World Screen ATF 2012

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THE MAGAZINE OF INTERNATIONAL MEDIA • DECEMBER 2012

www.worldscreen.com

ATF Edition

® From Emmy -Award Winning Writer Andrew Davies

JEREMYPIVEN FRANCESO’CONNOR KATHERINEKELLY GRÉGORYFITOUSSI

THE SHOWMAN BEHIND THE RETAIL EMPIRE

1 x 1.5 Hours + 9 x 1 Hour DRAMA ATF Stand No: C24 @itvstudios www.itvstudios.com

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contents

DECEMBER 2012/ASIA TV FORUM EDITION

Publisher Ricardo Seguin Guise

departments PUBLISHER’S NOTE

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Editor Anna Carugati

By Ricardo Guise.

UPFRONT

Executive Editor Mansha Daswani

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New shows on the market.

SPOTLIGHT

16

The Walking Dead’s Gale Anne Hurd.

MARKET TRENDS

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16

Managing Editor Kristin Brzoznowski

44

Contributing Editor Elizabeth Guider Special Projects Editor Jay Stuart

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FremantleMedia’s Ian Hogg.

WORLD’S END

TV Asia Pacific appears both inside World Screen and as a separate publication.

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In the stars.

Editor, Spanish-Language Publications Elizabeth Bowen-Tombari Executive Editor, Spanish-Language Publications Rafael Blanco

asia pacific

Associate Editor Joanna Padovano Associate Editor, Spanish-Language Publications Jessica Rodríguez Online Director Simon Weaver Art Director Phyllis Q. Busell Sales & Marketing Director Cesar Suero

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Sales & Marketing Manager Vanessa Brand

A VICTORY FOR FORMATS

36

Asian broadcasters are increasingly willing to adapt foreign concepts.

PERFECT MATCH

Senior Editors Bill Dunlap Kate Norris

44

A survey of what several leading buyers are looking for.

KBS’S KIM IN-KYU

Business Affairs Manager Terry Acunzo

48

Contributing Writers Chris Forrester Bob Jenkins Juliana Koranteng Joanna Stephens David Wood

The president and CEO of the Korean public broadcaster discusses content exports and new media.

WORLD SCREEN is published eight times per year: January, March, April, May, June/July, October, November and December.

Annual subscription price: Inside the U.S.: $70.00 Outside the U.S.: $120.00 Send checks, company information and address corrections to: WSN INC. 1123 Broadway, Suite 1207 New York, NY 10010, U.S.A. For a free subscription to our newsletters, please visit www.worldscreen.com.

FINAS’S SRI KAMARUDDIN SIARAF

50

Malaysia’s secretary general of the Ministry of Information, Communications and Culture on the gains made by the country’s content sector.

MDA’S YEO CHUN CHENG

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A conversation with the Media Development Authority’s assistant chief executive for industry about financing mechanisms, co-production treaties and Mediapolis.

THE LEADING ONLINE DAILY NEWS SERVICE FOR THE INTERNATIONAL MEDIA INDUSTRY. For a free subscription, visit www.worldscreen.com/pages/newsletter

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Ricardo Seguin Guise, President Anna Carugati, Executive VP & Group Editorial Director Mansha Daswani, Associate Publisher & VP of Strategic Development

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WORLD SCREEN is a registered trademark of WSN INC. 1123 Broadway, Suite 1207 New York, NY 10010, U.S.A. Phone: (212) 924-7620 Fax: (212) 924-6940 Website: www.worldscreen.com ©2012 WSN INC. Printed by Fry Communications No part of this publication can be used, reprinted, copied or stored in any medium without the publisher’s authorization.

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publisher’s note

BY RICARDO GUISE

TV or Not TV I recently read a report pointing to new evidence that watching television for more than two hours each day will cut my life expectancy by a year and a half. Even if I exercise and eat my veggies every day!

This could be really bad news for me, given the fact that, despite my wife’s incessant (and utterly annoying) admonitions, I refuse to eat vegetables or exercise. I don’t even know what a squash looks like.

So I have been feeling a bit fragile lately. What is a couch potato with bad eating habits supposed to do?

This was on my mind when hurricane Sandy visited New York and forced me to stay home for an entire week. Our offices in downtown Manhattan had no electricity, all transportation in the city came to a halt, and the weather was positively miserable, so I was forced to spend a lot of time on my sofa watching TV. I probably shaved hours off my life span as I viewed stuff that I never would have watched under normal circumstances—such as a documentary about a lion that befriended a coyote, and an excruciatingly long and pointless game of baseball. I also watched what now seems like an infinite number of pundits pontificating about the presidential election, and endless political commercials in between.

NOTHING ELSE COMES But Sandy was by far the big winner of the airwaves, as stapresented me with scary CLOSE TO GIVING US THE tions maps showing the relentless advance of the mega-storm, a TRUSTED VIDEO REPORTING parade of wet and frazzled weathermen, and finally, images of horrific destruction.

AVAILABLE ON TELEVISION. If anyone had any doubts about the impact of television, this week of hurricane coverage was a clear reminder of TV’s unique ability to offer a distressed community live information and powerful images as it confronts a disaster or attack.

The fact is that nothing else comes close to giving us the trusted video reporting available on television. No wonder Japanese citizens know to turn to their public broadcaster when an earthquake strikes. And no wonder the viewership of CNN—the world’s first 24-hour news service— took off exponentially during the first Gulf War. Television also has a singular capacity to build powerful emotional connections with its viewers.Americans of a certain age will always remember the arresting image of CBS anchorman Walter Cronkite (“the most trusted man in the country”) wiping a tear off his face as he announced to the nation that President Kennedy had died. Of course, advertising agencies and advertisers have known this ever since 6

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the tube was invented, and they create commercials for television that are meant to build an emotional connection between the audience and the brands. No other form of communication—not radio, not magazines, not newspapers, not even the Internet—can do this. It’s not about giving us more information on that car so we can make a rational purchase (any other medium can do that). It’s about making us fall in love with that sexy car!

TV mesmerizes us in many ways. I assiduously watch several dramas on television, undoubtedly further reducing my time on this Earth. The quality and complexity of the shows currently being produced is just astonishing.And nothing is more thrilling to me than the live broadcast of a great soccer game. As we are so used to getting our daily exposure of fantastic entertainment at home, we may forget television’s other role as a public-service provider. Sometimes, it takes a natural disaster to remind us.

So as I watched the regular updates on the flooded subway stations, the power outages, the devastation in several neighborhoods, the announcements from governors, mayors and city officials, I was reminded of TV’s ability to alert, protect and mobilize a community.

But I have to say, I was also very impressed by how helpful it was to have access to the Internet. During this entire week of general paralysis, World Screen’s two daily newsletters and eight weekly newsletters were sent out without incident or delay. Even though our entire staff had no access to our offices, we were all able to seamlessly do our work from home. In the Internet age, during a moment of crisis, the physical office has become less necessary.

What will always be necessary and irreplaceable is the ability and commitment of a company’s staff. No matter what technology we are presented with in the future, having a great team matters the most. I thought of this as I tried to figure out why the lion didn’t just eat that stupid coyote.

There I go again digressing about shortened life spans…

As this is the last edition of the year, I feel a certain pressure to announce a healthy New Year’s resolution. I first considered quitting my job and becoming a monk in Tibet, but this would present some serious lifestyle and logistical challenges. After much deliberation, and considering the enormous sacrifice this action will require— and hoping my wife will be proud of me for such courage and willpower—I have decided to firmly commit to eating more low-sodium potato chips (after all, they are made of legumes!) as I watch my favorite shows.

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upfronts ALL3MEDIA International www.all3mediainternational.com

“We are hoping to meet more local

• Model Employee • Gadget Show World Tour • Engineering Giants

broadcasters from Asia and to work with some more of the smaller territories.

”

—Kelly Shek

ALL3MEDIA International has seen slow but steady growth in its business in Asia over the past few years, according to sales executive Kelly Shek. “The pan-territory broadcasters such as Discovery and BBC are still the biggest buyers of content for English-language programming,” she says. “The local broadcasters seem to be more proactive in looking for content now, and new channels which have recently launched or are about to launch…will be aiding the growth of business in this region.”

For this year’s Asia TV Forum, ALL3MEDIA plans to showcase several unscripted titles. Model Employee, which Shek describes as “glossy, glamorous and fun,” emphasizes the importance of working hard to climb the career ladder.

Engineering Giants examines some of the biggest machines in the world. “This series makes mechanical engineering accessible and is full of high-end information,” notes Shek.

Gadget Show World Tour follows its hosts Jason Bradbury and Polly Woodward as they travel the globe and carry out stunts and tests on various devices.

Engineering Giants

Beyond Distribution www.beyond.com.au

“We are looking forward to finalizing deals

• Steam Punks • The Mistress • Fatal Vows

that we started discussing at MIPCOM and introducing our new slate of content to broadcasters that we did not have a chance to meet with previously in October.

”

Malaysia, Hong Kong, Thailand and Singapore have traditionally been strong territories for Beyond Distribution across the Asia Pacific. Lately, the company has seen increased sales to Korea, Indonesia and Taiwan, says Joanne Azzopardi, the VP of sales for Australasia at Beyond. The genres of children and lifestyle have been sweet spots in Beyond’s Asian business, Azzopardi adds.

This year, the company is participating in the Australian Pavilion at the ATF. There, it will be showcasing Steam Punks, a new science-based quiz show aimed at tweens.

“Steam Punks has that wonderful combination of education and entertainment that Beyond does so well and that, traditionally, broadcasters in Asia have responded to,” says Azzopardi. “It has loads of fun science and is very visual, with great experiments throughout. I liken Steam Punks to a MythBusters for kids.” Beyond is also presenting The Mistress, a reality series that deals with the controversial topic of women involved in relationships with married men, and Fatal Vows, a true-crime series.

—Joanne Azzopardi

Steam Punks

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Caracol Television www.caracolinternacional.com • Pablo Escobar, the Drug Lord • Made in Cartagena • Women on the Edge

Business has been booming for Caracol Television in the Asia Pacific, notes Roberto Corrente, the company’s sales executive for Eastern Europe and Asia. “Telenovelas are playing a key role in our strategy for Asia. By adapting them to the taste of our Asian viewers, we will ensure and expand the growth we have been experiencing in the past three years.”

Caracol is showcasing a number of fresh titles at this year’s ATF. Based on real-life testimonies, Pablo Escobar, the Drug Lord profiles the dangerous Colombian criminal.The scripted reality format Women on the Edge features “moral dilemmas, extreme circumstances and uncomfortable positions,” says Corrente. Made in Cartagena tells the story of Harvey Noriega, who asks his goddaughter to infiltrate the life of the man he blames for his son’s death. “These three programs will be appealing to our clients in this region in particular because they fulfill the necessities of these markets, not only for the outstanding quality of the productions, but also for the incredible stories we develop.”

“ Our productions are

meant to bring all the human emotions back to our viewers.

”

—Roberto Corrente

Pablo Escobar, the Drug Lord

Global Agency www.theglobalagency.tv • Mom, Vote 4 Me! • Blind Taste • Magnificent Century

Talent shows, quiz shows and period dramas have proven to be quite popular across Asian territories, says Isil Turksen, Global Agency’s sales director for Asia and Europe. “Therefore, we think that our products perfectly match with the current demands,” she adds. Indeed, the musical talent show Mom, Vote 4 Me!, which Global Agency launched at MIPCOM, was recently licensed into China in a deal with Enlight Media. The Beijingbased company also optioned two other formats from the Global Agency catalogue, Rise or Fall and Who Is the Best?

Global Agency believes that the format Blind Taste, which features a cooking competition, should strike interest in the region as well. “We also believe that the classical quiz show The Legacy, which is currently on air in France and Italy, will be a hit in Asian territories,” Turksen says. “Regarding drama series, Magnificent Century will be a highlight product for ATF as well. We have sold it to 41 countries worldwide and counting, and we believe it will be a huge success in Asia.”

Magnificent Century

“ ATF is a market that is growing

successfully, and we are happy to be a part of it.

”

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—Isil Turksen

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ITV Studios Global Entertainment www.itvstudios.com • Mr Selfridge • Surprise Surprise • Wild Things with Dominic Monaghan

ITV Studios Global Entertainment (ITVS GE) has seen sales for its finished programs grow in Southeast Asia recently, due in part to the launch of new channels and IPTV operators. “The expanding new-media sector in China in particular has created a demand for lifestyle entertainment shows, so we are able to do more volume deals with broadcasters in the country,” says Hyeonza Hong, ITVS GE’s VP of sales for Asia. From its finished-program slate, the company highlights Mr Selfridge, starring Entourage’s Jeremy Piven. Wild Things with Dominic Monaghan, which Hong describes as “an exhilarating travel-adventure series,” follows the actor known for his role on Lost as he travels the world in pursuit of large, rare insects.

The company has also seen its format business expanding in the region, “and we are spending more time on format sales than ever before,” says Hong.

Among its current format highlights is Surprise Surprise, a feel-good series that reconnects guests with long-lost loved ones.

Mr Selfridge

“ Business has been strong in Asia.”

—Hyeonza Hong

Novovision www.novovision.tv • Mad Grandma, Mad Kids, Mad Girls, Mad Animals • Gagsters • Pop Toon

“ We are eager to pitch our new entertainment

formats and to find new partners to co-produce local candid-camera series and shows abroad.

”

In 2011, Asia represented nearly 60 percent of the sales at Novovision, which is being rebranded from Novavision, and this year is more or less on the same path. “So, you can imagine how important this part of the world is for Novovision’s business,” says FrançoisXavier Poirier, the company’s CEO. Novovision has already seen success in Asia with its flagship Pop Corn TV series. “We have sold the complete series in several countries such as the Philippines, Thailand and Cambodia,” Poirier says. “Our new lineup of junior-targeted programs such as Junior Hidden Camera, Gagsters and Pop Toon should also be very successful in Asia.” The company is expecting the four new candid-camera shows in its Mad franchise—Mad Grandma, Mad Kids, Mad Girls and Mad Animals—to generate strong interest in the region as well. “The production of these new candid-camera shows follows years of demand from our existing clients in this area of the world,” says Poirier.

—François-Xavier Poirier

Mad Grandma

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Red Arrow International www.redarrowinternational.com • The Taste • Restless • Jo

“ Asia is definitely the place to be right now.”

—Jens Richter

Red Arrow International views the Asian market as a hot spot, according to Jens Richter, the company’s managing director. “There is a strong appetite for high-quality content and especially for formats,” he says. “Due to this great demand we’ve opened a base in Hong Kong and have high expectations for ATF.” At the market, the company is presenting the crime series Jo, featuring Jean Reno, Jill Hennessy and Tom Austen. It is from the Emmy Award-winner René Balcer. The spy thriller Restless is based on William Boyd’s international bestseller. Shot in South Africa and the U.K., Restless is due for transmission on BBC One and Sundance Channel in the U.S. later this year. “When it comes to formats, The Taste takes cooking shows to a whole new level by combining a thrilling competition scenario with the most important thing in cooking: the taste,” says Richter. The show is currently in production for ABC in the U.S. and has also been picked up in India and Australia.

The Taste

Televisa Internacional www.televisainternacional.tv • Carousel • Hollywood Heights • Crown of Tears

Hollywood Heights

Televisa Internacional has been working to strengthen its relationships in key markets across the Asia Pacific for some time now. “We aim to continue developing Televisa as a brand, always looking to provide our clients and partners with the best stories and highest-quality productions to help them reach their audience and goals,” says Mario Castro, the company’s director of sales for Asia and Africa.

One of the titles Televisa is presenting this year at ATF is Crown of Tears, which focuses on a woman who is trying to provide a good life for her three sons. Castro describes the series as “a story about the unconditional love of a mother.”

According to Castro, Carousel is “a wonderful family production” about the day-to-day life of children, addressing current and real conflicts of school and families. Televisa is also highlighting Hollywood Heights, which follows a teenager as she navigates through the music industry with the help of her idol. “The three stories have a sense of uniqueness and originality, which, in the end, is the [key] to having success across the borders,” notes Castro.

“ The Asia Pacific has always been an important region for Televisa.”

—Mario Castro

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spotlight

WS: What can viewers expect from the new season?

HURD: They can expect quite a thrill ride—a lot more

drama and conflict, not only among our characters, but from the threats that we’re introducing this season from the outside. We have two fantastic new characters. The Governor is a character from the comic book. He’s a hero to himself and a villain to many people. And there’s going to be building conflict between him and Rick Grimes. He’s played by the fantastic British actor David Morrissey. And then another one of my favorite characters we’re introducing, also from the comic book, is Michonne. I like to call her the most iconic kick-ass sword-wielding female character ever. And she’s being brought to life by Danai Gurira, who’s an AfricanAmerican woman who actually grew up in Zimbabwe.

So we really do have an international flavor to the show.

WS: A number of major characters were killed in the last season. How important is it, for the integrity of the series, to be able to take out a character that is liked by the fans?

HURD: It’s very difficult for all of us, but if we are to be true to Robert Kirkman’s comic book, unfortunately the body count for characters we love is pretty high.We do change it up, so there are characters who are still alive in the comic book that we’ve sadly put to rest, and there are characters who are still alive in our show that have died in the comic book. There is the threat from walkers—the zombies— and also from the humans that they might encounter.

And it just wouldn’t be believable if every one of our fantastic cast survived.

The Walking Dead’s

Gale Anne Hurd

By Mansha Daswani

Since its October 2010 debut on AMC, The Walking Dead, adapted from Robert Kirkman’s graphic novel of the same name, has become a pop-culture phenomenon with a devout fan base in the U.S. and around the world. The season three premiere was the biggest telecast for a drama in basic-cable history in the U.S., and delivered record viewership for the FOX International Channels portfolio, which has taken the show to more than 120 countries across the globe. Gale Anne Hurd, whose long list of credits includes The Terminator franchise and Aliens, is executive producer on the hit series, which tells the story of a group of survivors after a zombie apocalypse. She sat down with World Screen to talk about bringing Kirkman’s popular comic books to the screen, and about making the tough decisions about which characters survive the threat from zombies (and other humans).

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WS: Were you surprised by how much the show has resonated with audiences?

HURD: We were completely surprised. The general ratings success or even critical success of most genre shows has been fairly limited. There are a few exceptions to that, like True Blood, but for the most part, your expectation is that you hit maybe 2 million viewers. That’s essentially what AMC normally gets. No one expected 5 million, or even the season finale last season of 9 million.

That far exceeded not only all of our expectations, but our hopes and dreams.

WS: And it’s also been huge internationally.

HURD: FOX International Channels is the best possible

partner. I’ve been in the entertainment business for a long time. What they bring—their understanding of the show, their commitment. Before they’d even seen an episode, just based on reading scripts, they acquired the show, and committed to launching in 130 countries within the same week of the U.S. premiere. That shows not only their faith, but their foresight.

WS: How closely do the story lines mirror what’s happening in the comic books? How much can you change from the original material?

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HURD: Well, the interesting thing is that Robert Kirkman’s underlying comic book, The Walking Dead, is also a huge success. The fans care very deeply about it. The 100th issue is now the best-selling comic book in 15 years, outselling Marvel and DC. Over 350,000 comic books were sold. It would be very difficult [to decide] what to change if it were not for the fact that Robert Kirkman is not only an executive producer of the show, but he’s in the writers’ room, part of that discussion about what to keep, what to change and what to invent. And with his blessing, I think that the fans accept those changes.

Most network shows are primarily shot in studio— they’ll have maybe a couple of days outside. We shoot a very demanding show in eight days, with most of it on location, in the heat, the humidity, the ticks, the mosquitoes; that takes a physical toll on the cast and the crew. I think that our 16 episodes, in terms of the storytelling, because of the complexity of the stories, and the fact that it’s serialized, as well as the physical demands, is the equivalent to 24.

WS: Tell me about the creative

atmosphere you’ve found at AMC. HURD: AMC is very bold. They roll

the dice on their programming, on things that other networks haven’t done before. The same is true for FOX International. People were wondering, given the dark and graphic nature of the comic book, would it transition into a television series successfully? And the truth is that if it hadn’t been for the support of AMC and FOX International, if we had done a watered-down version, I don’t think it would have been the success that it is. We’ve never once gotten a note to tone it down.

WS: Do you have the entire season

mapped out well in advance?

HURD: Starting when the writers’

room opens, which is in February, an overall arc for each of the characters is discussed and there are various plot points that are pitched and approved by the network. But we really focus first on the initial eight episodes. (We have 16 episodes this season, last time we had 13, the first season it was six.) Once those [first eight have] begun to come out in script form, there can be a refocus so that the back eight can become more of a reflection of the first eight and we can really ramp up the stakes.

WS: You’ve done a lot of work for network television; I imagine a 16episode order is much more manageable than having to do 24!

HURD: Yes, 16 is manageable. On the (Un)armed and ready: The sword-wielding Michonne is among the new characters on season three of AMC’s The Walking other hand, it is quite demanding. Dead, which premiered around the world on FOX International Channels within a week of its American debut.

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market trends

months.There’s a renewed focus within FremantleMedia in the scripted space. In our Australian business we’re doing a lot more in that space and our visibility in the next 12 months is going to be even greater.

WS: You have a format development deal with Fuji TV

FremantleMedia’s

Ian Hogg

By Mansha Daswani

It’s been another strong year for FremantleMedia’s business across Asia, notably for what the company calls its “holy trinity” of formats—Idols, Got Talent and The X Factor. Idols, for example, cracked three new Asian markets this year—Vietnam, South Korea and Thailand—all of which are on board for second seasons, and continues to fare well in the Philippines and India. The X Factor also entered Vietnam this year, as well as Indonesia. Got Talent continues to deliver big numbers for Colors in India. Meanwhile, FremantleMedia’s deep stable of game shows— among them Hole in the Wall, The Price Is Right and Family Feud—are finding new and returning broadcast homes across the region. As CEO for the Asia Pacific at FremantleMedia, Ian Hogg is keenly focused on securing renewals on the company’s key franchises, driving scripted format adaptations and exploring digital-media opportunities. He tells World Screen about what’s in store for FremantleMedia in the region in 2013.

WS: What have been some of the major developments

in FremantleMedia’s Asian business in the past year?

HOGG: We’re finding that our holy trinity—our Idols and our X Factors and our Got Talents—continue to do really well. Those three big formats are shows that we’re immensely proud of. We spend a lot of time making sure that the production of those formats year on year evolves.

WS: What are your plans for rolling out scripted formats?

HOGG: We see the Indian marketplace as a very big oppor-

tunity for scripted programming. Likewise in Indonesia.

The Indonesians have been producing scripted programming as their staple diet for a very long time. And China is the other big scripted market. It’s obviously a little more difficult in China. We don’t have a production business there yet but we’re looking at that in the next 12 or so 18

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in Japan, which has been the only Asian territory so far to really make its mark on the global format business.

Why do you think there are so few format ideas on the international market that originated in Asia?

HOGG: It’s not an Asian thing, I think it’s a broadcaster thing. It’s confidence from the broadcasters. But we have shows coming into ATF that are from seven, maybe eight different countries. Now it’s not just about U.K. programming or U.S. programming, it’s about a great idea. As Asian broadcasters become more sophisticated in their production techniques and their storytelling, companies like us are very keen to grab those [concepts] and put them onto the world stage. One of the unique things that FremantleMedia has is a great [distribution] business. We’re very proud of that and we’ve got very good relationships in all our key production territories to sell those programs.

WS: What opportunities are you pursuing in terms of digital media in Asia?

HOGG: There are enormous opportunities. It’s a question of time. The broadcasters in a lot of ways aren’t as mature in their digital strategies as some Western countries; some are more evolved. The Korean market is an example. Over time I think it will mature. The numbers are still small, but for companies like ours it allows us to showcase our content in so many different ways. That’s a great thing for us as content producers and it’s a great thing for our partners to see that we can actually get their programming distributed online, on tablets, on mobile, on television, at any time. That’s one of the real challenges of our business moving forward.To make sure we can get that [business] to a mature place.

WS: What are some other growth areas for FremantleMedia in Asia?

HOGG: You’ve hit the main ones, which are digital and scripted. But it’s also getting back to basics. I mentioned the holy trinity at FremantleMedia. FremantleMedia has been very good for a very long time at keeping shows on air, keeping them fresh and working with our customers. That’s a real focus for us at the moment; making sure that as we look forward, we’re still looking down. It’s very easy not to do that. We all change in life and things evolve, and new things come in and out.

We’re organized to think at a group level and at a regional level about what we’re doing now, how we can make it better, but in that environment, where can we grow? Clearly digital and scripted for our business at the moment are the two areas for growth.

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world’s end

IN THE STARS

Almost every national constitution forbids the establishment of an official state religion. But this secular bent doesn’t stop people from looking to the heavens for answers to life’s most troublesome questions: Will I succeed? Will I find love? Will I get drunk with Diane Sawyer?

Every day, papers and magazines

Mitt Romney

Donald Trump

Khloé Kardashian

Tom Cruise

Mitt Romney

Tom Cruise

Global distinction: Defeated presidential candidate.

Sign: Pisces (b. March 12, 1947) Significant date: November 6, 2012 Noteworthy activity: After 17 months of campaigning

Global distinction: Hollywood heavyweight.

Sign: Cancer (b. July 3, 1962) Significant date: October 28, 2012 Noteworthy activity: A man is arrested for allegedly

trespassing at the star’s Beverly Hills home. The actor’s security team saw the suspect hop a fence and enter the property in a drunken fit. He was shot with a stun gun and detained before police arrived.

Horoscope: “You may feel a need for privacy and solitude today. This should encourage you to stay close to home.” (dailyom.com)

sight occasionally prove prophetic.

to be the next president of the United States, the Republican nominee concedes the election. He told reporters earlier that day that he was so confident he had only prepared a victory speech.“I so wish that I had been able to fulfill your hopes to lead the country in a different direction. But the nation chose another leader,” Romney said in his concession speech.

Horoscope: “On the work front, you will enjoy a position and authority, thus increasing your confidence level.

You must avoid being overconfident as this could be your downfall.” (mywebastrologer.com)

But rather than poring over charts

Donald Trump

worldwide print horoscopes—projections for people born in a specific month, based on the positions of the stars and planets. While many people rely on these daily, weekly or monthly messages for guidance in their lives, some readers skip over them entirely.

The editors of WS recognize that these little pearls of random fore-

of the zodiac to predict world events, our staff prefers to use past horoscopes in an attempt to legitimate the science.

As you can see here, had some of these media figures remembered to consult their horoscopes on significant days, they could have avoided a few surprises.

Global distinction: Outspoken real-estate mogul.

Sign: Gemini (b. June 14, 1946) Significant date: October 24, 2012 Noteworthy activity: A few weeks prior to the U.S.

presidential election, the billionaire tells the media that he has “very big news” about Barack Obama that could significantly alter the race. He draws out the announcement for days, but the big reveal turns out to be more of a bargain than a bombshell. He offers the president $5 million to donate to a charity if he will release his college records and passport information.

Horoscope: “Gemini is ruled by Mercury, the god who invented lying. Gemini is a mutable sign, and can be slippery with words.” (sasstrology.com)

Khloé Kardashian Global distinction: Reality-TV starlet.

Sign: Cancer (b. June 27, 1984) Significant date: October 31, 2012 Noteworthy activity: The voluptuous brunette suffers

a wardrobe malfunction on the first night of her brandnew gig hosting The X Factor. The star was apparently braless underneath her sheer shirt, accidently exposing her nipple.

Horoscope: “This month you will have the chance to shine, largely because you are projecting yourself with self-respect and modesty at once.” (cafeastrology.com) 58

World Screen

Jennifer Esposito Global distinction: Blue Bloods star.

Sign: Aries (b. April 11, 1973) Significant date: October 20, 2012 Noteworthy activity: The star of the CBS hit is leaving

the show, at least temporarily.The studio claims it’s because she can only work a limited schedule because of her diagnosis of celiac disease. The actress, however, says that she was put on unpaid leave and blocked from working anywhere because her condition wasn’t accepted as a legitimate medical illness. She takes to Twitter with harsh words to share her side of the story.

Horoscope: “Don’t push yourself too hard at work, as you may be prone to burnout and make a lot of mistakes, which may put your career in jeopardy.” (tanahoy.com)

Diane Sawyer Global distinction: News anchor.

Sign: Capricorn (b. December 22, 1945) Significant date: November 6, 2012 Noteworthy activity: The veteran journalist is co-

anchoring ABC News’s coverage of election night when her speech and behavior send the Twitterverse into a frenzy. Rumors race around the Internet that Sawyer is drunk on the air, due to her rambling and slurred speech.

At one point she even mispronounces Barack Obama’s name. An anonymous Twitter handle of “Drunk Diane Sawyer” collects hundreds of followers.

Horoscope: “Too much running around might have you feeling exhausted and under the weather today.Therefore, this is a good day to avoid exercise and get some rest. Don’t push yourself too hard.” (glo.msn.com/horoscopes)

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