Sponsor (May-Aug 1957)

FILM-SCOPE continued \ everybodj knows, numv a sour motion picture has turned financially sweet through foreign sales. Are the same happy prospeets in store for syndicated tv film? I his week FILM-SCOPE asked producers, agencies, sponsors, and Foreign representatives about the Latin American situation. In a nutshell, this is what thej say: Prospects are promising; hut as of today, the emphasis must he on the word promising rather than on reality. Here is the balance sheet: • Set ownership in Latin America is pretty hard to determine accurately — the guess is around 1,000,000 sets for everything, including Mexico. Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Brazil I where Portuguese — not Spanish — is the prevalent language). This alone — quite aside from economic and mone) harriers — makes transactions ticklish. • Nonetheless, statistics aren't the whole story. Latin America already accounts for about a third of all foreign syndicated film revenues. And the number of viewers per set is high (as much as three king-size families per screen I . • The average selling price for a syndicated series for Latin America is about $2,200 per film. • But the U.S. syndicator has an extra high expense in dubbing. ( It costs about $1,000 to dub a film. I This is unlike motion picture feature films which arc sold in L.A. without dubbing. Latin American ad agencies won't buy syndicated film until there are enough dubbed episodes in the can to assure completion and sure delivery ol the series. • Unless the syndicator has sales in Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela in his pocket, his fate is apt to be precarious. What do both syndicators and U.S. sponsors need at this point? This is the concensus: 1. Belter marketing statistics. It's sheer daydreaming to hope that such U.S. concepts as cost-per-thousand could be whipped up soon. But rudimentary facts on sets — plus listening and buying habits — would be welcome. 2. A better understanding of what Latin American broadcasters want. You can't do business with them in strictly U.S. terms. 3. Patience. The fellow who builds solidl) and with understanding will be the winner. Will the '"horror" film come along as a companion staple to the western? This week that was a top trade topic, sparked by Screen Gems' sale of 52 "shockers" to nine stations — including WABC-TV, New York, whose end of the deal amounts to sT 50.000. FLASHES FROM THE FILM FRONT: Parsons Productions, Inc., set deal with CBS-TV Film Sales to deliver over SI. 500.000 worth of 30-minute tv films in the next eight months . . . The West End Brewing Co., bought NTA's Sheriff of Cochise to promote I'tica Club Beer in seven N.Y. markets . . . First buys of Guild's true-adventure series The Michaels of Africa were made by KOMO, Seattle, and WCKT, Miami. Mitchell Leisen, motion picture director, signed as executive consultant on the Shirlej Temple fair) tale programs scheduled for January debut on NBC-TV . . . Ziv reports Harbor Command now is set in 122 markets with additional sales made to Ilaniin Brewing and the Rochester Milk Producers Assn. . . . Screen Gems'' railroading saga Case) Jones is scheduled in 45 cities this fall. K.HJ-TV has scheduled 2T different feature films for the week of 26 August. setting a new high for this kind of film fare in L.A. . . . CBS TV's Civil \\ ar stanza, Gre) (.host, has been sold in 61 markets, including seven Southern States. . . Leon H. Cagan named president of NBC Internacional de Mexico. S. \.. headquartering in Mexico City. 94 sponsor • 24 AUGUST 1957