Hi everyone,

Hope you're enjoying your week!

We're just a few days away from MIPTV and I wanted to cover

some basics on how Broadcasters work, since many of you have

been writing in and asking how to get your film or program

on Cable. Seems like everyone wants to be famous on

the small screen :)

So let's see...in the past couple of weeks we've covered the

acquisition patterns of networks like Showtime, Starz, and Sundance

Channel. For a refresher on how to get your films on to these

networks, or plan for a cable premiere in general, I recommend

you check out these Audio Seminars from our recent archive:

Showtime & Starz: http://www.filmspecific.com/members/577.cfm

Sundance Channel: http://www.filmspecific.com/members/593.cfm

Then we moved on to Docs and Factual Programs and how to get

Worldwide Broadcast Distribution. To that end, I did an Advanced

Seminar on Tuesday night for Premium Members on how to Distribute

to these Worldwide broadcasters. For all of you who couldn't

attend, I recorded the seminar and you can access it at the

link below.

During the seminar I recounted my own personal experiences

selling Docs and Factual on the front lines at Film Markets,

what buyers want, which territories buy, and how to squeeze

the maximum amount of profits out of a single Doc. Don't miss

out on the insiders scoop here:

http://www.filmspecific.com/members/595.cfm

And just to recap everything, I wanted to talk briefly about

the three ways networks acquire their programs (whether it's

narrative, docs, or series):

1. They acquire a finished program. This is usually the least

expensive option for a network, and where you, the producer

stand to receive the lowest acquisition price (the exception

being if you're a Sundance Film Festival winner or something

like that). Networks acquire their programs at both Film Festivals

and Film Markets like AFM, Cannes, MIPTV, and MIPCOM.

2. They commission a program: This is the option they go for

when they want to own the film or program out-right. You become

a hired gun, and create the program to their specifications.

A&E only does business this way for example.

3. They engage in a Co-Production agreement: This is actually

the most common way a Network acquires it's content. For a review

on how Co-Productions work, you can revisit the audio seminar

I did on this topic here: http://www.filmspecific.com/members/517.cfm

As you can see, Worldwide Cable and Broadcast distribution is

it's own beast. I specialized in it for many years, and to tell

you the truth, actually prefer it over other areas of distribution.

Why? Because the TV business is a real BUSINESS, and broadcast

buyers are eager to spend money to fill their programming slots.

It's much more cut and dry than the Theatrical distribution

world, and a much easier sell most of the time.

If you want to learn all the intricacies of Broadcast distribution,

I would recommend checking out a service like Cable U. Especially

if you want to PITCH your ideas to networks, their service is

invaluable. And the good news is I've twisted their arm to give

my subscribers a free ONE MONTH trial. Just go to www.CableU.tv

and enter promo code: FilmSpecific, and you'll see what I mean

about this being an invaluable resource for Producers interested

in broadcast distribution for their work.

Here it is again: www.CableU.tv

promo code: FilmSpecific

By the way, Cable U is brought to you by our friends at Cable

Ready, one of my recommended sales agencies for broadcast

distribution. I even did a special audio seminar with them a

few months ago. You can check that out here and learn more

about them: http://www.filmspecific.com/members/331.cfm

Alright folks! That's enough stuff to keep you busy for a few

days, isn't it?

If anyone has any feedback on Broadcast Distribution in general,

we'd love to hear from you! Let us know your success stories, or not-so-success stories....

Talk to you soon~

To your success,

Stacey*

PS: If you weren't able to access any of the links above,

why not get 2 free months of Premium Membership, just by

picking up a copy of the Film Distribution Kit? You can

read all about that here: http://www.FilmSpecific.com/DistKit