bag for Canadians

Hong Kong: many of the 20-plus Canadian exporters who made the trans-Pacific trip to attend the first mip-asia television market held Dec. 1-3 in Hong Kong will be taking a hard look at whether they will return next time.

While some companies, especially those with an established presence in Asian markets, were very active over the three-day market, many sellers complained of a decided lack of buyers.

At the half-way point in this first major opportunity to sell directly to Asian buyers on their home turf, many sellers were openly questioning whether there would be a second mip-asia.

But as the pace picked up over the last day and a half, the mood seemed to swing slightly and on the final day, market organizer Reed Midem announced there would be a second mip-asia in Hong Kong beginning Nov. 29.

Some Canadians will be happy to return. Atlantis Releasing was busy with appointments and sales throughout the entire three days, as were Cinar, Nelvana and Sullivan Entertainment International.

Alliance Communications, a dominant presence with a large, centrally located booth in the Hong Kong Convention Centre, also attracted a steady flow of traffic.

And CBC International reported a major deal at the market, selling 104 episodes of Street Legal to Taiwan.

While most Canadians who completed sales admitted that the deals they made at the Hong Kong market would probably have come about either at other markets or in normal business, there was a general sense that attendance was important, both to get a better feel for the Asian market and, just by being there, to build profile.

‘Learning experience’

Like so many Canadians, Atlantis Releasing president Ted Riley says he didn’t know what to expect from the market ahead of time, but decided to attend ‘as a learning experience.’

While conceding that his company is anomalous in that Atlantis has had a Far Eastern office in Sydney, Australia for five years, Riley says in sales alone, mip-asia more than tripled expectations.

Atlantis capitalized on a lot of advance planning and ended up signing new sales deals with more than 10 countries, including a major package of tv movies to Nine Network in Australia.

‘Because of our presence in Asia, we were considered locals at the market, and that was the key for us,’ says Riley.

Advance legwork

Cinar vice-president of sales and marketing Louis Fournier is another Canadian who says he had a successful market but, again, attributes this to a great deal of advance legwork.

Fournier says he’s been aggressively pursuing the Asian market for at least a year. He conducted three extensive sales trips to broadcasters around the Pacific Rim over the past year and he says that led to the finalization of about a dozen small deals at the market.

Cinar also hooked up with a Taiwan-based distributor, Wang Film, to represent the company’s The Busy World of Richard Scarry in Chinese-speaking territories.

Fournier says the real significance of mip-asia is that it provides a focal point – or another ‘occasion’ – during which time sellers and potential coproduction partners can meet with Asians in their own milieu.

Fournier followed up the three-day market with additional sales trips to Japan and South Korea, and says he expects two major deals will come from that.

Part of the stream

‘One important aspect of the market was all of the intra-Asian action that took place there,’ says Fournier. ‘It meant that by being there, you became a part of the stream of business in Asia rather than being on the outskirts.’

And while many Canadians were frustrated by the lack of walk-in trade at the market, Fournier says he found the style and pace of mip-asia to his liking.

‘It was more leisurely (than mip-tv or mipcom) and certainly less frantic. There was more time to talk to people. I liked it,’ says Fournier, adding that maybe a case could be made for developing more regional markets.

Mediamax International’s sales executive Chantale Legault reflected a common sentiment among Canadian sellers in describing the commitment to an Asian market – whether it continues to be held in Hong Kong or moves to other cities – as a long-term, relationship-building exercise.

‘It was useful as a means of meeting new buyers. Every market brings about new faces. But I think it’s especially important in the Asian community to be seen there,’ says Legault. ‘It’s almost a way of showing respect.’

Change of heart

Sullivan executives say they were busy with a full slate of preplanned appointments, as well as meeting new buyers and establishing new leads with second and third buyers in such Asian markets as Indonesia, Thailand and Taiwan.

Following up on a busy mipcom, Sullivan experienced new interest from South Korean cable buyers for the company’s remaining inventory.

A number of Canadians, such as Charles Falzon of Catalyst Distribution, experienced a change of heart during the three days. Falzon went from feeling disappointed over the lack of new business after the first day to ending with the sense that he’d made a number of important contacts.

‘As long as this market exists, we will have to be here,’ says Falzon. ‘It would almost be insulting not to come.’

Les Productions La Fete’s Kevin Tierney says it is still an open question as to whether the market is viable in the long run.

‘The ideal situation would be to run this as a market that goes all over Asia,’ says Tierney. ‘If we are serious about exploring Asia, why not spread it around?’

The big question looming over the Reed Midem organization at the weekend closing of the market was whether the u.s. majors, most of whom attended this first mip-asia, would return.

Most Canadians reserved judgment, saying it may take several months before they know whether the market had been worth the investment in time and money.

‘Patience is the key word in dealing with the Asians,’ says Veronique Verges, cbc’s London-based sales representative, who has been establishing contacts with Asian buyers from the u.k. office for the past several years.

‘Progress is slow and you have to be persistent. You need to establish close personal ties. But by the same token, it can really pay off, because once you’ve made those ties, Asian clients tend to be very stable and loyal.’