January 2, 2003
U.S. TV Shows Losing Potency Around World
By SUZANNE KAPNER
LONDON — Want to catch the latest episode of the CBS hit "C.S.I." in France? Tune in Saturdays at 11 p.m. How about the CBS show "Judging Amy" in Singapore? Try weekdays at midnight.
Those programs would have been candidates for prime time several years ago. But today American dramas and sitcoms — though some remain popular — increasingly occupy fringe time slots on foreign networks, industry executives say. Instead, a growing number of shows produced by local broadcasters are on the air at the best times.
"Whereas American TV shows used to occupy prime-time slots, they are now more typically on cable, or airing in late-night or weekend slots," said Michael Grindon, president of Sony Pictures Television International.
The shift counters a longstanding assumption that TV shows produced in the United States would continue to overshadow locally produced shows from Singapore to Sicily. The changes are coming at a time when the influence of the United States on international affairs has chafed friends and foes alike, and some people are expressing relief that at least on television American culture is no longer quite the force it once was....
<http://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/02/business/businessspecial/02TUBE.html>
December 31, 2002
They Choke on Coke, but Savor Mecca-Cola
By JOHN TAGLIABUE
PARIS, Dec. 30 — The idea, says Tawfik Mathlouthi, who runs a radio station for France's Muslim minority, came to him in the shower: to create a competing product to Coke that would satisfy the needs of Arab speakers in Europe and elsewhere for soft drinks, while providing jobs and economic growth.
"My son adores McDonald's and Coke," Mr. Mathlouthi, 46, the father of two young boys, acknowledged in an interview. His 10-year-old was chagrined when his father urged him not to patronize American brands. "He said to me, 'Papa, I agree not to drink Coke, but you have to give me something.' That's how the idea was born."
In November, after months of preparation, Mr. Mathlouthi came out with Mecca-Cola. Borne aloft by Muslims in France desirous of boycotting American brands, to protest policies in the Middle East, the company he created delivered more than a million bottles by early December.
Now, orders for the liter-and-a-half bottles with labels whose bright red and sweeping white script evoke those of Coke are pouring in from around the world — from Britain, Belgium and Germany — together with bids from companies wanting to become local distributors....
Coke acknowledges that the Arab boycott has hurt. Singling out North and West Africa, most notably Morocco and Egypt, the president of Coca-Cola Africa, Alexander B. Cummings Jr., told analysts in October that "our business in these countries has been hurt by the boycotting of American brands."
Another Coke executive, asked about Mecca-Cola, said simply, "We are aware of Mecca, and we have felt the impact of the boycott of American goods."
Asked whether Coke contemplated legal action because of Mecca's similar label, he replied: "Our lawyers are aware of it, absolutely. But I don't believe there's a decision to take legal action." ...
<http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/31/international/europe/31FRAN.html?8hpib>
Carl
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