Viewpoints: Acquisition strategies
Patricia Daujotas
VP of Programming & Acquisitions
Fox Latin American Channel
Argentina
What are your acquisition strategies?
We're backed by a reputation of innovation. Think Simpson's, the first animated show on prime time. Think 24, the first real time series. That's our DNA. So when we think on acquisitions, we think of a number of things including serialization level, cast, channel profile, etc. But, at the end of the day, the big variable is finding those shows where people will say, "this show could only be on Fox".
What products are you looking for?
Today, we have a plethora of brands spanning from General Entertainment, to Lifestyle to Factual. However, we have a pretty good idea as far as what moves the needle, and we'll handpick those shows that are meant to drive our brands. Generally, we are out for certain type of movies, series, lifestyle and documentaries.
Can you name the most successful titles that you acquired this year?
"Lie to Me" for Fox, "Burn Notice" for Fox, and "Glee", which although it hasn't rolled out yet we believe it will be very strong. These are only some examples of successful drivers on our channels.
What products will be in demand during MIPCOM 2009?
I'd suspect-given the increasing demand for premium content and the relative flat availability of it- people will tend to fight for those US series that have the potential to take the world by storm. Nothing new there except that now there will be more players after them. In contrast, many old time big buyers of those high-end series will be skeptical to cost increases and super sensitive to the economic challenges the world still faces. I also believe many will in turn look into producing much more original content and thus expending less on acquisitions. Overall, at the time of finding those big drivers, two opposite forces will collapse: the economic outlook and the increasing number of players after great content. It'll be interesting to see. |
