The Nordics window shop at Screenings

Economic problems forced buyers to stay home

By MARLENE EDMUNDS

BORNHOLM, Denmark -- Nordic Screenings, the main event for buyers and sellers of Nordic TV programs, closed its 25th edition June 10 on the back of a flurry of meetings focused more on the future of area pubcasters than the vending of Scandi fare.

The annual event drew close to 200 participants mainly from Europe, but some from as far away as Taiwan and Japan, to this Danish island in the middle of the Baltic Sea.

The Screenings this year offered 274 programs, up from 206 last year, but fewer buyers: Economic problems forced some regular attendees from Russia, the Baltic states, Central Europe and Asia to stay home.

Commercial outfits

This program market was once the exclusive turf of Scandi pubcasters, but this year, nearly half of the sales outfits present were from the commercial sector, including Nordisk Film Intl. Sales, Sandrews Metronome and Danish production group Zentropa's 2-year-old company Trust Film Sales.

Trust brought with it some 11 properties produced by Zentropa companies, including Danish director Lars Von Trier's 26-part TV series "Quiet Waters."

There was more business discussed than deals done, however. Directors of the five pubcasters in the Nordic territories met to flesh out ways to acquire expensive sports rights and talked about forming more programming pacts with commercial channels, a suggestion that might have been considered heretical not too long ago.

"We have a deal with SBS Broadcasting in Scandinavia that works fine, and we're looking for more," said Finn Rowald, director of TV sales and acquisitions at Danmarks Radio (DR).