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Forum Brasil ends, looking forward to an even bigger and
better edition in June 2009

The 9th Forum Brasil — International Television Market ended today in São Paulo with record numbers of attendees and foreign visitors. The two-day event attracted delegations from 23 countries and was attended by an estimated 1,000-plus people. The exhibition was twice the size of last year’s and the 2009 edition is expected to be even larger, consolidating Forum Brasil as Latin America’s leading market for audiovisual content and assuring its place in the international trade show calendar. In actual fact the event ended Friday with a meeting of TV stations from all nine Portuguese-speaking countries to discuss the prospects for integration and exchange. Stay tuned: we will be in touch with regular updates. See you in June 2009 at the 10th Forum Brasil.

Conspiração wins Discovery/Forum Brasil Pitching with “Zootropolis”
“Zootropolis”, a project by Rio de Janeiro-based production house Conspiração, won the Discovery/Forum Brasil Pitching in the Documentary category. The project was awarded the Forum Brasil trophy and US$20,000 from Discovery Channel to fund development. At a pitching session held today for the Animation category the trophy winner was “Manedy”, a project by São Paulo-based production house Digital 21. Yesterday the project “De menina para menina” by Rio de Janeiro-based production house Trapiche won the trophy in the TV Series category.

Brazilian audiovisual market to receive investment of R$250 million this year
Some R$250 million will be injected into the Brazilian audiovisual market in 2008, according to Ancine, the national film agency. The figure takes into account funds deriving from tax incentives, the budgets of Ancine and the Culture Ministry’s Audiovisual Department, investment by the national development bank (BNDES), and the Audiovisual Industry Fund. The forecast was presented by Ancine director Sérgio Sá Leitão on Thursday, June 5, during a panel session at the 9th Forum Brasil – International Television Market in São Paulo. Sá Leitão expounded on the Special Development Programs (PEFs) funded by Article 1 of the Audiovisual Law. The PEFs propose partnerships between Ancine and broadcast channels, programmers and entities not necessarily linked to the audiovisual industry. “Three broadcasters and a business entity are engaged in negotiations at present,” he said.

ITVS focusing on emerging markets
“We’re very interested in Brazilian documentaries and programs,” said Richard Saiz at the start of his presentation to the 9th Forum Brasil. Saiz represents ITVS, which funds independent production in the U.S. It was set up 17 years ago by Congress to define the cultural dialogue on public television. Most of its funds come from the taxpayer. ITVS invests these public funds in domestic programming. A separate entity funded by major U.S. foundations invests in international projects. The international funding initiative was created to enable U.S. audiences to learn more about other places, people and points of view on American television. ITVS International, which is now three years old, receives co-production credits and provides up to US$150,000 to supplement a project’s budget. A pitching session is held every February. More than 300 projects are registered each year. “What matters most is that projects help Americans to understand other countries,” Saiz explained. In exchange for funding and services, ITVS gets exclusive U.S. television broadcast rights for a five-year period but doesn’t participate in distribution to the rest of the world in any medium. Projects come from more than 70 countries, said Saiz, but most are from English-speaking countries. For this reason ITVS wants to encourage more applicants from Latin America, Africa and Asia. “Send us your projects! Let’s talk: that’s why I’m here,” he said.

Cocktail reception with tributes opens 9th Forum Brasil
A cocktail reception officially opened the 9th Forum Brasil – International Television Market on Tuesday evening. Tributes were paid and trophies awarded to Brazilian production house Flamma for its children’s cartoon series “Princesas do Mar”, currently being screened by several channels around the world; HBO, for the large number of original productions made in Latin America; Brazilian TV network RBS, for encouraging local production; Janete Clair, in memoriam, for her huge contribution to Brazilian dramaturgy; and Colombian Fernando Gaitán, creator of “Ugly Betty”, a big hit in many countries.

Tax incentive boosts production in Brazil
A tax incentive mechanism created to encourage TV channels to partner with independent producers is in the pipeline in Brazil. Article 3 of the Audiovisual Law allows foreign companies that sell or license programming and sports rights to invest 70% of withholding tax due in the development or co-production of independent feature films, shorts, series, documentaries etc. All that’s required for this provision to be enforced is the issuance of implementing rules by the National Film Agency (Ancine), which should happen in the coming months.

Forum Brasil welcomes delegations from Uruguay, Italy, Spain, and Canada
Delegations from Uruguay, Italy, Spain and Canada are attending this edition of Forum Brasil. Both have booths at the event. At the Uruguayan booth, participants in Forum Brasil can talk to members of the Audiovisual Industry Association of Uruguay, and to representatives of broadcaster Canal 10 and production houses Animalada 3D Animation Studio, Contenidos TV, La Jolla Films, Microtime Productions, Oriental Films and OZ Media.

Brazilian TV network offers soap opera to broadcaster from East Timor
Brazilian TV network Band is to offer Rádio e Televisão do Timor Leste (RTTL) its soap opera “Paixões Proibidas”, a co-production with Portugal’s RTP. Band will offer the soap free of charge to RTTL during the Meeting of TV Stations from Portuguese-Speaking Countries on June 6, the last day of Forum Brasil. Representatives of the East Timorese public TV station will be at the event, the first of its kind ever held. The aim of the meeting is to discuss the peculiarities of the market for TV content in the Portuguese language and exchange experiences.

Globo and SIC renew partnership for four years
Globo TV has announced the renewal of its partnership with Portugal’s SIC for another four years. The agreement gives SIC exclusive rights to exhibit all new soap operas produced by Globo until 2012. It covers only the purchase and sale of soaps, Globo says, and does not contemplate programming of any other kind, such as teledramas or series. SIC has been exclusively airing Globo’s soaps and miniseries since 1994. The two broadcasters usually air productions simultaneously, which poses no technical problems thanks to the fact that Brazil is a Portuguese-speaking country.

Globo prepares multi-platform content for international market
The new generation of consumers needs new creators, and Latin America is competitive in this field, thanks to local talent in Brazil and the rest of the region, says Raphael Corrêa Netto, director of international sales at TV Globo Internacional while attending the first day of Forum Brasil. There’s plenty of room for Brazilian content in the international market, although it’s at a very different stage of development. “The experience we’ve acquired from launching Globo Doc, which was specifically designed for the international market, shows there’s demand for entertainment and news in a range of formats, and in cable, web and mobile versions,”says Corrêa Netto. The idea is to create international subproducts from Globo’s content for these new platforms and even extend their shelf lives. “The time and effort required to prepare and publish the new formats will depend on commercial opportunities and profitability expectations, but we’re already developing the project, which is likely to last through the next year or so,” he explains.

Fernando Gaitán, creator of “Ugly Betty”, opens Forum Brasil
Fernando Gaitán, creator and producer of Colombian telenovela “Betty, la Fea”, is keynote speaker at the opening session of the 9th Forum Brasil – International Television Market, on Wednesday, June 4, in São Paulo. Gaitán is slated to participate in a discussion on the global presence of Latin American productions, alongside representatives of Globo TV, Televisa, Caracol, and Discovery. “Ugly Betty” is an outstanding success story, with adaptations in the U.S., Germany and China, among other countries.

Forum Brasil has record number of international attendees
A record number of visitors will attend Forum Brasil this year. Invited participants alone include more than 90 acquisition, programming and co-production executives from 23 countries. The countries with executives attending Forum Brasil this year are Angola, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Cape Verde, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, East Timor, France. Germany, Guinea-Bissau, Italy, Macau, Mexico, Mozambique, Portugal, São Tomé and Príncipe. Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States, and Uruguay. The foreign guests are spread over two days of panels and presentations. The event comprises more than 40 hours of conferences all told, in three concurrent rooms. In addition, the Meeting of Broadcasters from Portuguese-Language Countries takes place on June 6, with another full day of debates.

Projects selected for Discovery Channel/
Forum Brasil pitching
Five TV documentary projects have been selected to participate in the Discovery Channel/Forum Brasil pitching session, competing for a prize of US$20,000 in development funding awarded by Discovery Channel. The candidates will pitch their projects at the closing session of Forum Brasil on June 5. The following projects have been selected:

* “Amazon Diamonds”, Mutante Filmes
* “Brasil Forte”, Urca Filmes
* “Hot Hospital”, Mixer
* “Sugar Men”, Prodigo
* “Zootropolis”, Conspiração Filmes

Jury: Michela Giorelli (Discovery, USA), André Rossi (Discovery), Wagner La-Bella (TV Cultura), Richard Saiz (ITVS, USA), Israel do Valle (TV Brasil), Sarah Jane Flynn (Canwest, Canada).

Sandra Corveloni wins Best Actress award at Cannes
Brazilian actress Sandra Corveloni starred in a major surprise at the Cannes Film Festival, which ended a week ago, by winning the Best Actress award for her moving performance as a pregnant single mother of four in “Linha de Passe”, co-directed by Walter Salles and Daniela Thomas. Corveloni was picked by eight out of the nine jurors, toppling punters’ favorite Angelina Jolie. This year the festival was enlivened by a strong Brazilian presence, which included “Blindness”, directed by Fernando Meirelles and based on the novel by Portuguese writer José Saramago, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1998.

TV Brasil plans to invest R$60 million in 32 programming tenders
TV Brasil, the new national public broadcasting corporation, is to issue 32 calls for tender in the second half of this year in a major drive to capture program content. Director General Orlando Senna says he wants to air as much independent programming as possible. Tenders will be held for series, animation, television films, motion pictures and documentaries, as well as acquisition of rights to finished productions. “We plan to invest R$60 million in the audiovisual market in the second half via these tenders,” Senna told this newsletter.

Fox to launch HD channel for Brazilian market
Fox is about to launch a high-definition channel for Brazil, initially as a “superstation” with programs from a range of channels controlled by the group, such as NatGeo and FX as well as Fox itself. To date it hasn’t worked out how to synchronize transmission with the rest of the feed to Latin America, but the solution will probably involve a new channel programmed in Brazil with content exclusively from National Geographic, practically all of which is already produced in HD. HBO launched its own HD channel for the region earlier this year.

Registration open for Forum Brasil. We look forward to seeing you here!
Registration is open for the 9th Forum Brasil, which will be held on June 3-5 at Centro de Exposições Frei Caneca in São Paulo. This year the event includes several novelties, including a meeting of Portuguese-speaking broadcasters. To submit your online registration, just click here. Please note: registration for Pitchings (including Pitching Discovery) now can be done until May, 14

New at this year’s Forum Brasil: exclusive attendee database
Forum Brasil presents a significant novelty in 2008: an exclusive database is available with the names, contact details and other relevant information on all registered attendees. It’s easy to search and you can use it to find out who will be participating in this year’s event. Register now or, if you already have, click here to log on, access this Who’s Who of the audiovisual industry and optimize your business networking.

Visitors from over 17 countries confirmed
More than 50 buyers and distributors from over 17 countries have confirmed their participation at the ninth edition of Forum Brasil – International Television Market. Broadcasters from Latin America (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico), the United States, Canada, Europe (France, Germany, Portugal, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Croatia) and Africa (Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde, Guinea Bissau, São Tome & Principe) are sending representatives to take part in panel discussions, “30 Minutes With” sessions, pitchings and screenings during the three-day event.

BNDES is Forum Brasil’s institutional sponsor
BNDES, the national development bank, is the institutional sponsor of Forum Brasil, lending its prestige to the event and underscoring the importance of the audiovisual industry as a driver of economic development, as well as TV Brasil, the recently created national public broadcaster, and Caixa Econômica Federal. In addition, Cartoon Network, TV Vanguarda, Itaú Cultural and TPI have also joined the list of companies that are sponsoring Forum Brasil. São Paulo Turismo, The São Paulo Convention & Visitors Bureau and SESC TV are supporting the event.

Brazil wins investment grade from Standard & Poor's
The month of April ended with excellent news for the Brazilian economy. In a widely anticipated move that nevertheless surprised the markets by its earlier than expected timing, Standard & Poor’s awarded investment grade to Brazil’s long-term foreign currency debt. The rating lowers the cost of financing investment in development and reflects the solidity of one of the world’s fastest-growing economies.

“Blindness” to open Cannes festival
“Blindness”, the new film by Brazilian director Fernando Meirelles, is to open this year’s Cannes Film Festival. A co-production between Brazil, Canada and Japan, the film is based on the novel by Nobel Laureate José Saramago and will participate in the official competition.
Brazilian film makers are on a roll right now, as evidenced by the news from Cannes and the Golden Bear won at the Berlin Film Festival by José Padilha’s “Elite Squad” earlier this year.

Documentary projects to pitch for Discovery Channel / Forum Brasil award
A Brazilian documentary project will be selected at the 9th Forum Brasil to win a development budget equivalent to US$20,000 from Discovery Networks. Entrants must comply with specifications established by Discovery Channel, which airs 60-minute non-fiction specials and 6-13 episodes series on science, history, engineering, technology, archeology, civilizations, religious mysteries, current affairs, and investigations. Projects must be enrolled for the Discovery Pitching by May 9.

Reinforcement from sponsors and supporters of Forum Brasil
TV Globo as associated partner, the Brazilian Association of Independent TV Producers (APBI-TV), TV Record and TV Band are the latest additions to the list of Forum Brasil’s sponsors, joining Endemol Globo and repeating the success obtained at the previous edition. A novelty this year is the presence of Deutsche Welle-Transtel, which is confident of the Forum’s success. The Foreign Ministry of Brazil and SESC are supporters of the event. The next issue of this newsletter will present more information on partner organizations.

TV Câmara scouting for content for new channel
TV Câmara, the television station run by Brazil’s Chamber of Deputies, is to use the extra capacity delivered by terrestrial digital technology to broadcast multiple channels. In the second half of this year, when it will start broadcasting free-to-air in São Paulo using digital technology, TV Câmara plans to offer two channels with coverage of parliamentary activities and a third for other content such as news, discussion programs, special series, documentaries, Brazilian movies and talk shows with audience participation. Management is scouting for new content to fill up its programming schedule, with a thematic focus on citizenship, communication, education, economics, humanities, politics and health. It is prepared to acquire ready-made content and commission new productions.

HBO to broadcast in HD throughout Latin America from April
HBO Brazil says it will start transmitting prime-time films and series in HD on April 1. By mid-year the programmer will go live with a 24-hour HD channel for the entire Latin America region. The signal will be sent to operators using MPEG-4 compression via Intelsat 3R, together with HBO’s existing services for Brazil in standard definition. According to the programmer, HD content reception will be available from operators that have the technology to receive and transmit HD signals.

Globo to increase HD production and transmission
TV Globo is expanding production facilities in Rio de Janeiro. Two new studios are under construction at Projac, where four studios already operate. Post-production is being converted to HD, and a new HD mobile unit with up to 30 cameras is to be acquired. The HD attractions scheduled to date include several episodes of Globo Reporter and the Beijing Olympics.

Forum Brasil to host meeting of TV stations from eight Portuguese-speaking countries

Under the aegis of Forum Brasil, delegations from TV stations in all eight countries with Portuguese as their official language — Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Portugal, São Tomé and Príncipe, and East Timor — are to meet formally to discuss ways of establishing an exchange of information on content and technological innovations, and explore other opportunities for collaboration. Portugal and Brazil both have a well-developed, relatively sophisticated “content industry”. The idea is to disseminate this to the rest of the Lusophone community. Stay tuned. More information coming soon.

Brazilian film wins Berlin’s Golden Bear, set to become TV series
The Elite Squad, directed by José Padilha, has won the Golden Bear, the top prize at the annual Berlin Film Festival. It’s the first prize won by a Brazilian movie at the festival for ten years. The last was Walter Salles’s Central Station. Now Tropa de Elite is to become a TV series in Brazil, building on the movie’s huge success on the home front.

Decree seals Brazil-Germany coproduction treaty
A new Brazilian-German film coproduction treaty was signed in February, renewing the previous one that dated from the 1970s. The new accord extends the concept of film to “a set of images or images and sounds recorded on any material, including television and video recordings, animation, and productions in digital format”, so that in practice the treaty covers audiovisual coproduction in general rather than just film. It also permits smaller contributions than the previous accord: the minimum for either party is 20%, opening the possibility of participation by a co-producer from a third country.

Eyeworks Cuatro Cabezas comes to Brazil
Custe o que Custar, a Brazilian version of Caiga Quien Caiga (CQC), the current-affairs satire show produced by Argentina’s Eyeworks Cuatro Cabezas, debuts on the Band national network in March. Bands say it’s producing the show but Cuatro Cabezas will contribute format know-how and is opening its first Brazilian base in São Paulo to do so. CQC has been a hit in Argentina since 1995 and has versions in Spain (since 1996), Italy (1997) and Chile (2002).

30 Minutes With... sessions foster business networking
Forum Brasil offers excellent opportunities to buy and sell audiovisual productions, not least in the popular feature known as “30 Sessions With...”, where directors of programming, acquisitions managers and distributors talk about their procurement policies. Valuable tips on how to pitch projects to the big players are also a key part of these sessions. Don’t miss this unique networking opportunity!

Fremantle sells 300 hours of programming to Latin America in 2008
Fremantlemedia Enterprises has announced the sale of approximately 300 hours of programming to Latin America since January 1, 2008. The packages sold include everything from music to factual and lifestyle programming and formats. GloboSat and Sky People & Arts, for example, have bought lifestyle programs Janice Dickinson Season 2 and Project Runway Season 4 respectively. TV Escola has bought “Story of 1”.

Funds to finance film industry grow 45.5% in Brazil
Brazil’s four film financing funds, known as Funcines, are worth R$32.67 million (about US$18 million) in aggregate. The total has jumped 45% in the last two months alone, thanks to Fator Funcine and Funcine Lacan Downtown Filmes, set up November 26 and December 11 respectively.

Government exempts digital TV and radio equipment from import duty
Three categories of equipment for digital television and radio have been exempted from import duty until December 31, 2008. They comprise 12 subcategories ranging from set-top boxes for terrestrial DTV to MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 monitoring systems. The exemption should lead to price reductions in key items of equipment as Brazil transitions from analog to digital broadcasting.

Globo transmits first soccer match in HD

Endemol Globo, Senac at Forum Brasil 2008

Brazil’s digital TV debuts with high-definition channels
Digital terrestrial television broadcasting was officially launched in Brazil December 2. In the initial stage the DTT service is available only in São Paulo, the largest city in Brazil with some 18 million inhabitants, but before long the system will also cover Rio de Janeiro and other parts of the country. All major networks are now airing soaps, movies, sports and other programs in high definition (HDTV). Set-tops for digital reception are on sale in major stores. Cable companies have announced that HDTV set-tops will be available in about two weeks’ time. Pay-TV programmers Globosat and BandSports have begun transmitting HDTV signals.

Claro activates 3G network
Mobile carrier Claro, controlled by Telmex, has started offering third-generation services in metropolitan Brasília, Fortaleza and Recife. Coverage of metropolitan São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro begins in the first week of December. Some 33 million people live and work in the coverage area overall. Initially Claro is offering live two-way video calling and broadband, both via cell phone and via a special-purpose card for PCs or laptops.

New public broadcaster debuts in Brazil
Brazil’s new public national television network launched December 2. TV Brasil was created by order of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva via a merger of TV Educativa and Radiobrás, the national broadcasting service. Among the aims of the new enterprise will be fostering independent production, set to account for more than 50% of its programming grid.

Oi’s IPTV service to offer 200 titles at launch next quarter
A new IPTV service to be launched next quarter by Oi, the wireline and wireless operator for Rio de Janeiro and several other parts of Brazil. It will start with some 200 titles for video on demand (VOD). The service will go live commercially in the city of Rio de Janeiro, where Oi has invested in expanding its fiber optic network to enhance data rates. According to José Luis Volpini, Oi’s director for new business, subscribers can pay for a basic package with a set number of movies per month but there will also be pay-per-view opportunities to watch already aired TV programs and soccer matches.

Forum Brasil grows, doubles exhibition space
Thanks to the success of the 2007 edition, where the entire exhibition space was rented, Forum Brasil 2008 will have twice as much as space for booths as well as an extra day of activities. As usual, the infrastructure provided will be more than you could wish for to showcase productions and discuss projects or deals in the emerging Latin American market. The entire package comes gift-wrapped in a warm, hospitable atmosphere only Brazil can offer. Unmissable!

Forum Brasil to join VideoAge breakfast at NATPE 2008
You’re cordially invited to join us for a breakfast meeting hosted by VideoAge magazine at NATPE. 2008. This edition of the magazine’s longstanding annual event takes place on Monday, January 28, from 9 a.m. to 10.30 a.m., during Independents’ Day at NATPE. Forum Brasil will be represented there by business executive Patrícia Linger. This is a great opportunity to network and find out about all the new trends and business ventures on display at the leading U.S. event for independent producers throughout Latin America. Please let us know if you plan to attend sending an email to leah@videoageinternational.com.

BNDES approves new investments in independent production
BNDES the national development bank, has amended its bylaws to allow independent producers to receive loans and grants for films, documentaries and TV animations. It says grants amounting to up to R$6 million will be available for independent TV productions each year. This is an extension of the support already given to film makers, but now solely for projects with distribution and exhibition on TV in Brazil and abroad, guaranteed via international co-productions.

9th Forum Brasil sponsorship opportunities
Guarantee privileged space for your brand, product or service by sponsoring the Ninth Edition of Forum Brasil. Bring your message to the Latin American audiovisual market, one of the fastest-growing in the world, via an event attended by highly qualified business people and professionals. Send an email now to Patrícia Linger (patricia.linger@convergecom.com.br) for more information about how to grab the attention of attendees at Forum Brasil.

GVT negotiates content for VOD
GVT is to launch a video-on-demand service via IPTV by the end of this year. The Brazilian carrier will offer VOD to its 190,000 ADSL broadband subscribers. It’s negotiating new releases and back catalogues with major studios such as Warner, TNT, Sony and Discovery. A programming grid is being drawn up for IPTV and technological platform suppliers are submitting bids.

Brazilian distributor launches new channel on Joost
Elo Audiovisual, a distributor of Latin American audiovisual content, has announced the launch of Elo Cinema Latino, its second channel on Joost. Elo partners with Joost to create digital channels with Brazilian and Latin American programming. The Brazilian Music Channel was the first channel Elo launched with the online global TV distribution platform created by the founders of Skype. The new channel includes full-length features as well as short films.

Turner completes acquisition of Claxson
Turner Broadcasting System says it has received final approval from Argentina’s antitrust authority, Comisión Nacional de Defensa de la Competencia, to complete the US$234 million purchase of cable networks currently operating in the Latin American market from Claxson Interactive Group. The deal was officially announced in October and includes seven networks: Fashion TV, HTV, Infinito, I.Sat, MuchMusic, Retro, and Space. In addition, TBS Latin America has assumed sales representation rights for Claxson- and third party-owned networks in Latin America, and will provide related technical services to these networks. Thanks to this transaction Turner Broadcasting’s Latin America portfolio now includes 13 wholly owned television networks and ten represented networks. Claxson will maintain its interests in Playboy TV Latin America, Digital Latin America and DMX MUSIC Latin America, as well as its broadband and internet division.

Brasil Telecom launches video-on-demand via IPTV
Brasil Telecom, one of the largest telcos in South America, launched a service offering video-on-demand via IPTV in late September for subscribers in Brasília. Brasil Telecom has signed agreements with programmers Pramer (which distributes the Film&Arts channel) and DLA, for content from MGM and Disney, among others. Altogether more than 500 hours of programming are available.

BBC Worldwide reports 17% sales growth in LatAm
BBC Worldwide reports steadily growing sales in Latin America. According to José Sanchez, VP LatAm, and Steve Macallister, Global Sales Director, sales in the region grew 17% in the last fiscal year, reflecting a combination of additional purchases by existing clients and increasing numbers of players in the region, especially new platforms for delivering TV. Macallister says he’s excited by the growth of new media, especially broadband video. “It’s one of the fastest-growing segments,”he notes. For Sanchez, although new platforms are only just starting to expand, this market is “key to BBC Worldwide’s future growth”.
At BBC Showcase Latin America in Rio de Janeiro in September, BBC Worldwide announced the sale of Planet Earth to four more channels: Tele Doce (Uruguay), Canal 11 (Honduras), Canal 11 (Mexico) and Teletica (Costa Rica). In Brazil the HD series is aired by Globo.
BBC Worldwide has also announced the sale of 100 hours of drama and natural history programming to Hallmark Latin America and Galavision, a U.S. Hispanic channel.

Brazilian government sets up public TV
The government’s department of communications has sent Congress an executive decree setting up a public television network. The measure comes into force immediately but can be revoked by Congress within two months. The provisional name is TV Brasil. It will have an annual budget of about US$180 million. Radiobrás and TVE will be merged to create the new network, which will emphasize independent productions and co-productions and has promised to grant independent productions a daily 4-hour minimum in its grid.

Sky bringing more transponders on stream to offer HD
Sky Brazil plans to expand its transmission capacity on Intelsat IS-11 from 14 to 18 transponders in the fourth quarter of this year. In 2008-9 it will invest in high-definition technology (HDTV encoded to MPEG-4) and second-generation DVR. The fifth generation of its decoder, due for launch in 2008, will be compatible with MPEG-4, a video compression system already used by DirecTV U.S. to transmit HDTV. The group is known as DirecTV everywhere in the Americas except in Mexico and Brazil, where it has kept the DVB standard (due to migrate to DVB-S2) and the Sky brand name. Its decoders will be hybrid in future, as part of a single platform for the Americas.

Globo announces sale of “América” to Telemundo
Globo has announced the sale of its telenovela (soap opera) “América” to Telemundo. Both were major attendees at the 2007 edition of Forum Brasil. The soap is due to premiere in the U.S. in early 2008, becoming the twelfth Globo production available to U.S. viewers. “América” has been sold to over 25 countries in Latin America. The CEOs of Globo TV International and Telemundo met during Forum Brasil in May.

Granada sell dramas to HBO LatAm
Forum Brasil was barely over when distributor Granada International announced the sale of a package of dramas and TV movies to HBO Latin America. The deal is seen as significant in a territory that traditionally prefers local series. The titles include “Dracula”, “Agatha Christie’s Marple”, “Tipping Point”, “And She Was”, and “Wildfires”. They will start airing on HBO's pan-Latin American cable channel in the next six months.

Forum Brasil 2007 sells out, receives 1,000 visitors
More than 1,000 people attended the 8th edition of Forum Brasil – International TV Market, which ended May 31 in São Paulo, Brazil. Sixty-two speakers from over ten countries took part in 32 presentations at the two-day show, including panel discussions, 30 Minutes With sessions, and pitchings. The exhibition space was entirely sold out, featuring 21 exhibitors: Globo, SBT, Telemundo, TPI, Brazilian TV Producers, ANCINE (Brazil’s film industry regulator), BBC Worldwide, BNDES (national development bank), Cellcast, Canadian Consulate General in São Paulo, Deutsche Welle, Granada International, HBO, Brazilian Ministry of Culture, NBP, Programasom, Bandeirantes, TV Brasil, and TV SENAC.

Major innovations for Forum Brasil 2008:
2x exhibition area and an extra day
Forum Brasil was so successful this year that the organizers have announced two major innovations for the next edition on June 3-5, 2008: double the exhibition space; and an extra day for parallel activities such as visiting local producers and TV stations, and booking future business meetings.


Tribute to Telemundo CEO Don Browne
A special reception for Don Browne, president of Telemundo, was held at the opening of Forum Brasil to recognize the network’s contribution to Latin culture. Telemundo is one of the largest Spanish-language TV networks in the U.S. Browne said he was honored to receive the tribute, considering Telemundo “a showcase” for TV content produced in Brazil. “We wouldn’t be where we are now without you,” he added. The difference between Spanish and Portuguese isn’t a problem, according to Browne, as the commonalities in Latin American culture are strong enough to overcome the language barrier.

BNDES, ANCINE finance co-production
BNDES, the national development bank, and ANCINE, the film industry regulator, announced new lines of credit to finance production and co-production at Forum Brasil. Manoel Rangel, director-general of ANCINE, promised that a new legal mechanism to foster partnerships between TV stations in Brazil and independent producers worldwide will be in place by September. ANCINE aims to make some US$30 million available for top-quality projects by year-end. That’s roughly the amount invested in the last three years.