TTV | Nº 61 | FEB | DISCOP AFRICA 2011

Contents

_/14 Special Reports SPAIN Original Production _/14 TELENOVELAS Regionalized Co-production _/26

ttv Š2011

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Gallery

ASIA TV FORUM 2010 _/22

8 - 10 – December, Suntec Singapore, Singapore

_/26

THE FESTIVAL OF MEDIA LATAM 2010 _/23

24 - 26 – October, Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Key Biscayne – Miami

Hsm Specials - Leaders A Creative Eminence Bob Jeffrey, Chairman and CEO of JWT _/12

Executives

_/12

Making Hollywood Cost Effective _/20

Sam Nicholson, CEO and Founder of Stargate Studios

All Eyes on Sub-Sahara _/30 Patrick Jucaud, General Manager of Basic Lead

Delmar Andrade _/24

_/24

International Sales Director of Record TV Network

Paul Jackson _/25 CEO of Eyeworks UK

LISTINGS _/32

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ttv ©2011

PRESIDENT / CEO Sebastian Lateulade EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Soledad Saldías OPERATIONS DIRECTOR Rodrigo Ros SALES AND PRODUCTION MANAGER Darío Alemán EDITORIAL MANAGER Sebastián Amoroso EDITOR Stephanie Biscomb ONLINE DIRECTOR Omar Méndez ONLINE EDITORS Diego Alegre EDITORIAL TEAM Sebastián Torterola Dino Cappelli Josefina Mezzera IT MANAGER Alejandro Barros IT ASSISTANT Ricardo Pereira DATA OPERATIONS Fernando Moreno Renata del Pup WEBMASTER Nazario Pereira TRANSLATOR Josefina Caviglia FINANCE MANAGER Cr. Michel Schwartz MANAGEMENT Mónica Iriarte ART & DESIGN Unik design info@unikbureau.com www.unikbureau.com HEADQUARTERS Aguada Park Paraguay 2141 Of.403 Tel./Fax: (1) 305 4792772 Montevideo – Uruguay CP 11800 ttv is a monthly publication owned by TodotvMedia.

Its distribution is free of charge. The articles reflect the opinions of the individual authors on the topics covered, without implying editorial control or endorsement of the content by the management and ownership of the magazine. For all purposes, the advertisements and their content are the sole responsibility of the advertiser. Reproduction in whole or in part, in electronic or print form, of the content of this publication, without express written permission of TodotvMedia is strictly prohibited.

6 TTV MAGAZINE

Record Series: Lavish Wardrobes and Cutting-Edge Effects Record TV Network’s new miniseries ‘Samson and Delilah’ includes an expensive and luxurious wardrobe with noble, naturally-dyed fabrics, imported jewelry, pure silk and muslin, handmade shoes and golden threads. Most accessories were imported from places such as Laos and India.

The miniseries will be Record’s first teledrama produced completely in HD, with scenes using 3D technology and a budget of US$ 800,000. Another production, ‘Esther, the Queen,’ uses a highspeed camera capable of capturing 300 frames per second -10 times more than most regular cameras- so scenes are full special effects. Scenes from the epic series will be seen on Rio de Janeiro movie theaters thanks to an agreement to air its trailers before films in 25 theaters.

Latin America

APPOINTMENT

The Latin American and US Hispanic markets posted record ad spending growth, according to a recent study by consulting company Nielsen. Overall spending in Latin America grew close to 50% in the first half of 2010 compared with the year-earlier period. The study says the growth is rooted in a rise in commodities prices and economic policies around the region. Brazil led the increase with a 50.2% rise in ad spending, while Mexico trailed with 40%.

The US advertising market also rose thanks largely to the strong growth of the Hispanic population. The television -networks, cable, spots, Hispanic networks and Hispanic cable- sector continues to dominate the media in ad spending, pulling in US$ 33.8 billion in overall billings in the first half, 6% more than the same 2009 period. Of interest in the Hispanic market, cable TV in Spanish saw 1.3% less advertising while the rest grew 12.9%. Ad spending on network TV grew 8.5% while Hispanic networks saw their numbers rise 24.2%.

After several weeks of delay, Argentina’s Telefe International announced the appointment of Fernando Varela as director of international business, with responsibility over content sales, formats and international production. This is a strategic division for Telefe, a leading broadcaster in Argentina. Michelle Wasserman and her team will report directly to Varela. A lawyer, Fernando Varela graduated from the University of Buenos Aires. He completed post-graduate studies in commercial law at Argentina’s Notarial University and earned a PhD in Argentina’s Catholic University.

The executive has over nine years of experience with Telefe International and in negotiating industry agreements.

He will spearhead an effort to develop new businesses and increase content penetration, both on traditional channels and new platforms.

Hispanic Market LeadS Ad Spending

Fernando Varela Named Telefe’s Head of International Business

NEWS

‘Grachi’: Nickelodeon Latin America Begins Fourth Telenovela Nickelodeon Latin America announced it has started filming ‘Grachi’, its fourth original telenovela. ‘Grachi’ will be entirely shot in Miami and is made up of 75 one-hour episodes filmed indoors. The project will be produced in Spanish and adapted into Portuguese for Nickelodeon Brazil. It will premiere on Nickelodeon Latin America in the second quarter of 2011 and will be distributed by Comarex in the US, Latin America and Europe. Written by Venezuelan screenwriter Mariela Romero, whose credits include ‘La Mujer de la Vida’, ‘La Hija del Jardinero’ and Nickelodeon telenovela ‘Isa TKM’, ‘Grachi’ is a story where fantasy meets reality to create a wonderfully magic escape for children. The series will use the latest high-definition technology for its production.

URUGUAY THE COUNTRY Goes for the Japanese-Brazilian DTT Standard

to start structuring its DTT history. Mujica said the decision was based on “Uruguay’s integrationist will, both with the region and Mercosur.”Uruguay’s revision of its DVB-T choice and its official decision for the ISDB-T standard were announced at a press conference at the country’s government headquarters. Industry Minister Roberto Kreimerman said Uruguayans will start receiving digital television signals by the end of this year and early 2012, scheduling its analog blackout for 2014-2015.

Colombia is alone in South America. The coffee country could have buried its ill-born agreement with the European Union but wasted the opportunity. The same cannot be said of Uruguay. After flings with the DVB-T standard, Uruguayan President Jose Mujica has decanted on the Japanese-Brazilian standard

BRAZIL

Casablanca Leads in 3D Capacity Brazilian production company Casablanca aired the inauguration of Brazilian President Dilma Rouseff in HD and 3D on January 1. Casablanca used 14 HD mobile units to record the event for national and international broadcasters.

What’s more, it used nine 3D cameras to capture unique 3D scenes for a special program showing Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva as he ended his eightyear reign as president.

Casablanca executives Arlette and Pedro Siaretta attended the event with representatives from all over the world.

VENEZUELA

GOVERNMENT Takes Globovisión Shares The Venezuelan government took more than a fifth of the shares of Globovisión, a news channel known for opposing President Hugo Chávez. The operation came after the liquidation of Sindicato Ávila, a company that owns 20% of Globovisión’s shares. Venezuelans are questioning whether the 20% holding will allow the government to intervene in the channel’s editorial line. That’s unlikely. But it could grant the government a place at shareholder meetings. Guillermo Zuloaga and Nelson Mezerhane, Globovisión’s two main investors, are exiled in the US. Chavez recently accused Zuloaga of “conspiracy to murder.” Sindicato Ávila, which is in liquidation process, is linked to Mezerhane’s Banco Federal where the Corpomedios shares taken by the government are kept. “Sindicato Ávila CA owns only 20% of Corpomedios shares, a number of shares that does not entitle holders to appoint members to the company’s board of directors or interfere with the management in any way,” the channel stated on its website. “Decisions at Corpomedios shareholder meetings, including the appointment of members to the board, are taken by an affirmative vote of 65% of the capital stock.”

Hit TV Series to Go Off the Air A number of TV series were taken off the air in 2010. The US adaptation of ‘Ugly Betty’ went off the air in its fourth season with audience levels at under half the 11 million viewers from its start. ‘Lost’ had a finale that left millions of fans discontent with how it ended. ‘24’ also finished after nine years of depicting nine days in the life of anti-terrorist agent Jack Bauer.

The curtain also fell on ‘Flashforward’, once presumed to be the successor of ‘Lost’ but only able to hold out for a season. ‘Dollhouse’ went into early retirement after failing to survive the two-year mark, the same fate of ‘Heroes’ in its fourth season. That’s far less than the 20 years of ‘Law and Order’. Other series to last a bit longer before ending were ‘The Cleaner’, ‘Cold Case’ (seven years) and ‘Numbers’ (six seasons).

Televisa and Univision Sign Extended Agreement for US, Mexico Televisa has signed an agreement to distribute its content on all Univision platforms and will hold broadcast rights for Univision content in Mexico.

Televisa’s US$1.2 billion investment gives the Mexican group control over the US company. This control will be secured with the appointment of three directors for Univision’s administrative council, which will now hold twenty members.

Most of Univision’s debt -valued at US$10.4 billion- has been refinanced, opening the way for Televisa to pay some of the US company’s bonds to extend its PLA (programming license agreement).

This gives Univision the exclusive right to broadcast Televisa content on TV and digital platforms within the US. Apart from the PLA in the US, both groups approved a programming license for Mexico, where Televisa will broadcast content produced by Univision.

PERU

DTT Two Years Early Digital TV investments came so early in Peru that timetables in Lima and Callao have been sped up. The Minister of Transport and Communications, Enrique Cornejo, said eight more channels will broadcast using the new standard over the next two years, with three awarded at public auction.

Coverage in the capital is due to reach up to 13 channels and the signal is to be ready in Lima and Callao before 2014, following the original schedule.

Cornejo said “wiring” could be defined in the upcoming months for the cities of Arequipa, Cuzco, Trujillo, Piura, Chiclayo and Huancayo, which spread across the Andean region. Digital transmission in these areas is scheduled for 2016 but “investments may come before then as it happened in Lima and Callao,” the official said.

ARGENTINA Ad Spending Rose 38% The Argentine Chamber of Media Agencies said ad spending rose 38% in 2010 compared with the previous year, with the strongest results coming in the middle of the year. The weakest period was the fourth quarter, which grew 32%, or six percentage points below the annual average. The most dynamic sector was the Internet, which rose 49% compared with 2009. This was followed by newspapers (+44%), broadcast TV (+41%) and magazines (+37%). The film industry (+30%), pay TV and radio (+27%) also grew while street advertising rose by only 10%, a rate less than the 25% inflation based on private estimates. The main advertising bets for the year were made during South Africa’s World Cup -with Argentina’s natural participation- and during the country’s bicentennial celebrations. In 2011, a presidential election and the America’s Cup, which will be played in Argentina, are expected to trigger ad spending.

CHILE Turner Broadcasting System Wraps Up Chilevisión Acquisition Chile’s Antitrust Division has approved Turner Broadcasting System’s acquisition of Chilevisión, the country’s most profitable TV broadcaster and a ratings and viewership leader. Turner Broadcasting System Latin America, a TBS Inc. subsidiary, will operate the broadcaster under the management of president Juan Carlos Urdaneta. He will oversee the broadcaster’s existing management. With the deal, Turner’s portfolio in Latin America now includes one TV broadcaster, 15 of its own pay TV channels, seven represented signals and one joint-venture.

“We are pleased to have completed the acquisition and we are very proud to have Chilevisión as part of our portfolio,” said Louise Sams, the president of Turner Broadcasting System International. “Growth of our international markets is a priority for Turner Broadcasting System and Time Warner.

Acquiring Chilevisión reflects this strategy and our commitment to continue expanding in key markets around the world.” Chilevisión joins Turner’s pay TV channels in Chile: CNN Chile (a joint-venture with VTR), TNT, TCM, Space, I.Sat, truTV, MuchMusic, Infinito, HTV, Fashion TV, Cartoon Network, Boomerang, Tooncast, CNN International and CNN en Español.

COLOMBIA CNTV OKs US$20 Million DTT Plan Colombia’s National Television Committee (CNTV) has approved about US$20 million in investments for the set-up of 14 stations for a Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) public broadcasting network. The decision by the CNTV board of directors was made at the XVI Meeting of the Permanent Consultative Committee II on Broadcasting of the Organization of American States (OAS) in Bogotá, where Latin American authorities discussed digital TV standards. The network will reach about 50% of Colombia’s population. CNTV said the European standard (DVB-T) was chosen based on its cost-free status and the possibility of allowing TV broadcasters to air the same content on analog TV for no additional charge. Digital TV can be offered with fixed and mobile telephone services. At the meeting, speakers discussed DTT implementation strategies. Mexico’s analog blackout will come December 15, 2015. The country will only broadcast in the US standard (ATSC A/53). Argentina chose to adopt the Argentine DTT system (SATVD-T) based on the Japanese standard and the transition should take place in 10 years. Brazil also adapted the Japanese standard to improve its mobility and portability, high-definition signals and its potential use of single frequency networks. Other discussions were on the importance of developing information and education strategies for Latin American consumers, especially on the use and installation of decoders.

TTV MAGAZINE 9

NEWS

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

A Definite Date for Digital Transition September 24th, 2015 is the date set by the Dominican Telecommunications Institute (Indotel - Instituto Dominicano de las Telecomunicaciones) to make the final transition from analog to digital television. To date, 15 countries in the region have fully migrated to the digital television standard. The Dominican Republic is part of a bulk of countries in the process of deploying a digital television system, a hot topic since the US announced their own transition date in 2005. At that time, the Federal Communications Commission decided that by February 17th, 2009 analog broadcasts must cease. Despite the forecasts, the switch-off did not come into full effect until June 12th, 2009. After a series of workshops, demonstrations, lectures and tests on Channel 4 (CERTV), Indotel announced that they have finally reached a consensus on the standard to be used for Dominican digital television: ATSC (Advanced Television Systems Committee).

The Caribbean country is characterized by a technological tradition and local understanding of the standards used in the US, which are preferred by the local industry, as set forth by the Decree 407-10 containing the decision.

30% of the World Population has Internet Access The International Telecommunications Union unveiled in December that 30% of the global population had Internet access in 2010. Europe led with 65% of its population with access, while the Americas (South America, the Caribbean and North America) had 55%. The Asia Pacific trailed with 22% and Africa with barely 10%. This puts the global average at 30%.

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MEXICO Telenovelas in 2010: Between Grief and Glory Rising violence and an economic crisis led Mexican citizens to withdraw into their homes and seek entertainment on the television. Ratings rose in 2010, a year marked by an ample offering of telenovelas on TV Azteca. Some wallowed while others like the multi-awarded ‘Behind Every Woman’ shined and became global phenomena on social networks. Televisa went with adaptations of foreign fare like ‘Without Breasts There Is No Paradise’, ‘White’s Widow’ and ‘The Clone’ in prime time. National productions did well such as ‘For Love or Money’, ‘A New Beginning’ and ‘Fill Me With Love’. Telenovelas also reached pay TV this year. Nickelodeon, Unicable and MTV welcomed ‘Dream With Me’, ‘Don Pedro: Story of a Drug Lord’ and ‘Niñas Mal’ as exclusive products, increasing their audience and commercial impact. ‘Quiéreme Tonto’, ‘Taking Lives’ and ‘Between Love and Desire’ were Azteca Novelas’ poorest performers in 2010. ‘Marriage Diaries’ and ‘Missing’ –an adaptation of the Chilean original for the US Hispanic market- were the hottest productions in a year that according to some critics wasn’t particularly special for Mexico’s telenovela industry.

Chile Times of DTT: Network Outsourcing to Cut Costs Chile’s TV industry would have to pay up to US$120 million to convert its transmission systems if every channel did so separately. Faced with this, TV broadcasters are considering network outsourcing as a way to cut digital broadcasting costs. Two companies are thought keen to build infrastructure and operate the digital TV network: Abertis and American Tower. Abertis openly expressed its desire to operate as neutral supplier to distribute TV signals based on its experience in Spain, where it has been a public TV network supplier for 10 years. American Tower already has a subsidiary set up in Chile called ATC Sitios Chile. It entered the business as a neutral infrastructure operator in 2010 with the purchase of Telefónica’s microwave antennae. Broadcasters have included the amounts allocated to implementing the new technology in their budgets, with an estimated US$60 million expected to be invested in transmission systems (antennae and equipment). Technicians from each broadcaster estimate that if a common network isn’t used, costs could increase by 50%.

SPAIN Advertising Market Shows Signs of Stability Investment in media advertising in Spain fell only 0.01% in 2010 compared with the previous year, a sign of a recovery, according to a study by the Zenthinela advertisers panel. This small decline comes after spending fell a year-on-year 11% and 20.9% in 2008 and 2009, respectively.

The main reason behind the recovery is an increase in ad spending on digital media and television channels, the study found. Even so, the study highlights that this “apparent stability masks significant internal changes,” since the new platforms would reportedly have absorbed the investment traditionally dominated by the TVE network. The study forecasts 0.4% growth in 2011. The Internet will be the leader, with 12% average growth, mainly in search engines and sponsored links. Broadcast television will record average growth of 2%, while broadcast thematic channels will grow 10%. If the trend continues, the Internet could become this year’s second-biggest communication media in terms of ad investment, 10 million euros above newspapers. This forecast recently became a reality in the US.

LEADERS - HSM SPECIALS

Bob Jeffrey, Chairman and CEO of J. Walter Thompson (JWT)

A Creative

Eminence

J. Walter Thompson (JWT), founded in 1860, is the oldest advertising agency in the US. Despite taking time to break into the Internet era, it has positioned itself at the top of the world’s advertising industry. Every great company needs a great leader and Bob Jeffrey is a a persistent agency director with vast experience in the fascinating world of creativity. As J. Walter Thompson’s chairman and CEO, he has achieved what many others only dream about. In the following story find out more about this pope of the advertising world, his history, his role as a leader and the rise of emerging media. (*) ttv special

“Actively, and aggressively at the same time, I have to recruit and retain the best possible talent and, if we are lucky, we get people that can work as magnets to develop other people’s talents.”

D * This article arises from an interview included in ManagemenTV’s HSM Specials series, provided to ttv.

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uring his time at J. Walter Thompson, Bob Jeffrey has been forced to understand the reasons why people and the world around them are constantly changing.

JWT and its leadership have been determined by changes in technology and the growth and development of emerging markets. “It’s about understanding the network’s multiculturalism

JWT chairman & CEO Bob Jeffrey with Fernando Vega-Olmos, creative chairman for Latin America and Continental Europe and global creative advisor chairman at JWT, in a seminar held by the agency during the Cannes Adversiting Festival.

and realizing that there are different events happening at different places across the world.

We were ahead of our competition when we pointed out, for example, the importance of

the market potential of BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) in terms of investment, talent and resources,” Jeffrey says. It is not just a matter of understanding the market and upcoming trends. Jeffrey believes the search for talent is one of his most important jobs.

“Talent is way more than rationally complying with your job’s requirements. We search for people not only for their intellectual skills, or people cut-off by a mold; we look for people who may have something different to give.

Actively, and aggressively at the same time, I have to recruit and retain the best possible talent and, if we are lucky, we get people that can work as magnets to develop other people’s talents,” the executive says.

SOCIAL NETWORKS AND THE FORD CASE. In the same way that TV one day displaced other traditional media, the Internet’s growth and adoption, combined with fast-developing emerging technologies, has built up more roads to connecting people. This is JWT’s role in this new digital game, which starts with the social networking phenomenon. “Social media are essential for us. We have clients with whom we interact on Twitter, Facebook or blogs, among other platforms. An example of this is the program we developed for Ford, fordbolmoves. com, that we called ‘brand journalism’. We went to the Ford Motor Company plant in Detroit and we filmed real meetings held among the company’s executives to record the effort the company was making to overcome the difficult times they were going through. Deliberately, we used it as a tool to deal with the constant negative blogging against Ford. This was our biggest experiment on social networking innovation and it ended up setting a standard on how to spread out across social media,” Jeffrey says.

STRONG IS WEAK. “About the company’s strength, the most important thing is that we have been in the business for a long time.

We are no beginners. As for the recession we went through -and that is still here- we like to say it is not the time for evaluations yet. This is one of the phrases we use in our advertising because we’ve been through this before and I have great confidence -based on our experience and on our corporative expertise- that we have the intellectual skills and emotional courage to guide our clients through nasty waters. When I say ‘emotional courage’ I mean the ability to tell the client what he or she does not want to hear. I tell clients what they need and not necessarily what they want to hear and these two do not always coincide,” the executive says.

SUCCESSFUL CAMPAIGNS. HSBC: “THE WORLD’S LOCAL BANK”. Jeffrey explains that one of JWT’s most successful campaigns during the last recession was for one of the most prestigious companies

in the financial industry worldwide. “HSBC is a major brand, which we are proud of. We currently have follow-up data from external research companies that rank it as the most popular, beloved and respected brand in the financial sector and I think that is a significant achievement when one considers the dark skies under which the industry was over the last months. We made our position of the idea behind HSBC advertised as: ‘The world’s local bank’. This makes it very important for most consumers around the world. But it is not only a matter of marketing and communication but also of our customer’s business strategy, which always go hand in hand,” Jeffrey says.

A CAMPAIGN WITH MULTIPLE FRONTS. Traditional formats have been reinforced by innovative advertising media. Today, the interactive world coexists with traditional media such as print and television. “The best way to explain to a consumer the way to think a campaign is making him or her think of his or her own life. Think about how you start your day, what you do during the day and how your day ends and think of all possible contact points you had with media messages during one day. We try to be anthropological, seeking to understand how our target client spends his or her time and which are the best points of contact to interact with him or her in order to encourage his or her participation and engagement. We are then responsible for generating a great idea that could be executed throughout these various channels,” the executive says.

IDEAS ABOUT CHANGE. “I have always embraced technology, mostly because in the course of my career I have worked with many clients from the technology sector and the only thing I am sure of is that technology will continue moving forwards and innovating.

Products are radically changing people’s lifestyles and well-being around the world.

So I’m on the optimistic side of technology because a lot has to do with how we use it. I think what frightens technology naysayers is the fact that there is too much accessibility, in the sense that we can be connected 24-hours a day, all week, through messages, emails, etc., but everything comes down to our own limits and self-control. It is not technology’s fault,” Bob Jeffrey concludes. ttv

“We have the intellectual skills and emotional courage to guide our clients through nasty waters. When I say ‘emotional courage’ I mean the ability to tell the client what he or she does not want to hear. I tell clients what they need and not necessarily what they want to hear and these two do not always coincide.”

“The best way to explain to a consumer the way to think a campaign is making him or her think of his or her own life (…). We try to be anthropological, seeking to understand how our target client spends his or her time and which are the best points of contact to interact with him or her in order to encourage his or her participation and engagement.”

TTV MAGAZINE 13

SPECIAL REPORT

Producti In Spain Original

> By Rodrigo Ros The Spanish market stands out as one of the most complex in Europe. It is made up of about 1,200 operating networks, including local, regional, subscription and broadcast TV, and this proves to be highly asymmetric from both a technical and economic point of view. Production is not indifferent to this state of affairs. The following report reviews the historical context and reproduces comments from some of its key players.

The Boat 13 x 70 Producer: Globomedia

on T

he Spanish television system was marked from the beginning (1989, when it was first opened to private competition) by a profound economic imbalance. Today, with a turnover exceeding 700 million euros -four times the profits recorded by the Spanish film production industry, according to a DBK study on the film and television sectorthe 200 production companies operating in the Spanish market are forced to face a number of challenges within a landscape shaped by the coming digital era, law reforms and the set up of strategic alliances.

networks were willing to invest in local production. They outsourced production and sought innovation, and encouraged creative teams to become more and more professional.

Since the late 90s, original production has gained, backed by new advertising media and a competitive environment in which

Twenty years later, production is now facing the challenges and opportunities posed by today’s industry.

A pioneer series was ‘Farmacia de Guardia,’ which was launched in September 1991 as the first original production by broadcast network Antena 3. For two years, it topped the rating charts.

Then in 1995 two big hits came: ‘Médico de Familia’ (produced by Globomedia for Telecinco) and ‘Hostal Royal Manzanares’, (for TVE).

This formula represented for the networks a way to control risk without excessively increasing production investment.

SPECIAL REPORT

Alfonso Mardondes, operations director at Grupo Globomedia, has seen changes in the industry. The producer of ‘The Red Eagle’, a hit show last year, says that “over recent years Spain has become a fiercely competitive market, where there’s a consolidated independent production sector and an emerging digital landscape that is taking its first steps. These times of change and new possibilities are highly attractive for new content.”

Communication on March 31, and later entered into effect on May 1, 2010.

MERGERS. The influence of original production is huge, and its main source of stability is the growing business of the four largest groups in the industry: Globomedia (now part of Imagina), Prisa TV (formerly Sogecable), Grupo Mediapro and Vocento (which also owns large production companies like Europroducciones, BocaBoca and Videomedia). This concentration by the largest groups puts them in position to face an increasingly segmented market by forming alliances, joint ventures, holdings, etc.

“Let’s say this is a very interesting phase to experiment with different kinds of media, products, production methods, budgets, etc. It is to think things over. There has been a significant decline in generalist’s audience numbers in favor of smaller channels, forcing us to think twice about how we want to reach our audience,” says Pepa SánchezBiezma, head of miniseries at Telecinco.

A highlight of 2010 was the merger between Tele 5 and Cuatro, two of the largest networks and media groups in the country. The merger took place with the approval of the General Act on Audiovisual

This law for the first time made it possible for mergers between operators, pay DTT development and TV advertisers. Significant and identifiable changes started taking shape within the production sector in a year marked by a tour de force in solving different problems.

Modesto Rubio, general director at Plural Entertainment, points out that in Spain traditional TV channels are still the intermediaries of production companies. But the DTT implementation has made it so they all have new channels for more specific targets. “Our production companies also create and offer products for these new windows. Our projects today are not limited to broadcast television, but they are products with a digital dimension, ready to have an identity on the Web. This is a key feature today, especially if the product is aimed at young people,” he says.

While audience ratings by network is at its lowest average in the history of Spanish television -TVE 1 stands as the most-watched TV channel with just 16% market share during past 2010-, the time spent watching TV reached its highest record, 234 minutes per day per person. That’s eight minutes above the 2009 record, and seven above 2008’s, which had been the year with highest TV consumption in the country.

ORIGINAL PRODUCTION. Another key aspect of 2010 has to do with a recovery in ad spending, bringing a sigh of relief to those who for two consecutive years had worriedly watched as major networks gradually cut production budgets. This had led into a new business model, which implied using low-cost content to meet the digital era’s needs without ignoring budget cuts by major networks.

Then in 2010, ad spending recovered to an estimated 2.4 billion euros, up about 2% from 2009. Still, the number is 30% below the Spanish record of 2007 when ad spending hit 3.5 billion euros.

As Javier López Gómez, audience analysis manager at Barlovento Comunicación, says, content production in Spain is facing a major challenge due to the market’s transformation. A growing number of channels and screens opens up many opportunities and many windows for broadcasting content. However, a recession in the advertising sector and a fragmented television market poses many questions to the industry. The first and most important is how to adjust costs. Maybe large productions have no place in this new competitive scenario, where is hard to make them profitable. Now more than ever, talent, inventiveness and creativity will be the best ways toward financial return.”

ECONOMIC RECOVERY AND NEW CHALLENGES. Networks distribute their income earned over 2010 differently depending on their own programming and original production strategies. This made it a year full of entertainment, fiction and information, in that order.

The Red Eagle / 39 x 70’ / Producer: Globomedia

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“Fiction has taken a leading role within the Spanish market through historical miniseries and TV movies. One of the reasons that has contributed to this growth, apart from good audience results, is that recently passed Audiovisual Act allows a percentage of the mandatory film investment going to TV movies. In Spain, the entertainment genre

SPECIAL REPORT

La Pecera de Eva / Producer: Isla Producciones / Channel: Telecinco

follows the same path as the global market, where adaptations of world hit formats stand out among the rest,” says Modesto Rubio.

Indeed, entertainment formats are successful with the Spanish audience. Production companies such as Gestevisión, Endemol, Zeppelin, FremantleMedia España (former Grundy Producciones) and Globomedia have managed to score high audience results, and have managed to stop and even to reverse the trend of audiences switching to other platforms.

As for fiction, it is one of the fastest growing genres. The market went from 1,785 estimated hours of fiction in 1998 to 2,345 hours in 2008, according to a study by Spanish researcher Enrique Bustamante.

POSITIONING. The overall ranking of Spain’s leading groups is made up of several variables, including production projects, investment in new media and content, alliances and each group’s strategy to reposition within the market.

According to a recent study by Barlovento Comunicaciones, the business leader is once more RTVE Corporation, which grew 1.5 percentage points compared with 2009, and controls almost one quarter of the market (24.1%). Then comes Gestevisión, controlling 17.7% of the market (accounting for 1.5% growth). Media group Antena 3 comes in third after launching its latest channel, Nitro, with 15.8% market share. Sogecable is number four with 7.8%., and La Sexta number five with 6.8% after founding two new broadcast networks in the past few months. Vocento’s overall assets account for 3.4% market share and 1.0% Unidad Editorial.

One of the sectors to gain the most in this new context has been pay television, which in 2010 gained a fifth of the global market (20.2%), adding Ono’s 5.6%, 4.7% controlled by The Digital + and 9.9% divided among the remaining cable operators.

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The rise of pay channels in the global market also supports a growing trend of new local content produced by a group of channels that until now would import formulas that worked outside Spain.

This is the case of Antena 3, for example, that after earning an average of 3,349,000 viewers and 18.1% of the audience share with its first season -20.3% of the audience and 3.6 million followers recorded on its final episode, the highest in the season-, enhanced its upcoming season with the premiere of ‘Los Protegidos’ in 3D. The series is produced by another prominent company, Ida y Vuelta.

It is interesting to note that the announcement is made as part of the network’s consolidation across platforms. As early as March 2007, Antena 3 launched its own channel on YouTube, and is one of the first channels to preview its series on the Web (‘Los Hombres de Paco’), and is also Spain’s first TV station to broadcast its programming live on 3G. This forced other networks to seek a position in different niches within those platforms aimed at the general public.

In connection with this, Pepa Sánchez-Biezma says about the company’s digital terrestrial network: “La 7 enables us to target a smaller audience, a young niche audience. We can try things that would imply investment risks that Telecinco cannot afford, while risk control in productions for networks like La 7 is quite high. On the other hand, this allows us to give the opportunity to talented new producers, new ideas, always keeping the same criteria.”

This was, for example, the case with ‘La Pecera de Eva’, which was exclusively produced for La 7, and also of ‘Sexo en Chueca’, originally a Web content that ended up airing on La 7.

The Spanish market is going through a stage of maturity, and although the recent financial crisis may have partially affected its ability to react to new trends, a speedy recovery is expected. ttv

EXECUTIVES

Sam Nicholson, CEO and Founder, Stargate Studios

Making

Hollywood

Cost Effective It took Stargate Studios ten years to develop its Virtual Backlot system, but now they are ahead of the game. Its CEO explains to ttv why this creation has revolutionized production costs for the majors to the point that it has allowed shows like ‘24’ and ‘Ugly Betty’ to never shoot on location.

By Sebastián Torterola “We have a library of locations: New York, Los Angeles, Rome, the Vatican, Hong Kong… wherever.”

“Through this agreement with Chilefilms, we are networking Latin America into the global scoop.”

Y

our dream of being a Hollywood director has come true. You have a million-dollar budget to create the next global box-office hit. You come up with the fantastic idea of a story completely shot in Polynesia or Istanbul.

And there goes half your budget and your producers. But traveling to Oceania or the Mediterranean is no longer the only option.

You can pick up the phone and call Sam Nicholson, the CEO of Stargate Studios. He will go to his Virtual Backlot Library and pick out a dozen locations for you. You just need to bring the green screen.

20 TTV MAGAZINE

“It allows us to shoot principal photography and actors in a particular place but be anywhere in the world we want to be. Truly, is a very creative green-screen processing.

We have a library of locations: New York, Los Angeles, Rome, the Vatican, Hong Kong… wherever,” says Nicholson. That’s how the system works. Your writers can write a scene in Times Square, New York, and you never have to go there. Or you can write a scene set on the freezing top of the Andes and your actors can be on a warm stage. “We’ve been developing this system for 10 years. It’s taken a long time, as we had to go to all the different

locations and shoot. When people are doing Christmas stories and they want snow in New York? What do you do if you are in July and you are trying to make a picture? You have to think ahead, and it takes many years to develop a location base library.”

between US studios and national service suppliers.” Chilefilms will become part of the digital image processing network, opening up the opportunity for the group’s subsidiaries to process images and special effects for projects from around the globe.

Nicholson works on multiple television series, commercials and feature films, having overseen the visual effects for popular series like ‘Heroes’, ‘24’, ‘Grey’s Anatomy’, ‘CSI: New York’, ‘Ugly Betty’, ‘E.R’, ‘The Event’ and ‘The Walking Dead’. With a 30-year career as a cinematographer, his motion picture credits include ‘Ghostbusters II’, ‘Highlander II’, ‘40 Days and 40 Nights’, as well as two Emmy Awards for best Visual Effects for TNT’s ‘Battleground’ and NBC’s ‘Heroes’.

“We are working out the details of how to develop digital imaging facilities in the five primary countries of Latin America in entertainment: Chile first, and then Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and Colombia. Our target is to have the facilities installed by mid-2011, so we have a very aggressive schedule to build a network of digital facilities and artists together. These are primarily postproduction facilities, but the difference is that we have a global network of artists, which we have already established. Now, through this agreement with Chilefilms, we are networking Latin America into the global scoop.”

Stargate Studios has 125 professionals and offices in Los Angeles, Toronto, Vancouver and India. A couple of years ago the company started developing its Visual Operating System (VOS), another of the company’s inventions.

“It’s a dedicated high-speed network which allows artists to be linked on an immediate basis to shots and jobs, whenever those jobs may be. So, artists in Santiago de Chile can participate on a daily basis with television shows in Los Angeles or New York. We can refocus our talent to participate, so that you can have ten different artists in ten different countries participating on the same shot. It is delivered each day whenever you want it to be delivered”, Nicholson says.

This way, the VOS allows Stargate to incorporate invaluable resources to its library of iconic locations, which features hundreds of photo-real, virtual environments from most major cities around the world. Likewise, the system adds strategic partners to Stargate’s increasing global network, which already has alliances in Mumbai, Malta, and more recently -a real hit for the Latin American region- in Chile, with local mega-producer Chilefilms.

Singapore and Berlin follow. “We are doing projects with partners in both places. We’ve found that if you are working on a project of film or a TV series it’s a lot easier to create the relationship and prove that it works. It’s not just building it and hoping that they will come, it’s actually saying, ‘We have a real project we have to do together’, and that instigates a much different and much more realistic business approach”, he says.

CHILE: SOUTHERN PRODUCTION HUB. Last December, Nicholson found the Latin American partner Stargate was lacking: Grupo Chilefilms, a major Chilean production company with facilities in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Mexico. It is sure to serve Stargate’s global purposes. As Chile’s Minister of Culture Luciano Cruz-Coke said, the agreement opens up an opportunity “to generate a feasible change in the relationship

This isn’t a random agreement for Stargate.

Chilefilms brings ready-to-use facilities to the venture, while Stargate brings technology and know-how. As for talent, it can come from anywhere within the VOS’s reach. “We will also build custom hardware and software to be shipped to each country and installed very quickly. Because of the way we do things, a facility can be up and operating within about 48 hours after the equipment arrives,” he says.

However, Nicholson is quick to note that Stargate is not looking at Chile as purely an outsource for American work. “We are looking for American artists to contribute to local Chilean television as well, so that we can increase the quality of their local work by employing expertise that they wouldn’t have access to. And, at the same time, we can lower the cost of our work here in the US, by training local labor in Chile. I think we’ve found an excellent source of new exciting, enthusiasm and talent in Chile,” he says.

The alliance will allow Chilefilms to participate in all of the current Stargate projects, including hits such as ‘The Walking Dead’,

‘Grey’s Anatomy’, ‘Private Practice’, ‘Trauma’ and ‘The Event.’ More are on the way. “We are very involved with some larger projects coming out of HBO and TNT. So, I would see our artistic group across Latin America participating in all of our jobs, because of our high speed network and the capabilities of VOS allow artists to contribute daily, so that really the distance between us is no longer a problem.”

INTERCONNECTED MODEL. The executive pointed out the strengths of Latin American production: “We visited TVN de Chile and their facilities are excellent. They develop different type of product -probably less scripted dramatic material- and obviously the region has an enormous business in telenovelas and a much more aggressive cost model in terms of your production”. The quality of Latin production is on par with the quality of American product, so “there is no reason why it shouldn’t be broadcast in the US”, particularly on cable. “It’s inevitable that Latin American product will find its way heavily in the American market, and this is an effort to bring quality without the associated cost factors,” he says.

Stargate Studios’ experience is proof that production models have changed and will continue to change. Any digital product can be moved electronically around the world in a matter of seconds. Global relationships are crucial to be competitive in the future and protectionism doesn’t work. This is the vision of an experienced cinematographer. “You can no longer ignore the fact that there are competing markets with fabulous talent, and each place has its own unique capabilities. I was shooting in Patagonia and I’ve never seen anything like that. Probably about 99% of the people in the US don’t even know that it exists, and less actors get there. So if we can’t get actors to go to the locations, then we will bring the locations to the actors. We are no longer trying to grow bigger in the United States; we are trying to achieve the dynamics of size and economics and creative power through a global network as opposed to a local network.” ttv

TTV MAGAZINE 21

ASIA TV FORUM 2010

8 - 10 – December, Suntec Singapore, Singapore The 11th edition of the Asia TV Forum (ATF) was held on December 8-10 in Singapore and exceeded expectations. The main Asian market gathered 2,600 attendees and 85 companies from 53 countries, 15% more than the previous year. With a strong emphasis on licensing and 3D technology, attendees closed deals worth 68% more than in its 2009 edition. Singapore’s Minister of Information, Communications and Arts, Lui Tuck Yew, gave the keynote speech and announced several initiatives that placed Singapore at the head of digital development in the Asian industry.

The organization has already announced that the next ATF will be held between November 30 and December 2, 2011 with 70% of stands already pre-booked.

_/02

_/01

_/04 01. The ATF 2010 show floor.

02. Michelle Lim (Reed Exhibitions) speaking at the opening ceremony.

03. A common sight at ATF 2010 - buyers and sellers in engaging conversations.

04. Lucas Chow (MediaCorp) giving Lui Tuck Yew (Minister for Information Communication and the Arts of Singapore) a preview of Mediapolis@one-north.

_/05

_/03

_/06

05. “Drawn to New Media” conference session: Melody Uy (Asia Image) and Jyotimoy Saha (August Media Holdings).

06. Delegates viewing 3D content at the KOCCA pavilion.

07. Maria Magsaysay Corpus (Click! Licensing Asia) speaking at the Licensing Panel.

Pictures provided by Reed Exhibitions.

_/07

THE FESTIVAL OF MEDIA LATAM 2010 24 - 26 – October, Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Key Biscayne – Miami

The first Latin American festival celebrating media creativity and innovation was held on October 24-26 at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Miami’s Key Biscayne: the Festival of Media LATAM 2010. It featured prominent speakers such as former Mexican President (2000-2006) Vicente Fox, Twitter cofounder Biz Stone, Google general regional director Alexandre Hohagen and OMD world CEO Mainardo de Nardis, among others.

_/01

_/02

_/03 _/07 01. Vicente Fox Quesada (Mexico’s ex President, VP of Coca-Cola Latin America).

_/04

02. Beth Uyenco (Microsoft Advertising).

03. Beth Rockwood (Discovery Channel).

04. Gary McBride (LAMAC).

05. Enor Paiano (UOL).

06. Biz Stone (Twitter).

07. Charlie Crowe (C Squared), Alberto Padilla (CNN) and Biz Stone (Twitter).

Pictures provided

by The Festival of Media LatAm 2010.

_/05

_/06

EXECUTIVES

R

ecord TV Network had a year to remember in sales last year, with productions airing on four continents. “Our programs have won over several markets. Both the Latin American and the European markets have proved to be receptive to Record products, while we also continue to expand in the Asian market,” says Delmar Andrade, international sales director at Record TV Network.

When evaluating the channel’s performance during 2010, the executive highlights its growth in its home market. This growth had a positive impact on its distribution division’s supply for the worldwide market. “We’re Brazil’s broadcaster with the highest growth rate -117% over recent years- and we are always innovating in entertainment. No doubt about it, our latest productions have been responsible for much of that growth,” he says.

One big success in Brazil was the telenovela ‘River of Intrigues’, which earned about 25% market share. Another was ‘Esther, the Queen.’

The telenovela was the company’s flagship production in 2010. “It became a total hit in Brazil and was the first to receive the Chamber of Rio de Janeiro award, acknowledging the work of the telenovela’s director and author, as well as the company’s TV drama director,” he says.

MORE BIBLICAL VERSIONS. The ‘Samson and Delilah’ miniseries will be Record TV’s latest series with a Biblical theme, a bet that is proving successful locally and internationally. “‘Samson and Delilah’ is scheduled to premiere

Esther, the Queen 10 x 60’ Genre: Series

in January and its 16 episodes are being entirely produced in high definition. It is already considered a mega-production in Brazil given the careful work carried out by Record to produce every scene and take great care of every detail, with a planning strategy and an excellent cast selection,” Andrade says. In fact, the company gave priority to production details such as historic time contextualization, which is reflected in the sets and costumes that transport the viewer to when the story takes place: 1100 B.C. “The cast spent weeks attending classes to learn all about the culture of the time the hero lived in,” Andrade says.

Yet the company isn’t neglecting its traditional strength: telenovelas. The genre

Delmar Andrade,

International Sales Director at Record TV Network Brazil’s Record TV Network found huge success with ‘Esther, the Queen’ in 2010.

Now is the turn of ‘Samson and Delilah’ -a mega-production- and ‘Rebelde’ from a new alliance with Mexico’s Televisa that will likely create buzz.

By Sebastián Torterola

24 TTV MAGAZINE

Samson & Delilah 18 x 60’ Genre: Series

is widely expected to remain prominent on the continent’s screens. “Since this is a market that produces high-quality telenovelas, Latin America has a very demanding audience.

To meet this demand, we partnered with Televisa, one of Mexico’s largest production companies, which successfully co-produced ‘Ugly Bela’ and we are currently shooting the Brazilian version of ‘Rebelde’. Like the Mexican version, this product will also form a band that will perform live around the country,” the executive says.

‘Rebelde’ is set to launch during the first half of the year. It is one of Record’s highlights for 2011, completing a broad catalog. “Our novelas, series and documentaries are very appreciated in different countries where Record products are broadcast. Our offer consists of productions released in 2010 such as ‘River of Intrigues’, ‘Esther, the Queen’ and new seasons of the documentaries ‘Salvaje al Extremo’ (Extremely Wild) and ‘50 por 1’ (50 for 1). Also included in our catalog are long-time renowned novelas such as ‘Slave Isaura’, ‘Proof of Love’, ‘Alta Estación’ (High Season) and ‘Luz del Sol’ (Sunlight),” Andrade says. ttv

With an extensive trackrecord as a director, producer and chief executive, the CEO of Eyeworks UK talks about the risks of the business and the company’s healthy operations in Latin America.

By Diego Alegre

Paul Jackson, CEO of Eyeworks UK

P

Cuatro Cabezas] in Buenos Aires, when I had the opportunity to watch his huge hit show ‘CQC’ broadcast live,” Jackson recalls. “That was a special experience.” With business in Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Spain and Italy, the work of Eyeworks/Cuatro Cabezas “is doing really well at the moment and having a relationship with him is another advantage of being part of the Eyeworks Group,” Jackson says.

TRADESHOWS IN 2011. During his stay in the US, Jackson worked as an advisor to NATPE and is a self-declared “long-term fan” of the tradeshow. So much so, that in this year’s edition he was in the keynote speakers’ list with his “Live Here: Think There” presentation. Unlike many voices that consider trade events less effective than they were some years ago, Jackson believes the opportunity to share experiences with other attendees in international tradeshows to be particularly attractive. “If anything, we get more American executives coming through London than we ever did in the past; the same goes for the Australians and markets like NATPE, MIP or DISCOP,” he says. The growth of the sector is increasingly globalized and recent relationships between companies and executives are once again driving the industry after two years of partial paralysis. “There has also been significant growth in the Asian markets like the Asia TV Forum in Singapore.

So, at the end of the day, people still prefer to meet face to face and to keep up personal connections with a wide range of contacts,” Jackson says.

aul Jackson has been the CEO of Eyeworks UK since 2009, overseeing the company’s comedy and format business there. Jackson’s experience dates back to 1971, when he started his career at the BBC. Over the next 11 years, Jackson climbed the corporate ladder. He worked as a director, producer and, finally, as the executive producer of hit shows.

Among his high-responsibility roles, Jackson directed Granada’s entertainment and comedy division in the US and was the CEO of Granada Production in Australia. He also held top-level jobs at companies like Carlton ITV and Channel 4.

just realizing exactly how difficult the markets had become,” he says. At that time, “the obvious challenge, quite frankly, was to stay in business.” With a team led by Ben Compton and with support from the company’s Germany headquarters, “we’ve managed to do that,” Jackson says. At that time, Eyeworks UK worked with 3 Ball to create some of the most important commissions in the British company’s history: ‘Heads of Tails’ and ‘A Year to Save My Life’. “Those guys are awesome,” Jackson says. “I do think things are beginning to turn a corner so the challenge now, hopefully having come through the cold spell, is to cultivate a few spring flowers.”

He has worked on shows that have won BAFTA and Rose d’Or awards. He also produced an Oscar-nominated series. Jackson has been a member of the International Emmy board, the Aspen Comedy Festival, Frappa and the occasions. He was a member of the NATPE council and was president of the Royal Television Society between 1994 and 1996.

Yet after almost 40 years in the industry, Jackson feels his career has just started. “It honestly doesn’t seem nearly that long,” he tells ttv. “Maybe partly because I’ve done so many different jobs. I’ve been a broadcaster and a producer, worked in large corporations and run my own indie, and I’ve lived and worked in Australia, America and, of course, the UK. The time seems to fly past. I’ve been a very lucky boy.”

Eyeworks’ operations turned to Latin American when, some years ago, it acquired Argentine producer Cuatro Cabezas. “I have visited my colleague Diego Guebel [CEO of Eyeworks/

The executive has no doubt that traditional TV will keep leading the way in the industry.

However, the geographic map of the business is really dynamic, and these are times of changes and transition. “I recently paid a visit to China and was fascinated by what’s going on there; it’s a really interesting market. The truth is, I still love television, it’s so much more varied then when I started, and yet there are still those special shows that can unite the viewing public in a unique manor”, he concludes. ttv

Who Wants to Marry My Son? 8 x 60’ / Genre: Reality/Format

The Secret Life of Dancers 8 x 30’ / Genre: Documentary

In late 2009, Jackson assumed the challenge of becoming the CEO of Eyeworks during difficult times for the TV industry. “We were all

TTV MAGAZINE 25

TELENOVELAS

Regionalized

Co-production NIĂ‘AS MAL A MTV Latin America and Sony Pictures Television co-production.

Rebelde A further coproduction by Rede Record and Televisa.

UGLY BELA The first co-production between Rede Record and Televisa.

Co-productions between Latin American producers have boomed in the last couple of years and continue to grow. The US$3.2 billion a year generated by the genre in the world, as well as the need for international expansion while sharing investment, results, success and know-how, give shape to a new level of production and distribution of Latin America’s most popular television genre.

By Diego Alegre 26 TTV MAGAZINE

T

he telenovela is the genre par excellence of Latin America’s television industry. It is the region’s emblematic media product, acting as its presentation card worldwide with its deep-seeded Latin American cultural features. The telenovela’s rich roots go back to aural cultures and radionovelas, entertaining generations before entering the realm of television in 1958. The first Latin American telenovela, ‘Senda Prohibida’ (Forbidden Path), is now 50 years old and was developed and aired in Mexico on Telesistema Mexicano, a company currently linked with Grupo Televisa. Audience preferences prove that the genre has remained relevant and its added value has given it wings, aired by broadcasters around the globe.

Generating around US$3.2 billion in worldwide business a year, the telenovela’s narrative has evolved and adapted to consumer trends.

By incorporating features from different genres -both in its technical development as in the themes and stories told- the telenovela can be divided into several subgenres such as classic, modern or cuttingedge, where current social issues are used to tell a story.

These formal, narrative and aesthetic transformations have constantly readapted and reformulated the telenovela format. These changes also respond to the genre’s own internationalization, following the international market’s logic: consumer trends.

Under this logic and as a natural evolution of the industry, large and experienced Latin American telenovela producers have taken the business to its next level: co-productions. Co-producing between companies in the region is done as part of an international expansion strategy. This search for new markets is done within a business model that shares risks, maximizes potential and know-how, ensures global distribution, increases investment by generating high-quality products and drives brands while generating new businesses.

Co-production projects add value to the genre, reinforcing it by combining experiences, learning and new opportunities which are broadened by the participation of more than one market agent.

Latin American broadcasters and producers also see their operation models benefitted by the lessons learned from integrating businesses to foster the best qualities of each partner company in the project.

The year 2010 has been the one with the most alliances between Latin American companies.

Telemundo and Globo, Televisa and Record, Caracol Televisión and Sony Pictures Television (SPT), MTV Latin America and SPT, RCN Televisión and SPT, Disney Media Networks Latin America and Telemundo Internacional or even Globo and Azteca TV have shown that positive results can be obtained once the right partner and the right project are found.

It is the win-win situation what drives these projects, backed up by production synergies. “Our production quality is impeccable because we’ve combined the best from both companies and the results can be seen on the screen,” Esperanza Garay tells ttv. The SVP of sales and acquisitions for Latin America at Telemundo Internacional refers to the Colombian version of Chile’s ‘Where is Elisa?’ -renamed ‘Missing’in co-production with Disney Media

La Pola A RCN Television and Sony Pictures Television

Networks Latin America (DMNLA) and in charge of Vista Producciones.

The adaptation will be aired by channel RCN Televisión. The company is now working “on other two very ambitious co-production projects,” Garay says and will seek to “enter a younger segment which is very in demand right now in the market.”

The trend grows stronger in the region largely due to the positive results obtained by co-productions until now. The model has several attractive points and “allows us to make expensive products with lower investments for each partner involved,” says Angélica Guerra, international VP of Caracol Internacional. Each company can nurture one another with the knowledge and experience both can share, with “their schemes and production styles, their processes, their times, their standards,” she adds.

One of the region’s most significant initiatives has been the one created by MTV Networks Latin America, US Hispanic and Canada.

After co-producing its first telenovela in the region, ‘Isa TKM’ with SPT in 2008, the company announced in May 2010 that it would begin shooting a second season called ‘Isa TK+’, extending its agreement with SPT. This experience drove both companies to produce ‘Niñas Mal’ (Bad Girls) this year, MTV Latin America’s first telenovela. Commissioned to producer Teleset and with the participation of SPT, the 70-espisode telenovela premiered during the third quarter of 2010. It is now being distributed by SPT for the international market.

Partnerships between Brazilian, Mexican and Colombian companies are the ones garnering the best results so far. These markets seem to complement each other when conceiving products meant for international markets. Indeed, the most-experienced companies in the genre tend to be born from these countries. Colombia is a market that’s positioned as a production hub for fiction worldwide and has an extensive co-production track record. Caracól Televisión co-produced five telenovelas with Telemundo-RTI, generating hits such as ‘Hidden Passion’ and ‘Desert Lovers’. It also had its own experience in Mexico with TV Azteca, co-producing the telenovela ‘Amores Cruzados’ (Crossed Lovers).

“Co-productions are an ideal business model if you can find the right partner (…). The challenge is in achieving not only the right economic numbers but also positive audience results for both partners, thinking about multiple screens,” Guerra from Caracol Televisión tells ttv. The company will now co-produce the telenovela ‘Amar y Temer’ (To Love and To Fear) with SPT. This model -that implies making decisions and approving all aspects pertaining to the final product together- includes broadcasting the telenovela through Caracol Televisión and distributing it internationally with a strategic territory division based on know-how and benefits for each partner.

“The fact that we can create content that’s relevant for local screens and for the international market -with an attractive storyline, a great investment on talent, locations, art and music- benefits the entire market,” Guerra adds.

“The convincing story, excellent cast and the value behind this high-quality production will entertain and attract a wide range of audiences throughout the region,” said Brendan Fitzgerald, SVP of production in Latin America for SPT, when announcing the coproduction.

TTV MAGAZINE 27

TELENOVELAS

SPT has also co-produced the epic telenovela ‘La Pola’ with RCN Televisión this year. Set at the beginning of the 19th century, the 90-episode telenovela was shot in HD and is based on the real life story of Policarpa Salavarrieta, one of Colombia’s most brave patriots during the Nueva Granada revolution against Spain.

“Telenovelas with important budgets such as ‘La Pola’ have also enjoyed great success during this bicentennial year,” says Alexander Marín, SVP of distribution in Latin America and the Caribbean for SPT. In October 2010 José Bastón, president of television at Grupo Televisa, invited RCN Televisión president Gabriel Reyes to his offices. The meeting was held to reaffirm the strategic alliance between both companies, including new plans for content creation, production and distribution. “RCN and Televisa are being called to become leading actors in the world’s television industry and we are taking advantage of this opportunity to consolidate a relationship that started several years ago and promises to continue to bear fruit for many more,” Bastón said back then.

TV Globo and Telemundo Internacional carried out their own coproduction under similar conditions. The new version of ‘The Clone’ started a relationship that boosts each company. TV Globo also partnered with TV Azteca to co-produce a Mexican version of ‘Louco Amor’ (‘Between Love and Desire’), where TV Globo provided the original screenplay and creative know-how, with an active role in preproduction and input along the entire productive process. TV Azteca was trusted with the adaptation, auditions, talent casting and shooting the telenovela. “There was a rich exchange between both companies, from set development to wardrobe and interpretation and in other aspects of production that added value to the entire co-production process,” Raphael Correa Netto, Globo TV International’s international sales director, tells ttv. The telenovela will be internationally distributed by both companies’ respective divisions: Comarex holds its distribution rights for the Americas while Globo TV International will deliver it to the remaining continents. “These kinds of co-productions position Latin America as a hub for creating fictional series,” Correa adds. The executive also mentions that Globo is currently working on four screenplays that could potentially turn into co-productions with TV Azteca.

Yet another large-scale strategic agreement was signed by TV Record and Televisa in September 2008. The historic deal set the turf for five years of telenovela co-productions, where Record would adapt and produce versions from originals that Televisa handles in Brazil. The first product out of this agreement was ‘Bela, a Feia’, a Brazilian version of the Colombian hit ‘Betty, la fea’ (Ugly Betty). “It’s been a great experience that has shown its strength, surpassing the original version’s ratings and share in Brazil,” said Delmar Andrade, director of international sales for Record TV Network, back in March 2010.

THE CLONE Co-produced

by Globo and Telemundo.

The second joint project between Record and Televisa was the coproduction of ‘Rebelde’ (Rebellious). The teen telenovela’s Brazilian version was based on an original Cris Morena idea and is set to premiere next February. Record contributed with over US$25 million for this production, as well as adapted it to the tastes and customs of Brazilian audiences. This also implied shortening all episodes from 40 to 20 minutes to air it Mondays through Fridays. ‘Rebelde’ also holds the potential to exploit business spin-offs, such as the band featured in the telenovela going on tour and recording a CD. ‘Rebelde’ school supplies, clothing and beauty products will also be sold as by-products.

The way in which co-productions are made enable the adaptation of each market’s features and assets to the production’s needs. In this way, properties gain value and technicians, screenwriters, directors and talent in each company multiply their opportunities.

The trend will continue to grow this year and several studio projects are already underway. Companies announcing their interest in coproducing in the region are growing as well. Such is the case of Dori Media Group (DMG). Working under a business model that assures profitable content based on its international market target, DMG already plans to co-produce in the region and will focus its efforts on content for teen and adults in Argentina. “We’re exploring all of Latin America,” Michal Nashiv, president of Dori Media Distribution Argentina and Dori Media Contenidos, told ttv at the latest edition of MIPCOM last year. The executive also revealed the company’s intention to co-produce in Colombia, “an excellent market to produce audiovisual content with excellent production standards,” Nashiv said back then.

And so, 2010 bore fruit for the genre’s ambassadors, which prioritized their expansion strategies over local competition in order to grow internationally. This 2011 will see the co-production trend continue and become even more palpable - especially for teen content, a target that several companies are promising to aim at strongly during the year.

Current stories told in telenovela format will also prosper, proof of a renovation that is gradually but deeply modifying the genre. “I think the trend is producing content that is more contemporary and more relevant and speaks more to the reality of people’s lives rather than the fantasy of their lives,” Don Browne, president of Telemundo Communications Group, told ttv recently.

MISSING The new version will be produced

by Telemundo and Disney Media Networks Latin America.

28 TTV MAGAZINE

Crime stories and current issues are making their appearances in telenovelas, with stories that hit home for being both contemporary and spectacular. “Some of the most popular telenovelas that we are producing are literally ripped from the headlines,” Browne said. “They are more intelligent stories.” ttv

EXECUTIVES

Patrick Jucaud, General Manager, Basic Lead

All Eyes on

Sub-Sahara Days away from the fifth edition of the DISCOP Africa market, ttv talked with Patrick Jucaud, general manager of Basic Lead, about what’s driving the Sub-Saharan market’s potential, a market that is slowly but steadily growing.

ON THE RADAR. “The overall number of potential buyers has not grown but the quality of those attending our DISCOP markets in Africa is getting better and better,” Paul Jucaud, general manager of Basic Lead, tells ttv. This is largely due to the growth of the African television market in the last few years and to which every edition of DISCOP contributed significantly. And, last year, the soccer World Cup in South Africa definitely helped place the continent on the global television market’s radar.

By Stephanie Biscomb “Sub-Saharan Africa will play an increasingly important role as low-cost digital and broadband television services continue to become available throughout the continent.”

A

rapidly developing market with a hunger for original television content, Africa will host a plethora of content buyers and sellers from around the globe keen to take their share of a distinct yet profitable market.

The DISCOP Africa market, which targets SubSaharan Africa, this year celebrates its fifth edition in Accra, Ghana.

Basic Lead, the company organizing all DISCOP events, expects at least 150 buyers to attend. They will meet 100 content sellers and producers from around the globe, who will be offering African broadcast and pay TV operators -as well as a growing number of IPTV platforms- a large volume of TV content to fill up their thriving screens.

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However, Africa’s television business goes well beyond the World Cup. “The impact of the World Cup has helped but not as much as the widespread availability of new low-cost digital television services combined with the continuous expansion of broadband Internet access,” Jucaud says. “Sub-Saharan Africa will play an increasingly important role as lowcost digital and broadband television services continue to become available throughout the continent.”

In fact, Zenith Optimedia forecasts growth in ad spending for Sub-Saharan Africa in 2011 and 2012, driven by television advertising.

Africa is, without a doubt, a market that deserves its rightful spot on the global television industry landscape. “The continent is vast and television hungry. From a strategic point of view, if not an economic one for the time being, Sub-Sahara can no longer be bypassed,” Jucaud says.

IPTV: CONNECT AND CONQUER. Despite the optimism in its television present and future, Africa’s economic wealth is in no way evenly distributed. The global economic crisis affected it in varying degrees and no country struggled in the same way.

“The economic situation in Africa varies from one country to the other but the countries to follow are Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Mozambique, Ghana, Ethiopia, Burkina Faso and South Africa,” Jucaud says. “Generally speaking, Eastern Africa is certainly growing faster than Western Africa, which is still experiencing a lot of political problems.”

Yet this uneven scenario has not hindered its connectivity and development. “The East Africa Submarine Cable System now provides fiber-optic connectivity to all Eastern African countries down to South Africa, including African land-locked countries such as Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi and Botswana,” the executive says. “As a result, many IPTV platforms have surfaced, all of them looking for content as they compete for subscribers.” The growth in IPTV operator attendance at DISCOP Africa 2011 is definitely evidence of this.

“The countries to follow are Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Mozambique, Ghana, Ethiopia, Burkina Faso and South Africa.”

DISCOP AFRICA 2011. As in each of its past editions, the three-day event will feature prominent speakers, showcase high-quality television content and entertain a global delegation of industry reps. According to Jucaud, African television is mostly interested in volume catalogs, thematic content and telenovelas from India, Turkey and, of course, Latin America.

This year’s edition of DISCOP Africa will also feature the DISCOPRO, a one-day training and networking program on February 8 to give African television professionals the opportunity to sign co-production deals with the market’s attending producers. “The DISCOPRO program will take a close look at the obstacles as well as the opportunities facing co-productions of television content aimed at audiences from culturally different regions,” Jucaud says, noting that major Latin American producers like Caracol, TV Azteca and Globo will be there.

This year will also be the last one with two annual editions of DISCOP Africa. After the next one in Nairobi, in September 2011,

DISCOP Africa will become an annual market.

Basic Lead is also busy organizing other global DISCOP editions such as DISCOP East.

The market targeting Eastern Europe will be held in Budapest on June 21-23. “We offer our clients the possibility to cover Northern, Central and Eastern Europe, the Greater Middle East and Africa with a uniformed market format. This makes a lot of sense in an environment where you have seen the number of potential television content buyers multiply by five and marketing expenditures divided by two,” Jucaud says. ttv

“Many IPTV platforms have surfaced, all of them looking for content as they compete for subscribers.”

THE REMAKES MARKET: 1st SEASON

BRAND NEW EVENT

Format adaptations now have their own tradeshow: The Remakes Market, a biannual, compact and casual event held in the heart of Hollywood. Its debut was just a couple of months ago, from November 29th to December 1st, 2011. “It’s an international film, television and book adaptation rights market targeting Hollywood-based development and production executive,” Jucaud says. Eighty-four film, TV and book properties presented by 31 foreign TV production companies and book publishers were showcased for the inaugural edition of the market. Close to 350 pre-arranged and spontaneous meetings took place with representatives from 87 US television and film production companies, including Fox Television Studios, The Weinstein Company, Phoenix Pictures, Quadrant Films, Plan B, Imagine Entertainment, Anonymous Content, Captivate Entertainment, Gunn Films, Tom Welling Productions and 1821 Entertainment. “The next edition will be celebrated from 1416 November and will make special focus on Spanish-speaking properties,” the executive adds.

Patrick Jucaud also revealed a new upcoming event aiming to diversify Basic Lead’s scope of TV genres covered.

“Regarding further projects to be developed by Basic Lead, applying the same sort of compact, meetings-centric formula, will be a yet-to-be-named thematic television content market centered on all sub-genres of comedy.

The inaugural edition of this market will take place during the next edition of the Montreux Comedy Festival to take place during the first week of December,” he says.

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Connected

Northwest Wild

Confidential

Armoza Formats

CABLEready Corporation

CARACOL TELEVISION

Executives Attending

Executives Attending

Stand: Viewing Box 30

NORTHWEST WILD

Camila Reyes, Sales Executive

The Pacific Northwest provides a home for people to get out and experience adventure sports unlike any other destination.

This unique environment is the playing field for everything from mountain climbing, surfing, and scuba diving to kart racing and dog sledding. Any sport imaginable can be done here.

(Confidencial) (Drama – 20 x 60’)

Avi Armoza, CEO Mihal Brezis, VP International Relations Anat Lewinsky, Sales Kelly Wright, Sales Metin Bilman, Development

Connected

(Factual Entertainment – 25’) Five women, who don’t know each other, are each given cameras to film their lives. Through the cameras, five parallel stories will unfold in this intimate, provocative format.

7-Question Millionaire (Game Show – 45’)

A unique game show format that combines online player participation into a mega-jackpot to be won in just seven questions in this prime-time studio program.

Restart

(Cross-platform Drama) An internet drama series artistically directed and beautifully acted, ‘Restart’ follows the Facebook Generation as they tell their stories via haunting close-ups and honest interviews.

Tatiana Figueiredo, Director of Sales (Lifestyle, Travel & Adventure - 7 x 30, HD)

RESCUE HELICOPTER

(Factual, Documentary, Travel - 48 x 30, HD) Follow three medical helicopters and The Helicopters of the Finnish Border Guard. When emergencies occur at arctic latitudes in Finland, they are often the victims’ only chance of survival.

HOLLYYWOOD’S TOP TEN

(Entertainment - 30 Minute Daily Series, HD) This is a daily look at the definitive Top 10 of everything in movies – the top 10 kisses, the top 10 car chase scenes, the top 10 villains, etc. Each day, we’ll count them down.

Executives Attending Confidential

The purpose of the series is to rescue these people from the anonymity in which they live in, since just like us, they suffer and stand known or common circumstances that are generally related with acts of violence or intolerance. The interest that is being sought in the viewer is based on the recognition of the normal urban environment fostered by the news in question and by the melodramatic humanization of the characters involved.

Couple’s Therapy

(Terapias de Pareja) (40 x 60’) Sara Guerra and Pablo Franco are a couple, both psychologists, who strive to help other couples with marital woes through their counseling company, and at the same time struggle with their own challenges: for Sara, this means getting over the trauma of her parent’s separation and wanting to believe in a perfect love; for Pablo, accepting that his parent´s marriage was not always paradise; for both of them, raising their child with all the love in the world and helping their maid and colleagues deal with their own dramas.

Lalola Grachi

COMAREX Stand: Booth #4

Executives Attending

Adela Velasco, Sales Europe & Africa

Grachi

(Teen Telenovela – 75 x 60’) Professor Alonso and his teenage daughter Grachi have moved house to work at a school for children who are especially talented in the fields of the arts, science and sports. Grachi will also be attending this school. But the story isn’t quite as simple as that: it all began in the colonial era in a city where Grachi’s ancestors lived. At that time, Grachi’s great-great-great-grandmother was in love with a young ship’s captain. They soon married but this lead jealousy as her great-great-great-grandmother‘s neighbor was also in love with the captain. On the day of the wedding she cast a terrible spell and cursed that the family’s first woman descendant would be a witch. Many generations passed without a girl being born, but then Grachi came into the world.

Dori Media Group Lalola

(150 x 60’)

An incurable womanizer is punished by a vengeful ex-girlfriend, who casts a spell on him, turning him into a beautiful woman. The battle of the sexes was never fiercer than in this bold telenovela, proving there is a strong woman inside every man. ‘Lalola’ was sold to over 120 countries since its debut.

You Are the One

(Sos Mi Vida) (230 x 60’)

A vivacious boxer and a handsome car racing champion fall madly in love in this quirky and sexy comedy, starring Facundo Arana and Natalia Oreiro. ‘Sos Mi Vida’ was sold to 40 countries.

Juanita is Single

(Juanita la Soltera) (116 x 60’) Juanita dreams of finding Mr. Perfect, until she meets gold digger Tomy, who teaches her that life is not all a fantasy…

Amanda O

(130 x 9’ / 26 x 60’ / 500 x 1’30’’-3’) Is there anything worse than being a celebrity? No longer being one… Famous diva Amanda O (Natalia Oreiro) wakes up one day, robbed of her identity. Now anonymous, she will fight to reclaim her life. It is an original cross-platform production which was sold to 36 countries.

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The Cariocas

Globo TV International Executives attending

João Fonseca, Sales Executive

THE CARIOCAS

(Las Cariocas) (HD 10 x 25’) ‘The Cariocas’ is a series in ten stand-alone episodes about ten modern-day women and their day-to-day conflicts. Blending strong sexual appeal and sophistication, the series shines a new light on what Rio de Janeiro is most famous for - its beauty and its women.

CAT’S CRADLE

(Cuna de Gato) (110 X 45’) The twists and turns in the life of Gustavo, a rich and intolerant man, married to Veronica, a vindictive, arrogant and futile woman.

Gustavo only discover true love and recover his old values when he meets Rose, a simple, hard-working and down to earth woman who takes care of her four kids with love and dedication.

WRITTEN IN THE STARS

(Escrito en las Estrellas) (100 x 45’) Three people have their destiny crossed in a story that transcends the material plane and the present life’s limits.

First Lady

Puppy in My Pocket

The Queen of the South

Latin Media Corporation / Worldwide Rights Corporation

MONDO TV

TELEMUNDO INTERNACIONAL

Stand: Screening # 6

Stand: 8, La Palma Royal Beach Hotel

Stand: Viewing Box 23

Ms. Micheline Azoury, Head of International Sales & Brand Manager

Executives Attending

José Escalante, Executive Director of Latin Media Corporation Farid Khaleeque Ahmad, Executive Director of Worldwide Rights Corporation

FIRST LADY

(Family drama – 100 x 45’) It is the story about Sabina Astudillo, an ordinary, young but ambitious woman who is willing to do anything to seduce Leonardo Sandander, a Presidential candidate of Chile to become the First Lady.

FIERCE

(Teen telenovela series – 100 x 60’) ‘Fierce’ tells the story of a teacher who moves to Santiago to pursue a better future for her three sons. In her new condominium, she meets her great childhood love, who left her broken hearted 20 years prior. He is now involved in a passionate relationship with a sexy female werewolf.

Executives Attending Puppy in My Pocket

Executives Attending

Karina Etchison, VP Sales Europe, Africa & Middle East Elena Aguirre, Sales Assistant

THE QUEEN OF THE SOUTH

(Full HD 2D animation with CG effects - 52 x 13’)

(LA REINA DEL SUR) (Telenovela – 62 x 60’)

In Pocketville there’s a beautiful kitty princess named Ava who matches new friends. One day, by the doing of her envious twin sister Eva, she is accidentally sent to the ‘real world’ while our protagonist, Kate, is sent to Pocketville in her place. In princess Ava’s absence, Kate will make sure that Ava’s duties of matching children and pets continue to be conducted while Eva will try everything she can to stop them so that she can become the new princess.

‘The Queen of the South’ spans 12 years across three continents and weaves the story of the legendary character Teresa Mendoza.

The story follows Teresa, whose drug smuggling lover has given her a special cell phone. He warned her that if that phone ever rung it will mean he would have been killed and she would be the next target. The dreaded call eventually comes, sending her on a long journey.

Power Buggz

THE CLONE

(Full HD 2D animation with CG effects - 52 x 26’)

(EL CLON) (Telenovela – 182 x 60’)

One quiet summer evening, before the start of the school year, a mysterious explosion rocked the science lab at Coastal High School. World¬renowned scientist, Dr. Kristoff Dralda, conducted research on the evolution of insects. A powerful mineral, Makite, had recently been discovered on the school grounds. Dralda was unhurt in the explosion, but years of research went up in flames.

His insect specimens were nowhere to be found. Strangely there were streaks of Makite that tracked across the room and into the cracks of the walls.

It is the story of a powerful love that is capable of overcoming the barriers of time and distance. This love was born when Lucas fell in love at first sight with Jade in Morocco. But the strict Muslim traditions will make it impossible for them to be together. Lucas returns to Miami after the death of his twin brother Diego. A close family friend, scientist Albieri, uses this situation to produce the first human clone, using cells taken from Lucas. Twenty years later, Jade, Lucas and his clone form an odd love triangle.

Untamed Soul

Rafaela

VENEVISION INTERNATIONAL

TELEVISA INTERNACIONAL

Drowning City

Stand: 2 & 3, La Palma Royal Beach Hotel

TV AZTECA

Stand: Viewing Box 14

Stand: Booth #4

Cristobal Ponte, Exclusive Independent Representative for Europe, Africa & M.E.

Executives Attending

Ricardo Ehrsam, General Director for Asia and Africa Mario Castro, Director of Sales, New Business Pedro Font, General Director of Sales, Asia, Africa and Middle East Douglas Welch, Director of Sales, Asia, Africa and Middle East

Adela Velasco, Sales Europe & Africa

Rafaela

Drowning City

Executives Attending

(Telenovela / Format available – 150 x 60’) HD

(Drenaje Profundo) (Suspense/Thriller - 20 x 60’)

Rafaela is a young doctor who works at the hospital that runs his father, Rafael, who abandoned her before birth. In the hospital, Rafaela also met José María, a brilliant but a chauvinist doctor, with whom she has continuous personality clashes. Despite that, between José María and Rafaela emerges an irresistible attraction that leads Rafaela to surrender to love, not knowing that José María is a married man. When Rafaela learn the truth, she feels disappointed of herself for having broken her vow to never give herself to a man before getting married, so she wouldn’t be a single mother as her mother was, but now the story is about to repeat itself because Rafaela is expecting a child of José María.

The story of an old conspiracy and the disparity that arises between two different worlds in the darkest depths of Mexico City. It also follows the trials and tribulations of a tenacious investigator from an elite police agency specializing in solving all forms of serious crime and dealing with emergency situations that put the safety and stability of the world’s largest city at risk.

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When Night Falls

(Al Caer la Noche) (Suspense/Thriller - 24 x 60’) Suspense lies at every corner of ‘When Night Falls’, an eerie portrait of different universes. Discover a man on the edge of being unfairly lynched by a mob if he fails to unravel the conspiracy behind it; or a young executive who loses his way in a sinister neighborhood that requires his greatest endeavors and reserves to return home safely.

Each thriller shows one side of the story yet the real trap waits to be unveiled, throwing light on nocturnal life as no other.

Executives Attending Untamed Soul

(Alma Indomable) (Telenovela - 165 x 45’) Poor, wild and uneducated, the beautiful Alma is a diamond in the rough. While Juan Pablo polishes her into a precious gem, he becomes the love of her life… but fate will bring them huge surprises when she finds fame as a supermodel and discovers her true parentage.

Always On My Mind

(Olvidarte Jamás) (Telenovela - 118 x 45’) Victoria has spent 20 years waiting for the perfect moment to avenge an unforgivable wrong, and now the time has come.

Yearning For Your Love

(Sueño con tu Amor) (Telenovela - 145 x 45’) They were the best of friends, until love made them the fiercest rivals.