Vancouver: Whether they are spurred by the expansion of the domestic broadcasting system, the changing appetites of television audiences or a thaw in the international television economy, Canadian programmers and distributors will be in a mood to spend at MIPTV in Cannes April 15-19.

Toronto distributor Canamedia Productions, for one, is trying to double the size of its catalogue to 100 titles in the lifestyle, adventure travel, documentary and youth genres in order to increase its presence in the market prior to its 25th anniversary.

‘This will be one of the most important markets after Sept. 11, and will be a good indication of what we can expect for the rest of this year,’ says newly appointed manager of North American sales and acquisitions, Kate Sanagan, formerly of Sullivan Entertainment. ‘We intend to go into MIP with eyes and ears wide open – meaning that while we know that the markets haven’t been the best in recent months, we also keep in mind that it can change so quickly.’

At PrideVision TV, director of acquisition Angel Narick is taking a big shopping bag to Cannes and is looking for all programming that appeals to the new digital channel’s gay audience. She needs documentaries, biographies, dramas, variety, movies and series to fill up future schedules, which is a challenge since a) PrideVision isn’t yet well known as a channel for international producers of gay content and b) she doesn’t have a lot of money for acquisition. PrideVision’s acquisition budget for its first year is $2.3 million.

‘What we find valuable about these markets is just the opportunity to meet producers, wave the flag and make them aware of us,’ says Narick. A key strategy, she says, is to get involved in production that is in development. Another is to secure not only Canadian broadcast rights, but North American rights to support PrideVision’s expected expansion into the U.S.

Similarly, Sydney Suissa, senior VP of factual programming at Alliance Atlantis and the programmer for History Television and National Geographic Channel, spends more time developing than buying shows.

‘When I started going to MIP five years ago, I used to buy programs to fill the schedule,’ he says. ‘Now I do a lot more meetings with producers looking for broadcast coproductions and presales.’

The change in focus, says Suissa, is due in large part to the consolidation of the television industry that has created exclusive supplier relationships and reduced the volume of material for sale.

‘I always come back with a few gems I didn’t think I’d find,’ says Suissa, ‘[But] you really have to have a much sharper eye to find the good projects at much earlier stages of development.’

High-end history productions are popular, he says, along with shows that blend genres like science and history. Suissa also sees three- and four-part series replacing the big series with dozens of episodes, a trend that reflects programmers’ need for variety in their schedules.

Joanna Webb, director of programming at Corus Children’s Television, will spend one-third of her undisclosed budget on commissioned programming for YTV, Treehouse and Discovery Kids and acquiring shows geared toward the teen and tween markets. International treaty coproductions, she says, will be key.

‘Yes, it has been a tough year for the industry, but we are going with the same budget as last year,’ says Webb, describing MIPTV as the year’s strongest market for Corus. ‘We have to be more creative about who we partner with and how we do it.’

While the CBC, too, will be forging international development partnerships for future programs, executive director of network programming Slawko Klymkiw will be on the lookout for high-quality international drama, movies and miniseries that enhance the CBC brand.

Meanwhile, Nancy Rouleau, VP programming at drama specialty channel Series+, has meetings at MIPTV with two major international suppliers – Australia’s Southern Sky for acquisition talks on a new family saga and Germany’s Betafilm, supplier of the popular police series Rex.

Closer to home, Rouleau says Series+ is buying more episodes of Da Vinci’s Inquest (Coroner Da Vinci) and Cold Squad (Brigade Speciale), both of which are dubbed in Montreal. Series+ will also meet with AAC for acquisition talks on C.S.I.

Noting the strong skew to female viewers (65%), Rouleau says there’s major interest in the CBS series Judging Amy. Top-rated foreign shows on Series+ include Sex and the City (Sexe a New York) and St. Tropez sous le soleil, from France’s Marathon.

On the sell side, distributor Allan Kent is convinced the soft international market is brightening.

‘We’re over the hump,’ says Kent, VP at Octapixx Worldwide in Toronto. ‘Ad budgets are easing, and broadcasters are coming out of the buying freeze after 9/11. Since NATPE, we’ve seen a resurgence in buying activity, with strong activity in many markets in Asia, Europe and the U.S. South America is having difficulty.’

Reality programs are still hot properties, says Kent, with travel adventure programs having particular success. Two South African series – African Adventures and Legendary Places – are Octapixx-represented shows that put a reality twist on the travel genre. Likewise, The World’s Greatest Events, from Toronto’s Event Media Group, takes viewers on 10 half-hour tours of spectacles such as the running of the bulls in Pamplona, Oktoberfest and Carnival in Rio.

Octapixx also has world rights to The Iberian Reserve, by Spanish director Manuel Catalan, that is 13 half-hours about endangered species in Spain and Portugal. KPI in New York, meanwhile, has come out with Kamikaze in Color and The Korean War in Color, sequels to World War II in Color that compile actual color historical footage.

Montreal distributor Sari Buksner, however, is more reserved in her outlook for MIPTV.

‘MIP will be all-telling,’ says Buksner, senior VP of international sales at Multimedia Group. ‘Nobody knows what’s going on in the industry. We are anticipating a turnaround…[but] there is no real proof business is improving.’

Multimedia’s niches in documentaries and comedy have appeal that ride out economic cycles.

‘When there is uncertainty about what will work, [programmers] always go back to what does work, and that’s comedy,’ says Buksner. ‘If the market is slow for awhile, the distributor has to be ready for when things pick up. This is the time to prepare and concentrate on the trends.’

And for the first time, the CBC will be able to sell Telefilm-assisted productions, says Klymkiw, which means a larger catalogue to pitch worldwide and improved distribution revenues.

Telefilm’s Canada Pavilion

Some 50 companies are registered with the Canada Pavilion at MIPTV 2002, up from 19 in 2001, says Lise Corriveau, Telefilm’s manager festivals and markets.

Telefilm, the pavilion’s operator and major funder, says because more partners signed on this year (including the CFTPA, the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Canadian Television Fund, Sextant International and the National Film Board) the cost of participation has been reduced at both the high and low end of the scale ($500 to $11,000).

She says Telefilm and MIPTV host Reed Midem have negotiated reduced accreditation rates for smaller producers at the pavilion.

‘I’m expecting an incredibly good turnout, perhaps close to 150 companies,’ says Corriveau.

Despite overall downsizing at recent markets, about 40% at NATPE and 15% at MIPCOM 2001, business for Canadians remains brisk, says Corriveau. ‘I am expecting a very good MIPTV as well. We’ll have more companies than at MIPCOM.’

Corriveau says the umbrella stand concentrates business activity, draws a crowd, and is particularly effective as a multi-sector clearing resource for financing, coproduction and program category information.

Canadian exhibitors at MIPTV include AAC, CBC/SRC, Cinar, CineGroupe, Gullane Entertainment, Minds Eye International, MLC World, Mundovision, Nelvana International, Oasis International and Plus 3 Entertainment. The Ontario Media Development Corporation, expected to join the Canada stand at MIPCOM 2002, and SODEC/Horizon Quebec, will operate separate stands at MIPTV.

CHUM, meanwhile, is scaling back its presence at MIPTV, with only three programmers (about half the usual number) and no sellers attending for the first time in seven years. ‘We’re taking a one-year pass,’ says CEO Jay Switzer.

Timing is the problem, says Switzer, since MIPTV falls between NATPE and the LA Screenings and, from his perspective, is less important than MIPCOM in the fall.

Instead, CHUM will do its own tour of the international buyers who generate 90% of CHUM’s sales.

With files from Leo Rice-Barker

-www.miptv.com