Viewpoints: Acquisition strategies
Vera Krichevskaya
Creative Producer
TV-Rain. Optimistic channel
Russia
What are your acquisition strategies?
"TV-Rain. Optimistic channel" is a new channel on the Russian media-market. We're going on air at the end of this autumn. We have chosen a very self-speaking slogan for the channel: "Don't be afraid to switch on the TV!" Let me explain. Our target audience is a premium group - people with a good level of education, professionals, successful, not stopping with their own development and growth, who travel all over the world, and who are well read... There isn't enough high-quality product for this group in Russia, and there could become even less in connection with the current financial crisis.
Our viewers are discouraged to watch TV today – because of criminal programs and an overabundance of films, as well as an overabundance of soap operas and judicial TV-sessions... We offer an absolutely different content. We don't have feature films or serials. We talk a lot and we tell a lot. One of our favorite genres is documentary - about people, about human choices, about responsibility, about the value of our life, about the world, about the environment, about science, about self-improvement... We have selected approximately 400 units of documentary during the TV-market, which took place in Cannes on March 2009. And, we have found out that there weren't any centers of interests with our colleagues - Russian buyers. For me, it's a good sign. And, the basis of the strategy.
What products are you looking for?
We're looking for documentary and fillers. Documentaries about current political events of the world: Middle East, Afghanistan, Iran... Movies about people who are changing our world today. Films about how it is possible to live in peace with our neighbors. Movies about the environment. Films about science, discoveries, about the future. Documentaries about overcoming such illnesses as cancer. Films about modern art, about theatre experiments and innovations. Movies about spiritual perfection, about the freedom of conscience. Films about the life of various minorities and tolerance... We're also looking for portraits of interesting people - who have changed something in their lives by themselves, have overcome difficulties… We hunt for short films as well – fillers (science, medicine, environment, world warming, and cartoons)... And it's important that we are an HD-channel, so HD is preferred.
Can you name the most successful titles that you acquired this year?
We are only at the start of our way and pleased to cooperate with such companies as Media Corporation, Electric Sky, and Open University etc.
What products will be in demand during MIPCOM 2009?
Certainly, we will be focused on searching for the latest documentaries about events, which haven't become history just yet, about the recent events, which change the world, as well as us - about financial crisis, about the courage of the Iranian resistance, about vaccines against A/H1N1... We are also precisely looking for short 1,5 - 5 min. films.
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