Annual Report 2003 - Modern Times Group MTG AB

800
600
400
200
0
net sales, msek
2001
2002
2003
Modern Studios is the content production
and distribution arm of
MTG, enabling the Group to control
and leverage the full broadcasting
value chain by generating high quality
entertainment programming for
Viasat, as well as selling content to
third party broadcasters. Modern
Studios also produces, markets and
distributes blockbuster cinema
Client quote
�
”Strix is a unique company
with an incredible
success story. They have a
very priviliged position in the
market and an extremly
strong track record.”
Carlos Gonzalez, Managing
Director, Fremantle
LatinAmerica and US
Spanish Market
movies, leading book titles by well known authors and high quality
customer magazines for corporate customers.
Prolonged uncertainty in the advertising markets has
caused broadcasters around the world to continue to cut back the
number of hours of own produced programming. Despite this,
Strix continued to deliver a line up of successful formats that produced
a number of the year’s top-rating shows in each market.
The Modern Studios division reported sales growth of 15% to
SEK 737 (639) million and an operating income of SEK 57 (63)
million. The lower margin principally reflects a change in the product
mix in Strix and lower product margins in Sonet.
100
75
50
25
0
ebit, msek
2001
countries
Denmark
Estonia
Great Britain
Norway
Sweden
USA
2002
A year of success and
geographical expansion
2003
modern studios
Reality TV in 63 countries
Strix sold options and licenses to its 19 ‘reality TV’ formats to
leading broadcasters and production companies in over 42 territories
around the world during 2003. Strix’s hit formats have now
been optioned to a total of 63 countries worldwide. ‘Expedition
Robinson’ (based on the ‘Survivor’ concept) was produced and
co-produced for broadcast in seven countries in 2003 during a
hectic 15 week period of filming on 12 islands in Malaysia. The
show generated increased share of viewing for all the countries
where it was broadcast and 2003/04 was the show’s seventh year
on Swedish public broadcaster ‘SVT’. The Danish version of
‘Expedition Robinson’ was voted ‘Best Reality Show of the Year’
by Danish television viewers.
‘The Bar’ reality TV format, which has been broadcast in 14
countries, was aired again in Poland and in Lithuania and Latvia for
the first time during 2003 and options were sold to a further
23 countries.
The ‘The Farm’ and ‘Harem’ formats have both been aired in
seven countries and already set new viewing records during 2003.
The final show of the second Norwegian series of ‘The Farm’ became
the most watched entertainment show ever on Norway’s TV2
channel, reaching an astonishing 1.3 million viewers, which is equivalent
to a 61% share of viewing. The third season of ‘The Farm’ in
Sweden became the most watched entertainment show on the TV4
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