THE BUSINESS JOURNAL OF FILM, BROADCASTING, BROADBAND, PRODUCTION, DISTRIBUTION MAY 2010 VOL. 30 NO. 3 $9.75 In This Issue: MIP Ashes Indie Product Pilots in the Air Brasil TV Forum ® www.videoage.org Speculators Kicked Out Studios Stronger Than Ever Of Hollywood’s Lots Indies Make Up In Number The L.A. Screenings as a battleground BY DOM SERAFINI hile President Barack Obama was busy fending off insurance companies BY ERIN SOMERS But, let’s not underestimate the power that profited from people’s misfortunes by successfully offering a national es, there are only six major of the indies, especially when they’re health plan, Wall Street financiers and bankers roaming the White U.S. studios and they have both angry and hungry. Despite the House allowed another coup: the creation of two exchanges that would power, money and new TV usual post-L.A. Screenings mumblings, give speculators series. Yes, we know that year after year, an increasing number of (Continued on Page 22) the opportunity thousands of buyers from (Continued on Page 32) to bet on the every corner performanceW of films over their of the world Latin TV Shoppers Will first four weeks at the box office. (includingY Sri Lanka and Clearly, the disastrous laissez- Trinidad) flock to the L.A. Definitely Be Buying in L.A. faire philosophy of presidents Bill Screenings mainly — if not BY LORENA SÁNCHEZ Clinton and George W. Bush still only — to look at pilots for reigns, and now even Hollywood the new U.S. TV season. is being targeted by speculators. Yes, we also know that the ost Latin American TV buyers contacted by The Commodity Futures Trading studios have stars that they VideoAge are really excited about programs Commission (CFTC), the parade around at those they expect to find at the L.A. Screenings U.S. agency that regulates the this year. Program executives from the Latin derivatives and futures market, lavish parties that make M has backed a new scheme that the L.A. Screenings the American region will be looking for series, successful Hollywoodian event that it U.S. formats and movies. They are also open to (Continued on Page 38) has become. (Continued on Page 36) Europe Dissed By Latin American TV BY GIOVANNI VERLINI atin America is a remarkable opportunity for European media groups. Cultural and, in some cases, L linguistic affinity with many nations of the old world makes the South American continent a somewhat natural area of expansion for European media companies. Yet the history of European media presence in Latin America is patchy, at best. While foreign media companies in general have had a love-hate relationship with a continent long characterized by the damming combination of protectionism, piracy and economic volatility, it’s the huge conglomerates of North America – mainly the U.S. and to a certain extent, Canada and Mexico — that have historically dominated the scene and continue to do so. In addition, Latin America’s profile as a hub for content creation and export has also significantly grown in recent years. In other words, the margins of maneuver for European content exporters (Continued on Page 34) Sección en Español aaaMay_2010.indd 1 5/11/10 9:28:19 AM May_Issue_Ads.indd 2 5/4/10 3:00:33 PM ONTENTSV I D E O A G E • N o . 3 • M a y 2 0 1 0 Cover stories: 15. Sección en Español: Hollywood is afraid of the future(s). Speculators kicked out of Hollywood’s lots • La TV de Centroamérica tocada por un Ángel Europe dissed by Latin American TV. • Comedias, policias y copias: Las tendencias The Old Continent lost the plane and is en los pilotos de otoño en USA Cnow trying to head south by boat • La TV India ha crecido muy rápido Will Latin American TV groups be shopping y en miles de millones or buying at the L.A. Screenings? Studios remain strong, but indies at L.A. Screenings 2010 are more numerous than ever 22. L.A. Screenings 2010: New U.S. Season 2010-2011 4. World: Italy, U.S., U.K., Letter Network commissioned pilots Who’s screening and where Independents’ new product 8. Brasil TV Forum. Back to familiar ground 40. Conferences, travel news and calendar of events 42. My 2¢: Costs of imported programs is a function of “what the market can bear” 10. MIP-TV review. The Croisette after the ashes. MIP-TV awakened by an eruption of deals aaaMay_2010.indd 3 5/10/10 9:41:43 AM readily renewed for subsequent seasons. bestowed on ZDF’s series Fun With Further proof of the comedy boom can Claude, Nickelodeon’s The Penguins be found on the studios’ lists of upcoming of Madagascar, and Fuji TV’s Flying pilots, which are riddled with laughers. Trapeze, among others. Early figures show that there are up to Among the presentations, which 10 more comedy pilots in the works than took place at the Excelsior Place Hotel last year. in Rapallo, were “Modern Egyptian Animation,” “The value of diversity in Nickelodeon’s productions — The case on U.S. television. history of Avatar. The Legend of Aang” Sitcoms Back Cartoons (pictured below with Nickelodeon’s After a few years of “failed derivatives” Held At Bay Daniela di Maio, and VideoAge’s Monica On U.S. TV (like Friends spinoff Joey), the most recent Gorghetto), and RAI Fiction’s traditional batch of sitcoms has received glowing unveiling of its new projects, which this reviews and skyrocketing ratings. year included co-productions Little Prince fter the recent success of shows There is some speculation that the ver 1,000 delegates attended the and The Extraordinary Adventures of Jules like Modern Family (ABC), The down economy has created a need for 14th edition of international Verne. Big Bang Theory (CBS), Two and uplifting, comedy fare. But whatever animation festival Cartoons on A a Half Men (CBS), and 30 Rock the reason, half-hour comedies like The O the Bay, held in Rapallo, Italy, (NBC), some media outlets, among Office far outrank dramas in online April 15-18 and organized by RAI Trade. them the New York Times, have lately views, and shows like last year’s Cougar Five hundred entries were submitted to heralded the second coming of comedy Town and Modern Family, have been the competition, with Pulcinella Awards The fest saw active participation from Italian animation companies such as The Animation Band of Marco Marcolini In No Time (pictured below). Action Zone Policia Judicial Federal The Market Chef Spotlight On HTDTHTDT Cuando Levanta la NieblaNiNie blbla TV Privacy Rights For Animals Too BC series Nature’s Great Events has recently gotten flack from an academic and wildlife advocate for Kids Flix Bikini Destinations Hollywood Buzz B violating the animals’ privacy. In a new study that appeared in Continuum: Journal of Media and Cultural Studies, Brett Mills, a professor at the University of East Anglia, asserted that nature documentaries ignore privacy ethics 150 Central Park South distributed by Suite 310 New York, NY 10019 (Continued on Page 6) phone 212 707 8244 email [email protected] M AY 2010 aaaMay_2010.indd 4 5/10/10 9:48:51 AM STARRING JENNIFER FINNIGAN #3&",5)306()'*-.4"/%5&-&7*4*0/"/%#6''"-0("-1*$563&413&4&/5 4)"%08*4-"/%.:45&3*&4 83*55&/ 130%6$&% 45"33*/(+&//*'&3'*//*("//"5"-*&#308/4)"6/#&/40/$&%3*$4.*5)/0-""6(64540/#:"-&9("-"5*4"/%1"6-"+4.*5) #:1"6-"+4.*5) &9&$65*7& &%*5&% %*3&$5&% 130%6$&34*3"-&7:1&5&38*--*".40/."3*/"$03%0/*1):--*4-"*/(1"6-"+4.*5)"/%"-&9("-"5*4#:304-:/,"--00"/%$"5):(6-,*/#:("3::"5&4 $3&%*54/05$0/53"$56"- TV Movies: The Last Christmas - 1 x 2 hours Wedding for One - 1 x 2 hours LA Screenings: Suite 1721 at The Hyatt Regency Century Plaza FIREWORKS INTERNATIONAL 19 Heddon Street, London, W1B 4BG, UK T: +44 (0)20 7851 6500 | 225 Arizona Avenue, Suite 250, Santa Monica, CA 90401, USA T: +1 310 576 1059 www.contentfilm.com May_Issue_Ads.indd 5 5/6/10 9:11:43 AM Cadura Shows study sessions, and speeches by a Kennedy’s New number of industry notables including NBC-Uni’s Art Rai4’s Carlo Freccero, Aldo Grasso, Series Debated McCann Worldgroup’s Milka Pogliani and Studio Universal’s Luca Federico Cadura. Most of the works uca Cadura, the president of NBC ew History Channel series The Universal’s Studio Universal Italy, exhibited at the Cattolica University Kennedys does not hit airwaves recently celebrated the company’s were featured in a catalogue (pictured (Continued from Page 4) until next year, but critics are L 12th anniversary with an exhibition below) and are available online at: www.ilovesu.it N already up in arms. The eight- when filming creatures. in Milan, Italy organized by Università hour program has come under fire for The study cited scenes in Nature’s Great Cattolica del Sacro Cuore and the Events, to make the point that, because Center for Research on Television and its portrayal of the famous American Audiovisuals. Organized by Professor animals cannot give consent to have their political family, which detractors have Aldo Grasso, the exhibition was titled most secretive moments televised, the labeled as “vindictive, revisionist and “Studio Universal: Cinema on TV.” practice is unethical. In a recent interview, firmly right wing.” The event featured advertising Mills suggested that it is the tendency of TV campaigns and videos that highlighted Reps from the History Channel shows to prioritize the rights of the viewers the evolution of its brand.