Discop takes a step backward
Biz slow at TV mart, telenovelas still in demand
Organizers at the Happening Group (THG) admitted that Russia's financial uncertainty and Balkan political instability brought levels of activity well down from last year.
"Time is on our side," THG general manager Patrick Jucaud said, noting the region has seen more than $1 billion invested in it in just six months.
Doug Gluck, an exec with Pearson Television, described this year's Discop ride as "bumpy -- with a lot of no-shows. We'll definitely come back, but maybe not in the same force."
Given the resulting conglomeration of smaller players, market business was strongly geared toward the region's long-term favorite, the Latin American telenovelas. Melanie Meurehg, international sales manager for Mexico's TV Azteca, which was attending the market for the first time, managed to develop deals to expand on recent programming success in Romania, although she admitted that she expected the market's aisles to be fuller.
