Video Age International April 2016

14 April 2016 V I D E O A G E Starz, who will attend the market along with five other members of their TV and digital sales team. “With the super-strong premium slate we manage, and with the soft presence from the studios, this really gives Starz the opportunity to be one of the most relevant distributors at MIP-TV,” he said. Starz’s new The Girlfriend Experience , which will launch the week after MIP-TV on Starz Channel in the U.S., will be a major focus on the Croisette. For Marielle Zuccarelli, executive president of International Distribution at L.A.-based Sonar Entertainment, the timing works particularly well this year thanks to an already launched series. “ The Shannara Chronicles has had a successful premiere season in all major territories, and we are continuing to ride this momentum as we continue to sell it worldwide,” she said. As such, she is expecting back-to-back meetings. Manuela Caputi, head of Sales for Italy’s Mediaset Library, said she’ll have 30 to 40meetings per day. “There is a huge demand for scripted formats and new content to adapt locally… and this year we can offer a big catalog of series,” she said. Launches will include action series Task Force 45 from Canale 5, which is a love story between an Italian army officer and an Afghani woman, and Not My Son , a passionate thriller-drama about a mother who fights to defend a son accused of murder. But for Keren Shahar, managing director, Distribution for Israel’s Keshet International, the timing of MIP-TV isn’t all that important; it’s more like icing on the cake. “Because we’re constantly on the ground in the territories we sell to, the timing of MIP-TV is not so important to us. Keshet is open for business all year round! MIP-TV just gives us an extra focus/important calendar date to meet with clients from all over the world in one hit,” she said. “Keshet International’s affiliation to Keshet Broadcasting, along with our own local productionoffices and third-party acquisitions, mean that we have a healthy pipeline of original content which gives us product to introduce at several of the international markets throughout the year.” The company is planning to launch new formats, including BBCOne drama The AWord , The Writer and Battle of the Chefs , at MIP-TV. (By Lucy Cohen Blatter) MIP-TV Preview Keren Shahar of Keshet International Marielle Zuccarelli of Sonar Entertainment Hungry for formats? w w w . K A B O I n t e r n A t I O n A l . c O m Meet usat Mip Formatsand Mip T V StAnd P-1 J56 SCRIP T ed gaMe SH ow en T eR T aInMen T (Continued from Page 12)