Exports of British TV Shows Up 20 Percent

The sale of British programming on the international market generated revenues of £593 million in 2006, up 20 percent on 2005, according to the British trade body Pact.

more at worldscreen.com

DISCOP 07

Paris, 24 January. 2007 will be one of the most eventful year ever for Central & Eastern Europe’s booming television industry as most countries are pushing hard on the transition from analogue to digital broadcasting while at the same time many of them are already embracing IPTV.

As a result, close to 650 national, regional, thematic TV stations, VOD, Telco operators and DVD distributors from Central & Eastern Europe are expected to send about 1000 programming, acquisitions, production and distribution executives to Budapest for the 15th edition of the annual 3-day DISCOP content market which will take place from 20 to 22 June at the SOFITEL ATRIUM HOTEL in Budapest.

To better welcome an expected 25% increase in attendance over 2006, the market will be held during 3 weekdays (Wednesday, Thursday and Friday) instead of 2 weekdays plus a Saturday as in the past.

With still 5 months to go before DISCOP 07, all exhibits have already been sold out to 173 international TV content sales organizations, the vast majority of them being DISCOP veteran companies eager to pre-organize their meetings with the +/- 700 already confirmed Central & Eastern European TV content BUYERS.

Many additional non-exhibiting sales organizations are still expected to register while an increased number of national pavilions will also be at DISCOP 07 representing France, Italy, Spain, Korea and Israel.

DISCOP 07
www.discop.com
T + 33 1 42 29 32 24
Info07 (a) discop (dot) com

Scripted/Unscripted Format Deal

"NBC is close to picking up a cast-contingent pilot from Endemol USA that breaks down the barriers between scripted and reality fare.

Hybrid family sitcom, tentatively titled "Traveling Salesman," contains an unscripted element in which the show's fictional main character interacts with real-life people via hidden camera."

Read the story on Variety.com

I'm just wondering how ABC will handle the repository of the competitive bid.

Focussing Scripted Formats

Michel Rodrigue is giving his evaluation of the international Format Market in the actual newsletter from FRAPA:

"(...) We could feel it coming during last MIP but this past MIPCOM was definitely where the establishment of the genre became noticeable the most. Even tracking agency The Wit featured a full section to the rising popularity of scripted formats around the world. This undoubtedly confirms that far from being a fad, formats are an important part of many broadcasters’ chase for higher ratings and they are expanding into genres that go well beyond light entertainment series. In an environment where audiences are fragmenting and embracing new ways to watch their favorite shows, producing and broadcasting drama series on primetime also comes with its share of challenges for many broadcasters around the world. Scripted formats offer an alternative to mitigate the financial risks and to increase the probability of success: in scripted comedies, the international success of Love Bugs after nine years and 30 countries, has paved the way, and others have made their way since : The Office, Betty, la Fea (Ugly Betty, which hits the #1 spot on US television) are now the driving force on the back of which the US studios are stretching their production arm into the scripted format market. NBCU’s Law & Order is being remade in Russia and France, any a slew of US dramas including telenovelas are being shopped by Fox World. (...)"

U.S. Market imports Fuji Format

The Gurin Company has reached a deal to bring the Japanese game show NEP League, from Fuji Television Network, to the U.S. market.

The series has been winning its prime-time slot every week for more than a year. It pits two teams of five against each other as they battle it out in three unique quiz rounds to find out which team gets to compete in the bonus round for a chance at $10,000.

via Worldscreen.com

The Gurin Company produces reality, game, variety, holiday specials, magazine and documentaries. And is best known for its work on NBC's "Weakest Link," as well as "Miss Universe," "Miss USA," "Miss Teen USA," and GSN's number one original show "Lingo."

"NEP League" is one of Fuji TV's top rated productions. The show combines quiz fun for the entire family with the latest computer graphics technology, to give it a "game show inside a video game feel." "NEP League" pits two teams of five against each other as they battle it out for three rounds of quizzes before one team moves onto the bonus round for a chance at $10,000.

All3Media takes on Makeover Show

All3Media International has taken on the finished program and format distribution rights to Tearaway Teen To Beauty Queen, a North One production.


Read more on Worldscreen.com

Reversioning

What's the heck with the big international format trade? As Jeanne McDowell explains:

"Making it their own, in fact, is the newest trend catching on among U.S. television studios trying to find new ways to push their programming in foreign markets. From local music tie-ins like Larage's to new versions of American hits produced overseas with local casts, studios are thinking globally but acting locally.

Disney announced a deal last week to produce four versions of Desperate Housewives in Latin America. The ladies of Wisteria Lane will be more than dubbed in Spanish. Hoping to replicate the worldwide success of the ABC dramedy the local editions will each have their own casts and cultural flavors in Spanish and Portuguese. "The script of the series perfectly fit the profile of what the Latin American audience looks like," Buena Vista International Television senior vice president Fernando Barbosa said. "It looks similar to telenovelas." Each local Desperate Housewives will follow the format of the U.S. show but be adapted to reflect local culture.

Producing local versions of popular American shows with local casts all over the world, known in the industry as "reversioning", could be a bonanza for studios, which count on sales to international markets to recoup the high cost of producing episodic television at home. In the 1990s Sony Television International pioneered reversioning with local productions of hits such as Married With Children and The Nanny as a way to counter a trend of scheduling U.S. shows in undesirable time slots far away from primetime. Today, Sony is expanding its productions throughout the world in markets as culturally different as Russia and China."

Read more on TIME.com

A Million Stars for Celador

Celador International today announces a five-year renewal deal with STAR for the Hindi version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?. The deal incorporates both the format and programme license, and is the longest continuing license that has ever been granted for the globally successful show.

Known as Kaun Banega Crorepati, the show will continue to be hosted by Bollywood megastar, Amitabh Bachchan, and broadcast across India on STAR PLUS in prime time. STAR also has the right to dub the show from the original Hindi into Tamil for its VIJAY Channel.

Celador International Chairman, Paul Smith, concluded the deal with Steve Askew, Chief Operating Officer, STAR Group and Gaurav Gandhi, Vice President – Commercial & Planning, STAR India, at Mipcom in Cannes today. The multi-million dollar contract also incorporates the license for the finished Hindi programmes to be broadcast in a further six territories – Hong Kong, the Middle East, Singapore, Pakistan, the UK, and the USA – on STAR PLUS’ international channels.

Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? was first broadcast in India in 2000 and was a spectacular success, revolutionising primetime TV in India and making STAR PLUS the highest-rated satellite channel in India. When it was relaunched in August 2005 with the prize money doubled to twenty million rupees, STAR PLUS ratings for the slot in which it was broadcast grew by 383% as 16m viewers tuned in to watch the first episode. STAR PLUS dominated the slot, commanding an audience share of almost 60%.

For more information read the press release here, the fact sheet about WWBM? her and the report on C21media here.

History of TV programme trade

If you're interested in the history of TV programme trade and in the early beginnings of formatting TV programs, I would like to draw your attention on the following reports:

1) Television traffic: a one-way street? A survey and analysis of the international flow of television programme material
from Varis and Nordenstreng (1975), UNESCO, which you can find here

and the sequel:
2) International flow of television programmes from Varis (1985), UNESCO, which you can find here.