Viewpoints: sales strategies

Tobias De Graaff
SVP Europe
Granada International
United Kingdom

Can you tell us about your sales strategies?

It's relatively simple – we study our broadcasters'schedules, we look at what they currently air and we think about ways they could become more successful. Then we consider what programming we should offer them. It may sound very altruistic but we essentially want our broadcast clients to have a good year with our programmes. We are privileged to work very closely with the majority of broadcasters in Europe, it helps us understand what works and what doesn't work so well – it is experience we can pass on.

Bonekickers

What countries are the most important for your sales?

As well as the UK and Ireland our content is extremely popular across Europe. We are very successful across Benelux and Scandinavia but it's impossible to single any area out as the most important. We have massively grown the business in Eastern and Central Europe in the last two years. The major European countries like France, Germany, Italy and Spain have really been great for us in terms of format sales with shows like "Come Dine with Me" stripped daily in Germany, France and the UK.

What are your key deals on TV Channels in 2007?

We are really pleased with the sale of long running dramas like "Emmerdale" to MTV3 in Finland, "Coronation Street" to Vitaya and "Heartbeat" to VRT – both in Belgium. The daily show "Come Dine With Me" has been around for 3 years. It is extremely popular on Channel 4 in the UK and is celebrating its 500 th anniversary on VOX in Germany. But last year it was picked up in addition by France's M6, where again it is breaking every ratings record in a competitive 18.00 slot. "Come Dine With Me" has also just sold to RTL Klub in Hungary and RTL in Croatia…again delivering the viewers. We have done a strategically important deal in Poland, where the comedy "Cold Feet" will be produced in a local adaptation. We are focusing more on local adaptations of our drama series and expect to announce further deals soon.

What countries do you target on MIPTV 2008? What TV Channels do you target on MIPTV?

Absolutely each and every channel – as you might expect there isn't a free slot in the diaries of our entire sales and acquisitions team at MIP. Of course that's not enough and all the sales executives travel throughout the year to see their clients on targeted sales trips. We want to make sure that we see as many clients as possible at MIP to make sure everyone is well aware of our exciting new shows as well as programming in our catalogue of more than 35,000 hours.

What are your new titles for MIPTV 2008?

A compelling drama slate is available from GI in Cannes including "Bonekickers", a thrilling new prime time, high definition series from the creators of the award-winning "Life on Mars". Powerful secrets from the past are brought roaring into the 21st century in "Bonekickers", packed with historical mystery and contemporary action adventure. Also brand new from GI at MIP-TV is "Lost In Austen". A thoroughly modern heroine threatens to ruin one of the world's greatest literary love stories in this ingenious reinvention of Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice". Hollywood actress Alex Kingston ("ER", "Croupier") stars alongside an acclaimed cast, including Hugh Bonneville ("Notting Hill", "Iris"), Lindsay Duncan ("Rome") and new Bond girl Gemma Arterton ("St. Trinians"). Hollywood TV movies are a strong feature of Granada International's new high definition programming at the market, illustrated by "Daughter of the Bride". Luke Perry ("Beverley Hills 90210") stars in this family drama centered on a mother and daughter.

Granada International is renowned for distributing the highest quality factual series available internationally and the company has a number of prime examples debuting at MIP-TV 2008. "The Neanderthal Code" is produced by Wall To Wall for National Geographic Channel and France 5. Neanderthals were humans that dominated Europe for a quarter of a million years and then mysteriously became extinct. Why did they disappear? And what part did we play in their downfall? Award-winning producers "Wall to Wall" ("Who Do You Think You Are?") follow-up their acclaimed Neanderthal series with an evolutionary detective story, shot in High Definition. "The Secret Life of the Brain" is a cutting-edge series which charts what happens when the sense of ourselves and the world around us is dramatically thrown into chaos, and details remarkable stories of life at the leading brain injury clinics in the UK and the US. "Human Ape" for centuries, we have been fascinated by apes for their similarity in appearance to humans. "Human Ape" is a landmark two part series that explores not just the physical similarities, but the astonishing parallels in adolescence, language, aggression, sexual behavior, use of tools, medication and compassion. High among GI's new wildlife programming launches is "Street Monkeys". Action and drama are around every street corner as this captivating high definition series follows a troop of endearingly cheeky monkeys adapting their survival skills to South Africa's concrete jungle.

Factual entertainment programming at MIPTV is well served by GI, including the hit series "Old Skool with Terry and Gita". Kids are well catered for at Granada International with the long-awaited launch of "The Pinky & Perky Show", a funny and fast-paced new high definition CGI series for 6 – 11 year olds. Young children finally have their very own superhero in "Captain Mack", a vibrant new show combining exciting live action with animation. Hot new formats are also available from GI at MIP-TV including "The Colour of Money", the exciting new all-or-nothing game show where contestants play super cash machines to try and make their fortune. "The Chopping Block", originally commissioned for Nine Network Australia, is a dramatic new format set in the ultra-competitive world of restaurants.