MICHAEL Palin, Sir Tom Stoppard, Hugh Bonneville, Emilia Fox, Ruth Jones and Jessica Hynes, as well as stars from high profile BBC shows like Call The Midwife, written by Liverpool's Heidi Thomas, are set to descend on Liverpool this weekend.
Michael Palin, right
They will be accompanied by 640 international buyers as the BBC's commercial arm, BBC Worldwide, hosts the biggest international television market in the world hosted by a single distributor.
The showcase will be held at Liverpool’s BT Convention Centre and includes exclusive content premieres for 10 genres such as drama, science and natural history, lifestyle, music and childrens.
Seminars, panels and speeches will address IPTV, connected televisions, trends, delivery and co-production opportunities.
“We’ve had a phenomenal response to our first Showcase in Liverpool,” said Steve Macallister, president and managing director, sales & distribution, BBC Worldwide.
“With a significant increase in delegates from America and Asia and many digital clients attending for the first time including Hulu, Netflix, Yota, Onet, CME and FetchTV Australia we have exceeded our expectations and look forward to welcoming a record breaking number of delegates.”
Sales
Worldwide has doubled the amount of content that its screening in Liverpool, with 2,800 hours of shows.
“We’re proud to host this flagship event for British TV exports and bring together such an impressive delegation of international buyers,” he added.
The event is now in its 36th year and helps BBC Worldwide, the corporation's commercial arm generate sales on behalf of the BBC and independent producers. It generally accounts for around 20% of BBC Worldwide's annual programme sales.
