BCWW — or Broadcast Worldwide — is a content market being held in Seoul, Korea. Now in its 11th year, the conference will soon take place at the Coex Convention Center. VideoAge checked in with BCWW’s Sue Moon to find out what the trade event has to offer participants this year.
VideoAge International: Could you tell me a little bit about BCWW?
Sue Moon: The 11th BCWW, held from August 31 through September 2 at Coex, is Asia’s leading broadcast programming market and provides a venue for expediting content distribution. It’s organized by the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) in conjunction with the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA), BCWW 2011 will consist of a market and a forum.
VAI: Is there anything new going on at the event this year?
Sue Moon: The conference, known as the Global Media Forum will be going on, and will focus on the latest broadcasting content trends. Additionally, there are a number of events going on, including the welcome reception and Buyers’ Night, a networking event to facilitate meetings between sellers and buyers.
VAI: How many participants are you expecting? How many buyers and how many exhibitors?
Sue Moon: The exhibition will be attended by around 5,000 participants, including officials from 230 or so broadcasters from 50 countries across the globe, as well as buyers from Korea and abroad. The forum will see participation of approximately 1,000 people, including officials working in the field of broadcasting in Korea and abroad.
VAI: Where do most of the participants come from? Is it a mostly Korean event, or is the crowd international?
Sue Moon: It’s an international event, and that includes exhibitors and buyers. Here is the breakdown: Africa nine percent, U.S. seven percent, Asia 36 percent, Europe 23 percent, Middle East 23 percent and Oceania two percent.
VAI: Are there any conference sessions or seminars planned, or is the event geared only towards buying and selling?
Sue Moon: The Global Media Forum covers a variety of topics including formats, Asian drama, pitching and more. The Forum will serve as an arena for discussion of industry issues and strategies for the future. Last year, the BCWW seminars were very well received by participants for their incorporation of global media trends. This year’s forum will center on four topics:
-Business Pitching, where producers, investors and buyers from Korea and abroad can directly engage with each other.
-HOT! Trend, which will focus on the globally popular survival and audition program format business, as wells as trends in new distribution services for content
-Asian Drama Content, about overseas exports and distribution of Asia’s TV drama productions
-Emerging Market, where participants will examine the cultural code and content industry of the Middle East
