We Want Their Shows, They Want Ours

摘要

The odds seem good that the 2006 NATPE conference will show a marked increase in international demand for U.S. product. American content providers are snapping up European shows, a trend that started with Survivor. As they did a decade ago, foreign buyers are gobbling up American formats, too. The street is busy in both directions. "Our last fiscal year, which runs from the start of October to the end of September, was the biggest in our history by some margin," notes Tom Toumazis, executive VP/managing director, Buena Vista International Television (BVIT), sizing up the global market for domestic programming. "We're on course to exceed that performance this year [in fiscal 2006]." U.S. companies have traditionally dominated the global TV trade. But since 2000 or so, foreign content providers quit leaning as heavily on American shows. At the same time, because of the popularity of reality shows, European companies exporting television programs and formats to the U.S. began reporting strong sales.