Jens Richter
Managing Director
SevenOne International
Germany |
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Which Eastern European countries are important for your business? It's amazing how fast the TV market in Central and Eastern Europe is developing and how much program variety there is. There are obviously different trends and viewing habits in each individual country - for instance, German fiction is very popular in Hungary, Slovakia and in the Czech Republic while Russia prefers to an increasing degree to adapt and reproduce formats locally. However, outstanding events like "The Crows" or "Six Weeks of Fear" capture audiences all over the globe. Therefore, every country is important to us. And with our diverse catalog, ranging from series, comedies, telenovelas, mini-series and movies to documentaries, magazines, animation and formats, we are in the lucky position to offer each buyer exactly what they are looking for. What are the difficulties in adapting format programming in Eastern Europe ? Adapting a format is always challenging, no matter, to which screen in the world you'd like to bring it to. The format has to meet the broadcasters' needs and has to fulfill the expectations of the viewers. Fortunately, SevenOne International has a wide spectrum of entertainment formats, ranging from scripted docu dramas, reality shows, comedy, to primetime events, which are available as both, readymade versions and local adaptations. International top sellers like the quiz show "Clever!", which is sold to over 20 countries, is already on air for instance in China, Thailand, Italy, Denmark, Norway and Australia. In the Czech Republic, "Clever!" earns a market share of over 45% on Nova TV and it will soon start airing in Russia and in Slovakia. Improv comedy " Schiller Street " proved also its international appeal by convincing buyers from Europe to Oceania and North America. In Eastern and Central Europe, "Schiller Street " is sold so far to Russia, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Romania. We also provide professional production consulting when we sell a format. And by combining our know-how with the high production expertise in Central and Eastern Europe, we created some very successful adaptations and long-term business relationships with our clients. Do you have programs on air in Eastern European countries? From Bulgaria to Estonia, from the Czech Republic to Russia : in almost every Central and Eastern European country, our programs are shown. Event programming like "The Airlift" draw audiences from France, the Netherlands, Portugal, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Brazil China, Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary and the Czech Republic. Romantic Comedy Packages including movies like "Princess Undercover" or "Love Overdose" are for instance on screens in Hungary, Slovakia, Latvia and the Czech Republic. The Dream Hotel series captivates viewers not only in France and Italy but also in the Czech Republic, Ukraine, Hungary, Latvia and Slovakia. Our successful telenovela "That's Life" is on air in Hungary with the title "Lisa csak egy van" and it will premier soon in Slovakia, Bulgaria and Latvia. And, apart from fiction and formats, we offer magazines like "Extreme Jobs" or "Galileo", which are on air for instance in Ukraine and in the Czech Republic. Do you have programs in production in Eastern European countries? Yes, we have various formats that are produced in Central and Eastern Europe. Besides from "Clever!" and "Schiller Street ", scripted docudramas like "Lenssen and Partners" are hitting the screens in Russia, the Czech Republic and Romania. The comedy show "Clueless Genius" is locally produced in Hungary as "Buzera" on TV2 and in Croatia it's known as "Genijalci" on HRT2. Comedy format "The Shameless Three" is making people laugh in Latvia on Viasat TV3, in Romania on Antena 1 and in Poland on TVN. What new programs will you bring to Discop? With a line up of roughly 50 new titles, we will be bringing an attractive mix with more than 250 hours of new programming to Budapest. As always, big budget events are a crucial part of our line- up: In the gripping action miniseries "Six Weeks of Fear", which was shot in Berlin and Morocco, young teacher Sascha fights to save his girlfriend's life in the Middle East against unscrupulous arm dealers, shady government authorities as well as the secret service. Creature Catastrophe Thriller "The Crows" is inspired by Hitchcock's "Birds" and supported by Oscar nominated animal trainer Jean Philippe Varin ("Winged Migration") who trained living crows. Outstanding animal photography and special effects guarantee the creeps when the Crows attack! Another action-packed catastrophe miniseries is "Tornado": For tornado expert Jan and his family, naked survival is the ultimate goal, when the Tornado hits Berlin and its world-famous landmarks. In spectacular SFX detail the metropolis is torn apart. And although "Tornado" will only be completed in September, it is already sold to France, Spain, The Netherlands, Belgium, Japan, China, Thailand, Indonesia, Hungary, Ukraine and Slovakia. Highlights in the format section include "Stars in Danger" where celebrities are put to the test by a die hard host who challenges them to race down bob runs in cooking woks or to perform triple somersaults in a high diving competition. The primetime celebrity sports event show already convinced buyers from France, Italy, Romania and Hungary and is in negotiation with various European key territories. In Cannes, we received very positive feedback on our catalog and are excited to present it at Discop at Viewing Box No3, Mezzanine Level. |
Six eeks of fear
The Crows |
