ATF 2008 - Final Report
Asia = Opportunity

By Fabricio Ferrara

The ninth edition of the Asia TV Forum (ATF) has fulfilled, in general terms, the expectation set by Buyers and many of the exhibitors.

The timing of the show -scheduled shortly before the Year End festivities- the format change from suites at a hotel to an Exhibition Center and the global financial crisis have been demanding challenges to overcome. According to the organizers, the increase in number of buyers has been close to 25%, although the format change -which implied larger space- made it look like assistance has not been that good, especially the first and closing day. All in all, there has been an important number of broadcasters attending, especially from Southeast Asia.

The buyers polled by Prensario were satisfied about the change of site, arguing that it made it easier to find each exhibitor and allowing more time for the appointments. This, in contrast to the MPTV and Mipcom shows in Cannes, and considering that in Asia it is important to build strong relationships across time, as buyers require.

The level of organization has been good; there were interesting sessions with strong audience attendance, discussing issues such as the future of TV, High definition and new media like Mobile TV. And, the quality of the participants ranked above quantity. Yet, organizers Reed Exhibitions will have to work hard in order to turn ATF the benchmark show in the region, not only in term of participation but also considering business volumes, as required by some of the sellers when comparing with other competing trade venues.

Among the participating broadcasters, beyond Singapore there were strong delegations from Malaysia -there are 11 terrestrial broadcasters and several more will be launched in 2009- and the Philippines, as well as from Vietnam, Brunei, Thailand, Cambodia, Hong Kong and Chine. A strong representation of fiction and movie producers came from India, too.

Formats under the spotlight
The boom of formats production in Asia is not news. Yet, regional producers and broadcasters kept showing strong interest in developing co-production alliances, adapting scripts to the local screen. This opens new windows of opportunity top the companies offering fresh stories, which is what the Asian market requires.

A buyer from Indonesia asserted that, in this country, 'the audience is really interested in local reality shows' and that 'local production is strong; so, there is little room for canned production, with the exception of movies, series and animation'. A producer from India adds that 'the audience watches much local drama, but now there is an opening towards other genres, such as international series and movies'.

The worldwide financial crisis was often discussed at the aisles. Asia is not free from this situation and some buyers were expectant prior to closing deals. A distributor from Indonesia explains: 'The crisis of 2008 is only the beginning and 2009 is full of question marks. In Indonesia the broadcasters are purchasing less international fare to distributors, replacing them with programming kept at their libraries'.

Other markets, like India, are 'safe guarded', according to producers from that nation attending the show. 'The crisis will not affect our country too much. It has been several months since it started; we were growing at 11% and now we are growing at 7%. Our domestic market is very large and production possibilities are popping out in various regions'.

Regarding programming trends, beyond the geographic diversity and customs, the perception is that 'there is a strong boom of programming aiming at young people, especially in the youngest nations'. As an example, family drama programming is well received In India.

Indonesia and Malaysia are two of the most interesting emergent markets. A distributor commented: 'They host a huge local market, and request very high quality product. They are interested in co-producing and also purchase a good amount of canned programming'.

All in all, in Asia there is a lot of things that can be done. It's necessary to get acquainted with the markets; to know the needs of their broadcasters and local producers; understand the role of customs and religion in each part of the nations involved, and appear always active and offering new product for sale.

Kevin Balhetchet, from Hub Media Group (Singapore) offers an excellent advice: 'The Asian companies are looking for long-term relationships with the distributors -especially when they purchase a format- and are interested in alliances and joint ventures to produce content for local audiences. A distributor must not only offer the format but also post-production facilities, this is very important for a successful negotiation'.

Latin America in Asia
Latin America showed a high profile at ATF, with good marketing initiatives -Telemundo International sponsored the bags given away to the participants- and new product launched for this show. The Latin distributors reported being happy about the results and willing to return in 2009.

In China, television Asia produced Ugliest Betty for the satellite channel Hunan Satellite Television, through producer Nesound in partnership with RCN Colombia. The first season, comprising 40 episodes, ended in October, with two one-hour episodes being aired Mondays through Fridays. Arturo Casares explained that the program was so well received that it ended on top of the ratings, against other 35 broadcasters. The model has proved to be effective for use and the goal is to extended it to the entire region' we are now dealing with some countries to produce Las Tontas no van al Cielo' .

Another telenovela provider commented that there is a good opportunity for the genre in the region, since Korean and Taiwanese drama, which once overwhelmed the region, are closing a cycle: 'Telenovelas face better opportunities now because new slots have been opened to them; anyway drama produced in Asia will remain a strong competitor'.

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