTION DRG

The importance of having sub-titled and dubbed content How is it working your most recent alliance with The Format Factory? So far we’re off to a strong start. Formats continue to work even as the platforms in which we’re brokering deals continue to change. As a UK based internationally minded organization, we make a major point to find format-table content that stands a great chance to reaching wide global. Subjects like dating, cooking or game shows have not been exhausted, despite what some people say. The Format Factory is an entity that can do exactly that. To help people further find formats that work for them we have adapted our catalogue to focus on genres such as reality, crime and talent shows. In this way the format ideas stand out more and our clients can more readily find what they are looking for if there is a gap in their schedules. How have evolved the business of DRG over the last couple of months? TV distribution is a constantly evolving sector and I like to think DRG is leading the way. Over the past few months we have undertaken new partnerships with a range of producers, we are more integrally involved at the outset of a production than ever before – from both a financial and creative standpoint – and significantly, with Manson’s Bloodline, we undertook our very first commission. We are moving our business to sit at the very heart of content and distributing it internationally will just be one aspect of what we do. With the expansion of your team of international sales, how will you be addressing your strategy for the next year? We’re bringing in sharp talent from strong companies: Lucy Roberts joined us from All3Media, Jess Khanom joined us from Fox. We need people to help deliver our evolving content strategy and who can work with our broadcaster and platform clients – as well as producer contacts – to make sure everyone gets

MIPCOM 2018

Scott Kirkpatrick, SVP North & South America, says that the company needs people to help deliver its evolving content strategy. what the need. We no longer just recruit sales executives – people need to be more rounded. Both Jess and Lucy join us with tremendous formats experience – and this too is a major strategic focus this year. We have a newly re-focused formats catalogue – with more than 150 titles, including a number of new ones to be launched at MIPCOM and we are keen to be seen as a leading formats partner worldwide. How did it work your dubbed offer for the Latin American territories? We’ve just secured two seasons of our hit Baby Animals franchise with a channel in Costa Rica and are currently negotiating a major deal on our Nat Geo series Genius; both of these opportunities would have been impossible without the library of dubs we’re creating. Having a library of both subtitled and dubbed content has opened doors of opportunity for DRG and we’re continuing down that path. How are you working with the digital platforms around the world? Which kind of content are you trying to introduce into them? I tend to let the digital platforms simply tell me what they need. Digital entities have more access to consumer/user data than anyone on the broadcast side could ever hope to see. They know exactly what programming tends to drive numbers and have no qualms in being

direct with their content objectives. So my strategy is simply to listen, to hear about their content and audience goals and provide the titles that meet their needs and help digital platforms be successful in the US, or for those platforms branching out globally. Which are your goals for the end of the year? Formats is a key focus for the business internationally and I want to bring more formats to Latin America. Our most successful format, The Farm, is doing phenomenal business in Brazil but it can easily work elsewhere in Latin America. I’ll be pushing strong formats both scripted—such as Shameless (recently remade in Turkey) and Melk— and factual/factual entertainment formats at both MIPCOM and MIPCancun. New formats for launch at MIPCOM include Ready, Set, Go!, a brilliant, wacky new sports quiz; Top Ten, a primetime music show where celebrities have to reveal the top ten hits of a given year and Ridiculously Smart , an innovative format whereby stand-up comedians are tasked with learning about a new field of scientific research and then delivering a hilarious stand-up show on the subject – all within five days. I hope to sign with broadcasters or independent producers looking to develop and produce formats for Latin American audiences.

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MIPCOM 2018

DIGITAL AMAZON PRIME VIDEO LATIN AMERICA

“We do not have a unique model” Pablo Iacoviello, Head of Contents Acquisitions, describes the bet for original content in the region, providing new chances for creatives with innovative ideas. Through Amazon Originals, Amazon Prime Video continues to feed its catalog with original productions in Latin America, being Mexico one of the most important markets, as it has already finished its first two series: ‘A strange enemy’ and ‘LOL: Last One Laughing’, starring Eugenio Derbez and that will be released in December. “The way Amazon sees the product is because of the value we are offering. By acquiring a Prime membership, users have a lot of exclusive services in Mexico, as Latin America does not have them yet. 2018 was focused on searching and accommodating the product: we duplicate the content, thinking about the taste of the local audience. At the company we listen to the customer’s comments and we see what kind of content they’re looking for. The Amazon Originals are the access door”, comments Pablo Iacoviello, head of contents Acquisitions of Amazon Prime Video Latin America. On the way to choose content, as well as the news and objectives of the company for the next months, the executive said: “We are working in two ways, first adding and updating the content, looking for local production, what we are doing is approaching to the producers and creators, looking for that kind of differential content that is unique, fresh and innovative ideas that did not have an opportunity in other places, the fashion project of

MIPCOM 2018

that person. Amazon gives that opening to the Premium and at the same time popular content, to which the final client responds favorably when it’s shown something local, as it feels identified. The international content is always very good and they attract a lot of attention, but when you give the public well done content in their region, they enjoys it a lot and that good response makes the difference.” “The ideals and goal are to build a creative and pleasant environment for the director and producer to have all their potential. An example of this is the series A strange enemy that we made with Televisa and Gabriel Ripstein. We became very involved in each of the stages, as we followed everything in a very closely way and generated a great atmosphere for bright talent, it is a great story that deals with the massacre of 1968. We do not have a unique model, we analyze each project independently and use it differently. Amazon comes from an origin of experimental innovation and from there it is transmitted to the video, to bring the best contents to the platform “. The executive adds that: “It is important to adapt to different structures and business models, we sometimes bet on a license, we agreed on an original series or hybrids. In the case of Falco, where we participated in the scripts and the creative stage, it came out first in Telemundo, then via streaming in Latin

America and finally on TNT, while El César premiered at the beginning of the year, first on TNT and then we went on a second window together with TV Azteca. Each model is different and we try to adapt to the structure that might be necessary, so that all participants feel comfortable and have what they need. “ Regarding the benefit of inserting local and original content, Iacoviello, highlights: “The benefit of the original content depends on where you see it, we have three important pillars to produce: the creative, friendly environment, with a push and a strong marketing action, as well as a global exhibition. Diablo Guardian was presented in more than 200 countries and had an incredible impact. Maradona is a very interesting case, because it is a product that was thought for Latin America, and other countries began to ask for more participation, so it turns to be a very ambitious production that is being recorded in Spain, Italy and Argentina, with great talent “. “Another project that is coming is LOL: Last One Laughing, a co-production with Eugenio Derbez and his production house 3Pas Studios, together with Endemol Shine Boomdog. It is an adaptation of the Japanese series of Hitoshi Matsumoto. The premiere is scheduled in December, and we hope to have repercussions in more than 200 countries, for the talent and acceptance of Derbez in the public,” concludes.

DIGITAL

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OLYMPUSAT

“The content industry is experiencing its best moment of transformation” How have Olympusat’s businesses evolved in the last time? Olympusat is one of the independent media conglomerates in Spanish and English specialized in ownership, distribution and technical services related to television content, through a group of companies such as: Ocean Communications, Olympusat, Inc., Olympusat Telecom, Olympusat Entertainment, Ocean Distribution, Ocean New Media, Hatch Entertainment, Magicorp and Road 8 Entertainment, all managed under the philosophy of constant innovation and implementation of new technologies adapted to communication. One of the achievements of this new times has been Vemox, a platform that combines technology with content, offering access to more than 50 live channels in Spanish, as well as thousands of hours of movies and a la carte series. VEMOX is available on Amazon Fire TV Stick, Amazon Fire TV, Google Play, Apple Store and on some smart TVs, such as Samsung and LG. At a time when content production is a reference for companies like Olympusat, agreements have been established with producers in Europe and Asia to jointly produce original titles from those countries to be dubbed into Spanish by our dubbing subsidiary located in Mexico City. The same thing applies to media companies in Latin America, with whom agreements have been signed to create content.

Aurora Bacquerie, VP, Channel Relationships & Content, describes VEMOX, its platform that offers access to more than 50 live channels in Spanish. ces the development and consumption of productions? The content industry is experiencing its best moment of transformation to offer the viewer the opportunity to choose from a variety of alternatives the best of the options tailored to personal taste. Technology has opened the possibility of opening windows to experience visual entertainment in a way never before seen in the past and it is only the beginning of a virtual world that is prepared every day to provide a much more vivid experience of emotions through series of fiction, competitions and even documentaries. Alternatives can be found in the diversity of channels that Olympusat operates, in which all genres are accommodated for the whole family: large, medium and small live television viewers or content libraries

that can be accessed through platforms like Vemox. To the extent that the broadband of the Internet becomes much wider, the spectrum of consumption will expand to a larger audience eager to be able to experience what it entertains visually. How will be driven the operational strategy of Olympusat for 2019? Both for the last quarter of this year, and for the rest of 2019, the goal is to increase the daily addition of up to 30 hours of content on our platforms, including 15 original fiction series, adding new channels of direct transmission to Vemox, expand content distribution partners, add new devices to existing ones in order to reach a larger number of national and international audiences, as well as include content and channels in English to meet the demand of the English-speaking community.

How would you describe the current situation of the content industry? Do you think that technological evolution influen-

MIPCOM 2018

PAY TV RTVE

“There has been an explosion of content producers worldwide” María Jesús Pérez, Head of International, admits that CLAN is very close to be launch in North America. already reaches an important penetration in America that is increased every month. It is currently present in Mexico and almost all the countries of Central America, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Argentina and Chile and is very close to being launched in North America. Playz, with its hits in fiction and entertainment for young people, is also making its name and its place in the industry. How have the businesses of RTVE evolved in the last time? We have worked hard in the diversification of products and deepened in the new options that the digital world offers, so we are in line with the transformations that the industry is experiencing and the new forms of consumption of television entertainment. How would you describe the current situation of the content industry? It is an industry that is experiencing a very interesting moment in which several factors are taking part: 1) the consumer is increasingly demanding quality, quantity, gender and mode of consumption, 2) new players have appeared in the market, and have yet to appear more, that are very agile in meeting the user’s demand. 3) the technical development of the digital world allows unthinkable features and really innovative qualities. 4) There has been an explosion of content producers worldwide 5) who creates with a global perspective and 6) those are able to reach a wide international audience, which favors 7) the transfer of professionals and talents. A year after the international presentation of CLAN and PLAYZ, what was the reception of the market, and how has the penetration of both brands evolved? We are very satisfied with the welcome and recognition that our new products are having. Especially happy with Clan, which

MIPCOM 2018

What was the reception of the industry to the titles presented in your Showcase held in the month of June? It was a great success, which has resulted in new sales and coproduction agreements that are giving us many satisfactions. For next year we are designing an even more special event based on emotion and interaction with buyers to create an indelible mark on them. What are the goals of RTVE for this last quarter of the year? Grow the international distribution of STAR, which has been available worldwide for several days; keep going on the American distribution of CLAN and consolidate the positioning of TVE and 24 HOURS, to which news on programming and design are coming to contribute. All this on the side of the RTVE channels. Regarding our shows, TVE productions are increasingly recognized internationally for their quality and connection with the audience. Our series for the prime time, such as Estoy Vivo, whose 2nd Season is being premiered this week, Cuéntame, which goes for its Season 19, The Continental, The Other Look, Fugitive, Betrayal, Sonata Del Silencio or Bonuses, are conquering an international public. In the field of the weekly series, I would like to highlight the success of Acacias 38, Servir y Proteger or Medical Center, currently on air both in Spain and in other countries. Our main goals are to close a record year of international sales of the own productions of the RTVE Corporation.

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CISNEROS MEDIA

“We will start the 2019 a step ahead”

Cisneros Media is having a very positive 2018, as most of its relevant measures are showing its growth: subscribers, audience, affiliates, advertisers and also the amount of original hours produced. Based on this factors, Carlos Cabrera, VP of Sales, Pay TV, exclaims: “We have many reasons to celebrate and to start the 2019 a step ahead. We’ll still be working on the original productions so as to reinforce the programming of all our networks, in order to increase our reception even more, and

Carlos Cabrera, VP of Sales, Pay TV, suggests that User Generated Content is gaining an important share against traditional offering. growing our ad sales business”. Regarding the chance of international alliances, Cabrera suggests that “on Cisneros side we perfectly understand the need to give some more value to our affiliates and clients in every territory where we are operative. The idea is to keep working on their needs so as to expand the partnerships and create new

opportunities of collaboration”. The executive also believes that the market is having such a movement, “not only on the consolidation of important players or in the acquisition of software by the MSOs, as this it quiet foreseeable in a mature industry. The most interesting and dynamic thing we could find it in the preference of the consumers, now that they have a bigger offer of content than a couple of years ago, not only from the formal production companies, but also the User Generated Content is gaining an important share in terms of time on screens”. As a conclusion, Cabrera says that Cisneros “has some pending agreements to close related to the distribution in key territories. We are working so as to achieve them as soon as possible and to reach even more homes both in Latin America and the USA”.

AZ TV DE PAGA

Celebrates its 4th anniversary The company reaches 17 countries with its portfolio compound by AZ Mundo, AZ Corazón, AZ Clic and AZ Cinema. The business unit AZ TV de Paga celebrates its four years since the launch of its brand and its new portfolio of channels, with distribution in more than 17 countries, thanks to the creation of new signals, the generation of original and exclusive content under a new production model, the adaptation of the technological infrastructure and a direct sales and customer service. “We are happy to celebrate a new anniversary of our channel portfolio AZ Mundo, AZ Corazón, AZ Clic and AZ Cinema. We celebrate in the best way we know how to do it, which is renewing our commitment with the audience and with our cable-operators partners and customers through a solid offer of contents linked to a dynamic and innovative commercial

strategy. This allows us to face the great challenges presented by today’s television industry and thus continue with the growth curve we have experienced during these first four years. This new stage will find us more competitive in the offer of contents and more ambitious in quality and business models,” said Patricia Jasin, VP of TV Azteca International. “Launching a network to the international market is not so simple, it requires a specialized vision of the industry and its audiences, of proposing and betting 4 years ago we are committed to becoming the preferred network in Latin America with the greatest growth in the region, based on its programmatic offer and its negotiation flexibility, we adapt to the needs of the market and we understand

that the alliances are much stronger when you make equipment. Today we have not only covered the expectations of our clients and audiences, we continue proposing new work schemes that support and strengthen the changing scenario of pay TV in the world, we owe it to all of us, thanks to the AZ TV de Paga team that has made this journey possible, thanks to our customers for believing in our content and products and thanks to the audience for preferring us and for enjoying what we do, “commented Jorge Gutiérrez, Director of AZ TV de Paga.

Patricia Jasin y Jorge Gutiérrez de Azteca

MIPCOM 2018

BUSINESS PROMÉXICO

“In 2017, Mexico had a production of 175 films” César Fragozo, Head of the Sectorial Development Unit, describes the functions of the promoter agency. Which are your main functions as a promoter agency? The main function of ProMéxico is to contribute to the conduction, coordination and execution of the actions in matters of promotion to the foreign trade, and the attraction of direct foreign investment for the dependencies and entities of the federal public administration. The range of services and supports provided by ProMéxico has served to orient and empower small and mediumsized enterprises, especially when they explore the possibilities of venturing out of the country and decide on the conquest of new markets. ProMéxico has a team of multidisciplinary experts in sectorial development, international markets and business intelligence. How has evolved the performance of the audiovisual content industry in Mexico? In 2016, creative industries accounted for 4.8% of total GDP and since then a promising upward trend has been observed. The content created by Mexican television companies is seen by more than one billion people in more than 100 countries around the world. In addition, Mexico has distinguished itself as one of the leading exporters of creative products in Latin America and an important exporter of animation, video games, software and digital content on a global scale. During 2017, Mexico had a production of 175 films, which placed the country in the 18th place among the main film producers. In addition, in terms of attendance, the country is the fourth largest film market in the world. Mexico has an ecosystem of leading audiovisual industry companies in the region supported by factors such as: its creative talent offer, the most competitive digital creation costs in the region, strategic location, attractive offer of locations, audiovisual production infrastructure class global and digital animation companies, VFX and videogames, globally competitive. In the same way, ProMéxico is a promoter organization in MIPCOM, supporting the Mexican Delegation, how do you do it and who are they leading this 2018 participation? After our participation as Country of Honor in MIPCOM 2014, we began to diversify into other events

MIPCOM 2018

and markets for different disciplines of the audiovisual and at the same time we decided to concentrate more our resources and efforts in MIPCancun. However, some companies in the sector made us see the importance of maintaining a country presence in MIPCOM, being the world forum per excellence for TV and OTT content. That is why we join efforts to open a space under the Mexico brand to support as federal government the activities of the companies that make up the Mexican delegation at the event. Which are your short and medium term projects? In the short term we want to continue detecting companies with enough maturity to export, to make strategic partnerships and to propose quality coproduction projects with a global relevance. At the same time, we want to support emerging companies of content and services related to production so that they arrive ready to pitch in the big markets and ensure their success. This can be extended to companies of video games, digital animation and virtual and augmented reality that have great potential, not only in the entertainment market, but also in education, culture and health. In the medium term, we would like to see a greater scale and level of participation in markets and strategic fairs, because in such an internationally competitive business environment, a strong and solid presence backed by the federal government guarantees benefits in terms of business and foreign direct investment.

BUSINESS

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MIPCOM 2018

SERVICES UNIVERSAL CINERGIA DUBBING

Global attendance for a leading position in the market Universal Cinergia Dubbing begins the fall season by attending the main content markets and consolidating its position as one of the leading dubbing studios worldwide in the industry. The studio offers dubbing and subtitling in Spanish, Portuguese, English and French to distributors, digital platforms, networks, content aggregators and indie-producers. The company’s client portfolio includes Fox, NBC, Lionsgate, Deluxe, Televisa, Telemundo-NBC, RCN, Caracol and Nippon TV, among others. The recently renovated studios in São Paulo, Brazil, have been working nonstop in Portuguese with a highly efficient response time. The studios in Mexico are working at full capacity, which gives rise to the possibility of opening new studios in Mexico City. Examples of titles dubbed by the company are: Un-

MIPCOM 2018

The Company will sponsor the International Emmy Awards for the first time. real, The Crown, That is My Life, PopeThe most powerful man in history, Manhattan, Deadbeat, The Royals, Nashville, Anger Management, Hidden Truths, Broken Pieces and Wings of Love. “Attending the markets throughout the year is a very effective way to establish new contacts and find our customers, we continue to be at the forefront with Turkish productions, working with most of Turkish distributors, among which are Eccho Rights, Kanal D, Calinos, Intermedya, Rayas, TRT, ATV Global Agency”, says Liliam Hernández, CEO. As part of its marketing strategy, Uni-

versal Cinergia will sponsor the International Emmy Awards for the first time. “Being a sponsor of the International Emmy Awards puts us in a unique position to reach and connect with the main production and distribution companies worldwide. We are the first dubbing studio to join the prestigious group of companies sponsoring the event, and we are proud to have a presence at the next International Emmy Festival in New York,” says Hernandez.

Gemma Lopez, Liliam Hernandez y Elisa Aquino

NEWSLINE REPORT INTERNATIONAL

MIPCOM 2018

OCTOBER 2018