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MIPTV Round-UP -- April 10, 2008

Hi everyone,

Well MIPTV has just about wrapped up and it's been an exciting week!

I've got some observations and trends I'd like to share with you all and give you some of the

highlights of the Market. And then I'm going to give you my Top 10 MIPTV Buyers List

so you can go after some deals of your own!

One of the first things I noticed is that because of the writers strike, the big networks had

much less programming to sell to international broadcasters. As a result, countries are starting

to look elsewhere, as well as internally, to fill their slates.

Video On Demand platforms in Europe are really taking off. So when you're exploring

VOD Distribution for your films, don't just go to the US based companies - seek out the

biggest VOD platforms in each country and submit to them.

The Broker role in certain countries has increased in importance - in complex markets

like the Middle East, China, and Japan, on-the-ground companies can smooth the entry for

foreign companies.

Producers continue to sell their own films and programs successfully by taking meetings

with buyers directly. Some are even renting a small space under their National booth

(for example, the U.S has the IFTA pavilion) so they can leverage being part of a bigger

organization.

More and more boutique sales agencies are popping up and specializing in different

niches. Keep in mind they need about 1000-3000 hours of content in its catalogue in

order to have enough clout to satisfy buyers. They also need a pipeline of new shows

premiering at each market.

In terms of genres, there's big growth happening in Body, Mind & Spirit/Health & Wellness

categories.

And finally...Eastern Europe is no longer considered an Emerging Market. It has officially

EMERGED and was probably the *hottest* market at MIPTV. What I mean by that is due

to their incredible growth, they are buying more content than ever.

Keeping that in mind, I included several Eastern European buyers in my Top 10 Buyers

List. They all need a hundreds of hours of content so don't be shy about contacting them.

You can get your hands on it here:

http://www.filmspecific.com/members/602.cfm

AND...last but not least, I want to introduce a brand new feature that we launched on the

Film Specific website. Over the past several months I've heard from many of you that you

wanted a central database where you could find a list of Sales Agencies. Yes, there

are various lists out there, but the information is very scattered and doesn't always

have contact details of the Acquisitions Executives (which is who you need to contact to

have your film considered for representation).

So guess what we did? We created a proprietary database that includes over 50 Sales

Agencies that represent independent films. And we'll be adding to it over time. So go on

and give it a whilr! If you want your film to be represented at the next big Market which

is the Cannes Market, then start contacting these people right away:

http://www.filmspecific.com/members/601.cfm

Alright gang - as always, I hope you enjoy and I'll talk to you again in a few days!

To your success,

Stacey*

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