Sapan, President and CEO of AMC Networks, tells the audience at the start of his rhetoric that “the internet has already been proven to have what we might term ‘tsunami-like’ qualities.” “What will keep people wanting to watch TV everywhere, and paying each month to watch on all those platforms whether it’s at home, iPads, phones or tablets is one thing and one thing only: content.” Not just any content but “iconic content,” Sapan says, which … [Read more...] about AMC’s Josh Sapan on iconic content
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“The future of formats is bright, it’s very bright!” – Lars Beckung
“The Formats Futures Report: A global perspective on the booming formats community,” was held on 30 March, 2012, at MIPFormats in Cannes. David Jenkinson, Editor-in-Chief & Managing Director of C21 Media, opened the session by summarising the findings of the latest C21 Formats Report. The report combined the findings from a mass survey (which drew a modest 172 respondents) with Schedule Watch, a staple strand on C21. Highlights from the report: “Game shows do seem to be … [Read more...] about “The future of formats is bright, it’s very bright!” – Lars Beckung
Slow but Steady
This year’s MIPTV opened on Palm Sunday and closed on a rainy Wednesday in Cannes. Perhaps due to the unconventionally early weekend start by Reed MIDEM to stay away from the Easter holiday, attendance at the market (unsurprisingly) fell, although marginally. According to Reed MIDEM, last year’s market saw some 11,500 attendees while this year’s exhibition reported 11,000 industry executives, a relatively small drop. Of the 11,000 attendees from more than 100 countries, an … [Read more...] about Slow but Steady
Australia: Pay-TV giant Foxtel buys Austar
This month, Foxtel and Austar will be Pay-TV rivals no more, after Foxtel’s application to acquire Austar was green-lit by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) on 10 April. The transaction was subsequently approved by the Federal Court on 13 April. Foxtel currently services major cities and Western Australia while Austar services rural and regional Australia; a concerted move by Austar to avoid a head-on clash. The potential good news, Foxtel asserts, would bring the … [Read more...] about Australia: Pay-TV giant Foxtel buys Austar
India: TRAI comes down hard on TV advertising
In March 2012, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) released a consultation paper that not just restricts the amount of commercial airtime on Pay and Free-TV, but also determines the way and form advertisements should appear. In the consultation paper entitled “Issues Related to Advertisements in TV Channels,” TRAI made the following stipulations: Regulation on TV advertising for Free-TV and Pay-TV Total commercial airtime per hour must not exceed 12 minutes, (with 10 … [Read more...] about India: TRAI comes down hard on TV advertising
The “Brown” Effect
Maria is late. She apologises, and tells me the flight she was on had just touched down, and that she needed a quick freshening before rushing over. She steadies herself with a cup of hot green tea, compliments of the in-house café that this part TV studio, part retail store, part kitchen called AFC Studio offers. In the hour I was there, I saw all but two patrons. While it is hard to imagine a TV studio in a mall in downtown Singapore, it is even harder to imagine two people starting a … [Read more...] about The “Brown” Effect
