2013 LA Screenings Buyer Profile: Sena Argun, SinemaTV

Sena Argun is in LA this week buying for a SinemaTV’s bouquet of Turkish pay TV channels. The group has general entertainment, female-skewed, family, action and movie channels so Argun is in LA on the lookout for a wide range of content.

Which channels are you buying content for?

I’m buying content for our group of premium pay SinemaTV channels: SinemaTV, SinemaTV 2, SinemaTV Aksiyon (Action), SinemaTV Ask, SinemaTV Aile and SinemaTV 1001. Our channels are offered on satellite, on D-Smart, on cable, on Teledunya, and IPTV and WebTV, on Tivibu, and they are all in HD.

Can you briefly outline the profile of the channels?

We broadcast all our first run blockbusters on our “Red Carpet nights” on SinemaTV and SinemaTV 2 is its the two-hour timeshifted multiplex channel.

SinemaTV Aksiyon focuses on action/adventure movies and thrillers. SinemaTV Ask airs dramas and romantic comedies and has a more female skewed audience. SinemaTV Aile is the channel parents can watch with their kids without concerns of inappropriate content and enjoy some great family time.

Finally, SinemaTV 1001’s content consists of world famous classics and other critically acclaimed modern movies, basically the 1001 must-see movies of all time.

We broadcast almost any genre of movies such as action, adventure, romance, comedy, horror, thriller, documentary and so on. SinemaTV tries to target all kinds of people, trying to deliver to every age and taste. From lighthearted family movies to critically acclaimed dramas, and indie films to worl- famous box office successes, SinemaTV’s catalogue serves to deliver to anyone who might want to enjoy movies.

What is the acquisitions strategy, how much of the content on the channels is acquired?

We are now concentrated on putting the final touches on our Fall/Winter line-up. SinemaTV’s acquisitions team collaborates with a great variety of distributors and production companies ranging from major studios to boutique companies.

Which US shows that you have bought have performed well – what are the real successes?

Grimm, The Bridge and Downton Abbey seem to do particularly well for the Turkish audience.

You struck a programming deal with NBC, do you have output agreements with any other Studios?

We have an output deal with Fox as well. Apart from that, we do package deals with studios. For instance, at the end of the last year we did a package deal with MGM for all the Bond movies which also includes the latest hit of the franchise, Skyfall. The movie will premiere on our channels next month.

How important is the LA Screenings for SinemaTV?

It is very important for us to see what is in store for the near future from the studios and meet up with our studio representatives to discuss how we can expand our relations with them.

What are you looking forward to seeing this year?

The show I’m most curious about is Dracula actually. I was a big fan of The Tudors (below), so I believe Dracula [which also stars Jonathan Rhys Meyers] will be a great show.

Is there a particular type of show you need for your schedules?

Turkish audience loves action shows and comedies, so we will be concentrated on these genres.

If you buy something from the US studios, how soon to the US air date can you show it?

It depends on the specific company. The hold-back period is usually short for TV shows, but longer for movies.

Do you also require digital rights to allow you to make the shows available on mobile phones, PCs etc?

Yes, we do. SinemaTV buys all PC, mobile and wireless rights so that our viewers can enjoy our content through several online platforms. We also buy catch-up SVOD rights for our on-demand service, Sinema Now so that viewers can enjoy our shows and movies anytime and anywhere.

2013 LA SCREENINGS BUYER PROFILES

Sarah Wright, controller of acquisitions, BSkyB

Stephen Mowbray, head of acquisitions, SVT

Özlem Özsümbül, Kanal D

Catherine Mackin, director of programme acquisitions, UKTV

Douglas Davis, director, content acquisitions and sales, Blinkbox