Video Age International articles from February 2002

Video Age International archives from February 2002

AFM comfortable in its spot, at peace with MIFED.(American Film Market Association)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... While U.S. domestic television conferences and conventions continue to suffer from dwindling attendance due to industry consolidation, the international film market seems to be bouncing back strongly as it enters 2002. A record 419 films will...

Format trade show balances needs.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... The first annual formats conference was held February 6th-8th at the Dom Pedro Hotel in Lisbon, Portugal. Staged by DISCOP, a Paris-based international television events organization, the three-day forum targeted international television format...

The changing business of acquisitions in Russia.(status of television broadcasting industry)(Statistical Data Included)(Industry Overview)
February 1, 2002... The Russian television landscape has been completely transformed since the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union. These days, television is the primary news and entertainment source for the majority of the country's 130 million residents. The...

Hopes and harsh realities at SPORTELAmerica.
February 1, 2002... As SPORTEL prepares for Miami-based SPORTELAmerica 2002, to be held March 25-28 at the Doral Gold Resort and Spa, economic issues loom large but don't entirely overshadow plans for a viable conference. "The international sports community is...

My two cents.(Dom Serafini's opinion of film-television trade magazines, U.S.)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... The industry enjoys disparaging Film-TV trade magazines. We in the TV mag biz tend to be critical of our own work as well, but for different reasons than those of TV executives. For the most part, trades are a mirror of the industry: we...

Venice TV Fest debuts. (World).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Organized by the Association of Italian TV Producers (APT) and VeneziaFiere, the Venice International TV Festival (part of the European Commission's MediaPlus program which promotes the interests of television producers in European markets)...

L.A. screenings 2002 & VideoAge. (World).(National Association of Television Program Executives)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... More than 30 TV executives attended VideoAge's traditional Latin American breakfast during NATPE. The agenda included the upcoming LA Screenings and NATPE 2003 (see related NATPE report in this issue). In order to accommodate the TV...

Convergence India looks to the TV future. (World).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... The 10th annual Convergence India international exhibition and conference, which focuses on the current convergence revolution in that region and is themed "Next Generation Convergence Communications," will take place March 6-8, at Praghati...

Winter in Berlin for Italy's RAI Trade. (World).
February 1, 2002... RAI Trade, the distribution arm of Italian pubcaster RAI, attended the Berlin Film Festival and highlighted the art movie L'inverno (Winter) directed by 25-year-old Nina Di Majo. The movie follows the tumultuous lives of two couples as they...

Canada's digital cable growing pains. (World).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... It wasn't just the U.S. TV industry that felt the post-September 11 economic reverberations. Canada's efforts to market new digital channels and programming were severely tested. An ill-timed preview launch of almost 50 new specialty channels...

CBS to reach Europe, Middle East. (World).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Global broadcast solutions provider BT Broadcast was recently awarded a contract by CBS to transmit programming across Europe and the Middle East. The broadcast service extends CBS' reach and provides greater control over its program...

Hispanic TV: Beyond telenovelas. (World).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... While the telenovela genre remains a staple of Spanish-language networks, producers need more program diversity to meet the demands and expectations of the younger Hispanic audience, according to panelists at the "Beyond the Telenovela: Program...

Web Dr. hits U.S. TV screens. (World).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... The Web Doctor, a new syndicated news segment that provides Internet tips to those in need of a computer tutor, was launched nationwide on January 29th when it was broadcast via satellite to all U.S. TV stations that produce local news. Instead...

What's in store at MIP-TV. (World).
February 1, 2002... The dust from NATPE's whirlwind in the Las Vegas desert has barely settled, and it's time to begin looking forward to April's MIP-TV in Cannes. With two months to go before the market on April 15-19 (preceeded by the weekend documentary...

UN backs Info Society Summit. (World).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... The United Nations adopted a resolution to launch the World Summit on the Information Society, a global gathering designated to promote access for all countries to information, knowledge and communications technologies. The Summit will be...

ChumTV diversifying at home and abroad. (World).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Chum Television International (CTI) is strenghening its commitment to media education at home, and raking advantage of the broadband arena abroad. In partnership with the London Public Library; Chum TV announced the establishment of North...

Rudy and the amazing technicolor MOW. (World).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... In the aftermath of the September 11th tragedy, an our-going Republican mayor emerged as the heart of New York City and Hollywood intends to milk it for all its worth. The dust is still settling at Ground Zero, but a TV movie about the...

South Beach Screenings. (World).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... For its fifth year as one of the premier markets for Latin American program buyers, the South Beach Screenings (March 2730) is partnering with the Miami Film Festival (MFF) and streamlining its focus to include only feature films. "What we...

Critical acclaim. (Book Review).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Since the dawn of the motion picture age, the multi-million dollar movie industry has spawned more than just the admiration and ire of the general public. From the early days of the nickelodeon to the modern blockbuster era, film critics have...

Al-Jazeera gaining ground over CNN in the Middle East. (Middle East).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Since its inception in November of 1996, Arabic satellite channel Al-Jazeera has transformed news coverage in the Middle East. Its expanded 24-hour broadcast time, introduced in February of 1999, combined with its coverage of unfolding events...

MILIA got dotcommers pondering simplicity. (Web Casting).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... The recently concluded 9th annual MILIA market for interactive television (Feb. 4-8) in Cannes, France, revealed that there are more problems with iTV than meet the eye. Organized by Reed-Midem of MIP-TV fame, the market experienced a...

Biz of show second fiddle to market woes: Marking the end of floor stands. (NATPE Report).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... NATPE 2002 started as a TV market divided in two (one at the convention center, the other at the Venetian Hotel) and ended with the possibility of being divided into five or, at best, into three next year with a remote chance that the market...

Independents: What accounts for the action addiction? (Film Biz).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Diversity in independent releases: does that sound like a paradox? Traditionally, independent films have favored the action and suspense thriller genres over comedy and family-friendly fare. While reasons for this trend are complex, money is,...