The Best Way to Make Sales... I N T E R N A T I O N A L www.V i deoAge.org THE BUSINESS JOURNAL OF FILM, BROADCASTING, BROADBAND, PRO DUCTION, DISTRIBUTION April 2019 - VOL. 39 NO. 2 - $9.75 By Michael Bancroft* “I t exceeded our wildest expectations.” Those were the words used by Dr. Simon Ziegler (Toby Jones) to describe the artificial intelligence (AI)-based protagonist in the trailer for the Hollywood thriller Morgan. Yet they could just as easily describe the producer of the trailer itself: none other than IBM’s Watson AI. TheAIplatformneeded just 24hours to create the piece and drop the jaws of film creatives everywhere. It was a groundbreaking application of AI in the media business and a reminder of just how influential the technology will be in the years to come. The potential of artificial intelligence to revolutionize media and entertainment isn’t lost on industry executives. A recent industry survey by adtech firm Xaxis and IAB Europe found that 80 percent of respondents believe AI will have an impact similar to that of the industrial revolution, while 62 percent believe the technology will improve strategic decision-making, and 41 percent see it yielding competitive advantages. However, the most telling response of the survey is that CuttingCosts andUnleashing Creativity: AI in theTV Industry (Continued on Page 24) My 2¢: My 40 years of reporting the good news and the bad at MIP-TV Dubbing enters a revolutionary phase through technology NATPE Review: A double-edged market for exhibitors TCA History: Critics set the stage for the new TV season Page 34 Page 22 Page 18 Page 14 With the increasing uncertainty, confusion, and unpredictability surrounding the 2019 edition of the L.A. Screenings, it’s a comfort to take stock of what actually is known. It’s a definite that Twentieth Century Fox TV Distribution won’t be L.A. Screenings: New Schedules, Changes, Mergers (Continued on Page 30) (Continued on Page 28) These days, TV market organizers scrutinize the number of buyers — not exhibitors — at competing markets as a measure of an event’s success. So it was that MIP-TV executives at NATPE were reported to be combing through the Miami market’s published reports to assess this element in preparation for their own challenge some 70 days later. The issue of the participation of acquisition executives at MIP-TV — set to take place April 8-11 — is rather fluid. The major baits (in this case the large U.S. studios) are not readily available as only a few will be exhibiting, and the acquisition pool is shrinking with the defection of buyers from Latin America who MIP-TVPreview: TheGood, TheBad, AndTheUsual 1 (Continued on Page 4) At this year’s edition of MIPTV buyers committed to attend are being recognized with a special event within the market. Reed MIDEM is giving the buyers center stage by teaming up the MIPDrama Buyers Summit with the newly created MIP Buyers Exchange. The fourth edition of the MIP- Drama Buyers Summit kicked off during the weekend. The event drew 450 buyers and commissioning editors to exclusive previews of 10 upcoming series. The summit opened yesterday with a lunch at the Majestic Hotel, which was followed by a session hosted by K7 Media that aimed to provide trend insights and forecasts on drama content in the television industry. The screened drama productions came from different parts of Europe, except for The Gulf, the New Zealand crime thriller distributed by Banijay Rights. In terms of numbers, two drama series MIP-TV Buyers’ Baits: Summit and Exchange INSIDE: New program slates on offer at MIP-TV INSIDE: Mnuchin’s con ict of interest, Kloiber unbundles My 2 Cents: Perception problems at MIP and unsolicited advice Pages 10-14 Page 8 Page 3 After 15 years, France returns to the MIP-TV pedestal to be celebrated as the market’s Country of Honor. During this time, the country’s television industry has grown in size, sales volume, and content output. As TV France International (TV FI), the Paris-based export association of French TV content producers, distributors, and broadcasters, reported last September, overall international sales have doubled over the past 10 years. In 2017, the country’s TV programming brought in a total revenue of 325 million euro (U.S.$370 million), 37 percent and 28 percent of which accounted for France TVWalks The Palais’ Red Carpet Again (Continued on Page 4) Challenges and Areas of Focus for MIP Attendees MIP-TV 2019 is officially underway. But before it began, we spoke with a host of attendees to find out what challenges they’re facing at this year’s market, which territories they’re focusing on, and whether or not they’ll make time for any of the panels or conferences that are being held during the event. London-based Banijay Rights is in Cannes with an eclectic slate that includes drama series Hierro and Wisting — both of which are being launched here. According to CEO Tim Mutimer, the biggest challenge the company is facing at the market is the growing complexity of putting together financing for high-end dramas. “As a consequence, the distributor is required to take a greater risk,” he said. In the past, commissioning broadcasters would have taken on responsibility for the whole budget. “These days, they are paying up to 50 to 70 percent, and it is up to the distributor to find the rest of the money.” Gerrit Kemming, managing director of Quintus Media, said that the biggest challenge the German company is facing “is the tendency for broadcasting partners to take longer (Continued on Page 4) VideoAge Daily on the go MIP-TV 2019 April 8, 2019 MIPTV2019_TradeAds_VideoAge_FrontCover_TheRook.indd 1 3/26/19 12:18 PM DAY 1 1 (Continued on Page 4) Yesterday evening, EbonyLife Media CEO Mo Abudu, producer Ilene Chaiken, Banijay Group chairman Stéphane Courbit, and Sky Vision’s MD Jane Millichip received MIP-TV 2019 Médailles d’Honneur. MIP-TV recognized executives fromNigeria, theU.S., Franceandthe U.K. for “their talent and leadership in the international television community.” The ceremony took place at Cannes’ InterContinental Carlton Hotel. Forbes magazine described Abudu as “Africa’s Most Successful Woman.” She launched the Nigerian broadcaster Ebonylife TV in 2013 and went into filmmaking with EbonyLife Films in 2015. Sony Pictures Television (SPT) announced a three-project agreement with EbonyLife TV in March 2018. Chaiken is best known as the creator of The L Word, as well as her role as showrunner of The Handmaid’s Tale, for which she received an Emmy. She is also the VideoAge Daily on the go INSIDE: Report from Lille’s Series Mania INSIDE: Cannes Visuals — MIPTV Photo Report My 2 Cents: Nowadays politics is mor fun than entertainment Page 8 Page 13 Page 3 It’s now common to see an abundance of Turkish content brought by international sales companies to exhibit at MIP-TV. In addition to the usual Turkish Pavilion, all six major Turkish TV distributors (referred to as the “six sisters” — soon to become seven with the recent addition of Madd Entertainment) are in Cannes with individual stands, many of them impressive in terms of size and decor. To get a sense of what these companies –– which tend to dominate the international TV content scene these days –– are featuring in Cannes and their strategy for the market, we asked them a series of questions. Turkish Content On Display atMIP-TV Medals of Honor Salute Talent and Leadership (Continued on Page 10) With Armando Nuñez MIP Celebrates Int’l Television This is the second award at MIPTV received by the 59-year-old Armando Nuñez (pictured), president and CEO of CBS Global Distribution Group and Chief Content Licensing Officer of CBS Corporation. His latest award was for Achievement in International Television with a ceremony that was held yesterday at the Palais followed by a cocktail reception at the Carlton Hotel. Previously, in 2013, Nuñez received the MIP-TV Medal of Honor, together with his father Armando Nuñez, Sr., a former U.S. studio executive. That award marked the first time a Medal of Honor was instituted at the market. At that time Nuñez served as the CEO of CBS Global Distribution. In his 36-year career, Nuñez also held executive positions at ABC, Viacom, New World, Universal, and CBS Paramount. The award is an annual event presented by Variety in association with Reed MIDEM, MIP-TV organizer. MIP-TV 2019 DAY 2 April 9, 2019 At MIP-TV, this time the “talks” about the upcoming L.A. Screenings are just as loud and worrisome as those about MIP-TV itself. Some buyers are concerned that, in the short run, the U.S. studios will keep their best content for their own SVoDs. But the understanding is that, in the long run, the fearsome rivalry among the many competing streaming services will create many Netflix-style, money-losing operations that will force the studios to return to monetizing their content through international sales. Because of the impending changes in Hollywood that are going to impact the whole television industry, MIP No. 40 For VideoAge’s Editor-in-Chief VideoAge Daily on the go INSIDE: Cannes visuals — MIP-TV Photo report INSIDE: Football fever in the U.S., digital vs. TV campaigns My 2 Cents: A new book about Italy’s simple life in the ‘60s Page 13 Page 10 Page 3 As the expression goes, “The blessing and curse of the TV trade media is that everyone thinks they can do what it does, even though no one has a clue what it does.” And, for 40 years, VideoAge’s editor-in-chief, Dom Serafini, has been attending MIP-TV and doing what everyone seems to think they can do — without having a clue of what it is that he actually does. His very first MIP-TV was in 1979, when he attended as International Editor of Television/Radio Age. The market was then held in the Old Palais (the current site of the JW Marriott), and the registration area was at the adjacent La Malmaison. Serafini continued attending the market as VideoAge International’s 1, when the L.A. Screenings Challenges Reflect Industry’s Change (Continued on Page 4) Donald Duck Embracing Fox Leaves BuyersMisty-Eyed Since the start of the television business, many a U.S. studio has disappeared. Orion, Lorimar, DIC, Embassy, Filmation, Group W Productions, ITC, King World, Metromedia, Republic Pictures, and Tribune Entertainment are just some of the many that have closed their doors over the years. Some of them are still remembered fondly today, while others have been forgotten. All of them made some impression on the entertainment business, but no merger has made an impact as big at that of Fox Studios being absorbed by Disney. It’s not just a studio that’s going away, but a business model. Fox is soon to return as a distribution company that will be part of New Fox, but to get a sense of the overall effect of this loss on the industry, VideoAge Daily asked a group of acquisition executives to comment. Dermot Horan, director of Acquisitions & Co-productions, RTE, Ireland: “Throughout my professional life Fox has been a constant –– a studio that made some of the best and most coveted shows. (Continued on Page 6) MIP-TV 2019 April 10, 2019 DAY 3
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