By Han Sang-hee
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the broadcast content trade show ITSCON BCWW, and organizers are promising a more interesting and worthwhile event for buyers, sellers and visitors.
The BCWW, which was first held in 2001 as an individual event, will be held alongside ITSCON, or the International Tradeshow for Content, starting this year.
The annual event, which will be held at COEX, Samseong-dong, from Sept. 1 to 3, is one of the largest broadcast content fairs in Asia, and this year more than 220 booths from 55 countries will showcase their distinctive content at the venue.
``The BCWW is an international market for exchange of broadcast content from around the world gathered in a single place. We are hoping this year will mark the event as a global distribution forum for cultural content,’’ said Lee Jae-woong, CEO and president of Korea Creative Content Agency, organizer of the fair.
The four major broadcasters in Korea ― KBS, MBC, SBS and EBS ― will appear at the venue, along with big production companies including Chorokbaem Media and Group 8. Respectable foreign networks, such as the BBC, NHK and CCTV, will also participate and present their latest dramas, documentaries and program formats.
Following the current 3D wave in films, the BCWW has arranged a special booth for 3D productions. Visitors and buyers will be able to experience the future of broadcasting, with a stand full of electronic gadgets and programs that include 3D services. Korea has already leaped full force into the 3D craze, with numerous movies being screened in 3D theaters and also many electronics brands offering games, especially sports games in 3D. At the special booth, a large screen will enable visitors to directly experience the technology of the future and give them a hint of what will be the next big trend in broadcasting and the film industry.
Television programs are the most popular way to entertain viewers, thus for producers, the most important aspect of creating them will be presented with a completely different yet interesting format. Recently, Korean viewers had the chance to watch popular foreign shows made into local versions, including ``Project Runway Korea,’’ ``Deal or No Deal’’ and ``Korea’s Next Top Model,’’ and more format exchanges are expected to take place at the event. Local program formats, such as ``Beauties’ Chatterbox’’ (KBS), ``Vitamin’’ (KBS) and ``Two Days One Night’’ (KBS), have also been sold in numerous countries, signaling an originality and uniqueness existing in domestic programs.
Sellers, buyers and visitors will be captivated by the various events, contents and screenings available at the trade show.
The 10th ITSCON BCWW will be held from Sept. 1 to 3 at COEX, Samseong-dong, Seoul. For more information, visit www.bcww.net.