Axel Böhm

Regional Sales Director / International Fiction Acquisitions, SevenOne International

Have you seen signs of recovery in Central and Eastern Europe?

Yes. The Russian ad market for instance is on the upswing and various channels throughout Central and Eastern Europe are performing stronger than compared to last year. There is an emerging spirit of optimism in the region.

Have you noticed your business in the region strengthen due to an increase in channels?

Definitely. The rollout of digital channels in countries like the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland and Russia has an impact: there are more thematic channels launching with a clearer focus on certain demographics and quite often on female audiences, like Doma in Slovakia and FEM 3 in Hungary.

How has your business been overall in Central and Eastern Europe (and what territories have been strong in particular)?

We do have stable sales. We had a really good feedback from clients after this year’s MipTV: the business is picking up again, especially in Russia, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Poland and Bulgaria.

What genres have been the strongest performers from your catalogue in the region?

There is a huge desire for catastrophe events in the market, hence our highlights “Sea of Death”, “Factor 8” and “Blackout” will hit a nerve. Moreover, CEE market buyers are usually also looking for long-running series. Consequently, we are excited to present our dramedies “Danni Lowinski” and “Floor Faber”, and our latest telenovela “One in a Million”, following the success of “Love is in the Air”, which has been on air on Poland’s TVP 1, Bulgaria’s btv, Latvia’s LNT, Estonia’s Kanal 2 and has also been a smash hit on Italy’s Canale 5.

When it comes to formats, our sciencetainment magazine “Galileo” is doing exceptionally well in the region: it’s running in its fourth year on CTC in Russia and in its third year on Poland’s TV4. “Galileo” is also on air in the Ukraine and Romania. “Galileo” will soon launch in a further CEE territory. Improv Comedy “Schiller Street” is going into second seasons on Russia’s Channel 1 and Estonia’s TV3. And our game show “Money Trap” is a huge success on Bulgaria’s PR.BG.

What are some of the titles you’re highlighting for DISCOP and why do you think these will be particularly appealing for the buyers?

Our strength is our large portfolio of fiction, entertainment formats and magazines catering to the channels’ needs and interests of viewers of all target and age groups.

We will present new primetime series such as “Danni Lowinski,” a funny and quick-witted dramedy focusing on the tumultuous life of the unconventional lawyer and former hair dresser Danny, who offers legal advice for 1 € per minute. Slightly neurotic but absolutely likeable is “Floor Faber”: a star columnist of a Dutch women magazine, the 27-year old leads a chaotic life, constantly juggling career, love and family life.

In the primetime winner and high-budgeted event “The Frontier” – featuring Hollywood star Thomas Kretschmann – terrorist attacks on all oil reserves intensify the global financial crises, causing a civil war scenario. Fast-paced and stirring, “The Fugitives” recounts the fate of three best friends who find themselves on the run and with the authorities in hot pursuit. The situation intensifies when one of their fathers turns into their worst enemy. Combining perfect family entertainment with an animated character “The Secret of Loch Ness II” offers new adventures of Tim and his friend Oki, the 605-year-old druid. Spookily funny, the TV event “Spook Inn” centres on a family that purchases an old tavern. To the surprise of the new owners, the house is inhabited by a bunch of ghosts. A bizarre series of young suicides reveal a dark secret in “The Village”. The mystery movie offers chilling suspense as well as upcoming international top stars such as Eleanor Tomlinson (“Alice in Wonderland”, Illusionist”). In addition to our events and series, we also have a strong line-up of TV movies, such as “Dream Hotel: Chiang Mai”, “Love Comes with Christmas”, and “Lost in Africa”.

Regarding formats, we are thrilled to present the hottest new show at MipTV, “Benidorm Bastards”. Scoring market shares of up to 29.5% on Belgium’s 2BE (average channel market share: 10.3% in April 2010), “Benidorm Bastards” is an edgy hidden camera show starring seven old men and women who are making fun of the younger generation.

Outrageous, fast-paced and hilariously funny: ten big-city contestants venture out to survive Phil Gurin’s farm-inspired obstacle-course “Funny Farm”. They have to face a series of challenges – from shearing sheep and milking cows to rescuing roosters from the dung heap. In the end, only one contestant will prove to be the king of the countryside and win the cash – and the glory.

The feud runs deep, but in “Crazy Competition” two rivalling villages finally get the chance to prove who’s better. For an entire week, the villagers embark on an action- and fun-filled quest. The winning village not only receives a cash prize but will also obtain the privilege of placing the ugly “Stone of Shame” in their opponent’s village.

Debuting with a market share of 39.7% in the commercial demographics (average channel market share: 18.6% in April 2010), “Culture Shock: Norway” is TV Norge’s latest hit. In the reality show, a group of ten disoriented Norwegian-Americans is dropped into Norway to complete a series of extreme physical and fun challenges. In the final episode, the winner reunites with his long-lost relatives.

We also have “Love Bites” in the bag, a big success for Antenna in Greece. In “Love Bites” four men, armed with nothing but their cooking talents and their charms, are set out to win over a woman with a three-course meal. At the end of the week, the woman gets to decide who has impressed her most – with the best recipe for love. The show has a proven track record: in Greece, “Love Bites” crushed “Come Dine with Me”, which has then been removed to a new time slot!