Category: ICC WORLD CUP

MUMBAI: Home video major Shemaroo will have a strong presence at the television trade event Mipcom.

The firm is exhibiting at the event. Shemaroo Entertainment VP Hiren Gada says that it will showcase around 600 titles at the event. This will include the films Bal Ganesh and Ghatotkacha. “At Cannes there were inquiries about rights for these films for TV, home video. At Mipcom we hope to close out more deals.”

Mipcom takes place from 8-12 October 2007 in Cannes, France.

The firm is also looking to reach out to the mainstream audience abroad, besides just the NRIs. Gada says that in countries like the US interest in Indian films is growing beyond just the ethnic population.

“Mipcom will allow us to deal with distributors in those countries. We are also showcasing newer titles like Apne and Dhamaal. We have made a lot of effort to package our content for the international market. Through packaging we adapt the look and feel to suit a certain market. It helps if a film has travelled across the festival circuit whether it is at Cannes or Toronto as that boosts its profile.”

Shemaroo is also looking to acquire content. Gada says that the firm is looking to acquire European films and independent critically acclaimed English films for its home video division.

MUMBAI: 4Kids Entertainment, Inc. will take its new fantasy adventure anime series Dinosaur King at Mipcom 2007. Forty-nine 30-minute episodes of the high definition production will be available for broadcast sale at this year‘s market.

Dinosaur King premieres on Saturday mornings on 4Kids TV in the US later this month. According to 4Kids Entertainment executive vice president International Brian Lacey, international broadcast rollout for the series will begin in September 2008.

“Dinosaur King combines the always fascinating appeal of dinosaurs with fantasy adventure stories that possess the right touch of comedy, making this a wonderfully fun series for kids,” said Lacey.

“The boy and girl appeal of the stories and characters will provide broadcasters with great scheduling flexibility. We are confident that Dinosaur King will prove popular with kid audiences throughout the world,” he added.

This series centers around Max, Rex and Zoe also known as the “D Team” who race around the world to uncover the secrets that bring dinosaurs back to life. The biggest challenge for the three young heroes in this unforgettable global race is to find all the dinosaur cards before the nefarious Alpha Gang. Set in the present time, Max, Rex and Zoe are able to transport anywhere in the world to hunt down the coveted cards that have been lost by the time-traveling Dr. Z and his bumbling team of bad guys. In this unique series, CGI combines with traditional animation for an unforgettable adventure where real dinosaurs are brought back to the present for heart-stopping battles.

MUMBAI: With India being the country of honour at next month‘s television trade event Mipcom in Cannes, France, interest among the Indian television fraternity, whether it be content producers, distributors or channels, has risen substantially compared to last year.

The event, which takes place from 8-12 October, will have around 200 Indian delegates, twice the number that attended last year‘s market. There are eight exhibiting firms – Zee, Sony, Shemaroo, Sahara, Ficci (taken a pavillion), Venus, Star (part of the Fortune Star stand) and Suman Films.

Indiantelevision.com founder and CEO Anil Wanvari, who is also Reed Midem‘s representative in India, says that there is no better and more relevant platform than Mipcom and MipTV to show the world what Indian television has to offer.

“Currently, the global market is more aware of Indian cinema than it is about Indian television. Mipcom will increase awareness about Indian entertainment and television. People will find out what India has to offer and they will also get an idea of what they can expect from India in the future,” says Wanvari.

“For Indian firms, the event offers opportunities to send their content abroad through licensing and syndication deals. There are also opportunities to find co-production partners,” he says.

India Day
The first day of the market, 8 October, is India Day. Zee Group CMD Subhash Chandra, one of the doyens of Indian media, will deliver a keynote on the topic The Indian Market Explosion: What Does the Future Hold?.

UTV founder and CEO Ronnie Screwvala will deliver another keynote on Indian Media – A global Destination. Sony Entertainment Television India CEO Kunal Dasgupta will present a report containing details on the state of the Indian entertainment industry.

Meanwhile, global firms looking for opportunities to enter the Indian media landscape will find a session on Indian Content on the Move useful. It is being organised in partnership with The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Ficci).

The session will gather players from the Indian and international media industries to discuss the various opportunities available to global businesses in the Indian film, TV, animation and gaming industries. The speakers are DQ Entertainment CMD and CEO Tapaas Chakravarti; Indiagames CEO Vishal Gondal, Bag Films and Media MD Anurradha Prasad, Ernst and Young partner business advisory services Ashok Rajgopal, Ocher Studio MD Soundarya Rajinikanth, and Hungama Mobile MD and CEO Neeraj Roy.

On 9 October, there will be a ‘Master Class‘ on The Format Business Inside Out. This will help Indian firms understand how they can export their content to different markets.

As part of Reed Midem‘s initiative in highlighting the business opportunities in this area, it is inviting Indian delegates to a specially dedicated Entertainment Master Class Session in which key players from within the industry will share their own experiences, exploring the tricks of the trade and the ropes of the business. They will further discuss how to pitch, sell and protect a format.

MUMBAI: Alfred Haber Distribution, Inc. (AHDI), heads to next month‘s television trade event Mipcom with a slate of programming from reality to sports to Hollywood gossip and special events.

This includes Most Daring, Hollywood Uncensored; Most Shocking and International Fight League?s IFL Fight Night and IFL Battleground.

Alfred Haber says, “We continue to present the most compelling catalogue of programming available. It is indeed a global market and it is our goal to satisfy the entertainment needs of that global audience. I am confident that these titles do just that.”

The 13 episode Most Daring comes from Court TV. It showcases dramatic rescue attempts. This new breed of media heroes includes emergency rescue workers, firefighters, the Coast Guard, police officers and ordinary civilians whose bravery in the face of danger is second to none. These are the stories of heroes who risk their lives in the most dangerous of conditions to save the lives of others, usually without bothering to think about their own danger.

Hollywood Uncensored lifts the curtain off Tinseltown to reveal the real and unscripted world of celebrities. Presented in a news magazine format and combining breaking celebrity news with an exclusive video vault of more than 3000 hours of archival footage, Hollywood Uncensored will be fed live via satellite each week to ensure that the latest Hollywood news is delivered immediately for up-to-the-minute broadcasts around the world.

Most Shocking also comes from Court TV. This reality series from Bruce Nash is about the world of law enforcement featuring crime footage.

The weather report has been accurate about Cannes – clear weather, cool to warm temperatures and loads of golden sunshine. Whoever can, makes sure to step outside the massive Palais Des Festivals, venue for Mipcom 2006, to soak in the bright sun bouncing off the clear blue sea.

Colourful canopies dot the beach and it seems so right to conduct business there instead of indoors underneath all that artificial lighting. Fremantle Media has large white tents hooked up right on the beach and some others are working from their sparkling yachts; but the majority have interestingly done up booths inside the large cavernous Palais.

Its Day three of Mipcom and my pace has not slackened; I was hoping to be able to catch my breath after two hectic days but being a buyer makes one liable to more meetings – everyone wants to meet you!

Mipcom 2006 – Main Entrance

The market is busy, vibrant and exciting. Some of my meetings have been so much fun, like the one with JJ from Paramount. JJ is witty and sharp and her tongue in cheek comments had me laughing through the meeting. I enjoy such informal meetings that are not strictly business!

Most companies are not reacting very well to the fact that I come from India. One of my meetings with such a company opened with the comment, “I hate being rude; I don‘t like myself when I am like that but Indians tend to bring out the worst out of me.” Taken aback, I responded that this sounded suspiciously like a threat and I was expecting him to pull out a gun on me next. He apologized profusely but went on to relate horrifying tales of his experience with Indian buyers – the screeners he sent, turned up as pirated VCD‘s in the Indian market!

At that, I held up my Mipcom badge that stated my company name in bold – Sony Entertainment Television India. And I was flooded with apologies again! But such stories abound and it‘s a shame that this is the reputation we carry abroad. As an industry (and proud Indian businessmen and women, we will have to do something about that!)

Day 1 culminated in a grand opening party at the beautiful Majestic Barriere, situated on the Croisette. All of Mipcom seemed to have descended there and the place buzzed with hundreds of people unwinding after a packed first day. Different rooms had been decorated according to different themes. There was one with a “Bollywood” theme too, dressed with Hindi film posters and bathed ( strangely ) in red lighting. The food served up was passable Indian fare and we decided to give it a miss.

In the next room, the Prisonbreak party was being conducted noisily. And with our glasses of champagne in hand, we gravitated towards the loud cheers. We were just in time to catch the good looking cast of the show, who made a hasty appearance before they disappeared as quickly. Someone should buy this hot show for Indian viewers! Hmmm wouldn‘t be surprised to catch it on AXN or Star World one of these days!

Day 2 ended in a pleasant cocktail aboard the Buena Vista yacht. It was beautiful to be out under the stars, sipping wine after a long hard day, looked after by our generous and charming hosts. The Buena Vista and Disney folks from abroad are only saying good things about India at the market. Clearly, they‘ve based a lot of their growth expectations on Rajat Jain and his team. The FTV boat along side, attracted much attention with scantily clad models and loud music. Good to see that their promotions at the trade show are consistent with what their channel offers us!

As I rest my tired feet for a moment, I ponder on how hard it is being a buyer. You get run off your feet in the huge venue and sometimes the meetings are so close, that you skip meals as well! Next time, I promise myself, its only running shoes for me.

Sony PIX programming head Gitanjali Murari on her experiences at Mipcom 2006.

(The views expressed here are those of the author and Indiantelevision.com need not necessarily subscribe to the same)