Video Age International April 2016

16 April 2016 V I D E O A G E T here were mixed reviews for the recently concluded sixth edition of DISCOP Istanbul. The shortage of buyers and the proximity to MIP-TV were lamented. However, fear of terrorism and the reported lack of support fromTurkish companies were not major concerns, after all. Patrick Jucaud-Zuchowicki of DISCOP organizer Basic Lead was satisfied with the turnout,“consideringtheconcernsforsafetyinthe area,” he commented. All distributors contacted by VideoAge said they had no reservations about traveling to Istanbul for the event. Even though all exhibitors registered brisk activity during the first two days of the market, the biggest concern was the reduced affluence of buyers, especially from the Middle East, mostly due to the dire financial situations in many of those territories. Many exhibitors had cancellations in their schedules of appointments with MENA buyers. Mediaset Distribution’s Manuela Caputi reported some cancellations, but was still very busy with Turkish and CEE buyers, mostly looking for long-running drama series. A+ENetworks’LorenzoBortolottiwassurprised by the absence of major Middle East pay-TV operator OSM. Calinos’ Emre Gorentas lamented both the reduced number of participating buyers and the close calendar dates of DISCOP and MIP- TV. He also emphasized the high exhibiting costs at DISCOP Istanbul, which prompted all Turkish distributors to cut their investments in addition to recreational events at the market (notably this year there was no opening cocktail party and no Global Agency bash). A total of 60 exhibitors were present on the market floor, with the main 10 Turkish companies — Kanal D, TRT, ITV, ATV, Calinos, Gem, Raya Group, Horizon, Eccho Rights and Global Agency — for the first time grouped in two Turkish Pavilions to save costs, instead of large individual stands as in the previous editions. Nonetheless, each of the major Turkish distribution companies was present in a big way. Returning exhibitors with large-sized stands were NBCUniversal, FOX and Zee Entertainment, plus the new entry of Entertainment One, exhibiting in Istanbul for the first time to meet their Turkish clients. TV France International set up its own traditional umbrella stand for its participating members, and the European Pavilion housed nine E.U. distributors. Notably absent were the Chinese and Korean pavilions; in fact organizers estimated a 25 percent drop in participation from last year in general. DISCOP Istanbul’s three-day market, which ended March 3, was held at the usual Istanbul International Convention and Exhibition Center, adjacent to the Hilton Bosphorus hotel, where most of the participants were housed. But MIP-TV was on most exhibitors’ minds, being that the Cannes trade show was a month away. Many companies at DISCOP were already busy planning their participation at MIP and prefer to introduce new titles at that event. Mediaset’s Caputi, for example, said she will be offering new content, especially factual titles, at MIP-TV. Caracol’s Berta Orozco also confirmed that her company will unveil new series at MIP-TV, nevertheless in Istanbul she was busy showcasing Caracol’s newest hit TheWhite Slave , among other titles. She reported a busy appointment schedule and felt that Latin American series are making a comeback, partly because Turkish distributors have raised their license fees recently and therefore are now less competitive. As for a participating buyer’s perspective, Andreja Sertic of Zagreb, Croatia-based Media Acquisitions was back in Istanbul for the fourth time. She has been acquiring Turkish TV series for many years, since they are very popular in the DISCOP Review Turkish Market Reported Better Results Than Expected Caracol’s Berta Orozco TRT’s Meltem Tumturk Akyol The Kanal D stand, part of the main Turkish Pavilion The biggest concern was the reduced affluence of buyers, especially from the Middle East, mostly due to the dire financial situations in many of those territories. (Continued on Page 18)