ALL3MEDIA International

Stephen Driscoll
VP International Sales

How has your business been in Asia/what are your top markets in the region?

Business continues to be driven by documentaries and lifestyle programming but we have enjoyed some small drama successes this year. I wouldn’t call anywhere in Asia a top market in the past 12 months, everyone has suffered from a mixture of reduced advertising revenue, currency fluctuations and/or reduced budgets. Thankfully we have a very good catalogue and very good customers who continue to acquire the right programming for their schedules despite budget constraints.

Has that business increased or decreased over the past year?

Sales for the past 12 months in Asia have been slower than previous years, particularly among local channels but pan-territory sales have remained fairly even.

Have you noticed any buying/programming trends going on in the region?

Demand for local themes, topics or hosts continues to be high on the list for all buyers and we meet more and more customers seeking lifestyle programming.

What genre(s) sells best for you in Asia?

Documentaries and lifestyle programming sell more than drama and children’s factual. We are also starting to see stronger demand for Formats.

What programs have you sold into the region (where and to whom)?

Piers Morgan on… (Discovery Asia)
Chinese Food Made Easy (nhk lifestyle c/o Mico)
Wild At Heart (Encore China/Chello Media)
Around the World in 80 Gardens (EBS Korea)
Serious Ocean (PTS Taiwan)
Gastronuts (Mediacorp Singapore)
Top Trumps (Nat Geo India)

What are the properties you are looking to highlight for ATF?

Undercover Boss USA (1hr series) CBS US
Piers Morgan on … (6×1) ITV UK
World Kitchen (12×30) TV3 NZ
Hairy Bikers (30×45) BBC UK
Wa$ted USA (30×30) Discovery US

What is it about these programs that would appeal to the Asian market?

Undercover Boss is a very timely series about businesses improving during the current financial climate by sending bosses undercover in their own companies to see what they are really like. Audiences are going to relate to the characters and stories in this series.

Piers Morgan tours the world exploring luxury lifestyles which is a guilty pleasure for many of us. World Kitchen and Hairy Bikers are food series with appealing characters and travel. Wa$ted USA is a hit show for Discovery Green Planet and has proven that it is possible to make a “green” series which is first and foremost entertaining.

How have you seen Asia endure the current downturn and what sense do you have of the recovery in the region?

MIPCOM saw a number of buyers confirming deals that were discussed much earlier in the year so we are encouraged that buyers are starting to acquire programming for early 2010. Many buyers have run stocks down over the past 12 months and are prudently acquiring just enough programming to fill schedules for early 2010. Nevertheless we expect recovery to be a slow process spanning at least 12-18 months and the high level of competition in the broadcast market will continue to challenge our clients advertising revenues.