Bavaria Media Sees Solid Sales at DISCOP

MUNICH/BUDAPEST: Bavaria Media sold a package of more than 100 hours of programming to Romania’s TVR at this year’s DISCOP, among a host of other deals the Munich-based distributor scored.

"DISCOP was an absolutely positive experience for us," said Oliver Kreuter, the head of television at Bavaria. "Buyers today tend to make carefully weighted decisions, but Bavaria Media was able to close a number of significant deals while in Budapest."

In the package to TVR was Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s classic mini-series Berlin Allexanderplatz. Russian channel Women’s World went for the French telenovela Second Chance, while HBO Central Europe secured the pay-TV rights to Heinrich Breloer’s Buddenbrooks: The Decline of a Family.

"Furthermore, Storm of Love will continue its run on almost all stations which are currently showing it in the CEE region," noted Helge Köhnen, the director of sales and head of Eastern European affairs at Bavaria Media Television. "Prior to DISCOP, we already sold additional episodes to Poland, the Czech Republic and Latvia—simply put: Storm of Love is a mainstay in many programming schedules."

Köhnen also pointed out that a number of format options were secured from Bavaria’s portfolio. "Many countries are now reinforcing their activities in program acquisition, for example Poland, Romania and the Czech Republic—there is a lot to catch up with after nine months of caution."

Bavaria also joined in DISCOPRO for the third time in a row. The panel, Introduction to Co-Production Trends and Editorial Guidelines, was hosted by Bavaria Media and Bavaria Television Production. Following the panel discussion, six selected producers from the CEE countries presented their current projects in a pitching session. Dope by Hungarian Havas Film and Roxelana Suleyman by Mediapro Pictures of Romania were picked as the winners. Both projects will now be presented to potential co-producers at the Fiction Fest in Rome in July.

Philipp Kreuzer, the head of film and TV financing and international co-production for Bavaria Television Production, commented: "We were able to establish important contacts on a high level during the co-production panel, which was mainly influenced by the presence of two of the most important channels from the large European television nations in the field of fictional production. The newly introduced pitchings offered us an opportunity to discuss the chances and the problems occurring in the cooperation between Eastern and Western Europe. Through this presentation of specific projects, we were also able to strengthen our connections with up-and-coming producers. That is why I regard our appearance at DISCOPRO as a very successful event."