Category: Event Coverage

MUMBAI: The International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences has announced the nominations for the 36th International Emmy Awards at Mipcom in Cannes.

UK is leading the pack with eight nominations, followed by Brazil‘s five.

Argentina and Japan managed to get four nominations each while China and Denmark got three each. Jordan and Peru also succeeded with their first ever nominations.

“Every year, the International Emmy Awards put the spotlight on the best international television. We recognise programmes that are soon-to-be hit shows around the world, including the US,” said International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences president and CEO Bruce L Paisner.

The winners will be announced on 24 November at the Hilton New York Hotel.

MUMBAI: Endemol International will launch finished programmes at the television trade event Mipcom 2008.

Sex Education examines modern sexual culture, which has prompted widespread debate throughout the UK media while generating audiences of up to 3.3 million in its prime time slot on Channel 4

Also from Endemol UK is the brand new reality series Celeb Air, which sees a team of celebrities running their very own airline, complete with a real plane, check-in, tickets, website and uniforms. The show broadcasts in a prime time slot on ITV2 in the UK.

Joining the factual entertainment slate from the UK is series two of Coleen‘s Real Women . Following the launch of series one at Mip TV 2008, the show has now been sold to 12 territories including the Netherlands (RTL), New Zealand (TVNZ), Australia (XYZ), Poland (BBC), Canada (W Network), Sweden, Norway and Denmark (TV3).

The second season of Supersize vs. Superskinny will also be making its market debut, following the launch of the first run at Mip TV. The first season has now chalked up sales in 13 countries including Italy (Discovery), Hong Kong (ATV), Belgium (Vitaya), Australia (XYZ), Poland (BBC), Netherlands (RTL), Finland (Nelonen), Canada (W Network), Sweden, Norway, Denmark (TV3), and Hungary (Viasat 3)

Finished shows from the US include Wipeout, which launched on ABC in June. The US version, Endemol says, has already become a hit on Nine Network in Australia and TV3 in New Zealand and will make its market debut at Mipcom.

This year’s stateside slate also includes a new line up from reality producer 51 Minds, following Endemol’s acquisition of a controlling share in the company earlier this year. This will include the third season of Rock of Love, the second season of Charm School, the first season of Love Money and Glam Gods.

Endemol International director of sales, distribution Matt Creasey says, “I’m particularly proud of the quality and diversity of what we have on offer this year. What’s more, the significant number of deals we’ve secured for the shows we launched at Mip TV underlines how much potential these programmes have internationally.”

MUMBAI: Fashion misfit Betty Suarez will continue to charm Canadian viewers in Ugly Betty following the conclusion of an advertising-funded video on demand agreement between Disney-ABC-ESPN Television and Canada‘s CityTV network.

The announcement was made at the television trade event Mipcom in Cannes, France. Episodes of the current season of the Emmy Award-winning show will be available via the broadcaster‘s website 24 hours after it has been broadcast on CityTV‘s free television service.

The third season sees the fashion-challenged Betty return from her soul-searching travels to put her complicated love triangle behind her and start her ‘glamorous‘ new life in Manhattan. Daniel now resides a few floors down from Mode at Player Magazine – the third best-selling, non-nudity men‘s magazine in America. Meanwhile, Wilhelmina makes the most, like only she can, of finally being at the helm of the almighty Mode.

The deal waa brokered by Disney-ABC-ESPN Television manager new media distribution Karen Wrankmore.

Disney-ABC-ESPN Television senior VP, new media distribution Maria Kyriacou says, “This new agreement with CityTV will build on Ugly Betty‘s fantastic following in Canada, by offering viewers the ability to enjoy episodes online whenever they choose, whether they‘re enjoying the show for the first time, or revisiting their favourite Betty moments.”

MUMBAI: Toronto-based Portfolio Entertainment cruises into next week‘s television trade event Mipcom with nearly a dozen recently signed broadcast deals with territories spanning the globe for programming across multiple genres including lifestyle, animal, children‘s, culinary, travel and how-to series.

Portfolio Entertainment director of sales and acquisitions Jon Rutherford says, “The growth of our sales this past year is due in part to the diversity of our current slate of programming. We are committed to acquiring even more new series in a variety of genres in the months ahead”.

Discovery Asia (Japan) renewed the second and third seasons of Animal Miracles.

The Pet Network (Canada) has acquired 26 hour-long episodes of Top Dogs. This is a series featuring canines of all sizes, shapes and breeds as they compete in spectacular events worldwide.

Canal + / Domo TV (Poland) is the first in line for the first season of Mansions. The series provides a glimpse into the world of high-stakes wheeling, dealing, designing and building of multi-million dollar homes.

Astro Xpresi (Indonesia) set its sights on all 26 half-hours of Workforce. This is a career exploration series designed to help young people make educated decisions about their future careers.

City7 TV (Hungary) purchased all 26 half-hours of Campus Vets which details dramatic tales of students and animal patients; all 26 half-hours of Workforce the career exploration series for tweens; the first season of French Food At Home.

Here host Laura Calder articulates the philosophy of French cooking with passion; and all five seasons of Chef At Large featuring Chef Michael Smith as he travels to meet other skilled chefs, investigates their amazing, diverse kitchens and documents their unique and challenging worlds.

OutTV‘s Netherlands channel picked up a full order of Bump!, an international travel series targeting the sights, culture and cuisine of gay-friendly locales.

Telemundo (Puerto Rico) picked up 26 half-hours of Heads Up!. This is an astronomy series that takes children and tween viewers beyond the basics of the Big Dipper and the Moon, and introduces them to the magical content and practical context of the universe.

Civitel (Chile) sets off on a journey with the DVD rights for all 26 half-hour episodes of the animated children‘s adventure series Toad Patrol.

MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Television International (SPTI) will travel to the television trade event Mipcom which kicks off in Cannes, France on Monday with a raft of new content.

SPTI director licensing India Leena Dutta says that the company will be taking new shows which clients have not seen before. “Due to the Writers‘ strike in Hollywood this year, we, like all the other Hollywood Studios, were not able to screen as many shows back in May during L.A. Screenings as they were not ready or had not been picked up at that time. Now that we have additional pilot pick-ups, we will be introducing these new shows to clients at Mipcom. In addition, we will be showcasing a new multi-platform show starring movie star Rosario Dawson called Gemini Division.”

Gemini Division is a science fiction series consisting of five to seven minute long webisodes.

As far as Asian content is concerned, it is showcasing the upcoming Bollywood film Meerabhai Not Out. This is a cricket themed film with Mandira Bedi. It also features Anil Kumble. Korean films Venus and Mars and Open City will also be on offer.

One show from the US that will be showcased is The Beast. In this pilot Patrick Swayze plays an undercover FBI agent. The Unusuals is a one-hour dramedy set in Manhattan, featuring Amber Tamblyn as a police officer whose choice of profession has made her the black sheep of her wealthy family. Tamblyn will play Casey Shraeger, a newly transferred homicide detective who learns that her fellow officers have quirks and secrets.

On the animation front the company will showcase Sit Down Shut Up. This is a new animated series, with animated characters against non-animated backgrounds. It depicts the lives and quirks of nine staffers at a high school in a small fishing town. This series shows that teachers have lives and personal problems too. It airs in the US on Fox.

Dutta adds that while Mipcom is certainly an essential part of the calendar, this year it is a bit unusual. Normally, Mipcom would be a good time to close deals on new shows screened at LA Screenings which by mid-October would have already launched in the US. But due to the Writer‘s strike earlier this year, SPTI will be looking to debut new shows at the market.

Asked about the impact of the economic recession on the business that will be transacted at Mipcom, she conceedes that the global economic crisis affects every single one of the players and it will definitely influence the mood of the market. “The entertainment business, however, seems to be quite resilient during times of economic hardship. History has shown that when times are tough, people tend to turn to movies and TV shows for escapism even more so. We hope this will hold true as we deal with these tough times.”