Paul Johnson

World Screen Weekly, July 27, 2006

Director, Television Division

Reed MIDEM

This fall, many observers of television trends will be avidly following how audiences react to Ugly Betty, ABC’s American adaptation of the hit telenovela Betty la fea. With several novela formats successfully produced across Europe and Asia, the genre is certainly top of mind for buyers looking for that next big hit. And for Paul Johnson, the director of the television division at Reed MIDEM, that piqued interest could not have come at a better time, as the organization prepares its second annual Telenovelas Screenings, set for October 7 to 8—the weekend before MIPCOM begins—at the Carlton Hotel in Cannes.

“Telenovelas from Latin America have really been growing around the world for many years,” Johnson says. “And we wanted to do something special for the Latin Americans to make sure that they feel even more relevant within our market and that they see that we’re not just thinking about the Anglo-Saxon world, but looking at all genres and all productions from across the continents.”

Last year’s event, which attracted about 100 buyers and 25 distributors, was predominantly a Latin American affair, Johnson notes. While that is likely to still be the case this year—partners in the event include Caracol Television, Globo TV International, RCN Television, RCTV, Telefe International, Televisa Estudios, Tepuy International and TV Azteca—Johnson says there are a number of new attendees, including Endemol, ProSiebenSat.1, YLE and Antena 3. “We also have two new digital people coming for the first time: Vodafone France and Telecom Italia,” he says. “The whole thing is about increasing the number of people who are currently active in commercializing telenovelas. Everyone knows who buys telenovelas. What’s not known is who the new players are. We’re trying to bring in a fresh new look to the people who are acquiring and co-producing this genre.”

Johnson continues, “We’re trying to do things like these Screenings that make the market more successful for people attending. At the end of the day, if your buyers have seen your productions in the two days preceding the show, it’s going to make it easier to buy.”

In addition to the digital screenings, a cocktail party and a networking lunch, the Telenovelas Screenings will also feature two panels: one, together with World Screen on novela formats and the other with research firm The WIT. Johnson and his team have been busy drumming up interest in the event, with a dedicated advertising campaign and a new section on the MIPCOM website.

Beyond the Telenovelas Screenings, Johnson highlights a slate of other events for this year’s MIPCOM, including the presentation of the Personality of the Year award to Time Warner’s chairman and CEO, Richard Parsons. The keynote speaker lineup, meanwhile, includes George Bodenheimer, the co-chairman of Disney Media Networks, president of ESPN and ABC Sports and chairman of the ESPN Board of Directors; Anne Sweeney, the co-chair of Disney Media Networks and president of the Disney-ABC Television Group; Harry Sloan, the chairman and CEO of MGM; Beth Comstock, the president of digital media and market development at NBC Universal; and Sanjiv Ahuja, the CEO of Orange. All of them will be tackling an issue that almost everyone in the television business is grappling with: “How you make money through these areas of convergence,” Johnson says.

Indeed, while business models for new media platforms are still being tried and tested, Johnson is thrilled that MIPTV and MIPCOM embraced the digital bandwagon when they did. “A lot of what we’re talking about is not delivering billion-dollar industries just yet. It is going to, and it is going to be the way people need to consider their businesses in the future. We’ve got a thriving industry. I hope that in some small way we can contribute to guiding the industry to future growth, that gives me the most satisfaction.