Q: Do you find Busan Contents Market a good place to close deals from MIPTV?
A: Yes it is. Most of the Asian countries that we meet here are coming to Busan. So we pitched the new programmes and there will be discussions in between. Then in Busan, there’ll be a lot of closing of deals.
Q: BCM is small, compared to MIP. How would it be beneficial for you to be there?
A: Because the market is just targeting Asia, it’s more efficient. For MIPTV, it’s more for finding new territories, new ways to work like co-pros, formats – both scripted and unscripted formats. For Asian markets, it’s more about finding finished programmes. So both markets are very different.
Q: Why do you think that there’s been an interest for your format, Get It Beauty?
A: Because Get It Beauty is involved with a lot of brands. After it airs on the show itself, the next day, sales of the beauty products go really high. I wouldn’t say that its 100% sponsored but it’s almost 90% a sponsored show.
Q: So, the nature of the show allows for brands to come in and talk about themselves?
A: Yes, but in Korea or any other Asian country, you cannot put the brands in right away. You cannot show what brands are in the programme; so it’s developed in a very smart way, with the internet and apps to promote the brands after the show. It’s a 45 minutes show but we can customise five or even three-minute clips.
Q: How “customised” is it in Korea?
A: There are so many “spin-offs” surrounding it. It’s mostly targeting female audiences as it talks about female cosmetic products. We do some spinoffs for men’s grooming which we call Get It Homme. It has four or five episodes and talks about men’s products but that programme is also targeting the female audience. It’s about bringing the boyfriends or husbands to the show.
Q: How does Korean content compare with some of other content coming out of Asia?
A: All Asian content are very different. Because of the Korean wave, I think that now the Western or other territories’ buyers are looking for new ideas. Korean content has a good track record in Asia and South America. A lot of Korean dramas are being put up on South American channels. I think that they are now looking at other territories and targeting Korea – checking what Korea has to offer. In that sense, we’ve got more attention this year. Even the Turkish companies are now looking at Korean dramas. Other Asian countries like China are also really strong here at MIPTV. Japan is really strong as well, bringing Treasure Box Japan to the market. So Korea has a lot of competition still.
About Busan Contents Market
The 7th International Busan Contents Market, taking place from May 9 – 11, 2013, will see television executives and professionals from Asia and other parts of the world gather at Busan’s Bexco Convention Center to showcase the latest and newest content.
With diverse media rights and various platforms at one place, last year’s market saw more than 1,200 participants (buyers and sellers) from 49 countries.
