Event Preview: DISCOP

Savvy Shoppers

Leading buyers from Central and Eastern Europe share their programming strategies with World Screen Weekly ahead of DISCOP next week.

TVP, Poland
As a public broadcaster, TVP in Poland faces the tough task of catering to the broadest possible demographic, essentially all viewers over the age of 4. Since it targets such a wide group, the channel’s programming must be quite diverse, with acquisitions that span a number of genres.

“The biggest portion of our acquisitions is usually films and drama series,” says Slawomir Cyra, the deputy director of program acquisitions and sales for TVP’s international affairs department. “We acquire few comedies and recently no telenovelas. Kids’ programming and documentaries are also playing an important part of our shopping for programs.”

Top performers for TVP are generally its own drama series, soaps and news, followed by foreign feature films and prime-time TV movies. However, Cyra points out that a notable U.S. acquisition has been a slam-dunk success for the pubcaster: the medical drama House.

TVP’s suppliers are as diverse as its programming. “The sources are various. We are looking for some American product but also plenty of European productions. We also do deal with Canadians and Australians quite often.”

TVN, Poland
As one of the fastest-growing TV stations in Europe, the Polish commercial broadcaster TVN looks to serve its affluent audience of 16- to 49-year-olds with high-quality entertainment programs.

“In general, the later it is in the day, the more we narrow the target audience of the channel,” Edward Miszczak, the programming director and VP of TVN, says of the channel’s breakdown. “From 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. we focus on a mass audience; starting from 8 p.m. we broadcast films, series and big entertainment shows. From 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. we target a younger, more demanding audience.”

Polish versions of hit entertainment programs have shaped much of TVN’s schedule, starting with the pickup of Endemol’s hit reality show Big Brother, which spurred the trend.

This led to the local adaptations of a number of entertainment shows—Mam talent! (Got Talent), Po prostu ta´ncz! (You Can Dance) and Taniec z gwiazdami (Strictly Come Dancing)—all of which proved to be top performers.

Miszczak says that since the number of thematic channels is on the rise, the demand for new formats is greater than ever; he points to talent shows as “the most successful [programming] on the market.”

Pro TV, Romania
Part of the Central European Media Enterprises (CME) group of stations, Romania’s Pro TV focuses on a programming strategy that includes top international series and Hollywood movies, which complement its very successful locally produced fiction and news. Pro TV targets an urban demo of 18- to 49-year-olds.

In the way of U.S. acquisitions, CSI: Miami and Gossip Girl have both been top draws with Romanian viewers. Pro TV also airs Hollywood movies the likes of The Long Kiss Goodnight, Half Past Dead, The Girl Next Door, 3:10 to Yuma, A Knight’s Tale and Blade: Trinity.

“The movies perform very well for our channels,” says Sorina Big, the acquisitions manager for Pro TV, “especially those acquired under the studio deals we have, and also some high-profile features acquired from independent distributors.”

Looking to fill the 40 percent of the schedule that comes from acquisitions, Big says prime-time buys are a top priority, from either studios or independents. Action and comedy are top picks, but Big also says that drama titles could be in the mix.

Acasa TV, Romania
Acasa TV, also owned by CME, has garnered increasingly higher viewing figures since adapting its content to suit its target female audience.

Because it caters to this demo, particularly the 15-to-49 set, Acasa TV’s programming is not as diverse as that of other channels. Telenovelas account for the bulk of the schedule, along with concert performances and movies, most of which are romantic comedies and dramas.

Ines Nastasoiu, the acquisitions manager for Acasa TV, explains that there are other target-specific challenges when buying for the channel. “Our schedule is based on stripping programming. Each slot has its [specific requirements] and is built according to different factors that we evaluate each time we program something. This has been our programming strategy from the very beginning, a strategy that has helped us become, in a very short period of time, [a strong] channel in the market.”

Around 70 percent of Acasa TV’s grid is made up of acquired shows, coming from a select number of sources. Though Nastasoiu is open to content from foreign suppliers, she admits that the homegrown shows ultimately perform the best.

TV2, Hungary
The ProSiebenSat.1 Media–owned TV2 has established itself as Hungary’s second-largest nationwide commercial television station. A considerable amount of the channel’s success is based on broadcasting U.S.-produced programs in Hungarian, including Desperate Housewives, House and Heroes.

While blockbusters and American series have prominence, formats have also done quite well on the channel. “Series took over the Hungarian viewers, but the best formats are still unbeatable,” says Katalin Jóború, TV2’s head of acquisitions. Hungarian versions of shows like Pop Idol, Celebrity Perfect Dinner and The Next Uri Geller have all been strong performers.

With a ratio of acquired programs to in-house productions at roughly 60:40, action, comedy, adventure and family fare are the genres that work best and that Jóború typically looks for.

RTL Klub, Hungary
RTL Klub has established itself as the market leader in the 18-to-49 demo. “Since we are a general-entertainment terrestrial channel, we concentrate on a balanced acquisition strategy with series and films that fit within this category, especially in access prime and prime time,” states Tibor Fórizs, the head of acquisitions. Fórizs also needs to fill two three-hour children’s blocks for Saturday and Sunday mornings.

The channel features a grid stocked with high-quality U.S. dramas such as ER, the CSI franchise, Criminal Minds, Bones and Grey’s Anatomy. Viewers are also treated to shows that debuted quite recently in the U.S., including The Mentalist and Fringe. RTL Klub has ongoing relationships with a number of U.S. studios that help satisfy the channel’s need for programming.

Though formats have worked in the past for RTL Klub, they’re not exactly on the top of the channel’s shopping list. Instead, one-hour drama series in the action or crime/thriller genres are needed to fill prime-time slots. The channel also needs more feature films that can deliver top rating points to fill its various movie blocks.