Viewpoints: Sales Strategies
Beatrice Riesenfelder
Head of Sales and Acquisitions
ORF Austrian Broadcasting Corporation
Austria
Can you tell us about the most important changes in your company's activities in 2009?
ORF has suffered from decrease in ad revenues like most of the broadcasters and, therefore, has to undergo budget restraints in production and administration. However, ORF does not stop to invest in new media and will finally launch its own VOD Portal, including catch-up TV, in September.
Fast Forward
What are your sales strategies this autumn?
ORF's documentaries are sought after worldwide, so we do not have a territorial focus. Moreover, we aim to improve sales of fictional programs, especially of series, because we think that due to the general slump, broadcasters are happy to be able to acquire (long running) crime series such as "K-files" ("Soko Kitzbühel") and "Fast Forward" ("Schnell Ermittelt") or "Four Women and a Funeral" - series of very good quality and reasonable license fees. This is what we can provide.
Also, we are going to introduce our first animation series "Clark, the Elephant" (30 x 1,5 min) to interested co producers which is a new and thrilling field for us.
What are the most important countries for your sales?
Germany, France, Italy, USA, Asia.
What new titles do you offer at MIPCOM?
Despite of financial bottlenecks, ORF Program Sales has managed to gather more than 80 new titles for MIPCOM 09, which are displayed in the new "Highlights Catalogue". Among them, a 3 part lavish "UNIVERSUM" Film in HD on the "GREAT RIFT" in Africa as well as several new adorable wildlife films: "Hedgehog Heaven", "Dragonflies", and "Wasteland Warriors". 3 new TV Movies: "The Perp", "My Mother & Me" - a romantic comedy and "Carve the Joint" bout a whimsical pathologist's private life. A quirky documentary on the myth of "EDELWEISS" and the "Trapp Family" from the world famous musical "The Sound of Music". A range of classical music concerts and a second, brand-new portrait on Joseph Haydn, celebrating the 200 anniversary of his death. |
