Buyers aren't in the market for....

As "brand identity" becomes the buzzword of the nineties, buyers at this years' Screenings define themselves as much by the products they don't want to see as those they do. Of the more than 450 buyers attending the Los Angeles. Screenings, each has their own "pet peeves" in terms of products they aren't interested in.

Germany's Pro 7 network is a typical example of the highly targeted buyer. Pro 7's Robert Koch explained that the list of products he's not interested in reflect "a matter of positioning in the marketplace - and our image, of course." Citing reality TV, game shows, and music television as products he doesn't want to be bothered with, Koch emphasized that "We don't touch those genres. Because we're entertainment-oriented, we do fiction, news and information." According to Koch, Pro 7's format is similar to that of the U.S. Movie Channel, which is known for programming movies and documentaries. Acquiring product outside those parameters would only weaken the company's brand identity, Koch stressed.

At the other end of the spectrum is Giles Meunier of Frances' TF1, who claims, "We are looking for everything. We have one of the largest audiences in France, so even if we are not going to buy it, we want to know everything that exists - to be aware of new trends." Meunier emphasized that TF1's slate includes a heavy roster of U.S. network series product including shows such as Murder She Wrote, Melrose Place and Beverly Hills 90210, and they are always anxious to discover the "hottest" new shows. That pursuit makes the LA Screenings "a crazy time for us," Meunier allowed.

When pressed, however, Meunier admitted that sci-fi product is not of interest to him, neither are news-magazines. "We produce our own [news]magazines, which are more adapted to our audience," he stressed. Meunier added that like the major U.S. networks, TF1 has almost no slots for documentaries. Meunier concluded, "We are always interested to know what's available. You cannot ignore what is being done in other countries. That doesn't mean we are going to buy it, though," he quipped.

Guido Pugnetti of Italy's Mediaset, like Meunier, attempts to see everything at the Screenings, even genres that are of less interest to the network. "As a matter of principal we never say no without at least seeing the trailer or promos," Pugnetti stressed. Subjects that Mediaset is less interested in, however, include sitcoms. American sitcoms generally don't work with Mediaset's audience, according to Pugnetti, although certain sitcoms are offered on the channel including the Fresh Prince of Bel Air and Saved By The Bell. Pugnetti said that his first priority is finding one-hour series for primetime, as well as MOWs, which Mediaset buys a lot of. As far as newsmagazine and documentary products go, Pugnetti said that at the Screenings, "Our buying department is in charge of fiction only," adding that "for magazine formats or game show formats, NATPE is the best marketplace."

Pugnetti stated that he does keep in mind his competing station RAI when screening product. However, even if he feels that a product will fit the competitor's station profile and possibly even hurt Mediaset if they picked it up, Pugnetti still wouldn't necessarily buy it. "We screen product with the eyes of our audience," Pugnetti stated, adding that what works for his competition may not work on Mediaset. "We have a very strong brand identity that influences our product choices," Pugnetti said, adding that "experience helps a lot [in making product choices] but you cannot avoid the risk."

Arthur Weinthal of Canada's CTV stated that documentaries are a category he doesn't want to deal with at the Screenings. Yet, Weinthal added that there are no products that he completely avoids, because "who would have known last year that a medical show two medical shows - would be big and one of them would be a monster. You get really smart in this business and you don't rule out anything."

Weinthal observed that the primary focus of the Screenings are the mainstream series. Shows that he concentrates on are MOW packages and regular series, comedy and melodrama. Additionally, Weinthal uses the Screenings to look at what the American networks are picking up and the wider group of international networks. "We don't bother looking at things that are local or regional or specialty channel or pay television," Weinthal allowed. "There is nothing of interest to us that would involve Showtime or HBO or any of the U.S. specialty cable services - just the commercial broadcast services and what they will be carrying," Weinthal stressed.

As far as sellers "bothering" him with unwanted products, Weinthal said that it's "very, very rare. Occasionally it comes up that somebody has [a documentary] in their bag of tricks, but they're not real documentaries." He cited "pop documentaries" such as a history of the fifties as most likely to turn up at the Screenings. Another exception to the "mainstream focus" of the Screenings are shows offered by the news departments of the principal U.S. networks like Day One and 20/20, according to Weinthal, "but that's very much on the fringe of what the Screenings are all about," Weinthal emphasized.

Paloma Garcia, a buyer for Spain's Antenna 3, said she avoids products that don't fit into her schedule: "We don't have a slot for documentaries or sports shows, fashion magazines or specials." Garcia noted that cartoons, MOWs or features, sitcoms or half-hour series or one-hour series in drama or action genres are of most interest to her at the Screenings. "Basically, the LA Screenings are the field for series - that's what we've been buying is either sitcoms or one-hour series." Agreeing with the consensus, Garcia allowed, "We don't have documentaries at all, local or foreign. Right now we have one music special bought in a commercial arrangement with Coca-Cola and MTV Europe. But basically we never look for musical product." Garcia said that Antena 3 doesn't buy specials on show business or fashion, although they do produce a show called The Pink News that covers some fashion locally. Garcia cited the "very American specials" screened at the LA Screenings as particularly inappropriate for her market. "We don't have a slot [open] for specials because we produce specials with a local political or social focus."

Garcia complained that sometimes pressure from the majors can "force" smaller buyers to screen unwanted product. "The majors take advantage of the screening [of desired products] to include as much as possible. If you're interested in a one-hour drama, besides the main product they'll include two or three [additional] things. That way you're induced to see more." According to Garcia, "It's very difficult to split product naturally in the same country without a fight [for the top products.] The key word is money. The ones who pay the most or the ones who take the most product will get top preference if there is a fight over a show."

June Dromgoole, a buyer for BBC TV in London, said that in terms of product she has no interest in, "We don't generally look at TV movies, and only occasionally see mini-series." As for documentaries, Dromgoole said she doesn't look at them at the Screenings although, she added, "We do throughout the rest of the year." Like others, she targets her efforts at the Screenings to new season product: "Potentially anything that's contained in the new season product is of interest." The same criteria is applied to all product under consideration by Dromgoole, namely, "If it would fit into the schedule and work with a British audience."

Known for airing top-quality product, one would imagine that the BBC would avoid some less prestigious American products. However, Dromgoole said that at the Screenings, quality is not a problem: "When you realize that we are primarily looking at the primetime product on the four American networks, or the occasional show that might be on first-run syndication networks, that already imposes a sort of quality threshold. That's not to say that there might still be things that don't suit our particular brief for one reason or another. But that does tend to weed out the tackiest end of the market," Dromgoole acknowledged. She agreed with Weinthal that the wisest approach at the Screenings is to keep an open mind: "One never likes to rule anything out until you actually see it. It may not turn out to be suitable for our audience profile, but I wouldn't want to be too arrogant about it [before screening the product,]" Dromgoole said.

As far as strengthening network identity, Dromgoole said that's not an issue at the BBC. "Obviously the BBC is one of the most established brand identifies. We see ourselves as 'brand leader' - to use an advertising term. Of course when I say some things may not be suitable for our audience, that has to do with audience profile, etc. But the audience profile between the four major British networks, ITV and Channel 4 and BBC 1 and BBC 2, is relatively similar. BBC 1 and ITV tend to be interested in similar types of acquisitions; as would BBC 2 and Channel 4." When only one network can acquire a show in a market, Dromgoole admitted that sometimes a "race" for the product can ensue. Dromgoole explained, "We're competitive. And obviously on the best shows there is likely to be competition."

At Argentina's Diprom, buyer Blanca Ponce takes one of the most open-minded approaches of those interviewed by Video Age. She allowed that "the only products we are not interested in at the LA Screenings are soap operas. The rest of the material we are always interested to acquire."