MANAGEMENT Wantt to Tax It
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THE BUSINESS JOURNAL OF FILM, BROADCASTING, BROADBAND, PRODUCTION, DISTRIBUTION MARCH/APRIL 2012 VOL. 32 NO. 2 $9.75 In This Issue: MIP Expectations NATPE’s CEO Quest 2012 TV Predictions Istanbul TV Show ® www.videoage.org DV To Add Millions Of Blind L.A. Screenings: Comediennes, People To Video Consumption Brit-Tested Shows, Wacky Families BY DOM SERAFINI e here at VideoAge keep (and international buyers) too. n the U.K., a recently aired BBC parody poked fun at the ITV costume drama a close eye on the TV Wacky families (à la Modern Family) Downton Abbey because of its very long scenes with no dialogue in which pilots, way before the seem to be taking center stage on the characters communicate simply by exchanging glares. Now, imagine a blind U.S. networks’ new comedy front (e.g. ABC’s How to Live person trying to follow along without a voice describing those mostly silent series are announced at With Your Parents for the Rest of Your Downton scenes. the May Upfronts. (Continued on Page 36) In the U.K., two So far, million people have sight Wseveral trends have emerged Iloss. There are an estimated amongst the nearly 90 PR Biz: Between a Rock 30 million adult Americans, or pilots (a few more than 9.5 percent of the population, last year), which have and a Hard Place who have trouble seeing or been commissioned by the BY LUCY COHEN BLATTER are blind. Depending on the networks for the 2012-2013 degree of vision impairment, season. he thing about publicists is that, though they are the number could be as high While the usual cop important to the editorial mix of any publication, as 54 million (according to series, legal dramas and they are very rarely seen or heard. Let’s change Turner Broadcasting research). supernatural series are well Tthat and give them their proverbial 15 minutes of In Canada, people with seeing represented on the nets’ fame by turning the spotlight on them. disabilities represent 4.5 percent rosters, there are plenty of Knowing that there are different roles for PR other options for viewers (Continued on Page 38) (Continued on Page 34) States Are Banking On Tax CHARLIE SHEEN Downloads here are people who want to control the Internet, others who seek to regulate it, some who would like to restrict it, many who want it to remain Anger freewheeling and anarchic, and also those who simply MANAGEMENT wantT to tax it. The problems are well ...because people don’t know how to self-medicate known: Privacy (e.g., the “Do not track” issue), pirating, net neutrality, spectrum scarcity, etc. And each problem has its own set of issues, like “fair use,” for unauthorized downloads; “targeting advertising” for the privacy issue; “bandwidth-hogging,” for net neutrality, and so on and so forth ad infinitum, with Internet tax issues said to be affecting interstate commerce as well. Now considering, for example, that downloads will soon surpass CD and DVD sales and rentals, what does this mean for the entertainment industry? True to the saying, only death and taxes are sure things, so it’s only a matter of time until taxes hit the Internet sector big time, and who’s better than “Uncle Sam” (the U.S. government) at finding Visit us at Booth RB.40 a way to milk the new cow? (Continued on Page 32) WORLDWIDE DISTRIBUTION Annons_FINAL.indd 1 2012-03-08 19.52 ONTENTSVIDEO AGE • No.2 • March/April 201 2 Cover stories: 16. DISCOP in Istanbul shows that Described video could add millions neither snow nor rain can slow of blind users to television consumption down the MECANA TV engine L.A. Screenings: Expect comediennes, Brit-tested shows and wacky families. But a large number of pilots will assure C a good mix The PR biz: Between a hard rock (client) Children’s Television. Kids TV experts and a harder place (media). A look behind 18. like to summit at Kidscreen in New York the pitch In the U.S., states are banking on tax downloads. Other countries will undoubtedly follow suit 20. Predictions and projections: What more to expect for the TV biz in 2012 6. World: Italy, China, U.S., Poland, Canada 26. A Tribute: NATPE ends Rick Feldman era at the dawn of its 50th anniversary 10. Tech News: 3D shows on 2D, IPTV eliminates PVR, DVB-2T, Spectrum shortage, Eutelsat’s 4,000 mark 28. Product placement. Unloved and distrusted, it gets a shaky reception in Europe 12. Book Review (Review). U.K. TV series makes Americans class-(un)conscious 30. Convergence and morality. If Internet TV feels like broadcast TV, rules should apply, but more lightly 14. MIP-TV preview. New dates add uncertainty to an already stressed- 40. Conference, travel news and calendar of events out market 42. My2¢. The Emmy must differentiate between broadcast and pay-TV China, the U.S. studios are limited in terms of the number of films they Poland Denies can distribute in the country due to a Catholic DTT quota system. The country is expected to be the world’s largest cinema market oland’s National Broadcasting within the next 10 years. Council (KRRiT) rejected These latest restrictions come as an application from the Lux the Chinese government prepares to Veritatis foundation, which transfer power to a new generation of owns Catholic TV channel leaders this fall. TV Trwam, to obtain a China’s Expansion, of China is not permitted to screen In other news, two state-owned digital broadcasting (DTT) between 7p.m. and 10p.m. Chinese media groups (Shanghai Plicense for the channel. Restrictions For TV In a statement, the government’s Media Group and China Media The Polish Episcopate has demanded State Administration of Radio, Film Capital) and DreamWorks Animation to know why TV Trwam was denied n China, the ruling Communist and Television declared that foreign in the U.S. announced a joint venture. the license. Additionally, The Helsinki Party has banned Chinese entertainment “cannot take up more Called Oriental DreamWorks, the joint Foundation for Human Rights broadcasters from airing foreign than 25 percent of total programming venture will be located in Shanghai asked that KRRiT provide detailed programs during primetime in an time each day.” Additionally, domestic and will develop original animated and information about how the Council effort to keep international shows channels in China must limit the live-action film and TV content, as well decides to award broadcasting licenses from gaining greater influence number of shows broadcast from any as live stage productions. The deal was for the operation of multiplex digital and “threatening the socialistic one country or region. announced at an economic forum held terrestrial broadcasting services. Ivalues” the Party champions. As a On top of that, despite the fact recently in Los Angeles, which Chinese A KRRiT member reportedly stated result, programming produced outside that U.S. film and TV are popular in Vice President Xi Jinping attended. that providing a digital broadcasting license to TV Trwam would not be financially beneficial for the multiplex. However, it has also been reported that digital broadcasting licenses have been given to TV stations with fewer ALWAYS financial assets than TV Trwam. eOne Eyeing Alliance Films ready anadian production and distribution company Entertainment One (eOne) has reportedly been linked to a bid for another Canadian company, Alliance Films. Previously, proposals had Cbeen made by other companies for parts of Entertainment One, but because the 55x60, 11x120 2x60 company did not feel those proposals adequately reflected the value of its business, it is no longer considering them. In September, Entertainment One hired Credit Suisse and JP Morgan to carry out a strategic review of eOne, and their services have been retained. eOne distributes the Twilight films in 13x30 10x30 the U.K., while Alliance invests in films such as The King’s Speech. The investment division of the Quebec government and the private equity arm of Goldman Sachs, which owns approximately two thirds of Alliance, put Alliance Films up for sale in January. 400x30 14x30 30 Minute Weekly Carlo Sartori actionlifestylereality 1946-2012 entertainmentcrime arlo Sartori, the former Scan the code Secretary General of PrixItalia with your phone to see –– the TV festival founded and all of our new organized by RAI, the Italian programs now! state broadcaster –– died last MIPTV Booth # R31.17 February in Rome. He was 65 Contact [email protected] to schedule a meeting DEVELOPMENT • DISTRIBUTION • REPRESENTATION years old and suffered from a Visit cableready.net to see full episodes of our entire program library. +1 203-855-7979 | [email protected] Cdegenerative ailment. Sartori, one of RAI’s top executives (Continued on Page 8) 6 VIDEO • AGE M ARCH /A PRIL 2 0 1 2 A DREAM SIGNED EGYPTIAN OASES (DOCUMENTARIES) 6 x 12’ - 1 x 35’ ROGER FEDERER CASH(DOCUMENTARIES) 25’ Programs SinestesiaSinestesia A film by Erik Bernasconi "Sinestesia" chronicles the vicissitudes of four young adults in two moments of their lives which are in turn linked to two dramatic episodes three years apart. The intervening years see the characters confronted by the usual joys and difficulties of everyday life. However, they also find themselves having to react to a destiny which, every now and again, places a cross- roads in our way. Fiction - 2010 - 1h30’ 16/9 High definition Coproduction: Imagofilm - RSI Radiotelevisione svizzera Our complete catalogue on rsi.ch/sales Documentaries Swiss Television Fiction Sales Office Children CH 6903 Lugano Entertainment Switzerland Tel. +41 91 803 54 82 Classical Music Fax +41 91 803 57 25 Jazz - Pop - Rock salesoffi[email protected] Americans delivered during a NATPE with Fox Sports Southwest valued at speech became famous: “Yes, [Italy Local TV Deals For $3 billion that includes equity in the produces] trash-TV, but it’s our own Sports Rights network, escalator clauses and profit trash, there is no need to send yours.” participation.