World Screen at DISCOP 2010

THE MAGAZINE OF INTERNATIONAL MEDIA • JUNE/JULY 2010

www.worldscreen.com

DISCOP Edition

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JUNE-JULY 2010/DISCOP EDITION

special reportA NEW DIRECTION

DISCOP is shaping up to be a vibrant opportunity for distributors to close deals.

—Kristin Brzoznowski

one-on-oneBBC WORLDWIDE’SSTEVE MACALLISTER

As managing director of BBC Worldwide’s sales-and-distribution division, Steve

Macallister is leading the exploitation of some 50,000 hours of content.

—Anna Carugati

on the recordDISCOVERY NETWORKS INTERNATIONAL’SMARK HOLLINGER

Present in some 180 countries with a host of brands, Discovery is continuing its

international expansion under president and CEO Mark Hollinger.

—Mansha Daswani

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6 World Screen 6/10

PASSION RETURNS Latin American telenovela

distributors are holding on to the slots they’ve secured

in Central and Eastern Europe 58…INTERVIEWS

TV Azteca’s Mario San Román 62…Bandeirantes’ João

Carlos Saad 64

FLOCKING TO RETAIL Rights-owners are betting

on classic brands and compelling ideas to secure limited

shelf space 72…INTERVIEWS Hasbro Studios’

Stephen Davis 78……Classic Media’s Andrew Kerr

79……Moonscoop’s Cynthia Money 80

These targeted magazines appear both inside World Screenand as separate publications.

THE MOST TRUSTED NAME IN INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

www.worldscreen.com

departmentsWORLD VIEW 8A note from the editor.

UPFRONT 10New shows on the market.

IN THE NEWS 26Power’s Justin Bodle.

SPOTLIGHT 28Dori Media Group’s Nadav Palti.

GLOBAL NETS 30TV5MONDE’s Marie-Christine Saragosse.

WORLD’S END 86In the stars.

contents

WORLD SCREENis published seven times per year:January, April, May, June/July,

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address corrections to:WSN INC.

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For a free subscription to our daily newsletters,please visit www.worldscreen.com.

PublisherRicardo Seguin Guise

EditorAnna Carugati

Executive EditorMansha Daswani

Managing EditorKristin Brzoznowski

Editor, Spanish-Language PublicationsElizabeth Bowen-Tombari

Executive Editor,Spanish-Language Publications

Rafael Blanco

Production and Design DirectorJen Gilbert

Online DirectorSimon Weaver

Art DirectorPhyllis Q. Busell

Sales and Marketing Manager Kelly Quiroz

Business Affairs ManagerErica Antoine-Cole

Sales and Marketing CoordinatorCesar Suero

Senior EditorsBill DunlapKate NorrisJay Stuart

George Winslow

Contributing EditorsLisa Haviland

Grace HernandezBin Liu

José Miguel LópezSpencer Sunshine

Contributing WritersDieter BrockmeyerChris ForresterBob JenkinsElena MoraDavid Wood

Ricardo Seguin Guise, PresidentAnna Carugati, Executive VP and Group Editorial Director

Mansha Daswani, VP of Strategic Development

WORLD SCREEN is aregistered trademark of WSN INC.

1123 Broadway, Suite 1207 New York, NY 10010, U.S.A.Phone: (212) 924-7620Fax: (212) 924-6940

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No part of this publication can be used,reprinted, copied or stored in any mediumwithout the publisher’s authorization.

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8 World Screen 6/10

A NOTE FROM THE EDITORANNA CARUGATI

The networks have apparently returned to theircore strengths, investing in scripted dramas and come-dies, two genres that have been the pillars of networkschedules for decades.For all the talk in recent years of eliminating the

cost of pilots and investing directly in 6 or even 13episodes of a series, the networks and studios seem tobe saying that in the high-stakes, hit-or-miss game ofdeveloping, producing and scheduling shows, the onlyway of having a chance at getting the whole processright is by doing it the old-fashioned way—investinga lot of money in quality product. In this year’s quest for quality and hits, there are

plenty of big names in front of and behind the cam-era, from FOX’s new drama Terra Nova, whose execu-tive producers include Steven Spielberg and PeterChernin—the former president and COO of News

Corporation—to NBC’s Undercovers, thenew spy drama from J. J. Abrams, and ABC’sThe Whole Truth, a legal drama from JerryBruckheimer Television. CBS is again bet-ting on Chuck Lorre, the creator of thesuper-successful comedy Two and a HalfMen, with his new comedy Mike & Molly.FOX will have the new crime series Ride-

Along from Shawn Ryan, creator of TheShield, whose star, Michael Chiklis, returnsto television in ABC’s drama No OrdinaryFamily. ABC will also premiere a new crimedrama, Detroit 1-8-7, with The Sopranos’Michael Imperioli.Lest we not forget how much the Internet

and social-networking sites have influenced ourlives, CBS has picked up a new comedy called$#*! My Dad Says, which is based on a popu-lar Twitter feed by Justin Halpern and starsWilliam Shatner.This is just a sampling of what’s to come in

the fall, but this back-to-basics, stick-to-your-strengths approach to scheduling is a smart idea, particu-larly as television, described so often in recent years withthe derogatory “old media” label, is proving its resiliencein the flashy “new media” world of websites, video stream-ing, message boards and tweets.Television’s staying power was extensively explained in

a recent special report in The Economist. Reading it—andI encourage everyone to do so—provides ample reason

for optimism about the future of our industry. The report ispeppered with very encouraging facts: in the final quarterof 2009, the average American spent almost 37 hours a weekwatching television, and 106 million U.S. viewers watchedthe Super Bowl in February. As The Economist states, cit-ing data from the marketing research company comScore,“The nation spent more time glued to that one match thanit spent on YouTube…during the entire month.”Last year, at its peak, Britain’s Got Talent drew 68 percent

of all British TV viewers and scored the biggest audiencefor any program since the highly anticipated footballmatch between England and Portugal in the Europeanchampionship in 2004.The pay-TV arena is proving that once people start pay-

ing for greater television choice, they are satisfied withtheir services and stick with them. In fact, despite therecession, pay-TV subscriptions grew by more than 2 mil-lion in the U.S.And in India, cable and satellite grew fromtwo channels in the early ’90s to more than 600 today.The music industry was brought to its knees by the

Internet, and newspapers seem destined for the same fate,but in television, smart, forward-looking broadcasters haveembraced the web. Just look at the success of theBBC’s iPlayer—each month British viewers and lis-teners request some 120 million programs from thesite. In the U.S., network websites and services suchas Hulu are also extremely successful. It’s been foundthat series with self-contained episodes perform wellon the web, and that bodes well for the U.S. studios,as the American networks have ordered up quite anumber of cop and drama procedurals with story linesthat wrap up at the end of each hour.So there is reason for confidence in the TV industry,

and a feeling of cautious optimism is pervasive among distributors headed to DISCOP. While Central and East-ern European markets were pounded by the economicdownturn, companies that sell programming into theregion are finding numerous opportunities, as our feature in this issue found. Distributors of telenovelas, agenre that has long been quite popular in the region, arenoticing that buyers are pulling out their checkbooksagain. Finished product is faring better than formats, butthe overall market for novelas has improved.I certainly try to have a glass-is-half-full attitude, and I

think it’s fair to say that all those reports of television’s deathhave been greatly exaggerated. As long as the medium sticksto its strengths, its survival is guaranteed.

The more things change, the adage goes, the more they stay the same. That

seems to be the message from the U.S. networks and studios with their recent

presentations of the new shows that will be premiering next season.

Back to Basics

world view

THE NETWORKS

HAVE APPARENTLY

RETURNED TO THEIR

CORE STRENGTHS,

INVESTING IN

SCRIPTED DRAMAS

AND COMEDIES.

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AETN International has noticed signs of recovery through-out Central and Eastern Europe, according to Joss Duffield,the company’s sales manager for the region. “Advertising rev-enue has definitely improved and clients are acquiring newprogramming at a stronger pace again,” Duffield notes. Thecompany’s sales in the region have grown year-on-year by 25percent, in fact. AETN has high hopes that this will translateinto strong sales at DISCOP, where the company will be pre-senting a number of new programs. Highlighting the lineupare America: The Story of the US, Pawn Stars, American Pickersand Fugitive Chronicles, the latest hits coming out of the com-pany’s channels in the U.S. AETN will also be bringing newepisodes of established hits like Life After People, Hoarders andHow the Earth Was Made. “These programs feature compellingcharacters, storytelling and production techniques, all ofwhich appeal to viewers and by extension to buyers.”

• America: The Story of the US• Pawn Stars• American Pickers• Fugitive Chronicles• Life After People

AETN International

Drama has been the strongest revenue generator inCentral and Eastern Europe for ALL3MEDIA Inter -national. Titles such as Midsomer Murders, Wild at Heart andSkins have all performed well in the region, and the com-pany has a large slate of new shows to present at DISCOP.Highlights include Going Postal, a $10-million fantasy-adventure mini-series based on the novel by TerryPratchett, “which will be very suitable for a holiday sea-son slot,” says Stephen Driscoll, the VP of internationalsales at ALL3MEDIA. Another lead title is Undercover Boss,which has been a hit in the U.S. for CBS. Driscoll says theshow is achieving strong sales for both the format and forthe U.K. and U.S. finished versions. “I would say businessthis year has been challenging, with deals focused on the‘must-have’ titles,” acknowledges Driscoll. He goes on tooptimistically explain that he believes the worst of thedownturn is passed, and that recent months have been“very encouraging.”

• Going Postal• Undercover Boss• Midsomer Murders• Wild at Heart• Skins

ALL3MEDIA Internationalwww.all3mediainternational.com

“We see room for further growth in programdistribution in the region, especially as our catalogue is about to take on a new dimensionwith the addition of Lifetime programming.”

—Joss Duffield

AmericanPickers

“This year we have been very happy to sign dealswith new clients in Russia and Ukraine.”

—Stephen Driscoll

Wild at Heart

Fugitive Chronicles

www.AETNinternational.com

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Banijay International, which includes Nordisk Film TVWorld’s activities, distributes all formats and finished pro-gramming produced by Banijay Entertainment compa-nies. This includes a roster from Bunim-MurrayProductions in the U.S., which Jan Salling, the head ofinternational sales and business development at Banijay,says is a particular focus. Titles of note are Love Games, Dr.Steve-O, One Ocean View and Styl’d. Banijay also has a line-up of formats, with My Parents Are Gonna Love You toppingthe list. “Any genre with a glossy, high-quality look—thatcan be produced for a limited budget—will succeed thereright now,” Salling notes. He is relatively optimistic aboutthe recovery in CEE. “We have seen many signs of posi-tive talking, but we are waiting for the spending to start....I guess they also need to see the money from increasedadvertising sales in their accounts before they can beginacquiring international programming at higher levels.”

• Love Games• Dr. Steve-O• One Ocean View• Styl’d• My Parents Are Gonna Love You

Banijay Internationalwww.banijayinternational.com

Poland and Romania have been strong territories forArmoza Formats. “We have seen several local ver-sions of shows from our catalogue produced andbroadcasted there,” says Avi Armoza, the company’sCEO. These include deals on The Bubble, a show thatinvolves quizzing isolated contestants on pop-cultureevents, as well as the dating formats Foreplay andApproved for Love and the financial-coaching seriesOverdraft Family. Meanwhile, Comedians at Work andUpgrade are currently on air in Romania.

Shows that Armoza will be focusing on at DISCOPinclude the cross-platform reality format The Frame,the reality game show Extreme Wedding Album and thegame show The Common Denominator. The companyalso has a new drama format to offer buyers, The RanQuadruplets. The show turns a lens on four siblings asthey grow up.

• The Frame• Extreme Wedding Album• The Common Denominator• The Ran Quadruplets• Comedians at Work

Armoza FormatsComedians at Work

“In the five years that Armoza Formatshas been selling to CEE, our business hasincreased noticeably and significantly.”

—Avi Armoza

www.armozaformats.com

My Parents Are Gonna Love You

One Ocean View

“There is definitely moreinterest in international programming from all overthe region.”

—Jan Salling



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Beyond Distribution cites solid business in Russia,Hungary, the Czech Republic and Poland, and it hopes toadd some new clients to its list from meetings at DISCOP.“Our aim is to continue to nurture the relationships wealready have, develop new ones and [bring] to the regionhigh-quality programming that appeals to large audi-ences,” says Cristina Lowe, the VP of sales for Scandinavia,Benelux, Central and Eastern Europe, and Israel atBeyond. On offer is the preschool series Wild Animal BabyExplorers, along with Stop. Rewind, showcasing technologi-cal changes over the last few decades. In the always popu-lar celebrity genre are MovieStar, which focuses on the livesand careers of Hollywood’s elite, and Six Degrees of TV, alook at how celebrities are all connected. Beyond alsohighlights its nonfiction slate, such as the home-makeovershow Love It or List It and Highway Patrol, which follows agroup of police who are tackling crime on the road.

• Wild Animal Baby Explorers• MovieStar• Stop. Rewind• Highway Patrol• Love It or List It

Beyond Distribution Highway Patrol

www.beyond.com.au

Cineflix International recently acquired more than150 hours of new programming for its slate, whichalso features its own in-house productions. “Our newdrama documentary Nazi Hunters is a great example of thehigh caliber of programming we produce annually,” saysChris Bluett, Cineflix’s sales manager for the region. Otherofferings include Pitchin’ In, The Last 10 Pounds Bootcampand The Cupcake Girls. As lifestyle has been a popular cat-egory for the company, Cineflix notes as being of partic-ular interest Colin & Justin’s Home Heist, Conviction Kitchenand The Opener. “Drama documentaries are also high onbuyers’ shopping lists,” says Bluett. “The focus at DISCOPis to ensure all our buyers are up to date with CineflixInternational’s portfolio.... The aim is to assist our buyersin filling specific slots in their schedules, which can oftencause problems, as well as giving them the option to stripprogramming when needed.”

• Nazi Hunters• Pitchin’ In• The Last 10 Pounds Bootcamp• The Cupcake Girls• Conviction Kitchen

Cineflix International

Conviction Kitchen

“The market is certainly inbetter shape than 18months ago, and sales havebeen on the rise since theturn of the year.”

—Chris Bluett

www.cineflixinternational.com

“Our aim is to…[bring] to the regionhigh-quality programming that appealsto large audiences.”

—Cristina Lowe


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Flor Latina Entertainment Group returns to DISCOP thisyear, and the Argentinean outfit has high hopes that buyersare back on track with their spending. Silvana D’Angelo,Flor Latina’s president and CEO, says, “I think that compa-nies tried to restrain as much as possible during 2009 inacquiring new programming, but they cannot continue onlyby recycling their old library if they want to be competitivein their markets. They are betting again and they will try tofind easy-to-produce formats from renowned writers thatare not so expensive to recreate. This is exactly what we offerto our customers in Eastern Europe: tailor-made program-ming with all these characteristics from all genres.” FlorLatina offers a range of series, including Marriage Bowls.D’Angelo points to Swindlers as a series that has a particular-ly “European look” to it, “but with Latin flavor,” she says.Further highlights include Guilty for Being Women and theromantic comedy Easy Money.

• Swindlers• Easy Money• Guilty for Being Women• Marriage Bowls• Nothing Is What It Seems

Flor Latina Entertainment Group

“Argentinean productionshave always found a goodplace in all European TVschedules.”

—Silvana D’Angelo

www.flor-latina.com

Music, fashion and sports have been the strongest genres inCentral and Eastern Europe for Claxson Media, accordingto Ariel Taboada, the company’s head of programming, pro-duction and operations. “We have been strong in Spain andItaly for some time now, and we are keeping strong. Therehave been a couple of new countries that have been addedto our client list, such as Romania and Poland,” he says.Claxson is looking to expand on this roster by closing newdeals in the region for titles such as Volcano Hunter, an adven-ture series that explores some of the most impressive volca-noes in Hawaii, and All That Show: The Trip, which features atrip to the theater capitals of the world. Brothers Ruben andIsaac Vergès take viewers into the world of competitivesnowboarding in Brotherhood of the Snow. Descending downto the depths of the ocean, deep-sea diver Gianluca Genoniis on a journey from Italy to Egypt in In the Deep, discover-ing the mythology of the sea and the story of the men whohave tried for thousands of years to overcome its frontiers.

• Volcano Hunter• Brotherhood of the Snow• All That Show: The Trip• In the Deep

Claxson Mediawww.claxsonmedia.com

In the Deep

Swindlers

“Overall we are doing good businessand are planning to expand even more ayear from now.”

—Ariel Taboada



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With Central and Eastern Europe’s media markets matur-ing and recovering, “the search for quality has increased,”notes Raphael Corrêa Netto, the international sales direc-tor at Globo TV International. Corrêa Netto says that tofind success in the region, offering shows with high pro-duction values is crucial, and that at DISCOP, Globo isoffering a portfolio that fits that requirement. In additionto Brazilian novelas—a slate that this year includes India: ALove Story, Seize the Day and the Telemundo co-productionEl Clon—Globo has the action series Internal Affairs, whileon the comedy front there’s The Cleaning Lady. And on theunscripted side, Globo is showcasing formats—Sketch ItOut and Profession Reporter—and documentaries, withBrazilian Beats and GloboDOC. “We’re putting a lot of faithin the documentaries about Brazilian culture and person-alities made exclusively for the international market,”Corrêa Netto says.

• India: A Love Story• Seize the Day• Internal Affairs• Profession Reporter• GloboDOC

Globo TV International

Maintaining the strong ties it has already establishedwith channels in Central and Eastern Europe is the mainfocus for Mediaset Distribution at DISCOP. ManuelaCaputi, the company’s international sales manager, saysthat it’s all about “being flexible and understanding ofthe difficulties that some channels pass through, butnever theless not diminishing the value of our program-ming.” The company launched a format-distributionbranch just a few years back, and Caputi says this hashelped open up new relationships with clients in thesemarkets. For DISCOP, Mediaset is launching new sea-sons of successful series such as Police District, A Matter ofRespect and My Daughters. “We believe that the channelsthat showed interest in these series can now benefit frommore episodes,” Caputi says. “As per the new releases, wecan count on TV-movies titles like In the Eyes of theAssassin and [series such as] The Deli.”

• The Deli• In the Eyes of the Assassin• Police District• A Matter of Respect• My Daughters

Mediaset Distribution

In the Eyes of the Assassin

www.mediasetdistribution.com

Profession Reporter

“With these highlights we hope to be ableto do good business with programmers ofthe region.”

—Raphael Corrêa Netto

“The possibility to explore theadaptation of some of our fictionseries enabled Mediaset toestablish new relationships withits clients in these markets.”

—Manuela Caputi

www.globotvinternational.com


A Matter of Respect


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Programas Para Television is showcasing its original newsprogram The Hollywood News Report. The half-hour showtakes a look inside the entertainment industry. JacquelineLópez-Silvero, the company’s president, says that promot-ing the English-language weekly production throughoutEurope is a top priority. “I am certain it will achieve thesame success it has in Latin America,” she adds. The com-pany is further focusing on Forever Animation, a slate ofaward-winning animated films and series. A Touch of Classspotlights the making of a party. Medical Breakthroughs andDiscoveries in Science deliver 3x90-minute weekly clips abouthealth news, covering new medical procedures, treatmentsand technologies. As 2011 marks the 50th anniversary ofthe assassination of the Dominican Republic’s tyrannicaldictator Rafael Leónidas Trujillo Molina, Programas ParaTelevision is presenting the documentary special CaribbeanConspiracy: The Assassination of Trujillo.

• The Hollywood News Report• Forever Animation• Caribbean Conspiracy: The Assassination of Trujillo• A Touch of Class• Medical Breakthroughs & Discoveries in Science

Programas Para Television

“Our lineup is a very diverse bouquet thatcontains global, compelling themes.”

—Jacqueline López-Silvero

Just a few months ago, Bernarda Llorente and ClaudioVillarruel, formerly at Argentinean broadcaster Telefe,set up a new content venture, ON TV.Villarruel andLlorente left their posts as artistic and programmingdirectors at Telefe in December, and reflect back on theirexperience with fondness and appreciation. “We are verythankful to all the people from the business that weknow,” says Villarruel. “They have given us a lot of ener-gy. Some of them didn’t understand why we left such aprivileged place after 10 years, but we had to build oth-er paths.” ON TV has a handful or projects in the workscurrently, including 3, 2, 1…a ganar! Further highlightsinclude Cain y Abel, which features two brothers whobattle because of religions reasons, politics and ideology.Los Otros is a TV movie, while Secretos de Amor is a telen-ovela. Llorente says that the creative process at ON TVis quite collaborative. “For me, the creative process hastwo parts,” Llorente adds. “One is the sensibility and theother one is the experience.”

• 3, 2, 1…a ganar!• Los Otros• Secretos de Amor• Cain y Abel

ON TVwww.ontvcontenidos.com

Bernarda Llorente and Claudio Villarruel

Unfinished Sky

www.programasparatv.com

The Hollywood News Report


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SevenOne International has noticed that business is pick-ing up in CEE, “especially in Russia, Hungary, the CzechRepublic, Poland and Bulgaria,” according to AxelBöhm, the company’s regional sales director and head ofinternational fiction acquisitions. Böhm points out thatSevenOne’s slate of catastrophe events has been indemand, with standout titles such as Sea of Death, Factor 8and Blackout. A further highlight is the big-budget eventThe Frontier, which features a terrorist attack on oilreserves. Fugitives recounts the fate of three best friendswho find themselves on the run from authorities. In theway of family entertainment comes The Secret of LochNess II. “CEE market buyers are usually also looking forlong-running series,” Böhm says. “Consequently, we areexcited to present our dramedies Danni Lowinski andFloor Faber, and our latest telenovela, One in a Million, fol-lowing the success of Love Is in the Air.”

• Danni Lowinski• Floor Faber• The Frontier• Fugitives• The Secret of Loch Ness II

SevenOne Internationalwww.sevenoneinternational.com

“Our strength is our large portfolio offiction, entertainment formats and magazines catering to the channels’needs and interests of viewers of all target and age groups.”

—Axel Böhm

On the heels of the success of its entertainment format Justin Time, Telefe International is eager to build its unscriptedbusiness in Central and Eastern Europe at DISCOP.“We’vediscovered we can do more than fiction,” explains MichelleWasserman, the head of international distribution, program-ming, formats and production services at the Argentineandistributor. Russia has already proven to be a major formatmarket for Telefe International, both in terms of variety andgame shows and telenovelas. “Sometimes we provide muchmore than the format,” Wasserman adds. “It’s also the pro-duction services. We have produced an entire telenovela in[Ar gentina] for Russia.” New on the formats slate forDISCOP is 3, 2, 1 Let’s Win!, a game show. Meanwhile,there are a number of telenovelas available for buyers at themarket. Leading the offerings is a co-production with ONTV called Secrets of Love. There are also WAGs, Love for theGame, Everybody Against Juan and The Resistance.

• Secrets of Love • WAGs, Love for the Game• The Resistance• 3, 2, 1 Let’s Win!• Everybody Against Juan

Telefe International

“Our core is fictionbut we can do muchmore than that, in avery good way, a cheapway, an easier way.”

—Michelle Wasserman


The Resistance

www.telefeinternational.com

Danni Lowinski


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Televisa Networks broadcasts its signal in most Euro-pean countries. However, its most important marketsare Sweden, Switzerland, Portugal and Spain. “We havea wide range of content, from music to series and soapoperas,” explains Fernando Muñiz, the CEO of Tele-visa Networks. “Canal de las Estrellas has the top pro-grams from Televisa, besides in-house productions forUnicable. This is what makes the channel unlike anyother, as it is not only aimed to Mexicans, but to allLatin Americans and Spanish speakers in Europe.” Themost attractive features of the channel, according toMuñiz, are the soap opera premieres, the bull fighting,which is very popular in Europe, and the in-houseseries like Netas Divinas, Miembros al Aire and Es deNoche y ya llegué. Muñiz says that expanding to reachmore households is a key priority for the channels inCentral and Eastern Europe.

• Canal de las Estrellas• TL Novelas• Telehit• Ritmoson Latino • Clásico

Televisa Networkswww.televisanetworks.tv

Netas Divinas

“[Canal de las Estrellas is]not only aimed to Mexicans,but to all Latin Americansand Spanish speakers inEurope.”

—Fernando Muñiz

With a mission to grow a sustainable Arabic media industry,twofour54 identified the children’s arena as one with greatpotential in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).The outfit is putting its efforts behind Driver Dan’s StoryTrain. Jane Smith, the general manager of Ibtikar Commer-cial, explains that the rollout strategy for the series is twofold.“Firstly, we are involved in producing the highest qualitycontent working with our partners 3LineMedia and CBee-bies. This content production spearheads the brand’s devel-opment across international markets as we launch DriverDan across TV, home entertainment, publishing (with ourpartner Macmillan), consumer products and digital plat-forms.” Smith continues, “Secondly, our approach in theMENA region is to reimagine the production for anArabic-speaking audience. This involves totally adaptingthe content so that it feels and sounds home made for anArabic-speaking child. We are working with BlinkStudios...to adapt the scripts, produce brand-new live-actionsegments featuring local children, and to repurpose the ani-mation to reflect the cultures of the Arab-speaking world.”

• Driver Dan’s Story Train

twofour54

Driver Dan’s Story Train

www.twofour54.com

“twofour54 could not have found a better production to kick off their strategic content investment plans than the brand-new preschoolseries Driver Dan’s Story Train.”

—Jane Smith



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MAKING HEADLINES IN THE MEDIA INDUSTRY BY ANNA CARUGATI

Founded in 1995, Power hasbecome a leading independentproducer and distributor and haspartnered with major broadcast-ers around the world to financehigh-quality and award-winningmini-series, series and moviesfor television. Power’s produc-tions and co-productions includethe International EmmyAward–winning mini-seriesHenry VIII and the epic disas-ter mini-series Flood, both forITV; and, most recently, TheDay of the Triffids, an adap-tation of John Wyndham’s best-selling novel, for BBC One. Power’schairman and CEO, JustinBodle, talks about the enduringappeal of event television.

WS:Why are high-budget TV movies and mini-seriesimportant to broadcasters, even in a depressed economy?BODLE: They are more critical now than ever. It’s allabout securing high ratings and strong demographics. It’sall about delivering in one night or two nights [of pro-gramming] that will guarantee big returns, and we’ve beendoing better now than we had been before.Event TV movies and mini-series are more expensive, a

lot more expensive, and we’ve had many different broad-casters investing in our shows in order to get them made,[more so than for] a standard drama, but events are deliv-ering big, big audiences. If you are searching for advertis-ing revenues certainly you are searching for big audiences,so why [not go for the] biggest type of show possible.

WS: Why have you added long-running series to yourslate of event TV movies and mini-series?BODLE: The big event minis are really getting much big-ger, much more technical, much more ambitious. It’scoming from audiences expecting more and more andmore. While we are seeing the theatrical market polar-ized between big studio pictures and small indie films,with a gap in the middle, so in terms of big internationalTV drama, we are seeing polarizations. And we are creat-ing a need in audiences that sometimes a four-hour mini-series doesn’t necessarily deliver. For instance, if you lookat The Tudors in America on Showtime, that was effec-tively a four-hour mini-series that was delivered across awhole series structure because they could keep deliver-ing that to an audience. And that is happening in many

territories across the world now.As you can see from ourdevelopment and production of series, it’s all about deliv-ering those big audiences and those big shows. Andbecause stations want to invest in things that can offer areturn and that will allow them to tick that box and know,“I’ve got a very strong audience and there is a creativejourney to continue on this series,” they can support thatand deliver what [the viewers] need.We are not only doing series, but we are looking at

producing extended mini-series, going to six hours andeight hours, and not just a four-hour format. Drama isone of those critical genres that is incredibly importantin a depressed market, as well as a strong market, particu-larly to deliver a personality to the station that the adver-tisers can say, “Yes we’re safe with that; we really want [tobe associated with] that.”

WS: Is quality critically important to attract viewers aswell as advertisers?BODLE: Absolutely, you need a point of differencewith advertisers, as well. When the markets are in adownturn, advertisers are pretty cruel. They expect alot of competition and they exploit that competi-tion—rightly so, that is their job. If you’ve got a pointof difference, if you’ve got real quality that is showingthrough, the advertisers will always have the ability tosay, “Actually, that is what we are looking for, it’s notjust about the fact your CPP [cost per rating point] isthe best. It’s also about the fact that you are offering astrong environment for our product.” If you’ve got avery attentive, very engaged audience, what a greatplace to have your advertising.

WS: Tell me about Power’s new division for local dramaand format production, Powerlocal.BODLE: We’ve worked with Sue Green—who is the man-aging director of that new division—on a number of dif-ferent productions. She’s one of those extraordinary mixesof being an incredibly good businesswoman at putting pack-aged product together, but she’s also a brilliant producer.As our first foray into [local production] we are devel-

oping a European novela brand because we feel that is anarea of drama that is very underexploited in Europe. Thenovela is a Latin American genre that works incrediblysuccessfully in very Catholic countries in Europe. Andwe feel there is a bit more that could be available becausethe genre is very strong. We also have a number of differ-ent reality formats to combine with what we do in drama,and with what we do with our big advertisers, who arelooking very closely at what we are doing.We also distribute two soap operas for Procter & Gam-

ble, the CBS soaps As the World Turns and Guiding Light.When we took over the distribution of those shows, wealways said the way forward with these is to get them onthe air and see how they work so that we can start devel-oping local versions of [serial dramas and novelas].

Big and Bold TelevisionPower’s Justin Bodle

in the news

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The Dori Media Group has ridden the wave of telenovelas’ worldwide popularity to great success. It has produced and distributed someof the most popular and innovative titles in thegenre, including Lalola and Amanda O, andhas launched channels and even an Internetportal entirely dedicated to novelas. NadavPalti, the company’s president and CEO, talksabout the importance of diversifying revenuesand making content available on multiple platforms.

WS: Last year was a very difficult time for everyone inadvertiser-supported media. Are you seeing signs ofimprovement? PALTI: Yes, we are seeing signs of improvement, andMIPTV was surprisingly very good. We signed a lot ofdeals and that’s very unusual. Most of the time, you presentyour new content, and you negotiate at MIPTV, but youdon’t sign the deal during the market. But we did andthat was a very, very good sign that the market is improv-ing, as we expected. It will take time, but 2010 will bemuch better than 2009, and 2011 will be better than 2010.I also think people have learned not to establish their busi-nesses only on advertising. Cable and satellite are strongbecause part of their revenue is subscription based; theyare not entirely dependent on advertising. People arelearning to get more revenue from cell phones, from theInternet; the revenue comes from all the platforms thatare being developed. It’s a process, it’s not one shot, butfirst of all I think advertising will increase because themarket is getting better.

WS:How is your channel business, and do you have plansto launch more services?PALTI: The channel business is doing very well. We nowhave 18 channels on the air, six outside of Israel and 12in Israel. All of them are subscription based and notdependent on advertising, so it’s a very stable business.Every month we have more and more revenue and it’svery profitable. We plan to launch at least another two TV channels in

2010, so that by the end of the year we plan on having 20TV channels. Production and distribution is one leg ofour business model. It has more risk but the opportunityis huge: if a program sells well, you can make a lot of profit;if it doesn’t sell, you can lose a lot of money. On the otherhand, the TV channels, which are the second leg of ourbusiness model, are very stable. Our third leg is our new-media offerings, and it is between the TV channels andthe production.

WS: How is Novebox.com, Dori Media Group’s contentportal, performing?PALTI: We launched Novebox.com one and a half yearsago in all of Latin America and the U.S. Hispanic market,and it is doing great.We finished March with more than1 million unique users per month, and by June we expect2 million unique users, and we want to reach 3 or 4 mil-lion unique users by the end of 2010. We also want tooffer a VOD platform on the Internet. In Israel, we aredeveloping very advanced technology that allows view-ing, as well as billing, collecting, and placing content onour platform from other producers. Novebox can trackwhat’s being watched. They can go online and see whatprogramming works well or doesn’t, and they can pushmore of the content that works, and take out what peo-ple don’t want to watch. The Novebox.com business modelwill depend more and more on VOD—a monthly sub-scription that allows people to watch whatever they want.We are going to have all Latin content and maybe evencontent from the majors that we subtitle or dub into Span-ish. We want to create a new world where people wholike Latin content—telenovelas or daily series or TVmovies—can come and watch for a relatively very smallamount per month, and it will be for the whole family. Ibelieve we will also add children’s programming likeBabyTV.Novebox is doing much better than we expected and

it is part of today’s new world. We have to respond toviewer demand and we have to diversify our revenues.TV distribution today does not pay enough money, so wemust be able to derive more revenue streams from ourcontent in order to have the opportunity to cover the costof the production and produce profits.

WS: Are you also having success with cross-platformcontent?PALTI: All our cross-platform telenovelas and formatsare doing very well. Amanda O is selling all around theworld. uMan has been very well accepted and we sold itto more than 15 countries. uMan could be the next BigBrother, but it’s for cell phones, the Internet and TV. It’sfully interactive—the audience influences and decideseverything 24 hours a day. In the past, content was madeprimarily for TV, with few applications for Internet andcellular, while uMan’s main platforms are the Internet andcell phones and there is an application for TV. So DoriNew Media, the new company we created one and a halfyears ago, has really performed, and the decisions we tookback then are paying off. In Israel we are now developingthree or four new formats and even drama for the Inter-net and cell phones.

Building Out the BusinessDori Media’s Nadav Palti

A LOOK AT INNOVATION IN THE TELEVISION INDUSTRYBY ANNA CARUGATI

spotlight


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CHANNEL HOPPING THE INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS OF CABLE AND SATELLITE BY ANNA CARUGATI

When asked which are the mostwidely distributed global channels inthe world, most people will say CNNor MTV, but they probably won’tmention TV5MONDE, the French-language, general-entertainment chan-nel, which broadcasts 24 hours a dayand is available in 200 territories with acumulative audience of 55 million indi-vidual viewers each week.TV5MONDE launched more than

25 years ago. It premiered in 1984with five French-language broadcast-ers—France’s TF1, Antenne 2 andFR3, Belgium’s RTBF, andSwitzerland’s SSR—providing pro-

gramming. It rapidly enlarged its footprint and the num-ber of its broadcast partners. Today, TV5MONDE is comprised of nine different

feeds serving the U.S.; Africa; Latin America; Asia-SouthPacific; Europe; France, Switzerland and Belgium; Orient;and Quebec, Canada, reaching 207 million households.The service has 10 partners (France 2, France 3, France 4,France 5, France Õ, ARTE France, RTBF, TSR, RadioCanada and Télé-Québec) contributing programming. TV5MONDE boasts a schedule that includes con-

temporary and classic French films, news, children’s andmagazine and lifestyle programming, explains Marie-Christine Saragosse, who as managing director overseesall of the company’s channels.

FRANCO-AMERICAN RELATIONSIn America, TV5MONDE USA has some 330,000 sub-scribing households, and management wants to increasethat number. To better serve its subscribers, and to allowthem the ability to watch whatever show they wantwhenever they want, TV5MONDE has begun rollingout on-demand services. “It started in New Orleans inMarch of this year, because of the strong historical andcultural ties the city has with France, and because 20 percentof the households in that market are French-speaking,”says Saragosse, who plans to introduce on-demand offer-ings in other cities in the U.S. and around the world.She also wants to expand the distribution of the linear

channel in the U.S., which is currently carried by thesatellite service DISH Network as well as on VerizonFiOS and AT&T U-Verse.“Fifty-seven percent of TV5MONDE’s viewers in

the U.S. are American, so French is not their mother

tongue,” says Saragosse. Consequently, while the chan-nel’s programming is aired in French, some is subtitledin English. “U.S. subscribers spend around 60 percent oftheir total TV viewing time watching TV5MONDE,and the channel’s churn rate is less than 1 percent,” con-tinues Saragosse. TV5MONDE USA serves this very engaged audience

with the type of all-things-French programming theycan’t get anywhere else. During the Cannes Film Festivallast month, for example, the channel offered the weeklymagazine show Lumière et Caméra, which provided wrap-ups of each week’s highlights; the daily show L’Invité,which featured insight from top newsmakers at theFestival; and daily newscasts from Cannes.

SPORTS AND SKILLSIn addition to these programs, the channel aired criti-cally acclaimed feature films that had been screened inthe official selection competition at previous CannesFilm Festivals. France is not only renowned for itsfamous film festival, but for the Roland Garros tennistournament, also known as the French Open, one offour major grand-slam professional tennis tour eventsand the premier clay-court tournament in the world.To provide U.S. fans of the tournament with coverageof this prestigious event, for the second year in a row,TV5MONDE USA has secured a sub-license agree-ment with the Tennis Channel for French-languagebroadcast rights of the 2010 French Open.As part ofits global media expansion strategy, TV5MONDElaunched its first iPhone application, 7 Jours sur laPlanète (7 Days on the Planet), in March. This program,which airs each week on all TV5MONDE feeds, iscentral to the channel’s “Learning and TeachingFrench with TV5MONDE” initiative, which helpstens of thousands of students learn French thanks tothe interactive exercises on the web. Initially aimed atEnglish speakers, the 7 Jours sur la Planète iPhone appwill be adding German, Spanish and Japanese to thelanguage menu. TV5MONDE USA has plans for anew program, says Saragosse, which will air twice amonth, and will focus on cultural events in the U.S.that are linked with French culture or French-speakingcountries’ culture. Saragosse and her team want to continue to expand

TV5MONDE’s reach around the world. Proof of thepopularity of the service is that last year, despite the badeconomy, the channel increased its subscriber base bymore than 10 percent.

global nets

Bringing France to the WorldTV5MONDE’s Marie-Christine Saragosse


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As a relatively young and enthusiastictelevision market, Central and East-ern Europe (CEE) is showing manysigns of a healthy recovery. Most ofthe countries across CEE were hithard by last year’s economicdownturn, but a steady upswing inadvertising spending has left manydistributors with renewed confidence. ZenithOptimedia is forecasting thatad spend will grow by 5.7 percent this

year, and a further 8.5 percent in 2011.With television attracting more thanhalf of the media-buying pie, dis-tributors are finding plenty ofopportunities in CEE to shop pro-gramming from a wide variety ofgenres: drama, events, music andmore. This has created quite positivesentiment among the suppliersheading to DISCOP East inBudapest, where some 800 buyers

will be on hand looking for newproduct to fill out their schedules. “DISCOP is definitely a market thatwe are focusing on in 2010,” says JanSalling, the head of international salesand business development at BanijayInter national. “We are optimistic thatthe much-talked-of upturn in businessin the region is about to happen andwe want to be top of mind and firstchoice to all major players there.”

Banijay’s offerings for buyers spana number of genres, as the companyincludes Nordisk Film TV World’sactivities and distributes all formatsand finished programming producedby Banijay Entertainment companies.“We have had limited format-salessuccess in Central and EasternEurope in 2009,” Salling notes.“However, this has been compen-sated by an increase in finished pro-gram sales to the region.”Satisfying the apparent appetitefor finished product, Banijay is high-lighting its programming lineupfrom Bunim-Murray Productions inthe U.S. Salling points to LoveGames, Dr. Steve-O, One Ocean Viewand Styl’d in particular. “Any genrewith a glossy, high-quality look—that

34 6/10World Screen

The markets of Central and Eastern Europe continue to show positive signs of recovery, making DISCOP a vibrant opportunityfor distributors to close deals from a number of genres.

By Kristin Brzoznowski

A New Direction

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can be produced for a limitedbudget—will succeed there rightnow,” he says. “And if it has somekind of revenue stream built in orif it comes with [the possibility fora sponsor], this will all add to thesales potential.”

SevenOne International is alsofinding that finished product is indemand across CEE. Axel Böhm, theregional sales director for CEE, Italyand Spain at SevenOne, notes a“huge desire” for catastrophe eventsin the market. “Hence our highlightsSea of Death, Factor 8 and Blackout willhit a nerve.”

He adds that CEE market buyersare usually also looking for long-running series. “Consequently, weare excited to present our dramediesDanni Lowinski and Floor Faber, andour latest telenovela, One in a Million,following the success of Love Is in theAir, which has aired on Poland’s TVP1, Bulgaria’s bTV, Latvia’s LNT, Esto-nia’s Kanal 2, and has also been asmash hit on Italy’s Canale 5.”

Böhm says that overall sales inthe region have been stable forSevenOne, despite the economicdownturn. “We had really goodfeedback from clients after thisyear’s MIPTV: the business is pick-ing up again, especially in Russia,

Hungary, the Czech Republic,Poland and Bulgaria.”

For AETN International, Hun-gary, Poland and Russia have alsobeen the strongest markets, accord-ing to the sales manager for CEEand the Middle East, Joss Duffield.She adds that the Czech Republicis where the company has seen themost growth.

“The economic down-turn did not hit us in a sig-nificant way—our sales inthe region have grownyear-on-year by 25 per-cent,” says Duffield. “Amajor reason for this is that AETN saw opportu-nity in the region and cre-ated a position dedicatedto program sales in these territories.”

THE REAL DEAL At DISCOP, Duffield ishighlighting the factualofferings America: The Storyof the US, Pawn Stars, Ameri-can Pickers and FugitiveChronicles, which are the lat-est hits coming out ofAETN’s channels in theU.S. The company will alsobe bringing new episodes

of established shows like Life After Peo-ple, Hoarders and How the Earth WasMade. “These programs feature com-pelling characters, storytelling andproduction techniques, all of whichappeal to viewers and by extension tobuyers,” Duffield says.

Factual, along with factual enter-tainment, tops the list at CineflixInternational as well. The company

recently picked up more than 150hours of new programming for itsslate, in addition to continuing toproduce its own shows. “Our newdrama documentary Nazi Hunters isa great example of the high caliber ofprogramming we produce annually,”says Chris Bluett, the company’s salesmanager for the region. “Nazi Huntersis just one of the new shows CineflixInternational will be highlighting atDISCOP. Pitchin’ In, The Last 10Pounds Bootcamp, The Cupcake Girls,ÜberGuide and Weird or What? withWilliam Shatner are some other titlesto keep an eye out for,” he adds.“These titles provide our buyers witha real spread across factual program-ming and factual entertainment.”

Lifestyle programming has alsobeen proving to be a particularlystrong genre for Cineflix, Bluettnotes. “Home makeover and cookingchannels are on the rise and showslike Colin & Justin’s Home Heist, Con-viction Kitchen and The Opener catervery well to our buyers. Drama doc-umentaries are also high on buyers’shopping lists—none more than May-day: Air Disaster. A certain volcanoerupting helped boost awareness onthis,” Bluett quips.

Australia’s Beyond Distribution hasfound similar success in the nonfiction

The new frontier: America: The Story of the US made a big splash with its U.S. debut on HISTORY and AETN is taking the title worldwide.

Moments of reflection: The daily docu-soap Cases of Doubt is a lead title from ALL3MEDIA.


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arena. From its multi-genre catalogue,“the strongest performers have all beenfactual programs,” says Cristina Lowe,the VP of sales for CEE, among otherterritories, at Beyond. Titles the company is highlight-ing at DISCOP include HighwayPatrol, a series following a group ofpolicemen tackling crime on theroad, and Love It or List It, a home-makeover show with a twist.Outside of the factual realm,Beyond has high hopes for WildAnimal Baby Explorers, a preschoolseries; MovieStar, which focuses onthe lives and careers of Hollywoodstars; Stop. Rewind, a look at thetechnological changes of the last 30years; and Six Degrees of TV, whichexplores how every star can belinked by a chain of no more thansix relationships with every otherstar. “We are focusing on these titles,as they are innovative, fresh, appeal

to a large audience and travel wellacross countries,” Lowe says. Beyond has additionally foundsuccess in the region with dramaseries, a category that has also beena top-seller for ALL3MEDIA Inter-

national. “Drama is by far the strongestrevenue generator for our company inCEE,” says Stephen Driscoll, the VP ofinternational sales at ALL3MEDIA.“Midsomer Murders, Wild at Heart andSkins all perform extremely well in thisregion year on year.” After signing deals this year withnew clients in Russia and Ukraine,Driscoll is optimistic heading intoDISCOP. “We are [over] the worstof it and the past three months havebeen very encouraging,” he says,“with Poland making a particularlystrong return.”Among the large slate of newshows ALL3MEDIA has for themarket, Driscoll is particularly keenon showcasing Going Postal, a $10-million fantasy-adventure mini-series based on the novel by TerryPratchett, and Undercover Boss, whichhas been a huge hit for CBS in theU.S. Undercover Boss has been notch-ing up strong sales for both the U.K.and U.S. finished versions, but alsoas a format.

LOOKING TO LOCALIZE?Scoring a format pickup in CEEisn’t always easy, however. As bud -gets have been cut throughout theregion—drastically in some coun-tries—the cost of producing a localadaptation may not be feasible forall companies. “It has been challeng-ing to get broadcasters to commis-sion new formats,” acknowledgesNick Smith, ALL3MEDIA’s VP of

format sales. “However, they havebeen keen to keep the formats theyalready have on air. There do seemto be increased opportunities now,as broadcasters are looking for newformats to refresh their schedule.Also, production companies arebecoming more proactive in theregion in optioning formats, whichis very healthy.”Smith says that it’s the more estab-lished channels in the region that areinvesting in local productions, thoughhe notes that opportunities are emerg-ing for inexpensive formats on newerstations in some territories. “Traditionally, game shows workvery well in the region,” he says.“Cash Cab, for example, has been(and continues to be) very success-ful in lots of CEE territories. It iscost-effective and can play virtuallyanywhere in the schedule. We’re alsoseeing a lot of interest in our scriptedreality formats. Cases of Doubtlaunched earlier this year on Polsat(after a strong launch on RTL inGermany at the end of last year),where it has rated excellently, mean-ing that they have commissionedmore episodes and we’ll be able toannounce another format deal inthe region at DISCOP.”The formats ALL3MEDIA isbringing to DISCOP cover a widespread, “so we should have somethingfor everyone,” Smith says. He pointsin particular to daily scripted realityformats, like Families at the Crossroads.


Cultivating culture: While the format market has been challenged in the last year, SevenOne sees strong potential for its Scandinavian hitformat Culture Shock: Norway.

Healthy sales: Banijay International is focusing on a range of finished products for themarket, including a lineup from Bunim-Murray that features Dr. Steve-O.


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“The stories used in these formats arethings that are happening every dayin countries in the region, whichmakes compelling viewing for audi-ences. The fact that they can be pro-duced for half the price of a dailysoap makes them very appealing tobroadcasters!”

Another player in the formats arenais the Israel-based Armoza Formats,which has established a solid relation-ship with many countries across Cen-tral and Eastern Europe. “Overall, inthe five years that Armoza Formats hasbeen selling to CEE, our business hasincreased noticeably and significant-ly,” says Avi Armoza, the company’sCEO. “From the start it was a greatregion for us sales-wise, and broadcast-ers [had] enthusiasm for our formats.Each year we are continuing to see anincrease in the opportunities there.”

OPENING THE PLAYING FIELD“It’s a dynamic market,” Armoza con-tinues. “The major players shift andgive rise to new companies and chan-nels, which provide a constant flow ofnew outlet opportunities. It’s a young,growing market, with room within itsindigenous creative infrastructure forthe incorporation of outside material,and, for a distribution company, it’s agreat place to work.”

Poland and Romania have alwaysbeen strongly performing territo-

ries for the company, Armoza says.“We have seen several local ver-sions of shows from our catalogueproduced and broadcast there,including the pop-culture quizshow The Bubble, the game showUpgrade, the dating formats Foreplayand Approved for Love and the

financial-coaching series OverdraftFamily.” Armoza has also had suc-cess in Lithuania with OverdraftFamily and Taste Case.

It’s been only a few years sinceItaly’s Mediaset Distribution launchedits format distribution arm, yet themove has proved to be a positive one

for making deals in CEE. “The pos-sibility to explore the adaptation ofsome of our fiction series enabledMediaset to establish new relation-ships with its clients in these mar-kets,” says Manuela Caputi, theinternational sales manager atMediaset.

Trends of the times: Beyond is looking to score sales in the region on Stop. Rewind, which looks at the discoveries, breakthroughs and innovations that shaped the last three decades.

Looking through the lens: Armoza Formats’ business has been strong throughout Central and Eastern Europe, and the company is lookingto continue on this path by closing new deals for formats such as the new drama The Ran Quadruplets.


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Caputi says that action and crimeand investigation are the categoriesmost in demand in the region.“There is less space for sentimentaldrama these days,” she adds. In keeping with this trend, Medi-

aset is launching at DISCOP newseasons of the successful series AMatter of Respect, set in the world oforganized crime, and Police District,a cop show. There’s also a new sea-son of My Daughters, skewed towardwomen. “We believe that the chan-nels that showed interest in these seriescan now benefit from more episodes,”says Caputi. “As per the new releases,we can count on TV-movie titles likeIn the Eyes of the Assassin and [seriessuch as] The Deli.”

PLENTIFUL PLATFORMSThe region’s healthy sales oppor-tunities have even paved the wayfor new entrants into the market,such as Latin America’s ClaxsonMedia. The Argentinean companyhad been doing solid business inSpain and Italy for some time, butit has been adding new clients toits list from CEE, including Roma-nia and Poland. “Overall we aredoing good business and are plan-ning to expand even more a yearfrom now,” says Ariel Taboada, the

programming and productiondirector at Claxson. Music, fashion and sports have been

the top genres for Claxson in theregion, according to Taboada. In thesporting category, In the Deep, aboutdeep-sea diving, and The Long Bros, asurf series, have been two of the com-pany’s strongest shows thisyear. Adding to this is thenew offering Brotherhood ofthe Snow, which looks atsnowboarders who are train-ing for a world champi-onship. In the way of music,Taboada highlights Sounds ofFreedom as a title that hasgenerated much interest. “We have seen an

increase in channels, andwe have designed manyof our productions forthese [secondary] chan-nels,” Taboada notes. Indeed, the pay-TV mar-

ket in CEE has beenexpanding quickly in recentmonths, and there’s no signof it slowing down. And Claxson is not the

only company that is bene-fiting from the boomingchannel business. “Not onlyhas the launch of new digi-

tal channels brought new buyers to thetable, it has also redefined the program-ming needs and strategies for existingchannels,” says AETN’s Duffield. SevenOne has also seen its busi-

ness increase as a result of theregion’s pay-TV growth. “The roll-out of digital channels in countries

like the Czech Republic, Slovakia,Poland and Russia has had animpact,” says Böhm. “There aremore thematic channels launchingwith clearer focus on certaindemographics and quite often onfemale audiences.” The experience has been similar

at Cineflix. “We have seen a rise inthematic channels, which works wellfor Cineflix International, given therange of programming we have tooffer,” Bluett says. “As a result, wehave seen a significant rise in revenueacross the region in all genres.” Bluett goes on to note, “MIPTV

gave a real indication that buyers areback on track now, and looking attheir end-of-year and early 2011schedules.” Many distributors, in fact, are

still riding high on the buzz gen-erated at MIPTV, where a sense ofoptimism was felt throughout thePalais that business is getting backto usual. And, with CEE’s growthrates more attractive than those inmore developed regions, DISCOPis poised to be a promising mar-ket for making sales from a vari-ety of categories.

Icing on the cake: Cineflix is keen to present its roster of factual and factual-entertainment titles to buyers in CEE, with highlights suchas The Cupcake Girls.

A cut above: The Deli leads off the slate of new releases from Mediaset Distribution, the internationaldistribution branch of the Italian group Mediaset.



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WS: After Showcase and MIPTV, do youfeel that buyers are willing to open uptheir checkbooks again or are they still alittle risk averse? MACALLISTER: Certainly buyers areopening up their checkbooks, but theyare slightly more risk averse and arelooking at new models. Co-productionis certainly higher up on the agendathan it has been before, which is greatbecause that is really in line with ourstrategy to build some bigger co- pro-duction partnerships.

WS: What is your overall strategy toward international co-productions?MACALLISTER: The key thing is you can’t have too many part-ners. There is an optimal num-ber. It doesn’t need to be justone.We have recently put in place

a new team in our EMEA [Europe, MiddleEast and Africa] division to focus on co-productions and work with the BBC andour indie partners as well. We are in theprocess of retooling our U.S. team.Obviously, the U.S. is a very significantpartner in co-productions, as a sizeableamount of revenue comes from that particularterritory. If you want to be successful inthe U.S. you’ve got to have a successful co-production strategy and sales team. We havebasically re-geared our team and we are see-ing an uptick in that activity.

WS: Are you seeing an increase in thedemand for British drama? MACALLISTER: There is more of aninterest in drama than there has beenbefore, and I think it’s fair to say that waskick-started by the U.S. In Britain we’vegot a great tradition of quality drama. At

oneonone


he sales-and-distri butiondivision of BBC World -wide is a behemoth in theinternational tele vision

business. Second only to theHollywood studios, it is the biggest

exporter of TV programsoutside the U.S. Thesales-and-distribution

division is one of seven corebusinesses of BBC Worldwide, the commercialarm of the British public broadcaster BBC.The other divisions are channels, content andproduction, digital media, magazines and chil-dren’s and licensing, home entertainment, andglobal brands, all of which provide a globalshowcase for thebest of British cre-ative talent. As managing

director of salesand distribution, Steve Macallister isresponsible for the exploitation of intellec-tual property of some 50,000 hours of in-house and independently produced contentfrom BBC Worldwide’s catalogue. In2008-2009, Macallister’s division reportedprofits of £59.2 million ($86.3 million)with a turnover of £231.2 million($337.25 million).BBC Worldwide’s primary purpose is to

bring value to the BBC in the form of

profits and program investment. BBCWorld wide acquires the commercial rightsto programs such as Planet Earth,Doctor Who and Top Gear and finds waysof earning money from these across dif-ferent media and markets. It then chan-nels funds back to the BBC to be investedin new programming and services.Each year in February, Macallister and

his team host BBC Showcase, a uniqueannual sales event with stars, premieresand events that kick off 1,400 hours’worth of program screenings. BBCWorldwide, of course, is also present atmajor markets throughout the year.Among the many new shows BBC

Worldwide isoffering buyersthis year are thedrama MarriedSingle Other; the

action series Strike Back; Hartswood Films’Sherlock; and the new BBC crime dramaLuther. Factual programs include the ambi-tious Human Planet, a co-production fromthe BBC, Dis covery and FranceTélévisions, and the new science spectac-ular Seven Wonders of the SolarSystem. Rounding out the slate are thenew formats Drop Zone and Kidnappedby the Kids and the children’s seriesZingZillas.

tSteve Macallister

BBC Worldwide

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MIPTV, BBC Worldwide had oneof the strong est slates of contem-porary drama we’ve had in a verylong time. We had Sherlock, whichis a contemporary version of theiconic detective Sherlock Holmes.We launched it at BBC Showcasebut at MIPTV, which for us isreally a follow-up market toShowcase, it was selling like hot-cakes. It really was, I don’t say thatlightly. We’ve launched a newshow that has been commissionedby Sky. It’s called Strike Back,based on the Chris Ryan best-seller, and stars Richard Armitage.There is a lot of strong interest onthat. And Idris Elba, famous forhis part in HBO’s The Wire, is star-ring in another iconic detectiveshow coming from Britain called

Luther. That is looking very, verystrong, and that is very much in thetradition of British drama, so we arereally getting back to our strengths.

WS: How important is it to be amulti-genre distributor that is activein every segment of the business?MACALLISTER: We cover all the

major genres. It’s part and parcel ofbeing a distributor for the BBC, amajor public-service broadcaster. Partof the reason people come to us is thestrong BBC brand, our associationwith quality, and the fact that we docover all the major genres. If you’relooking for great drama, you shouldcome to the BBC. We are clearlyknown for our factual content, butthis year we are particularly proud ofour drama slate.

I should also say that we’ve got agreat children’s preschool show,called ZingZillas. For those oldenough to remember Banana Splitsand The Muppets, it’s slightly remi-niscent of that kind of show. It’severgreen, very musical, and we arevery excited about that as well.

WS: When you look at all of theBBC’s output, how do you decidewhat is going to have strong inter-national potential that you can rollout to every territory?MACALLISTER: We obviouslylook for shows that we think willhave resonance across the world,whether it’s star power, whether it’sa great story, whether it’s just a greatlook, or whether it’s something that isreally, really contemporary or new.There isn’t really a formula. We’re veryfortunate that we’ve got a lot of showson our slate this year. When we areactually pushing shows at MIPTV andMIPCOM, we try to highlight the

6/10 World Screen 45

On the case: A new spin on the detective genre, Luther, which stars The Wire’s Idris Elba, is a dark psychological crimethriller, which BBC Worldwide scored presales on ahead of its BBC One premiere.

Ready to strike: Based on the novel of the same name written by ex–British Special Forces soldier Chris Ryan, theaction series Strike Back is a Sky commission.


ones that are representative of thegenre and something that we feel willreally draw people through the doorand be of benefit for the whole slate.

Besides our drama slate, we’vegot some fantastic natural-historyshows. Life, which I think most

people are aware of, has performedvery well in the U.K. and in theStates. Human Planet is a first forthe BBC Natural History Unit. It’sthe first time we actually take a lookat ourselves. It was shot in about 80locations around the world and I

think it’s going to create an enormousamount of buzz in the marketplace.

WS: What are your goals for thenext 12 to 24 months?MACALLISTER: We want to con-tinue to grow the business. We’re in

a very good place, but we can’tafford to stand still. We’re reallyfocused on the U.S. We’re definitelyseeing a recovery in most parts ofthe world, but the U.S. is reallywhere we feel there is more upsidefor us.

Those in the licensing business knowthat having a top-rated broadcast part-ner associated with your brand is cru-cial to securing shelf space at majorretailers. In that light, BBC World-wide’s children’s and licensing business,run by Neil Ross Russell as managingdirector, is in an enviable po sition—itskey brands have aired on the leadingBritish preschool ser vice, CBeebies, aswell as on BBC One, plus a host of othernetworks around the world. Ross Rus-sell tells World Screen about his plansfor the company’s brands, from the newpreschool show ZingZillas to DoctorWho and Top Gear.

WS: What are your overall prioritiesfor the division, 12 to 18 months out?ROSS RUSSELL: ZingZillas is a bigpriority. It’s going to be very big inthe U.K. this year—we have com-plete confidence—and the interna-tional rollout process starts now.

Top Gear goes from strength tostrength. It’s commissioned for the

next two years. In terms ofthe licensing and mer-chandising, we’re buildingit up slowly. It’s one ofthose brands where I thinkhad we gone very big andvery broad in terms of therange right at the begin-ning, then it would havedamaged the brand. It’s aquestion of going softly,and making sure that

every product we bring out isabsolutely on brand and just adds tothe overall value.

There’s Lonely Planet, the travelbrand. We’ve got some very excitingplans for that over the coming year.[For] BBC Earth—our title for theBBC’s natural-history content,which is some of the most mind-blowing TV that’s ever been made—we’ve got some really exciting prod-uct and ideas coming through.Strictly Come Dancing, which you willknow better as Dancing with the Stars,that lends itself very well to licensedproduct as well because of the glitzand the glamour that comes with ashow like that. It’s a bit like Top Gear,it’s one where we want to tread verycarefully rather than rush out and[have] it look a bit cheap. We’vedone some really high-quality prod-uct that’s going to roll out in theU.K. this year. And hopefully will beseen around the world in the yearsto come.

WS: What’s your rollout strategy forZingZillas?ROSS RUSSELL: It is a music-based show with an original song in[most] of the 52 episodes. As such,we’re very conscious of the fact thatreversioning for local languages doescause some problems. So where pos-sible we have tried to minimizethose. For example, the human char-acters that appear, the music special-ists—the bagpipe player or thedidgeridoo player or the operastar—they don’t speak, so there’s noquestion of having to dub over theadult voices. The only dubbing thatis required is of the characters them-selves, and the songs, which are themost complicated pieces to dub. Itworks because it’s a preschool show,with quite a lot of repetition, sothere’s a maximum of two verses ineach song—there’s not an enormousamount of dubbing.

The international rollout of pre-school shows is a nice part of theindustry to work in because pre -schoolers really are the same theworld over—they have the sameneeds, the same developmentalstages, whether they’re in the U.K.or in China. And [ZingZillas] isvery relevant for everybody aroundthe world. With 47 different songswe’ve got 47 different styles ofmusic. There’s everything frombhangra to bluegrass, didgeridooto bagpipes.

WS: Are you already thinking aboutthe L&M strategy?ROSS RUSSELL: The wholeseries is shot in high-definition atPine wood Studios, so we wereable to take our retail partners,our licensees, out to the set, showthem the animatronics and howthey work, and really get theminvolved in the show itself. Thereaction we’ve had has been phe-nomenal. We’ll be at retail forChristmas 2010 in the U.K.

It works incredibly well as alicensing property because thecharacters are the sort of charac-ters that children want to engagewith beyond the TV screen andthey want to take them home,they want to be able to play withthem and learn more about themusic.

WS: Do the shows on CBBC, likeThe Sarah Jane Adventures, lendthem selves to consumer products?ROSS RUSSELL: We’ve neverhad quite the same success withthat age group in the U.K. Mostof our portfolio focuses on thepreschool shows. The Sarah JaneAdventures is part of the DoctorWho franchise, and obviouslyDoctor Who is an enormous brand.We will again be at retail with anew range of Doctor Who proper-ties. For the first time this year wedid an almost day-and-datelaunch of some of the merchan-dise, so where the show firstbroadcast on the Saturday, welaunched on the Monday with awhole range of merchandisebased on the new doctor and thenew characters. That range willbuild up over the year.


oneonone

Neil Ross RussellManaging DirectorChildren’s and LicensingBBC Worldwide


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WS: What led to the decision to expandTLC outside of the U.S., and how hasthe response been from pay-TV plat-forms thus far?HOLLINGER: We’re very excited aboutthe response we’ve gotten so far. Thereis an appetite in the market for a verystrong female-driven nonfiction enter-tainment franchise. There isn’t one inmany markets. We saw an opportunitythere. Part of the timing was driven bythe success of TLC in the U.S. It’s beena strong channel for a while, although inthe last couple of years it seems to havecome into its own with a very specificeditorial mission and target demographic.One of the secrets of our success has

been to have a strong U.S. produc-tion engine that supports our inter-national channels. And we feel likeTLC now is at that point in the U.S.where it can be a great supplier ofprogramming for the internationalchannel. Having said that, I think thatTLC will be a channel that will drawon a larger group of networks out ofour U.S. portfolio. Between Investi-gation Discovery (ID), Planet Green,Discovery Health and FitTV, we havea great pipeline [of content] for TLC.

WS: Are there other brands in yourportfolio that you see as having globalpotential?

HOLLINGER: I think there are. Whatwe’re focused on is to find, beyond Dis-covery, beyond TLC, a third and a fourthstrong channel brand. We’re not necessar-ily focused on the fact that it would haveto be a single brand that travels every-where. ID has been on an incredible hotstreak in the U.S. recently, and there maybe markets where ID could be a verystrong brand. We think that there’s proba-bly a place in our portfolio for a younger,male-targeted brand. We don’t necessarilyhave a single young male-targeted channelin the U.S., but we do produce program-ming for that demographic on Discovery,HD Theater, Military Channel. DiscoveryKids is an incredibly strong story in Latin

America—we think it may make sense tosupplement the kids’ business in LatinAmerica with a rollout of our joint-ven-ture channel with Hasbro, The Hub,which is creating its own, very strong pro-duction pipeline. And OWN is a channelthat we’ve definitely had interest in on aninternational basis.

WS: What are the international plans forDiscovery’s upcoming 3-D channel withSony and IMAX?HOLLINGER: We’ve made one 3-DVOD deal already. I suspect the interna-tional deals will start with VOD. A lot ofdistributors are uncertain at this pointwhat the right business model is going tobe. We’ll be an early provider of VODcontent. When the opportunity comesalong, and we’re certain that it will, thenwe will be there with the channel as well.

WS: And the expansion of the HD ser -vice continues?HOLLINGER: HD has grown like gang-busters. It comes from the very basicbusiness premise of Discovery Communi-cations, which has been get out early anddo it in an efficient way. We did that inter-nationally by getting out early, we did thatwith digital channels by getting out early,and we certainly have done it with HD ingetting out early. Our HD channel was oneof the first two or three [high-definition]

n the first quarter of this year at Discovery Communications, interna-tional channels experienced a 16-percent boost in revenues, driven bygains in both advertising and affiliate fees. Already present in some 180 territories, there is still plenty of growth

ahead for Discovery’s international business, according to Mark Hollinger,the president and CEO of Discovery Networks International (DNI).

A Discovery veteran—he has been with the company since 1991—Hollinger took the reins at DNI at the end of last year. One of his pri-orities is strengthening the company’s existing brands, and introduc-

ing new ones to the global market. The expansion of the HD channel, among otherservices, continues. The company has recently embarked on an international rolloutstrategy for TLC, and there are other U.S. channels—including the upcoming OWN:The Oprah Winfrey Network and The Hub—that could also eventually be part of theDiscovery Networks International roster. Also on the horizon is the new 3-D channelthat Discovery is set to launch in the U.S. this year in partnership with Sony and IMAX.Hollinger talks to World Screen about the company’s flagship brands interna-

tionally, and discusses his plans for Discovery’s businesses in Asia, Latin Americaand Western Europe.


Mark HollingerDiscovery Networks International

on the record

i

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channels that launched in the U.S. Wewere one of the first players interna-tionally in HD, and so distributionhas been great. What we’re seeinginternationally, as has already hap-pened in the U.S., is that the businessmodel for distribution of HD ischanging somewhat. It started out asa premium offering, a limited set ofchannels, available at an incrementalfee to subscribers. As there are morechannels available, and more chan-nels become simulcast channels oftheir SD counterparts, then it’s lessof a premium offering, it’s more apart of an overall digital offering. Weobviously are very tuned in to theneeds of our distributors, and havemoved to simulcast. In some marketswe still have a separately pro-grammed HD Showcase channel. Aswe roll TLC out, TLC will have anHD version as well. For us, it’sbecome a norm of doing business.HD needs to be part of your produc-tion process and part of your distri-bution strategy.

WS: The HD feed has expandedrapidly across Asia. What are yourpriorities for this region?HOLLINGER: India is certainly abig priority. It’s a big market, it’s agreat market for programmers tocome in to. It doesn’t have the samerestrictions as some of the other bigmarkets do. Discovery and our typeof programming have been excep-tionally well received there. Our dis-tribution joint venture with Sonyhas been a big success. We’ve got anumber of new channels in thepipeline and we would expect theportfolio to expand there pretty dra-matically in the next year or two.

WS: What about Europe? You seemto operate many brands, but not allof them are pan-regional.HOLLINGER: It’s not necessarily aconsistent portfolio, and I thinkthat’s OK. Part of what we do everyday is try to balance the efficiencyof global or pan-regional operationswith the customization needs ofindividual markets. Within Europe,markets are in a number of different

places, and right now, we wouldlook at Central and Eastern Europeas a great growth market. Some ofthe biggest economies in the regionare the most challenging from a pay-TV point of view. And so we con-tinue to try to figure out the bestway to optimize the portfolio inthose markets. In some it’s throughfurther development of pay televi-sion. In some markets like Ger-many and the U.K. we have gonea free-to-air route with DMAX inGermany and Quest in the U.K. Soit’s not one size fits all. But we dosee, particularly in Central andEastern Europe and Russia, theMiddle East, some good growthprospects for us.

WS: Central and Eastern Europewas hit hard by the downturn. Areyou seeing signs of a recovery?HOLLINGER: From an ad-salespoint of view, we’re already seeing avery nice recovery. From a distribu-tion point of view, in some ways it’sa good market for us because thereare so many distributors. It’s hard toimagine that all of those [platforms]can make it for the long term.There’s a level of competition withinthe distribution marketplace thatwill be hard to survive for the longterm. So our take would be thatthere will be some rationalization[among pay-TV operators] withinthe next couple of years. But we’reagnostic as to who we distribute to.We distribute to everybody, and sowhatever road the distribution mar-ket takes, we anticipate to be in astrong position.

WS: How is your business perform-ing in Latin America?HOLLINGER: Latin America hasbeen very strong. And even in adown market, Latin America hasjust continued to be an outstand-ing performer for us. We thinkBrazil is a very good growth mar-ket for us. In terms of the portfo-lio, we just rebranded People+Artsas Liv. We’re hoping for bigger thingsout of that as the entertainment brandin the portfolio. And we do think

there’s an opportunity to enhancewhat’s already a great kids’ businesswith The Hub in the market.

WS: What are your goals for theoverall global business?HOLLINGER: Our priority at avery high level would be to buildmore strength at the top end ofthe portfolio. We have Discovery asone of the strongest brands in payTV—great distribution, great audi-ence, great ad-sales vehicle. It feelsto us that in a world of increasingconsolidation in distribution andin ad sales, with all the threats tothe television ad-sales model frombroadband and other things, hav-ing other strong audience-delivery

vehicles in the portfolio is reallyimportant. So as we look at every-thing we do—from a portfolio opti-mization perspective to an M&Astrategy to where we prioritizeinvestment geographically—wherecan we build a second and third andfourth big brand in the portfolio tohelp drive the ad-sales business, tohelp drive our positioning with dis-tributors? We have right now about aseventy-thirty split on revenue, affil-iate to ad revenue, in the interna-tional market, versus the companyoverall, which is about a fifty-fiftysplit. That represents an opportuni-ty on the ad-sales side. We think weneed to have some bigger vehiclesto drive audiences.


Cream of the crop: TLC, which has found ratings success in the U.S. with serieslike Cake Boss, is the newest Discovery brand to make its international debut.

on therecord

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Light Years Ahead

PRINT AND DIGITAL MAGAZINESWORLD SCREENTV LATINATV EUROPETV ASIA PACIFICTV MIDDLE EAST & AFRICATV KIDSTV NIÑOSTV REALTV FORMATSTV FORMATOSTV NOVELASTV LISTINGS

PRINT AND DIGITAL GUIDESWORLD SCREEN DISTRIBUTORS GUIDETV KIDS DISTRIBUTORS GUIDETV FORMATS DISTRIBUTORS GUIDELATIN AMERICAN CHANNELS GUIDELATIN AMERICAN DISTRIBUTORS GUIDE

WEBSITESWORLDSCREEN.COMTVLATINA.TVWORLDSCREENINGS.COMTVLATINASCREENINGS.TVTVKIDS.WSTVEUROPE.WSTVREAL.WSTVFORMATS.WSTVDATA.WSTVLATINA.WSTVUSA.WSTVNOVELAS.WSTVINTERACTIVE.WSTVLISTINGS.WSNEXTMEDIA.WSWORLDSCREENJOBS.COM

ONLINE NEWSLETTERSWORLD SCREEN NEWSFLASHWORLD SCREEN WEEKLYTV KIDS WEEKLYTV REAL WEEKLYDIARIO TV LATINATV LATINA SEMANALTV NIÑOS SEMANALTV NOVELAS SEMANALTV CANALES SEMANAL

VIDEOMEDIAMINUTETELEMINUTOWORLD SCREEN VIDEO REPORTSTV LATINA VIDEO REPORTS

Sarah FergusonGlobal distinction: Former British royalty.Sign: Libra (b. October 15, 1959)Significant date: May 24, 2010Noteworthy activity: The former Duchess of York iscaught on videotape shilling access to her ex, PrinceAndrew, for more than $750,000. An undercover journal-ist, disguised as a businessperson, taped the incident, inwhich Fergie says she can secure the man a “big deal” byintroducing him to Andrew as soon as he wires her money.Horoscope: “Libras are pleasure-seeking, luxury-lovingindividuals. These traits are generally assets, but they cancause them to become their own worst enemies. Don’t getcaught in a trap of greed.” (ganeshaspeaks.com)

Cristiano RonaldoGlobal distinction: Sports sex symbol. Sign: Aquarius (b. February 5, 1985)Significant date: May 25, 2010Noteworthy activity: The Real Madrid superstarappears shirtless and in tight underwear on the cover ofVanity Fair. Chelsea striker Didier Drogba is picturedalongside him in a barely-there undergarment. A sourcetells the New York Post that “Ronaldo is freaking out”over the shot, since he didn’t know that he would besharing the cover. Horoscope: “Upgrades are likely in your career thisweek, as are praise and ‘focused attention’ for your tal-ents and accomplishments. Extras, bonus, tips and profitcan easily go ‘on the rise’; make sure to show gratitudewhen you get them.” (0800-horoscope.com)

Tom CruiseGlobal distinction: Eccentric Hollywood A-lister.Sign: Cancer (b. July 3, 1962)Significant date: May 28, 2010Noteworthy activity: Rumors spread across the Internetthat the Mission: Impossible star has passed away following abizarre plumbing mishap while in New Zealand. The actortakes the hoax in good humor, admitting that he wasamused by the odd manner in which he was “killed.”Horoscope: “A minor emotional disequilibrium or feelingof being off-center is apt to disrupt your day. You are in abit of a funk, which, fortunately, is to be short-lived. Takewhat comes to you in stride.” (homepagers.com)


world’s endIN THE STARS

Lindsay Lohan

Sarah Jessica ParkerGlobal distinction: Sex and the City icon. Sign: Aries (b. March 25, 1965)Significant date: May 26, 2010Noteworthy activity:While promoting the new Sex andCity sequel, the fashionable starlet accidentally calls herhusband, actor Matthew Broderick, “average.” In describ-ing how he compares to her 6-year-old son’s height onthe Late Show with David Letterman, Parker says:“Matthewis average...not in personality or in intellect....no, no, no,no, no.” She continues immediately trying to backtrackafter she realizes her backhanded comment.Horoscope: “The voice inside your head doesn’t alwaysneed to make it to your mouth. Some things are just betterkept to yourself.” (cafeastrology.com)

Lindsay LohanGlobal distinction: Hard-partying starlet. Sign: Cancer (b. July 2, 1986)Significant date: May 28, 2010Noteworthy activity: The Hollywood party girl isordered by the courts to wear an alcohol-monitoringankle bracelet. She is spotted out wearing bootcut jeansto hide the SCRAM bracelet. She later tweets: “canCHANEL please help me out by getting me somestickers to put on my SCRAM bracelet so that I can atleast wear a chic dress?!”Horoscope: “Cancerians need to be aware of fallinginto the role of martyr in certain situations. Avoid per-petuating the stereotype that has landed you in thisrole.” (elore.com)

Oprah WinfreyGlobal distinction: Media mogul. Sign: Aquarius (b. January 29, 1954)Significant date: May 28, 2010Noteworthy activity: The talk-show queen and heronce-closest companion, Gayle King, are rumored to befeuding. The National Enquirer reports that in a very pub-lic spectacle, the two engaged in a shouting match, whichended with King yelling, “I hate you!”Horoscope: “The typical Aquarius tends to hold ontobitter feelings and resentments. So, if you cross andAquarius, don’t expect to be welcomed back withopened arms.” (horoscopes.lovetoknow.com)

Almost every national constitution

forbids the establishment of an

official state religion. But this sec-

ular bent doesn’t stop people from

looking to the heavens for answers

to life’s most troublesome questions:

Will I succeed? Will I find love? Will

Fergie try to bribe me?

Every day, papers and magazines

worldwide print horoscopes—projec-

tions for people born in a specific

month, based on the positions of

the stars and planets. While many

people rely on these daily, weekly

or monthly messages for guidance

in their lives, some readers skip over

them entirely.

The editors of WS recognize that

these little pearls of random fore-

sight occasionally prove pro phetic.

But rather than poring over charts

of the zodiac to predict world events,

our staff prefers to use past horo-

scopes in an attempt to legitimate

the science.

As you can see here, had some of

these media figures remembered to

consult their horoscopes on signif-

icant days, they could have avoid-

ed a few surprises.

Tom Cruise Sarah Jessica ParkerSarah Ferguson

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