TV Real MIPCOM 2011

MIPCOM EDITION

Testosterone TVHome Reno ShowsAnthony BourdainAl Jazeera’s Al Ansteywww.tvreal.ws THE MAGAZINE OF FACTUAL PROGRAMMING OCTOBER 2011

REAL_1011_COVER_KID_108_COVER 9/15/11 12:39 PM Page 2

REAL_1011_NHU_Spread_Layout 1 9/14/11 1:43 PM Page 1

REAL_1011_NHU_Spread_Layout 1 9/14/11 1:44 PM Page 2

REAL_1011_Spread_Layout 1 9/11/11 6:07 PM Page 1

REAL_1011_Spread_Layout 1 9/11/11 6:08 PM Page 2

REAL_1011_AETN_Layout 1 9/9/11 10:10 PM Page 1

REAL_1011_AETN_Layout 1 9/12/11 6:55 PM Page 2

IN THIS ISSUE

Testosterone TVShows focused onmale audiences, from military to motoring 26

Home Sweet HomeLifestyle series abouthome design and real estate are in high demand 32

InterviewsAnthony Bourdain 38Al Jazeera English’sAl Anstey 40A+E Networks’Sean Cohan 42

• Food Trip with Todd English• Saw Dogs• Esther Extraordinaire• Prison Diaries• House of Bats

Food Trip with Todd English

CABLEreadywww.cableready.net

“Understanding and respondingto the needs, challenges andpriorities of our global buyers[are our goals].”

—Gary Lico

Providing fun for the whole family, Circus Dreams shows agroup of teens as they try out for the only traveling youthcircus in the U.S. “Kids come from all over the world toaudition, so we expect it will appeal to all markets,” saysJudy Barlow, the VP of international sales at APT World-wide. The company is also showcasing The Pit, which givesa look inside a place that is rarely seen, the New York Boardof Trade. “This type of work makes for fascinating andunusual characters, and The Pit is filled with many,” Bar-low notes. For those looking to fill a need for “green” pro-gramming, APT is offering Seven Ways to Power the Planetand Energy Quest USA. The group is also bringing back itslong-running series Adventures from the Wild West, nowfilmed in HD. “Our goals are to provide interesting andunique content to buyers. We’ve selected programs that willhelp draw viewers, bring some new information about atopic and entertain the audience,” says Barlow.

• Circus Dreams• The Pit• Seven Ways to Power the Planet• Energy Quest USA• Adventures from the Wild West

APT Worldwide www.aptww.org

Beyond Scared Straight

“We’ve selected programs that will helpdraw viewers, bring some new informationabout a topic and entertain the audience.”

—Judy Barlow

The unique characters and locations shown inCABLEready’s programs are what Gary Lico, the com-pany’s president and CEO, believes will draw buyers in.He also points out that many of the genresCABLEready represents—lifestyle, travel, crime andinvestigation, nature and history, among others—allhave proven appeal. He highlights for MIPCOM titlessuch as Food Trip with Todd English, which features theeponymous chef and restaurateur as he gives a rareglimpse into the thoughts and motivations of a culi-nary master. In a darker genre, Prison Diaries is one ofseveral series CABLEready has in its catalogue thatlook at what life is like behind bars. Buyers can alsolook out for Esther Extraordinaire, Saw Dogs and Houseof Bats from CABLEready.

TV REAL8

Circus Dreams

REAL_1011_UPFRONT_EUR_1006_ELLENDER 9/15/11 11:33 AM Page 1

REAL_1011 Passion_Layout 1 9/12/11 6:58 PM Page 1

All of the titles Canamedia is bringing to MIPCOM this yearare brand-new, first-run series outside of Canada, notesAndrea Stokes, the international sales and acquisitions man-ager. Tapping into the trend of reality competitions, Test ofLove watches five engaged couples battle it out for a chance ata free wedding and honeymoon. In a twist, couples aren’teliminated until the last few episodes, allowing viewers to fol-low their journeys all the way through. Skewed for men isThe Cool Guy Files, which features a true story in eachepisode of a different guy, looking at what makes them“cool.” Canamedia is also presenting the investigative crimeseries Scammed!, about the global problem of fraud. Into theArctic 2 is a follow-up to a documentary of the same namethat spotlights the artist Cory Trépanier. In this second film,Trépanier is going into remote lands that are more challeng-ing and more dangerous, to capture what he sees on canvas.

• Test of Love• The Cool Guy Files• Scammed! • Into the Arctic 2

Into the Arctic 2

Canamedia www.canamedia.com

• Waking the Titanic• Bullproof• Anna Nicole • Baking Mad• Fat Doctor

Electric Skywww.electricsky.com

Bullproof

“We want to furthereducate the marketabout the successesof 3D, as well asshowcasing the new3D titles within theElectric Sky catalogue.”

—Karen Young

TV REAL10

Get TV Real Weekly—delivered to your inbox every Wednesday.

For a free subscription, visit: www.worldscreen.com

Ricardo Seguin GuisePublisher

Anna CarugatiEditor

Mansha DaswaniExecutive EditorKristin BrzoznowskiManaging EditorMarissa GraziadioEditorial AssistantSimon WeaverOnline DirectorCraig BrownMichelle Villas

Production & DesignDirectors

Phyllis Q. BusellArt DirectorCesar Suero

Sales & Marketing Director

Terry AcunzoBusiness Affairs Manager

Vanessa BrandSales & Marketing

Assistant

Ricardo Seguin GuisePresident

Anna CarugatiExecutive VP &

Group Editorial DirectorMansha DaswaniVP of StrategicDevelopment

TV Real© 2011 WSN INC.1123 Broadway, #1207New York, NY 10010

Phone: (212) 924-7620

Fax: (212) 924-6940

Website: www.tvreal.ws

“The series all have a fresh,current look and feel andbring engaging characterswith big personalities inunique situations to ourinternational broadcasters.”

—Andrea Stokes

The 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic is nextyear, and Electric Sky has Waking the Titanic to offer tobroadcasters looking to commemorate the event. The 52-minute doc highlights the backgrounds and plight of thethird-class passengers. Anna Nicole has garnered much pub-licity due to its high-profile characters. Bullproof, a 2D/3Dproduction, looks at the world of bullfighting. Karen Young,Electric Sky’s commercial director, says Baking Mad hasbeen a hot title, bringing audience loyalty and helpingto fill schedules at an affordable cost. “One of thebiggest genres within factual is weight-loss/weight-issues programming,”Young says, pointing to Fat Doc-tor, which witnesses the lives of the morbidly obesewho are desperate to lose weight, and follows them ontheir journey of battling their food demons. Fat Doctoris back for a fourth season.

REAL_1011_UPFRONT_EUR_1006_ELLENDER 9/14/11 8:19 PM Page 2

REAL_1011 VIDEO FASHION_Layout 1 9/9/11 10:41 PM Page 1

• Burma: A Human Tragedy• Life, Death, & Reincarnation with the Dalai Lama• The Miao Festival• The Cross Upon the Hill• The Vanishing City

Jelly Bean Films & Distributionwww.jellybeanfilm.com

It’s a mix of returning programs and new series for ITVStudios Global Entertainment’s MIPCOM slate. Newproduct includes Seven Dwarves, which follows a crewof actors who are taking part in the U.K.’s annual pan-tomime season. Another new series is the ten-hourInventions That Shook the World, which, according toTobias de Graaff, the director of global TV distribu-tion, is “a good volume of entertaining, informative andmeticulously researched television.” There’s also a newseason of I Shouldn’t Be Alive. “A great advantage of IShouldn’t Be Alive is that it’s a returning franchise...which has proven success in the U.S. and around theworld,” de Graaff points out. From ITV’s in-house pro-duction team comes Safari Vet School, which featuresyoung veterinary students getting a hands-on coursein animal conservation. The company is also showcasingits first 3D content, River Monsters 3D.

• Seven Dwarves• Inventions That Shook the World• I Shouldn’t Be Alive• Safari Vet School• River Monsters 3D

ITV Studios GlobalEntertainment

River Monsters 3D

“We are thrilled tobe launching our first3D content, RiverMonsters 3D.”

—Tobias de Graaff

www.itvstudios.com

Burma: A Human Tragedy

“Our goal is to sell, and we hope that more buyers are activeat this market.”

—Sabrina Chen-Louie

364 World Screen 10/11

TV REAL12

The Academy Award-winning actress Anjelica Hustonlends her voice to the narration of Burma: A Human Tragedy,which Jelly Bean Films & Distribution is offering for theworldwide market. The documentary shines a light on thebrutal regime of the military junta in Burma. SabrinaChen-Louie, the president of Jelly Bean, warns that thefootage is terrifying, yet is important to illustrate an ongo-ing genocide. A number of Jelly Bean’s other docs providea glimpse into various cultures. The Miao Festival looks atone of the 56 tribes of China, the Miao. Life, Death, & Rein-carnation with the Dalai Lama takes viewers on a journey toHis Holiness’s birthplace, discussing his experience withlife, what he thinks about death and what he knows aboutreincarnation. The Vanishing City looks at the hows andwhys of the luxury building frenzy of the past decade inNew York. Rounding out the Jelly Bean catalogue is TheCross Upon the Hill.


REAL_1011 ITV _Layout 1 9/11/11 5:40 PM Page 1


Beautiful girls and exotic cars are brought together in asingle work of art in the original series Flesh Air fromMultivisionnaire Media. The series features the airbrushartist Wayne Harrison and the celebrity photographerDave Anderson as they create a calendar of airbrushedwomen and hot rods. “What makes this series different is[that] nothing like this has ever been done before,” saysSean Haley, the managing partner. “Instead of customiz-ing the car and adding a model, why not customize thegirl to match?” There are also a number of films on theMultivisionnaire slate. “Little Blue Pill is one of the fun-niest and raunchiest films since American Pie,” says Haleyof the 93-minute movie. The 88-minute Far Away Eyesis an action-thriller. “It’s premiering at MIPCOM, andperfect for buyers looking to grab that male audience,”Haley says. No Saints for Sinners is a “solid action film,”he notes. The movie stars Keith David (Crash) and JamesCosmo (Sons of Anarchy).

• Flesh Air• Far Away Eyes• Little Blue Pill• No Saints for Sinners

Flesh Air

“Our goal at MIPCOM this year is to continue tobuild on existing relationships with buyers, continuing with new titles from telefilms to shows and to meet new buyers with the intent ofworking with them to get their titles out there.”

—Sean Haley

www.multivisionnaire.com

• Tainted Love• Jump Shipp• Noble Exchange: Latin America• The Un-Road Trip• Surf Life

New Dominion Pictures

Jump Shipp

“We will be at the market with 29 hoursof fresh original programs from HalogenTV available to sell across the schedule.”

—Kristen Eppley

TV REAL14

www.newdominion.com

Multivisionnaire Media

Halogen TV is a new cable network in the U.S. focusedon socially conscious entertainment, featuring reality-based series, documentaries and specials. New DominionPictures is bringing with it to MIPCOM a number ofproductions from Halogen TV for the internationalmarket. “Halogen’s programs offer a wide variety ofprogramming, from current affairs to lifestyle tohumanitarian to eco-entertainment,” says Kristen Epp-ley, the senior VP of international distribution at NewDominion. All are produced in HD, she adds. Titlesinclude Jump Shipp, a reality series about how to avoidthe dreaded “quarter-life crisis.” Tainted Love exposesmodern-day slave trading and human trafficking. Alsoon offer from New Dominion are the docu-reality titleNoble Exchange: Latin America, which features sevenhalf-hour episodes; The Un-Road Trip, a reality show often half-hour episodes; and Surf Life, an hour-long doc.


REAL_1011_Terranova_REAL_1011_Terranova 9/9/11 10:33 PM Page 1


The globe-trotting explorer Jonathan Legg is on a questfor the unusual, exotic and adventurous side of life inRoad Less Travelled. “It’s a journey full of colors, customs,amazing human stories and loads of fun and adventure,”says Upma Bhatnagar, the director of sales at OTPLWorldwide. OTPL is also presenting Chocolate Covered, anew cookery show with Claire Clark, one of the top fivepastry chefs in the world; InJustice, a crime series; andOperation Hero, which inspires children of today to livelike a hero from the past.There’s also Go Ganges, whichBhatnagar calls “one of the most endearing films ever madeon the mighty river.” In addition to a slate of finished pro-grams, this year OTPL is offering blue-chip projects forinternational co-production. “Working jointly with someof the leading production houses and channels aroundthe globe, OTPL has launched shows like Super Titan,Human Nature and Orphaned,” Bhatnagar notes.

• Chocolate Covered• InJustice• Road Less Travelled• Go Ganges• Operation Hero

OTPL Worldwide

“OTPL’s catalogue comprises a greatvariety of award-winning and exciting newshows, from lifestyle to factual entertainment,from live-action youth formats togritty true-crime stories.”

—Upma Bhatnagar

www.otpl.co.uk

It’s been almost a decade since Novavision was setup, and within that time the company has grown tobecome one of the world’s largest providers ofcomedic non-dialogue clips. Earlier this year, the com-pany strengthened its position when it acquired MEG(Media Entertainment Group), taking on its catalogueand business assets. Among its best-selling titles is PopCorn TV, a compilation show of 400 half-hour episodes.There’s also Crazy Hidden Camera, with 175 half-hours ofcandid-camera gags. The Prize of Surprise is a game-showformat that lets people guess what reactions will be topranks around the world. Another game show, TheQuizZz, is made of minute-long segments. The companyalso has a show with dialogue in production, with PopCamera. “Our whole catalogue will have worldwideviewers laughing out loud and coming back for more!”says François-Xavier Poirier, the CEO.

• Pop Corn TV• Crazy Hidden Camera• The Prize of Surprise• The QuizZz• Pop Camera

TV REAL16

www.novavision.fr

“All our programs are family oriented, trans-generational andtrans-cultural.”

—François-Xavier Poirier

Go Ganges

Novavision-MEG


REAL_1011 TLM_Layout 1 9/14/11 1:24 PM Page 1


18 TV REAL

A fan of buried-treasure stories himself, Richard Propper,Solid Entertainment’s founder and president, has highexpectations for The Quest. It tells the story of a ChevroletCorvette that raced at Le Mans in 1962 and subsequentlydisappeared; one man spent decades searching for it.When he finally found it, he restored it to its originalform. Also car-centric is Rally On!, a recently completedseries the follows the Gumball 3000 Rally and its color-ful characters as they make their way across the country.Propper also highlights The Unnatural History of theKakapo, about a group of scientists who are working tosave a species of parrot that is nearly extinct. “This is oneof those charming documentaries that really shows thededication of people to keep a species alive,” says Prop-per. Rounding out the slate is One Six Right, which usesaerial HD cinematography to showcase the Van NuysAirport in Southern California, one of the busiest gen-eral aviation airports in the world.

• The Quest• Rally On!• The Unnatural History of the Kakapo• One Six Right

Solid EntertainmentThe Quest

“Every market we have a basketful ofnew titles spanning every genre, fromnatural history to current affairs to reality series.”

—Richard Propper

www.solidentertainment.com

From Sky Living’s new Pushy & Proud slot come thehour-long Pamper Parlour Mums and Disco Diva Mums,which Passion Distribution is offering clients. The firstsees parents spray-tanning their children from as youngas 6 and giving facials and nail treatments to children asyoung as 3. The latter of the two titles focuses on ambi-tious moms who escort their children around the coun-try to compete in freestyle dancing competitions. SallyMiles, Passion’s CEO, has high expectations for bothtitles at the market. She is also looking forward to pre-senting clients with Weekend Aristocrats, which featureseccentric lords and ladies opening their homes to payingguests playing Lord of the Manor for the weekend. Theseries is also available as a format. Passion offers both for-mats and finished versions of Design Wars, focused oninterior spaces. There’s also Quirky, about an innovativetech company, and Consumed.

• Weekend Aristocrats• Consumed• Pamper Parlour Mums and Disco Diva Mums• Design Wars • Quirky

Passion Distribution

“[Our shows present]unique extreme stories,great talent andcharacters or a greatprocess and journeythat will keep theaudience hooked.”

—Sally Miles

www.passiondistribution.com

Disco Diva Mums


REAL_1011_TPI_Layout 1 9/14/11 1:28 PM Page 1


20 TV REAL

Scoring international presales for Rex Fungi is a toppriority for Terranoa, according to Isabelle Graziadey,the head of international sales and acquisitions. The blue-chip program, under development with Les Films d’Ici andArte, showcases how mushrooms are now used in all fieldsof science. “Terranoa just signed the rights for this film andwill actively discuss co-pros and prebuys at MIPCOM,”says Graziadey. “Such breakthrough topics and comprehen-sive one-offs are always much coveted for prime-time sci-ence slots.” Diaper Dilemma, a co-production with Arte,looks at one of the biggest landfill issues in the Westernworld today. “The film will make its international launch atMIPCOM and surfs on broadcasters’ interest for engagingsocial and green-friendly issues treated with a twist,” Grazi-adey says. In addition to Meet My Wild Friends and AlainProst, Racing Through Life, Terranoa is presenting Architectsof Change.

• Diaper Dilemma• Architects of Change• Meet My Wild Friends• Alain Prost, Racing Through Life• Rex Fungi

Terranoa

Architects of Change

“[We want to] develop new packagedeals with cablecasters internationallywho are always keen on finding brand-newseries on the market and know whatquality Terranoa stands for.”

—Isabelle Graziadey

www.terranoa.com

• Pablo’s Hippos• Libya: The Path to Light• Cart Man’s Great Adventure

TeleProductions Internationalwww.tpiltd.com

Cart Man’s Great Adventure

“TPI continues its specialty as a producerand distributor of factual-basedprogramming that takes a look at the world around us.”

—Ron Alexander

Sales veteran Ron Alexander, who has been attendingMIPTV and MIPCOM since 1986, says that while he hasseen a lot of changes in buying trends over the years, hefirmly believes that buyers still look for docs that tell fas-cinating stories about global events, stories of hope, inspi-ration and adventure. In particular, he says, there’s appetitefor topics that “transcend national borders and relate tothe shared human experience.” For this market, Alexan-der, the president at TeleProductions International (TPI),is highlighting Libya: The Path to Light, from Cairo-basedZad Productions. Pablo’s Hippos is about the life and timesof the notorious Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar.He created a private zoo, and 20 years later, his hipposcontinue to cause havoc as part of his legacy.TPI alsobrings to MIPCOM a joint venture with Japan’s TVTokyo called Cart Man’s Great Adventure. “The film takesthe viewer on [Tadashi] Nagase’s adventures throughdeserts, mountains and jungles and asks, ‘Why pull a cartaround the world?’”


REAL_1011 OTPL_Layout 1 9/11/11 5:53 PM Page 1

TV REAL22

For the first time, a production team has beenauthorized to enter FDNY’s center at Randall’sIsland to follow a training session with veterans ofthe 9/11 attacks. The hour-long In Loving Memory,NYC Firefighters Ten Years After from producer DocStory will be available from The Licensing Machine(TLM) at this year’s market. TLM is also showcasingNapoleon Without Concession and Le Bal du Siécle. “Webuilt our completely new lineup of factual and doc-umenty programs...structured around values that arepart of the Panini Group’s historical values: friend-ship, discovery, family, entertaining, long-term vision,fun and socialization,” says Bruno Zarka, the TV,home video and digital sales and services manager atTLM. Zarka says TLM worked with a select group ofhigh-profile producers to bring a slate of uniqueproducts to the market, with a lineup that gives a pri-ority to historical and iconic figures, patrons of thearts and history.

• In Loving Memory, N.Y.C. Firefighters Ten Years After• Napoleon Without Concession• Le Bal du Siécle

The Licensing Machine

In Loving Memory, N.Y.C. Firefighters Ten Years After

“We aim to sharewith our clients ourvision with highly valuable programs.”

—Bruno Zarka

www.thelicensingmachine.com

• Videofashion News • Videofashion Collections• Videofashion Specials• Videofashion Designers• Videofashion Models

Videofashion www.videofashion.com

Videofashion Daily

“Videofashion is celebrating its 35thanniversary in November by expanding itsannual new programming output to 365daily programs each year.”

—Marlene Cardin

The focus for Videofashion at this market is to get the wordout that the annual programming output of its VideofashionDaily series is expanding, with a new program for each dayof the year. Videofashion Daily is composed of the subcate-gories news, collections, specials, designers, models, people,style, classics and eye candy. All programs withinVideofash-ion Daily are produced in HD, are half an hour in length andfeature fashion content from style epicenters such as Paris,Milan, London and New York. Giving flexibility for buy-ers, the programs can be licensed in packages of 13, 26, 39,52 or 365. “Videofashion was the absolute first to capturefashion on video,” says Marlene Cardin, the president andCEO of Videofashion. “We launched the first fashionmagazine on video, as documented by Time magazine in1980. Now we are the first to produce a daily fashion pro-gram. We’ve come a long way and we are thrilled at wherewe are headed.”



REAL_1011_CANAMEDIA_Layout 1 9/14/11 1:34 PM Page 1

REAL_1011_JELLY BEAN_Layout 1 9/9/11 10:15 PM Page 1

REAL_1011_JELLY BEAN_Layout 1 9/9/11 10:17 PM Page 2

For about as long as television has been an adver-tising medium, advertisers seeking a heavily maleaudience, especially a young one, have turned tosports. More recently, edgy comedy entered themix. But lately, some broadcasters not heavily invested insports or comedy are trying to appeal to men with factualprogramming heavy on testosterone.

Reality series like Dog the Bounty Hunter, Deadliest Catch,Top Gear and other danger- and speed-related series are bigsellers internationally on terrestrial broadcasters, general-interest cable and satellite channels and, in the last few years,niche channels targeting men all day.

BEERS’S BREWThe foremost practitioner of the genre is, by mostaccounts, Thom Beers, the executive producer of such hitsas Deadliest Catch for Discovery Channel, Black Gold fortruTV, Ice Road Truckers for HISTORY and Storage Wars,the second-season premiere of which set ratings recordsfor A&E in the U.S. in July.

Beers sums up his formula for success with male viewerssimply: “It’s high risk, high reward in an exotic location.”

Many of the shows Beers produces for his company,Original Productions, based in Burbank and owned by FremantleMedia, involve jobs that meet those criteria.

“Most men have a job,” he says. “They know exactly howmuch money they’re going to make. They know pretty muchwhat their job is going to be. We take those guys to a placethey know they’ll never get to, but they’ve always wanted toknow what it would be like. It means, ‘I’m going to drive a

TV REAL26


A+E Networks’Ax Men.

From series about cars and technology tomilitary programming, a new crop of shows

is firmly focused on male audiences.

TVBy Bill Dunlap

Testosterone

REAL_1011_BOYSCLUB_REAL_408_NIGHT 9/13/11 4:01 PM Page 2

10/11 World Screen

27TV REAL

truck in the middle of winter, at 40 [degrees] below zero andI may break through the ice, but I’ll make thousands of dol-lars more than I’ll ever make in a week doing what I do.’ It’sa job they’ll never have in places they’ll never get to. Andrewards they’ll probably never reap either.”

Deadliest Catch, going into its eighth season on Discovery,follows crab fishermen in the seas off Alaska, a profession thatis statistically among the most dangerous anywhere. Not all of Beers’s shows involve jobs, though. Storage Wars, for

instance, involves abandoned storage lockers that are auctionedto buyers who bid on the contents after only a cursory exam-ination. The winner of the “storage war” is the bidder whomakes the most profit on his or her bid.His newest, for HISTORY, is Around the World in 80 Ways,

which Beers describes as “a buddy show. It’s two guys who trav elaround the world. The challenge is that they have to use 80 dif-ferent means of transportation. I get to tell almost the history oftransportation. It’s funny; it’s provocative. A lot of the means oftransportation are things you’ve never heard of before. It’s a funlittle show.” Beyond risk, reward and location, Beers looks for authentic

characters. “To make a successful show you’ve got to havegreat characters,” he says. “Casting is really key. You needunique characters with unique skill sets. Authenticity is reallyimportant. It’s not like we manufacture or script the shows.People know the difference. The guys who come to our showsare looking for that real, authentic experience.”For Around the World in 80 Ways, Beers cast Rob Mariano,

a veteran of Survivor and The Amazing Race, and DennisAnderson, the creator of the monster truck Grave Digger.Other series from Beers include Coal for Spike TV, which cen-

ters on West Virginia coal mining, and, for HISTORY, Ax Men, alook at Pacific Northwest loggers, and IRT: Deadliest Roads, whichtakes drivers from the “ice roads” into the Himalayas.

BUILD AND DESTROYIn a more traditional documentary vein, some executives,like Germaine Deagan Sweet, the VP of global contentsales for National Geographic Channels, use a somewhatdifferent approach. Deagan Sweet’s formula for the suc-cessful male-skewing factual show: “It’s building and blow-ing up. How we build things and how we blow them up,”she says.“The male-skewing audience is an important one,” Deagan

Sweet continues. “If you look at our schedule, in the U.S. orinternational markets, the franchises that pop up as the top per-formers, the consistent performers, for us and our partners, arethe ones that are male skewing. They are series such as Megafac-tories and MegaStructures, science- and technology-based pro-grams that attract the male-skewing audience.” Deagan Sweet says National Geographic Channel has

always had a focus on the male audience. “I think it’s defi-nitely growing within an expanding market,” she says. “Themale-skewing programs have always performed well. It’s beena very consistent market for us, and one we’re not looking toback away from in the slightest. It continues to perform well.”

Megafactories, known as Ultimate Factories in the U.S.,explores the inside workings of various factories worldwide,featuring interviews and side stories to show the process inthe factory. Among the factories profiled are ones makingApache helicopters, Budweiser beer, Coca-Cola, Audi R8

sports cars, BMWs, and assorted other performance cars andmotorcycles.

MegaStructures focuses on construction projects that areextreme, in the sense that they are the biggest, tallest, longestor deepest in the world. Recent episodes featured the build-ing of the Marina Bay Sands casino in Singapore and theworld’s tallest TV tower in China.“It’s how things are built,” Deagan Sweet says, speaking of

both series. “It’s also how brands that we use in our everydaylives are built, and how they are made and put out onto thestreet. There’s a how-to factor that appeals to the audience.In that same vein, we have older things like DemolitionDynasty, made a couple years ago, which continues to per-form really well. That’s about a family that specialized in thedemolition of stadiums, casinos. There’s a real science andvery serious engineering and technology about it. I thinkthat’s what’s appealing to the male audience. You see thatrepeated across factual channels.”

WAR AND PEACEHISTORY has long used its extensive library of WorldWar II documentaries to build a largely male audience, butlately it’s broadened into more entertainment-oriented fare,like Ice Road Truckers and its own version of the BBC hitTop Gear. “HISTORY has always been male skewing,” says Dirk

Hoogstra, the channel’s senior VP of programming. “We’vebroadened our base by adding entertainment value to thebrand. The core viewers have stayed with us and we’ve been

379

Battle at sea: Military programming

is faring well for Breakthrough,

which is offering up Greatest Naval

Battles.

REAL_1011_BOYSCLUB_REAL_408_NIGHT 9/15/11 11:36 AM Page 8

able to expand [beyond them]. We’re close to 70-percentmale skewing.” This past July was the network’s best ever, with total view-

ers up 40 percent to 2.1 million and its key demographic ofadults 25 to 54 up 32 percent.Its best performers were the entertainment-oriented shows,

Ice Road Truckers and Top Gear on Sundays, American Pickers andPawn Stars on Mondays and Swamp People on Thursdays.Gary Lico, the president and CEO of CABLEready, says the

shows that work with men are the ones that allow the audi-ence to enter into someone else’s world. “We sell the seriesHooked: Monster Fish,” he says. “You have these swamp peo-ple and gator guys and what have you. Those kinds of thingsare very appealing to men, which is why they’re showing upon HISTORY, A&E, Discovery and Spike.”

Hooked follows anglers after such “monster fish” as Brazil’s“vampire fish” and Asian stingrays and sharks.Breakthrough Entertainment’s Greatest Tank Battles series is

in its second season on Discovery’s Military Channel in theU.S. and a number of international Discovery channels,where it attracts a strong male audience.“We’ve had a lot of success with Greatest Tank Battles,” says Ira

Levy, the executive producer and a partner at BreakthroughFilms & Television. “We’re retelling famous historical eventsby re-creating them with high-level CGI, so today’s generationcan be in that point of view.”Onto a good thing, Breakthrough’s next venture is Great-

est Naval Battles, told in a similar mix of CGI and interviews.

THE NEED FOR SPEEDAlso appealing to male audiences are cars and other things thatgo fast. A show that Lico likes in that genre is Intersections,which CABLEready produces for SPEED in the U.S. A “manand machine” series, Intersections compares two differentmachines—in one episode a dragster and a jet fighter—andfinds the similarities. “That’s the kind of show [male-oriented]network buyers are looking at,” Lico says.Solid Entertainment offers five different automotive

series and 15 or 20 one-offs, says Richard Propper, thecompany’s president. “Men and cars have gone together for decades,” Propper

says. “Men love things that are loud, things that move themfast and things where you can succeed against the elements.”A series that takes advantage of this love is Rally On!, which

follows the Gumball 3000 super-car rally, a tongue-in-cheek international competition with suchawards as the Monster Energy Award for “BadBehavior.” It went from Santa Monica to MiamiBeach in 2009. “The filmmakers ended up follow-ing eight different cars all the way to Miami. Wehave about 30 broadcasters interested,” Propper says.The series consists of eight half-hours.A more sedate automotive series from Solid is

What’s My Car Worth? “It’s something very sim-ple,” Propper explains. “They pick three or fourcars that are up for auction, talk about them anddrive them. They talk to the owner and a coupleof experts to get estimates of what each will sellfor and then you see who was right. There’s a lit-tle bit of drama.” Another series, Chasing Classic Cars, has been

picked up for a fourth season by Discovery. Chasing ClassicCars is one of four automotive series that will anchor theprime-time lineup of Discovery’s latest niche channel, Veloc-ity. Discovery calls Velocity, which replaces its HD Theaterchannel, an “upscale male lifestyle network.”It is the latest man’s channel, a genre that lately has seen

MAX sign on in Norway and DMAX channels in Germany,Ireland and the U.K. “Over the years we’ve had a number of car series that TLC

and Discovery have initiated that did really well,” Proppersays. “They always said, ‘We’re not going to do a car channel.It’s too narrow.’ It was too narrow until they found out therewere huge advertising dollars in it. Then they decided torebrand HD Theater into Velocity.” Nat Geo’s Deagan Sweet sees the male niche channels as

another buyer that isn’t in direct competition with her own


TV REAL28

Sky-high ambitions: The “leaning tower” of Abu Dhabi is featured in National Geographic Channels’ hit MegaStructures.

Full speed ahead: Solid Entertainmenthas found stronginterest in its slate ofmotoring shows,which include Rally On!, an insidelook at the Gumball3000 super-car rally.

REAL_1011_BOYSCLUB_REAL_408_NIGHT 9/15/11 11:40 AM Page 10

REAL_1011 Cable Ready_Layout 1 9/9/11 10:14 PM Page 1

channels. “There are these niche channels setting up thatare looking to take advantage of these franchises that theysee working,” she says. “We look for channels that are com-plementary to what National Geographic Channel putsout, mostly general-entertainment channels.”Beers acknowledges that many of his shows would do

well on the male-oriented channels, but he questions theirbudgets. “I’m sure they would love to have one of thoseshows, but I’m not sure they can afford that $15,000 per-episode fee. The niche channels are not in the first position.You’ve already gone through every terrestrial and everyDiscovery, Nat Geo Channel, HISTORY, A&E, beforeyou’ve gotten to them.”

GENERATION YThe real challenge for established channels and the newermale-skewing channels is reaching younger men, usuallydefined as 18 to 34, a demographic group that is famouslydifficult to attract.Propper acknowledges that some of his classic car series

are more attractive to older men, but he notes that otherofferings from Solid do reach younger viewers.“Automotive shows do OK, but what does do well is

motorcycle shows,” he says. “The average teenager can’tafford that high-end Porsche or Ferrari, but they can geta motorcycle for a reasonable amount of money. Off-road films have done well with the younger demo. Wehave a number of shows that have to do with coverageof the Baja 1000. They were produced for Discovery orESPN. Those do all right in some of the male channelswhere they’re going after that younger demographic.”Beers says many of his shows appeal to younger men.

“That 18-to-34 male audience is our sweet spot. Our aver-age age is 41 years old. We certainly see an opportunitythere. 1000 Ways to Die draws a really young male audi-ence, 15- to 21-year-olds. That’s a tough audience to hit.” The show, made for Spike in the U.S., in the vein of Jack-

ass, uses youthful risk-taking combined with humor to

present, mostly, near-death situations along with analyses ofreal fatalities resulting from questionable behavior.Beers also says his shows reach broad male audiences that

include younger and older viewers. “In most of the stuff wedo, we find multi-generational viewing,” he says. “We findfathers and sons, mothers and daughters watching our shows.Originally when I did Monster Garage, it was a really uniqueopportunity for a man and his boy to sit down and watch ashow and both of them get a unique experience out of it.”

GAME ONAs much of the younger male audience has abandoned TVfor the Internet and computer games, several executivessuggest that the way to reach them is through gaming andmultimedia applications.The subject matter of Breakthrough’s Greatest Tank Bat-

tles wouldn’t seem to attract a younger male audience, butNat Abraham, the company’s VP of distribution, says thevisual presentation of the show does. “It’s very gamelike,” he says. “It’s no longer just his-

tory told through newsreels. It’s part video-game graph-ics and coming out of that we’re doing mobile games.Kids can actually play the tank battles using the assets wehave from the CGI within specific games that are con-nected to the television show but exist on their ownmerit. It reaches out to a younger demographic with-out alienating the older demo that would love a showlike this.”National Geographic’s Deagan Sweet says her audiences

generally lean toward the older side of the 18-to-49 demo-graphic, but that the channel is not giving up on theyounger side. “The channel is doing a lot to extend intoother media,” she says. “It’s now expanding the program-ming opportunities into interactive elements on the chan-nel’s websites. The channel is actively looking at developingprograms and productions that can have this 360-degreeelement to it. That’s how they are extending into thatyounger audience.”


Men at work: FremantleMedia owns Thom Beers’s Original Productions, the outfit behind truTV’s Black Gold.

TV REAL30

REAL_1011_BOYSCLUB_REAL_408_NIGHT 9/13/11 4:03 PM Page 11

REAL_1011 New Dom _Layout 1 9/11/11 5:51 PM Page 1

It used to be that if someone wanted a home-improvementproject done or a large-scale renovation finished, a professionalwould be called in to do the dirty work. The same was true fordecorating and design assistance. Now, one need only turn onthe TV set to get inside tips and tricks of the trade, with a rangeof programming focused on educating (and entertaining) a newgeneration of do-it-yourself-driven viewers.

The home-improvement genre has evolved considerablyfrom its traditional DIY origins. Today’s property-focusedprograms not only provide how-to instructions, but manyalso focus on the homeowners who are renovating. Thisadded observational element makes the shows feel more per-sonal, establishing a deeper connection with viewers andhelping to satisfy their curiosity.

TV REAL32


HomeSweet Home

By KristinBrzoznowski

Beyond Distribution’sDebbie Travis’ Painted House.

Lifestyle shows focusedon home renovationand real estate havebeen upping theirentertainment factor,along with adding digital extensions.

REAL_1011_HOME_REAL_408_NIGHT 9/14/11 8:10 PM Page 2

“Whatever the state of the propertymarket, viewers are always interested inother people’s houses,” says PaulHeaney, the president and managingdirector of Cineflix Rights, whichrepresents titles such as My House, YourMoney, My Dream Home and PropertyVirgins. “Whether it’s finding out howother people have improved theirhomes, their decorating style, or howmuch money they’ve made sellingtheir homes, property shows arealways a big draw.”

He continues, “They’re also aspira-tional and educational. What does yourmoney buy you? How can you makeover your home in order to sell it formore? What decorating tips can you useto improve your home for a smallamount of cash? Cineflix programsshowcase all of these things.”

NOSY NEIGHBORSMunia Kanna-Konsek, the head of sales at Beyond Distribu-tion, agrees that viewers enjoy vicariously nosing about inother people’s homes. She adds of the appeal of renovation andreal-estate shows, “It is something anyone can be involvedwith, whether physically engaging in their own renovations orselling a property, as well as being a voyeur and watching asordinary people wrestle with the perils and pitfalls of theproperty game. Viewers are hooked by the emotive story-telling; there’s more at stake than simple do-it-yourself advice,and audiences get more involved.”

Having a host who’s both credible and likeable also con-tributes to the popularity of property shows, Kanna-Konseknotes. Often times, these are experts in their field, who use theirknowledge to break down what may seem like daunting tasks

into manageable feats for everyday renovators and home-sellers. “Our programs are all hosted by the right kind ofperson or couple,” Kanna-Konsek says, pointing to titlessuch as Love It or List It, Big City Broker, The Property Shopand Hot Property. “They have the right chemistry betweeneach other and the camera. They are believable, depend-able, funny. They feel approachable and are people we canrelate to and trust. Most of all, they help us believe that wecan do this and empower us to give it a go.”

Passion Distribution has also seen success with its presenter-led shows focused on the home. Sally Miles, Passion’s CEO,explains, “The credibility of a host like Emily Henderson in Secretsfrom a Stylist gives us [take-home value] and tips that [offer] theaudience ano ther layer to the journey they are following.”

Crashers has been a particularly strong franchise for Passion,having spun off into three series—House Crashers, Bath Crash-

ers and Yard Crashers—that have beenratings hits on both HGTV and DIYNetwork in the U.S. Miles says thelong-running brand’s focus on real peo-ple, combined with the elements of sur-prise and transformation, have beendrivers of its success. “We get the realback story, we care about the home-owners and the pay-off is the full trans-formation,” Miles says. “You don’t evenrealize you are watching a DIY show.”

Mark Fennessy, the president of ShineNetwork, says success in this genre isequal parts host and concept. “If the pre-senters have a degree of experience orassociation with a particular genre it’s adesirable asset, however the subject musthave a universal appeal.”

Like Passion’s Miles, Fennessy hasseen the home-focused lifestyle genreevolve considerably. “The greatest dif-ference is probably in scale,” he says.Shine’s latest offering, The Renovators, isa large-scale production that’s “where

10/11 World Screen 385

33TV REAL

Ready for repairs: For Canamedia, pay-TV lifestyle channels have been key customers forhome-improvement-based shows like Broken House Chronicles.

Moving on out: Property shows, like

My House, YourMoney, have been big

sellers for Cineflix.

REAL_1011_HOME_REAL_408_NIGHT 9/15/11 11:46 AM Page 3

real estate and renovation meet like never before,” says Fen-nessy. “The Renovators is probably best described as GrandDesigns meets Top Design.”

DRG, too, has noticed an evolution away from the moretraditional instruction-based format for these shows. PatrickRoberts, the company’s senior VP of international sales,observes, “Recent prime-time home-renovation shows focusmuch more on finding strong characters, storytelling andexploring an emotional journey. The shows are more co-viewing experiences and tend to contain less DIY and take-out information than in the past.”

DRG’s catalogue includes a new season of Channel 4’shigh-rating prime-time series Beeny’s Restoration Nightmare;Mad About the House, which after two seasons on BBC Threehas been spun off into a U.S. version, Spouse vs. House, forTLC; and Grin and Build It, a renovation show for W Net-work in Canada.

Roberts has seen a particular spike in the interest for prop-erty shows coming in the wake of the recent collapse of thehousing market. He says, “As people’s finances are stretchedthey look for advice and inspiration for renovating their ownproperties rather than moving.”

Shine’s Fennessy has also noticed the genre being boostedby the economic slump. “It’s certainly a factor. In many partsof the world we’re still living in uncertain times where peo-ple look to within. There’s a real sense of life empower-ment in providing for yourself and [your] family withinyour own means.”

STRETCHING THE DOLLARMike Lolato, the managing director of worldwide broadcastsales at Canamedia, agrees that the current economic state hasincreased the demand for this type of lifestyle programming.“Shows that accentuate a small space, a quick house flip on adime and fabulous budget decorating are all in line with whataudiences are identifying with now,” he says. “People are spend-ing more time at home and have less disposable income, sothe renos and DIY are going to reflect that in the programs.”

For Canamedia—whose catalogue includes Homes byDesign, Design U, Broken House Chronicles and the eco-focusedMy Green House—sales have been primarily to niche pay-

TV home and design channels.Lolato says these shows tend towork best on networks “withstrong branding and quirkyseries that play off each other.These channels seem to have avery loyal audience following.”

Jon Rutherford, the VP ofinternational sales and acquisitionsat Tricon Films & Television,which represents House of Bryan,Marriage Under Construction andBuilding Bryks, among others,reports similar sales. “Cable home-improvement-themed channelsare still the biggest home for DIYprogramming, but we’re definitelyseeing the genre broadening on togeneral lifestyle channels,” he says.“For example, a lot of women’s

networks are including this content in their schedules.”Rutherford does see the potential for these shows to make

their way to terrestrial slots as well. “Certainly we’ve seenshows with a popular celebrity host…move the genre up toair on the big terrestrial channels,” he says. “Large formatshows that are competition based will also be picked up by theterrestrial channels. Because there’s more of an entertainmentfactor, they will attract a wider audience.”

HOUSE RULESDRG’s Roberts adds, “Internationally, the niche channels pio-neered this genre and proved how successful home-renovation andproperty shows could be. That success has seen many seriesbecome ratings successes on free TV.”

Roberts says these shows tend to fill early-evening prime-time slots on free-to-air broadcasters, while cable and satelliteservices have much more flexibility in terms of scheduling andoften strip shows or run marathons.

Cineflix’s Heaney says that free-to-air networks are attractedto these series because of the volume they provide for late-afternoon and early-evening slots, generating loyal viewersand good ratings over a long period. He adds, “In many mar-kets, property and design series on free TV tend to be locallyproduced to be more relatable to viewers, or they are big-budget productions like Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. Ourseries The Unsellables was produced for U.K. television andaired daytime on the BBC.”

Beyond’s Kanna-Konsek has seen strong potential for ter-restrial sales as well. “In the U.K. in particular, a number ofshows air in prime time on the main free-to-air channels andtheir presenters have become household names. Hot Propertyis a staple on prime-time free-to-air in Australia, where it cur-rently resides on Nine Network.”

Kanna-Konsek reports sales interest for property-basedprogramming coming from all corners, from the U.S. toEurope and into the Asia-Pacific region.

Passion’s Miles also says there’s a global appetite, especiallyfor property shows shot in HD. “Latin America has seen ahuge rise in demand for lifestyle content,” she notes.

“North America loves its DIY, as well as Eastern Europeand Asia,” says Canamedia’s Lolato.


Fixer-uppers: Decked Out is amongthe constructionseries in the Tricon catalogue.

TV REAL34


REAL_1011 MV _Layout 1 9/14/11 1:33 PM Page 1

Meanwhile, Australia, New Zealand and Canada have tra-ditionally been strong markets for DRG, says Roberts, “butwe have seen an expansion in opportunities with the launchof niche channels around the world and the successful roll-out in Europe of TLC.” These shows have great potential for add-ons, from advice

columns on dedicated websites to apps offering practical assis-tance on how and where to buy property, says Roberts.Cineflix’s Heaney agrees, noting, “There is a huge upside

in the ‘add-ons’ market, as the advertising potential is mas-sive for broadcasters. It’s also an opportunity to provide alot of added value to viewers and help create a communityaround the program.”In building this community around the programs and their

hosts, Passion delivers comprehensive materials such as biog-raphies of experts, tip sheets and how-tos for many of itsproperty programs, according to Miles.“These properties are quite interactive, so the genre lends

itself to multiple screens,” says Shine’s Fennessy. “It’s veryadvertiser-friendly and as the media landscape changes thereis a wealth of opportunity in digital and ancillary.”“VOD, IPTV and DIY webisodes are good bouquet items

to offer,” adds Canamedia’s Lolato. “There are also many web-sites of the channel or show that will provide more detailedinformation on the project (some details that were not coveredin the series). Apps are becoming a big tie-in now with someof the major series.” Tricon is also moving these shows into the digital space, tak-

ing advantage of new ways to connect with viewers. “As with allprogramming, social media such as Twitter and Facebook havebecome quite popular,” says Rutherford. “Viewers can joingroups, get updates and follow their favorite host, allowing themto be ‘tuned in’ all the time.”

These programs have plenty of platforms open for them,from niche pay-TV services to terrestrial broadcasters; flexi-ble scheduling potential, with daytime stripping as well asweekly prime time; and alluring add-ons that broadcasterscan take advantage of. All combined, this gives the genrestable ground for it to continue to evolve and grow. Butwhere is it headed next?

A FRESH COAT OF PAINT “Just as we’ve seen in the highly successful food genre, I thinkwe’re going to see a lot more big format and competition-based home-improvement, property and real-estate titles,”says Rutherford. Cineflix’s Heaney says, “We’re looking at budget-friendly

makeovers, DIY and eco-friendly/green-focused shows, in atake-home practical sense for viewers. We’re already doingwell with World’s Greenest Homes and Eco House.”While Cineflix believes budget-friendly renos will be the

next wave, DRG’s Roberts says he’s seeing a lot of interest inseries on high-end living. “Viewers are interested in cutting-edge designs and luxury properties from all around the globe,not just their home markets,” he notes. Beyond’s Konna-Konsek asserts that there’s been a defi-

nite trend toward celebrity involvement, either as presen-ters or participants. “But the celebs aren’t there just for theirnames; they either have a real interest in and experience of,say, renovation or property development, or are genuinelyuseless and need the help,” she adds. “The craze for family-run businesses has also hit home-related lifestyle, with plentyof series featuring parent/child- or sibling-run enterprises.Free-to-air broadcasters are also involving the stars of ren-ovation shows in event feel-good projects benefiting thecommunity or unsung heroes, such as CBC’s All for Onewith Debbie Travis.”As these shows continue to up their entertainment factor,

whether it’s by adding celebrities or incorporating competi-tion elements, the genre becomes all the more alluring forglobal broadcasters.

TV REAL36

Measuring up: Presenter-led series such as Bath Crashers havebeen very successful for Passion Distribution.

Ready for reno: Shine is introducing The Renovators, which combines real estate and homeimprovement.



REAL_1011 Novavision_REAL_1011 Novavision 9/9/11 10:18 PM Page 1


“I write, I travel, I eat and I’m hungry for more.” So states AnthonyBourdain in the opening of his Emmy Award–winning food-and-travel show No Reservations, which has been airing on TravelChannel since 2005 and is distributed internationally by Fre-mantleMedia Enterprises. With his infectious wanderlust, insatiablecuriosity about cultures, voracious appetite for good food (and beer)and trademark honesty, if not bluntness, Bourdain, who is also afamous chef, has developed a loyal following around the world.

TV REAL:What was No Reservations’ original mission andhow has it changed over the years?BOURDAIN: It started out as straightforward food-centricessays set in different locations around the world. It’s alwaysbeen very much about me satisfying my curiosity about theworld, going to a place looking for typical foods and explor-ing the culture through the prism of somebody who spentmost of his life cooking and looking at whatever environmentor country or culture through what they eat. Over time we wandered from that. It’s a very close team

of people making this show; we do it with as much creativecontrol and freedom as anyone has ever had in the history oftelevision. So we felt free over time to wander away fromfood because, as we soon found, the story was not just whatpeople are eating but what they’re not eating, so we want toconcentrate on other aspects of the culture like music or evenpolitics. We felt free to do that. In a lot of ways the 2006 warin Lebanon just changed the game for us [Bourdain and hiscrew were shooting an episode in Beirut when the war brokeout]. Since that time we haven’t felt obliged to repeat any-thing that’s worked in the past. We’re always looking for newways to tell a story. The shows will always be food-centric;they’ll always be from the point of view of somebody whospent his whole adult life in the kitchen, but increasingly, if

the subject looks really cool, reallyinteresting, if there’s a good storyand good characters or expectationsof that, we’re going to go ahead anddo it even if our expectations forgood food seem very low.

TV REAL: How do you decidewhere to go?BOURDAIN: I decide where we go. Imake a list at the beginning of eachseason or sometimes we have destina-tions on the backburner that we, forone reason or another, haven’t beenable to pull off, or it was an unsafe sit-uation. Generally I’ll pick a spotbased on maybe a movie I saw, abook I’ve read, something I’ve heardin casual barroom conversation,something I’ve heard through the so-called chef ’s mafia. I’ll either know alot about the place already or almostnothing, but in any case, in pre- production we start to look for localfood bloggers, local chefs, any inter-mediaries who have local fixers, whohave a sense of humor, who under-stand the kind of show we’re doing,

what we’re looking to do, and who understand we’re not look-ing for the best of or the most comprehensive. It helps that theshow is shown all over the world so chances are many peoplein many of the countries we’re going to are familiar with theshow. We do as much research as we can. I’ll either have a num-ber of things I already want to do in that location, or I’ll startgetting from local contacts in advance a menu of suggestionsthat I will then choose from or tweak.

TV REAL: You generally don’t have difficulty gaining accessto places with your cameras, do you?BOURDAIN: It depends. A lot of times it’s very difficult to getthe kind of show we want. Some governments really want tocontrol, either overtly or covertly, what you see. They want tomake it look better than it is and that often leads to clumsy,laughably fake scenes. When you show up at the local butchershop and there happen to be people dressed up in indigenousgarb dancing, that’s lethal for us! We really try to avoid that. Also,there are always various secret services or tourism boards whowant to make sure that certain things are not shown to what-ever extent they can. Those are things we have to think about.We also have to think about the people we leave behind. If weshoot in China up by the Tibetan border, it’s a sensitive subjectin China. I can go back to New York and say whatever I wantabout the Chinese-Tibetan policies, but any Chinese who werenice to me in that area during the making of the show mightfind themselves in a very uncomfortable position at some point.It’s something we have to consider in places like China, Cubaand parts of the Middle East. There’s a line that has to be walked.

TV REAL:You say in your book Medium Raw that you con-sider yourself at heart a storyteller and the TV show is justanother way for you to tell stories.

By Anna Carugati

Anthony Bourdain

Eat.Write.Travel.

38 TV REAL

REAL_1011_BOURDAIN_DOC_0407_NIGHT 9/13/11 3:55 PM Page 2

10/11 World Screen

BOURDAIN: I fell into television semi-accidentally. I’ll neverforget the first show I ever did. It was in Japan with a marriedcouple, [Christopher Collins and Lydia Tenaglia,] the camera-people who are now my business partners and heads of ZeroPoint Zero Production. When they turned to me with camerason and expected me to talk, it came as a real shock to me—it wasan uncomfortable fit. Over time, Chris, Lydia and I found ourown style. We learned on the road what we were doing andhow we were going to tell stories. We developed together a styleor work ethic of rule breaking and finding new ways to tellstories in an interesting way. At one point I realized I like tellingstories, I like writing stories. When I finally came to understandthe incredible power of editing—how effective a tool that is ingetting people to feel the way you want them to feel about acharacter or a subject or a place—it was very exciting to me. Iunderstand now. I don’t know how to operate a camera but I have a pretty good appreciation of what good shooters cando. I have a very good understanding of the powerof the editing room to the extent that I want to be involved inthat process, as I often am. It’s very rewarding. I really enjoy thecollaborative aspect of working with people scoring music, edi-tors, post-production, graphics, cameras, all in the cause of moreeffectively and dynamically telling what is essentially a prettysimple story most of the time. That’s very satisfying to me.

TV REAL:You mentioned you have creative control. How doyou work with the executives at Travel Channel? BOURDAIN: I don’t think there’s ever been a serious argu-ment over content that we haven’t won. There really aren’tany arguments. There’s beeping for language, there’s some stuffthat we’re pretty sure we’re going to have to take out. Weunderstood very early on that television is a medium[whose executives] want to figure out what worked lastweek and would like to re-create that; if it worked, if itgot a huge audience last week they want more of thesame. That’s an instinct that any media company or net-work would, of course, want. That’s called a sensible busi-ness model. But we just tried to foil any expectationsfrom day one and we made it clear that whatever workedlast week we were going to do everything we could toundermine it or deconstruct it or turn it on its head. Ifwe do anything consistently it’s that. Because the showhas continually worked, and arguably we do what we doreally, really well, because the show looks better than any-thing else on the network and because it has consistent-ly done well, everybody seems happy and has been verysupportive of this business model, whatever it is.

We understand for sure that if we do a barbecue scene setin America it will be very popular with American audi-ences. [I’ve learned from the previous series I’ve done] thatwhen I traveled, the episodes we made for American audi-ences were extraordinarily popular in places like Singapore,Malaysia, Hong Kong. So in a lot of ways I’m thinking ofthe international audience from the get-go. Also, from theminute we start shooting we’re very aware that if we’remaking a show in Chile, people in Chile are going to bewatching the show. I like to think we’re taking a moreinternational perspective than a lot of people making sim-ilar shows do.

I got to television in the first place by writing a reallyobnoxious book [Kitchen Confidential], and from the

get-go I’ve been a pretty much known quantity. I can hardlybe accused of surprising anyone if I’m not willing to go alongwith some knuckleheaded idea to do something popular andgeneric. Nobody has seriously ever asked me to do anythinglike that. I wouldn’t know how to do it in any case.

TV REAL: What is your relationship with FremantleMediaEnterprises?BOURDAIN: We’re partners in the international sales of NoReservations and we’re also working together to develop, fundand distribute new television concepts as well as developlifestyle and factual IP for multiplatform licensing. They’reexactly the kind of company we want to be in business with,from the very start, with the kind of reach and reputation andbacklist of programs.

TV REAL:What is the new show that you’re working on?BOURDAIN: We’re doing an interim mini-series called TheLayover. As it happens, I spend a lot of short periods of timearound the world in between No Reservations. Also, we’vecome to know a lot of cities pretty well, so this is a slightlymore informational but just as offbeat sort of high-speed ver-sion of No Reservations. In No Reservations a lot of the expe-riences, while they may be representative of the culture, theyare not easily attainable for ordinary travelers. These are thingswe were able to do—have dinner at El Bulli or be with atribe in Liberia. These are difficult things for ordinary touriststo be able to do. With The Layover we’re trying to do a coolerversion of an informational show—things that I would actu-ally do myself on a layover that other people might be ableto do, too.

391

I’ll drink to that: No Reservations

has been a huge hitfor the Travel Channel

in the U.S. and has sold widely

across the globethrough Fremantle-

Media Enterprises.

39TV REAL

REAL_1011_BOURDAIN_DOC_0407_NIGHT 9/13/11 3:55 PM Page 3


Five years since its launch as the global offshoot of the Qatar-based Arabic news network Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera English(AJE) has finally made inroads into the U.S. market. While stillnot available nationwide, AJE is currently carried in selectcities, and on the heels of its acclaimed coverage of this year’sArab Spring—winning a Columbia Journalism Award in May—Al Anstey, the network’s managing director, is confident thatwider distribution is on the horizon. He speaks to TV Real aboutbuilding upon the current reach of more than 200 million homesin 100-plus countries, and the challenges of covering the fast-moving political developments in the Middle East and acrossthe globe.

TV REAL: How is your U.S. expansion progressing?ANSTEY: Recently we launched in Manhattan and prior tothat we were seen in Washington, D.C., and various otherpockets of the United States. But the launch in New Yorkwas very significant for us. It’s obviously a very importantmarket. It’s an outward-looking, intelligent audience that isinterested in what’s going on in the world. We believe thatwe’re putting out high-quality, in-depth information fromjournalists across the globe who are eye-witnessing events forthemselves. Within the context of the wider industry where,through economic challenges, people’s commitment to on-the-ground field reporting is ever decreasing, it was impor-tant to us to enter into the marketplace in the New Yorkmetropolitan area.We’re having some very fruitful meetings with all of the

key cable and satellite operators [about full 24-hour car-riage], so I always say it’s a question of when, not if. Whatwe’ve seen in recent months is an increasing recognition ofthe quality and the depth and the integrity of the journalismthat we put out every minute of every day. From the begin-ning of [the protests in] Egypt, for example, we saw a 2,500-percent increase in the online viewership of the channel.More than half of our online traffic, live streaming and webtraffic, comes from the United States. Evidence of demand isalso being witnessed by people contacting the operatorsthemselves—people have been sending e-mails to their oper-ators asking for Al Jazeera English to be put onto their sys-tems. So we’re confident that we’ll be breaking through inthe near future.

TV REAL: You were part of AJE’s founding team five yearsago. What were the channel’s goals, and what obstacles didyou see?ANSTEY: I would describe us as a child in a way withina very adult, very mature industry. When we launchedthe channel the philosophy was [based on] a number ofkey points. First, the original reporting, being an eye-witness to events across the globe with our own journal-ists. Second, to be truly global. I would describe it as, youput the countries of the world on a level playing fieldand then you evaluate the stories on their merit. Thatmeans we’re able to cover the developing world as well asthe developed world. The third point is the comprehen-sive nature of the coverage, to give viewers a full pictureof what’s going on. When you look at a story as compli-cated as Libya, for example, it’s fast moving, it’s verydynamic, we’re watching the live picture, but it’s criticalto explain why that story is happening. The final thing,which is really important, is reliable information. It’s gotto be information with integrity, upholding the higherstandards of journalism and upholding the higher stan-dards of balance.I think the real challenge was getting to be known. Our

main competitors have been established for a very long time.

TV REAL: AJE’s coverage of the Egyptian protests raised itsprofile worldwide. What challenges did you encounterwith that reporting?ANSTEY: Basic journalistic challenges at the firstinstance. It was a fast-moving, very dynamic story. It hadmany sides to it, from the opposition to the government

By Mansha Daswani

Al Jazeera’sAl Anstey

40 TV REAL

REAL_1011_ANSTEY_DOC_0407_NIGHT 9/15/11 12:53 PM Page 2

to the army to various dynamics that were happening inremote geographical parts of Egypt. To actually get fullycomprehensive, balanced coverage was one of the keychallenges first and foremost. The second one was a chal-lenge that I think faced all journalists covering that story,and indeed many of the stories that we’d been witnessingin the Arab world in recent months, and that was the sheerdanger the journalists were in.

We were shut down at one point—the authorities askedus to stop broadcasting. Our signals were interrupted. Andwe had to take serious measures to protect the safety ofour people in the field. We stopped naming our corre-spondents; some of them came out of vision to protecttheir privacy so they could continue doing the job.

It was so fast moving from the very beginning, eventswere unfolding minute by minute, and one of the chal-lenges was to provide that context, the in-depth coverage.We weren’t just showing what was happening now, wegave our audiences a full picture of what was happeningwith the different sides that were at play, and ultimatelywhy those events were happening. That full understand-ing is very critical.

TV REAL: What do you say to those critics who questionAJE’s independence given its relationship to the Qatarigovernment?ANSTEY: I always describe us in a way as a public broad-caster. The fabric of Al Jazeera English is editorial integrity,and therefore editorial balance and editorial independ-ence. It’s not just part of the corporate fabric, it’s part ofthe fabric of every one of the journalists who work for us.

We are headquartered in Qatar but…we are editoriallyindependent of Qatar. We cover Qatar like we cover everyother country and [it’s at the core] of this channel that weare here to carry out the job of journalism and do thatwith integrity.

TV REAL: What are your plans for further expansion ofthe channel?ANSTEY: The U.S. clearly is a very important territory.We received our landing license to broadcast into Indiasome months ago and we’ll be pushing forward into thatmarketplace very soon. Obviously we’re seen widelyacross the Middle East, across Africa, across many parts ofAsia, so really now it’s consolidating in those placeswhere we want to push our distribution even further. Itdoes also come back to building on the reputation, toreaching out to new viewers and of course to reachingout to these viewers on all the new platforms that areavailable. We talk about “TV Everywhere,” I believe it’scontent everywhere. We’ve got to make sure that we’reavailable to people at a time and place of their choosing.And I think that’s one of the key elements moving for-ward that we have embraced. We’re available on all themain platforms both for live streaming and for web con-tent—through the BlackBerry, the iPad, the iPhone, all ofthe main devices. Obviously this is a fast-moving worldwhere it seems like every week there’s a new platformthat becomes available to the consumer. We want to makesure that we keep to the leading edge of the new tech-nologies as well as the traditional methods of gettinginformation out to audiences.

41TV REAL

REAL_1011_ANSTEY_DOC_0407_NIGHT 9/15/11 12:44 PM Page 3


The company may have a new a name and logo—A+E Networksreplaced A&E Television Networks—but the mission remains thesame: reinventing storytelling, taking history out of the history books,developing new genres and creating new networks. A+E Networks’channels and programs are now available in more than 125 coun-tries reaching more than 235 million TV households. Sean Cohan, thesenior VP of international, is spearheading the company’sefforts to distribute programs and channels around the world.

TV REAL: What level of quality and what type of subjectmatter have buyers come to expect from A+E Networks?COHAN:We’re very excited about the recent rebranding ofour portfolio to A+E Networks and our tag “Life Is Enter-taining.” The visual execution of the rebrand is more cre-ative, more colorful and in a lot of ways it speaks to what weare—we’re great storytellers, we’re entertainers and we tellstories in an authentic way. I’d like to think that what A+ENetworks and our content means to buyers is authentic sto-ries, great factual entertainment, and, at times, fiction thatthey can rely on. Buyers have come to expect quality andgreat storytelling and products that have tended to rate welland have generated a fair amount of buzz in the U.S. Thereare certain parts of the entertainment spectrum that we’vebecome real experts in, character-based factual programmingthat is both informative and entertaining, such as Pawn Stars,Ice Road Truckers, etc. We still do a lot of documentaries and alot of specials, but a lot of the character-driven programmingis starting to take off.

TV REAL: And you have broadened your catalogue. COHAN: Absolutely. The Lifetime channels and their contentdoes increase the amount of product we have. Even on theHISTORY side the amount is going up. We’ve got a lot morestuff and we’re selling movies and more character-driven pro-gramming than we ever had before.

TV REAL: Internationally, is there curiosity to see regularpeople in really interesting situations or jobs or dilemmas? COHAN: Done right, I believe there is a global curiosity for“everyday people” doing different kinds of things, thereabsolutely is. In some markets, whether you’re talking buyers orviewers, there may be an initial hesitation because these con-texts are very foreign. Many people don’t know what a pawnshop is, or pawn shops are viewed in some places as seedy. ButI think once people get over the initial sense of “I’m not goingto be able to relate to that,” there is a curiosity around the itemsand the characters. There are different levers we can push andhave pushed to make stories even more compelling for globalaudiences, with interesting and relatable characters.

TV REAL: Although your format business is growing, willfinished product remain the backbone of your catalogue?COHAN: Given the excellence of what the U.S. team does, thetremendous investment that they make in content, I think fin-ished product will always be a driver, but over the last couple ofyears with the increasing innovation coming out of teams in theU.S. with the addition of Lifetime, there are more formatableproperties. In turn, we’ve been able to do more format business—that is certainly a growth business for us. We have Intervention,which we’ve done formats for in several places, Celebrity GhostStories, I Survived…, The People Speak. I think you’ll see a bunchof format activity with our newer character-driven properties.

TV REAL:Which brands are resonating most internationally?COHAN:We’re doing very well right now in Latin Americawith HISTORY. We’re the number one factual channel pan-regionally, with a number two cable channel in Mexico, whichis pretty amazing to me. Two or three years ago we might’vehad it as an aspiration and I think the industry wasn’t sure thatwe could do it. We’re confident and have got even loftier goals.HISTORY’s got pretty strong momentum in the U.K. withshows like Storage Wars, IRT: Deadliest Roads or Pawn Stars,which is delivering 110 percent above HISTORY’s averageshare in prime time. IRT: Deadliest Roads is the number oneHISTORY series of all time in the U.K. On the A&E side, wehave a very localized Intervention that’s doing very well. We’redoing well in Asia—Pawn Stars is the number one HISTORYseries of all time in Malaysia.

TV REAL:What is your strategy for growing the bouquet ofchannels internationally?COHAN: It’s a continuing effort to launch channels where wethink there’s demand and where it makes economic sense, whichis pretty much everywhere. That does encompass both launch-ing in a couple of places in the world where we don’t currentlyhave channels; we don’t have a channel in France or Russia, butwe sell a bunch of content in those markets. We don’t have achannel in China, we’ve got a branded block. The first priority isgetting channels in those markets. Another priority is that we’dlike to be in most markets with five, six or seven channels. TheU.K. is a great example where we do have four SD channels andthree HD properties today. In Latin America we’ve got three SDchannels and two HD simulcasts. Where we have strong teamsor a strong first or second channel, we believe we have legs toadd additional channels, be they new brands, HD brands, orother services. We’d like to bring the full portfolio, where it makessense, to virtually every market.

By Anna Carugati

42 TV REAL

A+E’sSean Cohan

REAL_1011_COHAN_DOC_0407_NIGHT 9/13/11 3:57 PM Page 2

REAL_1011 Al Jazeera_Layout 1 9/9/11 10:12 PM Page 1

REAL_1011 Nat Geo _Layout 1 9/14/11 1:30 PM Page 1

Documents

TV Real MIPCOM 2011