More than 75 Buyers Expected at TVFI Dubai Event

DUBAI, January 19: More than 75 buyers have confirmed their
participation at the fifth Middle East Showcase by TV France International,
taking place at the Dusit Hotel in Dubai on January 24 and January 25.

The buyers include channel directors, program heads,
acquisitions executives and distributors from Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt, United
Arab Emirates, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Qatar and Syria. Over half of
the participants will be attending the event for the first time. Like last
year, the event is also open to buyers from India. The 20 French distributors
and producers participating in the event include France 24, Adventure Line
Productions, Calt International and TF1 International, among others.

In 2005, sales of French television programs to the Middle
East rose by almost 37 percent. The increase was highest for animation, which
increased by 113 percent; followed by documentaries, up 51 percent; and
fiction.