Greg Johnson, Vice President of Program Distribution, Disney– ABC International Television Asia Pacific Cougar Town had a stellar start in Australia, drawing more than 1.3 million viewers on its debut, emerging as the most successful US series launch of 2010 among key adult viewers between the ages of 18 to 49. In Singapore, Cougar Town launched in January 2010 and its premiere episode was Channel 5’s No. 1 US series of the week and the season is currently a top 10 US series on Channel 5 this year. Criminal Minds continues to perform well in Singapore, and was one of Channel 5’s top 20 US series on air in 2009 among 20 to 49 year–olds. The series also continues to do well in Malaysia – it was one of the top US programs on 8TV Malaysia in 2009 among the same viewer set. In Australia, Criminal Minds is a solid hit for the Seven Network with an average of 1.268 million viewers each week. Australia was the first international territory to launch FlashForward in September 2009. The season debut was the best performing US television series premiere in 2009 with all audiences. In Singapore, FlashForward was the No. 5 U.S. drama on Singapore’s Channel 5 in 2009 and in Hong Kong; it was the No. 2 regular series on Hong Kong’s TVB Pearl in 2010 Q1 with all viewers. The highly anticipated sixth and final season of Lost debuted on Seven Network Australia’s digital multichannel, 7TWO in Feb 2010 with great results. Lost is 7TWO’s No. 1 program in 2010 among key male demographics (Men 16–39, 18–49 25–54). At MIPTV, key properties that were discussed included Castle, which has grown in popularity since its Season 2 premiere; with the most recent episodes delivering Castle’s highest total audience and Adult 18–49 ratings to date. Cougar Town, which has already been confirmed for Season 2 got Courtney Cox her first ever Golden Globe nomination in 2010. The show has outperformed ABC’s Primetime average with all tracked demographic breaks. Among features, delegates were really excited about the prospect of box–office hits from The Walt Disney Company such as Alice In Wonderland hitting the small screens later this year. Upcoming high–profile movies such as Prince of Persia, Sorcerer’s Apprentice and Toy Story 3 were also discussed. Leading up to the LA Screenings, key series being discussed includes an extension to the Criminal Minds series starring Forrest Whitaker; No Ordinary Family produced by Greg Berlanti (of Brothers & Sisters, Dirty Sexy Money and Eli Stone fame) and potential new comedies for ABC to further build on their success in 2009– 10 with the Wednesday night comedy block. Also talked about were the new summer first–run drama Scoundrels (launching on ABC and starring Virginia Madsen) which premieres on Sunday, June 20 (10:00pm). Scoundrels is a one–hour comedy/drama series produced by ABC Studios that focuses on a family of small–time criminals who try to go straight after the father is sent to prison. Another new ABC Family series is Huge – starring Nicky Blonsky (Hairspray) and developed by producer Winnie Holzman and her daughter Samantha Dooley, which will air Mondays at 9pm. Angel Orengo, Senior Vice President, Distribution, Asia Pacific, Sony Pictures Television Our Asian clients were very and perhaps most excited about, Drop Dead Diva, the highly entertaining and thoughtful one–hour dramedy, starring Brooke Elliott and Margaret Cho. With the highly–anticipated second season set to premiere in the US on June 6, the first season has already been licensed to free–to–air channels in Hong Kong, Singapore, Korea, the Philippines as well as regional on AXN and Sony Entertainment Television (SET) Asia. Then there was Jada Pinkett–Smith as Christina Hawthorne, Chief Nursing Officer, in the one– hour medical drama Hawthorne. The moving drama is centered on a single mom who is juggling the needs of her family and her demanding career. Already a hit in the US with season two set to premiere in June, Hawthorne has been licensed to the Philippines, South Korea, as well as regionally on AXN and Sony Entertainment Television (SET) Asia. In addition, we are and will continue to monitor the results of our talk show, The Dr. Oz Show, which has been sold in Korea and Brunei and is under consideration in a number of other countries. Of course, we continue to have success with the critically–acclaimed Damages, just completing its third season in the US and licensed to China, Taiwan, South Korea, India and regional on AXN, starring Glenn Close and Rose Byrne. Damages is packed with edge–of–your–seat drama and a supporting cast including renowned actors Tate Donavan, Ted Danson, William Hurt, Marcia Gay Harden, Lily Tomlin, Martin Short and Campbell Scott. We can’t talk about 2009 without also discussing the success of our feature films, which continue to generate strong results for our free–to–air, cable and VOD licensees. In 2009, Angels & Demons starring Tom Hanks, Julie & Julia and the highly anticipated 2012 were our top contenders along with the incredible Michael Jackson’s This Is It. The critically–acclaimed and commercially successful film is the last documentation of Michael Jackson at work. At MIPTV, clients were introduced to our newest drama, Justified, starring Timothy Olyphant. Based on a short story by Elmore Leonard, Justified is centered around a strong–willed, quiet lawman haunted by his past, upon the return to his native Kentucky to do what he has always done best – see that justice is served. Audiences in the US are already showing great enthusiasm for the show and we look forward to making it a hit in Asia. At LA Screenings we will continue to show Justified, but also expect to have a strong selection of new series to showcase. ————————————————– LA Screenings Listings 18–22 May 2010 Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Telefe International WAGS – Love for the Game Starring Nicolás Cabré, Romina Gaetani, Florencia Peña, Damián de Santo, Isabel Macedo and Gonzalo Valenuela, it is a current story which has the added value of snooping around football’s inner dealings, the life of the players’ wives, the girls who seek to change their lives and become rich and famous through the players, etc. WAGs, love for the game tells the story of a football star, ‘El Chiqui’ Flores who is back in the country after succeeding in Europe, to marry his fiancée, Marga, in the middle of a media scandal. His rival Andres Capa was murdered and he is the prime suspect. Passion, betrayal, mafia loyalties and unexpected transformations shape this story of love, misunderstandings and mysterious emotions. Telemundo Internacional Donde est Elisa (Where is Elisa?) The disappearance of a teenager will change the life of a family forever. Elisa Altamira, daughter of Mariano Altamira and Danna Riggs, was last seen on her father’s birthday, when the whole family gathered to celebrate at their Malibu beach House. That night Elisa’s cousins–Santiago, Flor, and Eduardo, invited her to a nightclub and after a great deal of begging her parents allowed her go. When Danna and he sister– in–law Cecilia went to pick them up, all of them started showing up except for Elisa. As the hours passed, her parent grew more and more desperate and it was then when they decided to call the police and file a missing report. At first the police was skeptical about the disappearance because they thought Elisa was just staying out past her curfew, but after investigating further they concluded that there had been foul play. They began suspecting everybody, even her family… Cristobal Rivas and Gisela Cruz will be the detectives in charge of the case. They will come across many theories about Elisa’s disappearance. Did somebody kidnap her to get back at her father? Did her secret relationship with her cousin Santiago turn bad? Did she run away from my parents because they were abusing her? Was her cousin Flor jealous of her? Or was it just a random crime? Everybody is a suspect, but only one person knows where is Elisa…. Televisa Internacional Fill me with Love (available in HD) Genre: Telenovela Episodes: 150 x 60’ Marianela has lived most of her life without the love and warmth of a family, but she has not lost her smile or her sweet disposition. When her father died, her aunt Freda sent her to a boarding school under the pretext that her mother was an alcoholic and unable to take care of her. Years later, her mother dies in a mysterious accident and Marianela id forced to live with her evil aunt Freda. Marianela falls victim to mockery and humiliation. Only her cousin Emanuel treats her decently and stands up for her, and Marianela cannot help but to fall in love with him. As time goes by, Emanuel starts to feel a strong attraction toward Marianela. The simple fact of imagining them together infuriates Freda, and she decides to poison her with chocolates that were a present from Emanuel. When she finds out that the chocolates sent by Emanuel were poisoned, Marianela feels hurt and betrayed, and she decides to go to live in Spain. Months later, Marianela returns to Mexico. But the Marianela who went to Spain is not the same girl who now returns to Mexico. She is filled with optimism and self– confidence, determined to unveil the truth and get back what is rightfully hers. Venevision International Sacrificio de mujer (A Woman’s Sacrifice) Genre: Telenovela Cast: Marjorie de Sousa & Juan Alfonso Baptista Episodes: 120 x 45 mins Clemencia’s life was shattered 20 years ago when she was abandoned by the man she loved and her newborn baby was abducted. Now a successful, yet bitter, businesswoman, she is harshly confronted by her past — discovering that the young woman she is bent on destroying is none other than her long–lost daughter and the love she once felt for the man who deceived her is still very much alive. Salvador de mujeres (Salvador: A Knockout Lover) Genre: Telenovela Cast: Ruddy Rodriguez, Carlos Guillermo Haydon & Alejandra Sandoval When his boxing license is suspended and he is faced with financial ruin, Salvador reluctantly starts a new career as an escort, becoming not only the most desired lover but also a savior of lonely women… adored by all, except by the one woman he truly loves.
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