IMIRA SHOWCASES ‘JAMILLAH & ALLADIN’

In a flurry of deals prior to Mipcom, top Spanish youth show producer & distributor Imira Entertainment has announced the sale of ‘The Hero Of Color City’ to AMC Network for its Europe, Middle & African channels. AMC has also taken pre -school series ‘Cleo’ for Poland & Benelux. Also, Imira has sold comedic vignette ‘Larva’ to Nicklodeon, for Central & Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, Germany, Austria, Netherlands & Greece. For its part, Kidoodle.TV kids’ subscription video – on. – demand service has taken rights for ‘Cleo’, ‘The Happets’, ‘Vitaminix’ in US & Canada. All the series are included on Imira plentiful slate for 2015’s Mipcom TV mart, whose flagship is live – action / toon hybrid ‘Jamillah & Aladdin’. A co -production between Live Kids Action, BBC / Ceebies, Kindle Entertainment, MediaBiz & India’s Toonz Media Group, “Jamillah” is a 52 11 – minute TV skein aimed at children aged 6 – 10.

MAKINGPROD TEAM ON ‘SALAZAR’

Madrid based Plano a Plano, Spain’s highest rating indie TV production house, is teaming with French prodco MakingProd, part of the Makever group, to develop ‘Salazar’, an epic thriller. Based on true events, the historical limited series turns on a real life, though totally forgotten hero: Inquisitor Alonso De Salazar, called the Witches’ Advocate. Plano a Plano’s 1st move into international co – production is an early milestone for the Madrid based producer, headed by the creative tandem of Cesar Benitez, an experienced, highly respected producer of hit comedy features, such as 1995 ‘Boca A Boca’, starring a young hunky Javier Bardem, pioneering teen soap “Al salir De clase and long running cop series ‘El Comisario’ and seasoned writer & producer Aitor Gabilondo, a scribe on “El comisario” and now creator & writer of Plano a Plano’s door opening hit ‘El Principe’.

FRANK TEAMS WITH BETA

Munich based sales & production house Beta Film is upping the ante in the high end TV stakes, with several new projects announced recently at TV market Mipcom in Cannes, including a fantasy series from one of the showrunners of ‘Game Of Thrones’ and a drama depicting Hitler’s life from World War I to the start of World War II. Beta chief Jan Mojto said that the number of high end TV series it was producing or co – producing, most of which will be budgeted at around Euros 2 million ($2.24 million) an hour or higher, would rise from 30 hours a year this year, to 36 hours next year and 48 hours in 2017. Beta is working with ‘Game Of Thrones’ showrunner Frank Doelger on an action & adventure fantasy series, budgeted at up to Euros 3 million ($3.36 million) an hour, titled ‘The Perished Land’.

‘FACK JU GOEHTE 2’ EARNS $48.4M IN 19 DAYS

German high school comedy ‘Fack Ju Goehte 2’, the follow up to $70 million box – office hit, has generated a theatrical gross on home turf of Euros 43.2 million ($48.4 million) in 19 days. The movie, which was released on 10 Sept, 2015 by Constantin Film, follows a renegade teacher and his delinquent class on a school trip to Thailand. It has clocked up 5.3 million admissions in Germany and a further 460,000 in Austria & Switzerland. The movie is written & directed by Bora Dagtekin, who helmed the most successful German movie of 2012, ‘Turkish For Beginners’ and is produced by Lena Schoemann & Dagtekin for Constantin. Elyas M’Barek plays the errant teacher Zeki Mueller & Karoline Herfurth is his colleague Lisi Schnabelstedt, while the students include Jella Haase as Chantal, Gizem Emre as Zeynep & Max Von Der Groeben as Danger.

AXEL BUYS BUSINESS INSIDER

Axel Springer, one of Europe’s largest digital publishing & media conglomerates, announced a deal to acquire US based news & events company Business Insider for about $343 million. The addition of Business Insider’s 76 million unique monthly visitors will increase Axel Springer’s worldwide digital audience by two – thirds, the company said, to approximately 200 million users. The move comes after Axel Springer failed in its effort to acquire UK based Financial Times, snapped up by Japan’s Nikkei Inc. in Jul, 2015 and merger talks with ProSiebenSat.1 ended without a deal. The deal values Business Insider at $442 million. Axel Springer already holds a 9% stake in BI; following the deal announced recently, it will hold a stake of approximately 97%.

FILM INDUSTRY SHOWS INTERNATIONAL AMBITIONS

The 23rd Raindance Festival’s pioneering Focus on Mexico Co-Production Forum gave a London producer audience the chance to discover the energy & ambitions of one of, challenges aside, the world’s flourishing national industries. Many of those ambitions, if the 8 projects presented by Mexican directors & producers, are anything to go on, now run through US. 5 titles are in some way Mexican – US crossovers. Though all made by Mexican filmmakers, 2 are set totally in US, one off its shore, another couple straddle Los Angeles & Latin America. 2 Raindance project directors, Grau & Ezban, have been signed up by Paradigm Talent Agency.

AVANTI PICTURES RAISES THE ANTE

Jack Zagha’s ‘A Useless Puddle’, a psychological drama selected for Raindance’s Focus on Mexico Co – Production Forum, marks Mexican Prodco Avanti Pictures’ most ambitious feature project to date. A film adaption of Spanish writer David Desola’s play ‘La Charca Inutil’, “Puddle,” which is set in the United States, following Oscar, a high school teacher who loses his job after a crazy incident with a student. Then, his old time mentor offers him a job as a private teacher to a young kid and his single mother. After accepting, Oscar learns that the boy died accidentally 3 years earlier in an infamous town massacre and his mother has created a prior – shooting world to avoid confronting her unbearable reality.

“MORPHABLEL” TAKES FORM

Mexican Jonathan Ostos presented his debut feature project ‘The Morphable Man’ at “Focus on Mexico”, the Raindance Fest’s Co -production Forum spotlighting 8 Mexican projects which unspooled recently in London. Minimart is organized in partnership with Mexico’s Guadalajara Internal Film Fest and backed by Mexico’s Imcine Film Institute. English language “Morphable” weighs in as a romcom with fantastic elements and a late adventure coming – of ager set against the background of Austin’s music scene. It turns on young Mexican Aido, a music magazine copy editor. Until now, he has managed to control his very bizarre condition that makes him transform into random objects, from bubbles to barbed wire. But he’s about to loose his gripnear entirely due to a deeper transformation, when he falls in love with a mysterious singer.

LOCAL COMPETITION HEATS UP

In a globalized international TV business, which will converge in Cannes for the Mipcom trade fair 5th to 8th Oct, 2015, there are no limits to the ambition of even the world’s smaller countries. And those ambitions can often run through alliances with and sales to US. Few examples are more eye catching than Chile, despite its relatively small size, a TV production force thanks to the export of its small -screen fiction formats in partnership with Telemundo. Chile is far from North America, Europe & Asia and with some 2.5 million households with free – to -air TV access, it ranks well below other Latin American TV territories such as Brazil (43 million FTA homes), Mexico (16 million), Colombia (7.5 million) and Argentina (5 million). However, the Chile TV market boasts one of the most cultured & educated of all Latin American societies and fierce internal competition from free – to – air TV players like pubcaster TVN.

SPT TO PRODUCE ‘ROSEANNE’ ADAPTATION

Sony Pictures Television has secured a pilot order for a Russian adaptation of ‘Roseanne’ from Russia’s leading independent media company CTC Media. Retitled ‘Katya’,the Russian redo is the 1st adaptation based on the multiple Emmy winning sitcom starring Roseanne Barr that ran in US for 9 seasons on ABC. The show was a big hit in US for ABC from 1988 – 1997. It was produced by the Carsey – Werner Co. “Our adaptation of ‘Roseanne’ will resonate with Russian audiences because it is based in truth,” enthused Jeff Lerner, executive vice president, scripted programming, international production for SPT. “The series will show a real working class family getting through each day, laughing at the trials & tribulations life sends their way and making the audience smile along with them,” he added.

NETFLIX SETS EXACT DATES & PRICING

Netflix has set exact dates & pricing for its upcoming launches in Spain, Portugal & Italy. The streaming subscription video service will bow in Spain on 20th Oct, 2015; Portugal will segue a day later on 21st Oct, 2015; followed by Italy on 22nd Oct, 2015. After a free one month trial, pricing across all 3 Southern European markets will be the same, Euros 7.99 ($8.90) per month for standard definition, basic single connection. 2 simultaneous connections in HD format will cost Euros 9.99, and a premium plan of 4 simultaneous connections in Ultra HD will cost Euros 11.99. Netflix will be available on Smart TVs, tablets, smartphones, computers and various video game consoles & set top boxes connected to the Internet, in addition to Apple TV & Google Chromecast. In Spain, Netflix will also be streaming via telecom service operated Vodafone TV. In Italy it will be available through both Telecom Italia & Vodafone.

AWESOMENESS TV PACTS WITH ENDEMOL SHINE

Teen focused digital media company Awesomeness TV is coming to at least 5 overseas markets under a multiyear deal with Endemol Shine Group. Per the pact, Endemol Shine’s Endemol Beyond digital unit will launch local language, owned & operated Awesomeness TV channels in key markets outside US, including UK, France, Germany, Spain & Brazil. Programming will encompass ATV’s popular digital video formats as well as Awesomeness TV franchises such as docu -reality series ‘Cheerleaders’, following the California All Stars coed cheerleading squad from Ventura & ‘IMO’, an interview based show for girls. In another foray outside the States, Awesomeness TV this summer inked a deal with DHX Media to license, develop & produce original shows for DHX’s Family Channel in Canada.

APPLE EXTENDS ITS REACH

Apple has expanded its reach in China, launching Apple Music, iTunes movies & iBooks in the lucrative market. China’s Apple Music, which already includes millions of songs, features music from local artists, including Eason Chan, Li Ronghao, JJ Lin & G.E.M., as well as a wide range of international musicians, such as Taylor Swift & Ed Sheeran. “Customers in China love the App Store and have made it our largest market in the world for app downloads,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software & Services, in a statement recently. “One of the top requests has been more great content and we’re thrilled to bring music, movies & books to China, curated by a local team of experts.” Apple Music will cost 10 yuan ($1.57) a month after the same 3 month free trial available in US. iTunes movies range from 5 yuan ($0.79) for HD rentals to 18 yuan ($2.83) for HD purchases. Paid iBooks start from 0.5 yuan ($0.08), although free iBooks are available as well.

KESHET FORGES PARTNERSHIP

Keshet International, the global distribution & production arm of Israeli media powerhouse Keshet, has forged a partnership with Huace Group / Croton Media, one of China’s largest production companies, on a 2 pronged deal which will see Keshet Studios optioning Huace Group / Croton Media’s ‘Dating Hunter’ for US market, marking the 1st ever Chinese format to be potentially re – versioned for American TV audiences. Huace Group / Croton Media is also developing local versions of Keshet’s award winning scripted properties ‘Traffic Light’ & ‘Loaded’ for Chinese audiences. The Keshet International projects are in pre -production in China with broadcasters yet to be attached, as is customary in the Chinese market.

‘THE VOICE’ TRAVELS A LOT

In the run up to Mipcom, Talpa’s hit talent competition format ‘The Voice’ has been picked up in 60 territories including Iceland and various African countries. ‘The Voice’ will next launch in Ecuador, Azerbaijan & South Africa. Recent deals have catapulted ‘The Voice’ to close to 65 productions worldwide. Underscoring the format’s strength amid a competitive market, ‘The Voice’ in US recently won its 2nd Emmy, meanwhile ‘The Voice’ in Holland punched high ratings which surpassed those of the past 2 seasons. Launched in Netherlands in 2010, ‘The Voice’ now airs in over 180 territories, attracting more than 500 million viewers. ‘The Voice’ is also a social media phenomenon. It has over 55 million Facebook fans and more than 10 million Twitter followers. ‘The Voice’ & ‘The Voice Kids’ nearly garners 8 billion YouTube views and over 12 million subscribers.

TELEMUNDO & HBO LATIN AMERICA UNVEIL SALES DEAL

Signaling one of the macro Latino deals at this year’s Mipcom trade fair, Telemundo Internacional & HBO Latin America Originals have inked an exclusive distribution deal giving Telemundo world sales rights outside the Americas, North, Central, South, on HBO Latin America productions. Deal involves the 2nd biggest Spanish language distributor in the world and HBO Latin America, a company on the cutting edge of upscale Spanish language TV production. It kicks in Jan, 2016 with period psychological drama ‘El Hipnotizador’, starring Leonardo Sbaraglio in the title role and HBO Latin America’s 1st ever bilingual Spanish – Portuguese series.
Also on early next year’s slate of HBO Latin American Originals from Brazilian film / TV giant Conspiraçao, ‘Magnifica 70’, about a state censor involved with a sex film actress, directed by Claudio Torres, who scored a huge hit with ‘The Invisible Woman’; now heading towards its 3rd season, ‘El negocio’, another Brazilian series, from Mixer Producciones, about 3 women who decide to apply modern marketing methods to the oldest profession in the world; quirky psychoanalyst dramedy ‘Psi’, also from Brazil.