A Win-Win Formula

CSI - The Most Watched Drama Series in the World

"CSI", CSI: Miami " and "CSI: NY" proved to be the most watched drama series in the world. Miracle Screenings asked Alliance Atlantis about the Win-Win formula of American drama.

Can you name some of your key titles that were on air outside of the US and name your top-rated programs?

All three series of Alliance Atlantis' CSI franchise have been sold to over 200 territories worldwide. "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" continues to be snapped up by Latin American broadcasters such as Televen (Venezuela), RCN (Colombia), Televisa (Mexico), Rede Record (Brazil) and Sony AXN. Then "CSI: Miami" also resonates with Latinos because it has the exotic and eclectic feel of Miami, with the added bonus of the Season Five premiere episode being shot in Rio de Janeiro.

CSI: NY

"CSI: Miami" was sold to Televen (Venezuela), RCN (Colombia), Televisa (Mexico), Rede Record (Brazil) and Sony AXN. "CSI: NY" also airs on Televen (Venezuela), and Sony AXN, to mention just a couple.

Our stop-motion animated series " Lunar JimT" which takes preschoolers into an exciting world of discovery, fun and adventure, while promoting problem solving skills through persistence, creativity and cooperation, is another of our top programs. This has already been sold to over 55 territories and the demand for the second season that was greenlit in October 2006, is phenomenal. In 2006, " Lunar JimT" was broadcast on CBC and SRC (Canada), Discovery Kids (Pan Latin America), ABC Australia ( Australia ), BBC and CBeebies (U.K.), KIKA (Germany), YLE (Finland), and Digiturk (Turkey). The series also launched on France 5 (France) on September 4, 2006 and deals were signed for TV3 (New Zealand), Televisa (Mexico), Nickelodeon (Asia), UBC (Thailand), Rainbow (Middle East), and TV 7 (Bulgaria).

What are your key titles for NATPE?

During Natpe we will continue to sell our extensive catalogue which covers drama such as the CSI franchise, a collection of Atom Egoyan feature films "The Essential Atom Egoyan Collection which we presented to buyers for the first time during Mipcom 2006, kids series such as " Lunar JimT", and our latest factual series "Rich Bride/Poor Bride", a cheeky half-hour series exploring the human drama of what it takes to pull off the 'perfect' wedding.

What are your strategies on promotion of your programming?

Alliance Atlantis focuses strongly on promotion and works closely with all parties involved in our programming in order to ensure success and longevity of the brand. As in the case of our pre-school animated series "Lunar JimT", we partnered with key marketing and PR agencies while working alongside broadcasters to create comprehensive campaigns in select territories. In the UK for example, to support CBeebies and BBC2, as well as the launch of "Lunar JimT" toys, books and DVDS, a number of marketing initiatives were developed, including a national mall tour. The mall tour environment included an inflatable replica of Lunar Jim's space house, the Lunar Jim costume character, a children's play area with various interactive activities and much more. In conjunction with the tour, we also hired a specialist PR firm to execute a comprehensive campaign, which targeted key UK press (print, radio etc). The consumer campaign included numerous interviews with creators of the series, a survey addressing some of the key themes, a family competition and further pitches of unique coverage angles. We will continue to build the brand in a similar way throughout 2007.