Basque Audiovisual helps Pausoka sell at MIPCOM
- The first contact between Pausoka and Talpa Media, a John De Mol-owned company which has acquired the international rights of the reality-contest programme"El impostor”, took place at the past edition of the Cannes Fair and an agreement has just been reached.
Bilbao, 15 October. Basque Audiovisual’s presence at one of the major world audiovisual fairs, Cannes’ MIP, was key for the sale of the rights of Pausoka’s reality-contest programme "El impostor” [The Imposter] to Talpa Media, owned by John de Mol, the sector leading Dutch company. The agreement reached between both companies grew from a first contact made at Basque Audiovisual’s stand at the past edition of MIPCOM and now, days after the conclusion of MIPCOM 2010, the sale of the international rights has been finalised.
This operation is a result of the policy of support, diffusion and internationalisation of Basque audiovisual products promoted by the Basque Government’s Department of Culture and Eiken-Basque Audiovisual Cluster, which materialises in measures like an active presence at the sector’s main fairs. This year, Basque Audiovisual took eight Basque companies to MIPCOM with an aim to promoting meetings with potential customers. Apart from Pausoka, the Basque Audiovisual stand included 3Koma, Baleuko, Expressive, Mediabask, Silverspace, Sonora and Somuga.
As a novelty, at the last edition of MIPCOM held from 4 to 8 October, the Basque Audiovisual representatives organised a matchmaking event, at which Basque companies were given the opportunity to present their products over a period of two hours at the specific meetings held with the companies and experts present at the Cannes fair. Over 20 representatives from different international companies in the sector took part in the matchmaking event.
"The imposter"
“The imposter” is a reality-contest programme in which a guest is invited to live with a family for a weekend and try to discover which of the members is an imposter. In order to prepare for the role, the imposter, who could substitute a member of the family or play a part that does not exist, lives with them for a few days in order to get to know them and adapt to the circumstances. If the guest unveils the imposter, they win the prize. If they fail to do so, the family and the imposter share it. A new family, imposter and guest participate each week.
Pausoka produced the pilot programme in July and it attracted the interest of several international distributors. However, in the end, the Dutch Talpa Media, a company created and run by John de Mol, bought the format rights. In addition, the agreement contemplates the collaboration between the creative teams of both companies. The programme offers interaction between TV and the internet, as, throughout the week prior to the broadcast, spectators can try to guess the identity of the imposter on a website.
MIPCOM 2010 Trends
Regarding MIPCOM 2010, the Basque Audiovisual representatives were able to confirm that all new business strategies evolve on the digital scene and that flexible strategies are the key to gaining access to new opportunities.
Indeed, studies presented at MIPCOM confirm that consumers of the incipient digital era already follow definite patterns and are willing to pay for audiovisual products which meet 3 requisites: top quality, convenience and the delivery of an enriching experience. In this line, John Smith, the Chief Executive of BBC Worldwide, affirmed that his company has doubled its earnings by opening up to new markets and experimenting with digital environments.
Apart from the digital scene, MIPCOM also revealed the growing importance of social networks. According to a study presented at the fair, North American internet users spend over 25% of their time in social networks or associated elements (email, music, online telephone, digital press).
This trend has led experts to believe that the social media revolution has already started. There was an example at MIPCOM itself, where an application allowing users of Facebook or LinkedIn to watch videos together, in virtual rooms, either public or private, was introduced. Hence the importance of common work by content creators and application programmers.
Further information:
Javier Palacios (MBN Comunicación)
Tel: + 34 94 435 63 30 / + 34 628 538 199
