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Arkadi Tsimbler, Head of the A Euro-Russian distribution company Liki
Films, knows the Euro-Asiatic television market like the back of
his hand, as he has been responsible for acquisitions in a renowned
channel. "It is tough to compete with imported products in
Russia because the local ones win a landslide victory," he says
to ONLY TELENOVELAS, Fiction & Formats. According to his analysis, Russian TV is eager for formats. "Any successful formula will immediately invigorate production,"
he states.
We have seen much work on telenovela production and adaptation
during the last years, are programmers satisfied?
The truth is that only some products were successful. Some of them
were the adaptation of the Colombian series Betty, la fea and
the strong local version of The Nanny. These two are probably the
only hits. The other ones were not up to the expectations, which
made it difficult for other telenovelas and series to enter the
market or become successful if they managed to get in. There is
another example nowadays, Stage Romance, which is broadcasted on TVC.
This telenovela was produced in Ukraine but is becoming a hit in
Russia. Nevertheless, success is measured according to the high
volume of local production.
In your opinion, why is that so?
People follow trends, and telenovelas have gone stale in Russia.
Anyway, they do not represent the only programming solution. We have
to introduce other genres that increase the rating. There is a
shortage of good studio produced drama series. When people opted for
telenovelas, they started to watch formats of 150 episodes instead
of 8, 12, 24 or 52, as it used to be. I can predict that in some
years' time more TV movies will be produced, as drama series will
end up being too expensive." Another negative factor is -according
to Tsimbler- the fact that Russian TV has no sitcom tradition.
"They are not well developed," he maintains and then
clarifies that, "The Nanny became a hit because it was
supported by Sony Television."
Factual TV
Through Liki Films, Tsimbler buys products in France and
takes them to the Russian market. In his opinion, they have to get
rid of clichés and invest in new genres that are currently
successful in Europe. "In Russia, producers still repeat the
same examples year after year. Fortunately, the world of contents is
not finished with reality shows, series and telenovelas."
What alternatives do you recommend?
The TV has to go for real facts. French channels transmit
documentaries at 10 pm, which is the main slot, and they are doing
very well. Many viewers are fed up with entertaining shows and want
to see real life. Tsimbler believes this trend reversal is generated
by the little room left on TV for political debate and objective
news programs. That is where the documentary niche turns up because,
as far as he is concerned, when fiction has gotten stale, "the
audience demands real facts."
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"Bianca,
the first telenovela written and produced by Germans, was the key to
open the gate leading towards telenovela in this powerful market.
Then, the production company Grundy UFA set a craze
with the adaptation of Yo soy Betty, la fea. The channel ZDF
and this prestigious production company were the ones that not only
managed to convince their country's fierce critics about the
feasibility of the genre, but also scored a huge marketing hit that
goes beyond its territory's borders." |
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