Local TV stations sell program abroad to survive

Local TV stations sell program abroad to survive

By Antariksawan Jusuf

JAKARTA (JP): Although still seen by some as just a penny-
making industry, exporting television programs looks promising
for local stations at a time when advertising revenues continue
to free fall.

It could help contribute to the growth of local program
productions. The question is, of course, whether the producers
and stations are ready for wider markets and consider them an
opportunity.

Bob Malkan, of the Indonesian educational station TPI
international sales department, said selling Indonesian programs
overseas may not be the bread and butter of stations but could
serve as a way to overcome the drop of advertising spots at
stations.

"It could provide cross-subsidy for the increasing costs of
local programs," he said.

The average cost of a 60-minute Indonesian program ranges from
Rp 50 million to Rp 125 million (US$5,000 to $12,500). The
international rights of programs could sell for between $1,000
and $2,000.

Television sources said the economic crisis has caused a
downward spiraled of advertising revenue -- the backbone of
commercial stations -- to more than 50 percent. The five
commercial stations, RCTI, SCTV, TPI, ANteve and Indosiar, are
screening reruns, including locally produced series to avoid
further losses. They are also reviewing their scheduling and
purchasing plans for local programs, which has badly affected
several production houses.

Malkan said the key to overseas markets was, "how to lobby and
get to know the clients and their needs in programming." Malkan
refused to disclose the hourly fee for the international rights
of TPI's programs.

Besides opening a booth at the annual regional television
programs market MIP Asia in Hong Kong in 1996, TPI has
distributed its offered programs directly to potential buyers in
Australia, Africa and Europe.

TPI has sold its music-based game show Kuis Dangdut to Japan's
NHK; the drama series Desaku Bumiku to a Malaysian cable station;
and a children program Klab Klip and a 60-minute series developed
from a popular dangdut song Balada Dangdut to Singapore's TV12.

London Week Television of the UK purchased from TPI a talk
show on supernatural phenomenon, Serambi. At home, the show was
abandoned by the station due to a protest from the Indonesian
Ulemas Council (MUI), which claimed the show was against the
teachings of Islam.

TPI is currently negotiating to clinch a deal for its
classical series developed from the radio drama Kaca Benggala
with an Indian distributor for territories including Bangladesh,
India and Nepal.

Instead of dubbing the programs into English, TPI provided
English dialog sheets, translated from the original, and
brochures.

RCTI has sold the first six episodes of drama series Si Doel
Anak Sekolahan (Doel, The Graduate) and cooking program Selera
Nusantara to TV12 Singapore, and its religious series Kubersujud
and Selera Nusantara to Malaysian cable station Measat.

RCTI has turned down a request from an English station which
was interested in purchasing its drama series Halimun, which
features Paramita Rusady. The reason given was that the station
could not provide an English-dubbed version of the series.

SCTV, which is currently considering exploiting its potential
in overseas markets, has exported its talk show Dunia Bintang to
TV12 of Singapore.

Even though RCTI and SCTV have marketed their programs
overseas, they do not seem to have as a high an interest as TPI.
Most of the successful deals for the two stations were at the
initiative of the buyers.

Both Indosiar and ANteve, whose international rights of their
local series are held by production houses, do not have records
of selling their programs overseas.

Indosiar's head of public affairs, Andreas Ambessa, said the
station was currently more interested in strengthening its
presence at home than developing overseas markets.

Market

Each overseas market has its own unique challenge.

China, which has some 350 million households with televisions,
needs programs related to Indonesian culture. A source at a
production house which has a distribution affiliate in China
cited Anak Seribu Pulau (Children of the Archipelago) and other
documentaries on Indonesians as examples of programs in demand.

With a population of over one billion, China is the world's
largest potential television audience market, as reported by Asia
Television magazine in December.

A source at RCTI said Brunei Darussalam "welcomes all programs
which have a religious touch". However, as a wealthy country, it
refuses to broadcast reruns which have been enjoyed by viewers.

"They want to have fresh new programs that they have never
seen on Indonesian television," the source said.

Skeptics such as RCTI's director, Alex Kumara, and Raam Soraya
of Soraya Intercine Film have said that Indonesian programs are
not attractive for global markets. Indonesian series do not
depict a typical Indonesian culture, Kumara said as quoted in Pos
Kota daily.

He also said that several Indonesian series were rejected
because they were considered "inappropriate" because the way
middle-aged women in the shows dressed was not in accordance with
the common dress code in neighboring Southeast Asian countries
such as Brunei and Malaysia.

Even the high-rating achiever Si Doel Anak Sekolahan failed to
portray Indonesian culture, except for its Betawi dialect, Kumara
said.

Soraya said low prices of international rights fees are in
contrast with the high cost of dubbing. Soraya, who produces the
sitcom Hantu Sok Usil and horror series Janda Kembang, said most
foreign stations require Indonesian series to be dubbed into
English before they make a deal.

"The cost of high-quality dubbing is more than the rights fee
they are willing to pay. Say the rights cost is $1,000. The
dubbing costs could reach up to $3,000 to $4,000."

During the peak of Indonesia's movie producing era, from 1987
to 1992, Soraya exported several movies, including Pembalasan
Ratu Pantai Selatan (Lady Terminator), Bercinta Dengan Maut
(Dangerous Seduction) and Ranjang Setan (Satan's Bed) to more
than 15 countries.

To reverse this situation, Indonesian holders of international
rights of television programs should realize that foreign markets
could also be another source of revenue.

They should form a common sales force. The government may help
set up this sales force and lobbying group but it must not give
additional bureaucratic tables which could jeopardize the
original aim.

The writer works for a private television station.